So you’ve gotten that first donation, now how can you retain that donor? A welcome series is what should be next. An email welcome series is different from a thank-you email, a newsletter, or other types of ordinary supporter email communications. Getting the email welcome series right can take effort, and it may be more important than you think.
In today’s interview with sgENGAGE Podcast veteran and Blackbaud University instructional designer Jocelyn Wright, you’ll learn more about why a welcome series is important, why they are valuable even in an email overload world, and what the best practices are for developing an email welcome series.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
Blackbaud University Organizational Best Practices Curriculum
The sgENGAGE Podcast Episode 116: Storytelling 101
Quotes:
“It’s actually a great way to get information in front of supporters in a format that’s more likely to be clicked on and more likely to be opened and interacted with.”
“This isn’t something where they’re getting a message from you every single day for 3 days and then you’re done.”
“Another thing to keep in mind with welcome series is they’re a great opportunity for experimentation, and you really should be testing different things out and seeing what works.”
Direct marketing is an important part of any social good organization’s strategy, but it’s critical that the program is well designed and reaches the right people with the right messages. Have you found yourself asking how to better use analytics to help drive your direct marketing strategy and measure results? That’s what today’s guest is here to talk about.
John Wilburn, director of direct response for the National Park Foundation, joined guest host Christine Newman at bbcon to talk about how being data-driven and open to innovation has helped him develop a successful direct marketing program at the organization. Listen in to hear what John has to say about deciding which marketing ideas to test out, choosing which metrics to follow, and getting others in the organization on board with your ideas.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
Article: What Fundraisers Can Learn from Direct Marketing
The Next Generation of American Giving
Quotes:
“If you start seeing it enough from different nonprofits, that might be a good idea to try for yours.”
“For us, national parks really are the capital N capital P parks across the big vistas such as Grand Canyon, Yosemite.”
“I think big data’s sort of gone away in terms of the lexicon, it’s more about smart data, and that can be actually small data can be a smart data point.”
The new year is always a time for planning and looking ahead, and that’s true for organizations as well as individuals. Whether January marks the beginning of your fiscal year or the midpoint, creating a fundraising plan for 2020 will help you be more successful in attracting new donors and retaining existing ones.
Today, Tanya Fitzgerald, senior marketing manager at Blackbaud, joins the podcast again to talk to host Steve MacLaughlin about the key aspects to a plan that sets your organization up for success. Listen to the episode to hear what Tanya has to say about what fundraising teams should be looking at, how they should think about giving in 2020, and how technology fits into the picture.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
The Explorer from the Blackbaud Institute
The Connected Office: Your Guide to Creating a Cohesive Constituent Experience
Quotes:
“You need to really look into those numbers and those percentages and have them to set your goals.”
“It’s so costly to obtain that first-time donor, so you’re going to want to keep them and get them turned into an annual donor.”
“I really think that transparency is important. These guys want to see inside of your organization as much as possible.”
The U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the set of 17 global goals adopted by 193 U.N. member states to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and protect our planet, provide a common roadmap for organizations to measure impact. And in particular, the participation of companies and philanthropic organizations will be critical to achieving the SDGs. But with 17 goals and 232 indicators, it can seem overwhelming to know where to begin.
In this episode, you’ll hear from Tiffany Washington, Impact and Integration Lead at DTE Energy, and Alexis Fish, Senior Business Analyst at Blackbaud who helps advise customers on impact measurement. Recorded at bbcon 2019, Tiffany and Alexis talk with host Rachel Hutchisson about why aligning to the SDGs is important, the role that companies and philanthropic organizations will play in achieving the goals by 2030, and how to incorporate the SDGs into business and philanthropic frameworks. Tiffany also shares the process that DTE Energy took to align to the SDGs and how they brought their nonprofit partners along on their journey.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
The Future of Sustainable Business: Making the Global Goals Local Business
Quotes:
“The SDGs, for one, it helps provide some benchmarking for common and best practices within the CSR industry.” –Tiffany Washington
“Communicate, communicate early and often.” –Tiffany Washington
“All of the UN SDG materials are free. They are an open resource.” – Alexis Fish
Sustainer giving programs provide donors an easy, automatic way to donate while also giving organizations a reliable source of income. In fact, research by the Blackbaud Institute revealed that sustained givers can increase giving to an organization by as much as 300% over two years. So, how can your organization take advantage?
Today’s episode, recorded live at bbcon 2019, is all about how to build and grow a successful sustainer giving program. Kristin Jackson and Bethany Taylor from Boise State Public Radio’s membership team sat down with guest host Christine Newman to talk about the success they’ve had building and expanding their sustainer giving program. Listen in to hear the keys to their success and get insights on how other organizations can do the same.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
Sustainers in Focus - research reports from the Blackbaud Institute
Quotes:
“I just felt like – clearly it could grow to more than that.”
“That’s the biggest thing is just get comfortable asking.”
“If you’re in the middle of a campaign, your sustainers want to help. They don’t want to feel left out of your campaign.”