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.”
Culture is an important factor for organizations in having a healthy and high performing workplace. The right culture doesn’t just make the workplace more fun – having a cohesive workplace culture can save a company money and make them more effective in their goals in the long term. So, how can organizations more effectively hire people aligned with their culture?
Today’s episode, recorded live at bbcon 2019, discusses just that. Tune in to hear William Vanderbloemen, CEO of The Vanderbloemen Group, talk with host Rachel Hutchisson about how to first determine your organization’s culture, and then how to strategically hire people that fit that culture. William also discusses how to make sure that hiring for culture still brings diversity to the workplace.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
More resources about culture on sgENGAGE: Expert Advice for Improving Culture & Morale at Nonprofit Organizations
Quotes:
“By definition, cause-driven organizations should have an easy time hiring because you’re looking for people that are aligned with your cause.”
“If your vision at your company is what you’re trying to accomplish, then your culture is how you as a team behave while you’re trying to accomplish this vision.”
“I think you’re going to see smart organizations in the future are going to focus on culture, not because it’s the hip thing to do, but because if you can get your culture fit right, you have a chance of keeping your employees a little bit longer.”
Peer-to-peer fundraising is an important part of a social good organization’s overall fundraising strategy. But as people increasingly become more committed to causes versus specific organizations, how can organizations engage and guide individual fundraisers who are campaigning to raise funds for causes close to their hearts?
In today’s episode, recorded live at bbcon 2019, Caroline Jones, founder of Knickers Model’s Own and 2015 JustGiving creative fundraiser of the year, joins host Steve MacLaughlin to discuss the journey and success of her crowdfunding campaign raising money for Cancer Research UK. Caroline shares her experience creating and properly supporting her campaign as a working professional, mother, and first-time fundraiser. Listen in to hear Caroline talk about the highs and lows of her journey, what fundraising efforts she took to differentiate herself, and what Caroline thinks other individual fundraisers can do to ensure successful campaigns.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
2019 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study
Knickers Model's Own - JustGiving
Quotes:
“It was only ever going to be the JustGiving platform.”
“It’s such an uplifting feeling when you’re in that very lonely place of being the sole fundraiser on your own.”
“You can’t do things in half measures.”
Long standing social good organizations have developed foundational fundraising and engagement methods that have provided for them for decades or more. As technology continues to shrink the world, increasing competition and changing the way we communicate with one another, how can business principles and skills help bring historically traditional nonprofits and other social good organizations into the future?
Dorri McWhorter, president and CEO of the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, joined host Rachel Hutchisson to discuss how she modernized the organization and is bringing it to new levels of success. Listen in to hear about Dorri’s work, combining business skillsets with a nonprofit, and understanding the value of a cause.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
Quotes:
“How can we get to the problems and just start solving them?”
“It just so happens that we have this wonderful tax status that allows us to look at the business differently.”
“A business solves problems and we solve problems too, we just don’t frame it like that.”
Pro bono volunteering can be a strategic resource for social change, benefiting companies, social good organizations, and individuals. But what makes pro-bono relationships work for all partners, and how can your company or social good organization set up a pro bono program that has an impact?
In today’s episode, recorded live at bbcon 2019, we explore the construct of successful pro-bono partnerships. Danielle Holly, CEO of Common Impact, joined host Rachel Hutchisson to talk about how organizations can make pro-bono volunteering work. Listen in to hear Danielle’s insights on the benefits of pro-bono, what organizations need to be thinking about when shaping a pro-bono program, and how to measure the success of a pro-bono partnership from both sides of the partnership.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
Read more from Danielle Holly on Pro-Bono Volunteering
Quotes:
“At its core, skills-based is about translating any talent, expertise, superpower, whether that’s carpentry or painting or marketing, to a need that a social change organization has.”
“There are very few skillsets, very few projects that don’t translate between sectors.”
“As a company, ensuring that you are committed to an honest, trusted partnership is something that we always say you need to come out of the gate with.”
Companies are under increasing pressure to be socially conscious, if not socially active. But what’s the best way to do this authentically? How can you make sure that your purpose and your business strategies are aligned in a way that resonates with employees, customers and other stakeholders?
In today’s interview with Sarah Chapman, Director of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability at Deloitte Canada, we discuss how businesses and organizations are following the trend of being more socially active. Listen in to hear Sarah talks with host Rachel Hutchisson about how Deloitte Canada has increasingly incorporated purpose into their strategy, and her advice for how other companies can do the same.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
Webinar: The Evolution of CSR: How to Align Your Charity with Corporate Initiatives
Quotes:
“At the end of the day, what it’s really about is standing for something and proving it in everything you say and do.” –Sarah Chapman
“What I’m actually advising clients now is taking a more center of the business approach.”
“Don’t wait for the perfect moments. Go and sort of get some quick wins.”
Smokey Bear, Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk, Keep America Beautiful, The Crash Test Dummies…the Ad Council is well known for these and many other successful public service ad campaigns. We sat down with them to peek behind the curtain and get tips that all social good organizations can leverage.
In this episode of the sgENGAGE Podcast, recorded in front of a live audience at bbcon 2019, Anthony Signorelli, SVP of Corporate Partnerships at the Ad Council, talks with host Rachel Hutchisson about how the organization creates its iconic campaigns. Listen to this interview to learn about the key elements for creating a successful campaign, the research that the Ad Council does before launching a campaign, and how organizations with smaller budgets and limited resources can effectively spread their message.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
See Anthony speak at bbcon with the bbcon 2019 virtual pass
Quotes:
“I do love really bringing together lots of different people and lots of different organizations.”
“In order to be effective, it’s really important to focus on a single-minded message.”
“If you don’t know what you’re trying to achieve, you’ll never get there.”
As a 100-year-old organization, Save the Children is one of the most well-known nonprofits in the world. But as with any longstanding organization, they have needed to balance tradition with evolving to meet new challenges and needs.
This episode of the sgENGAGE Podcast, recorded live at bbcon 2019, features a conversation between Catherine LaCour, chief marketing officer at Blackbaud, and Janti Soeripto, COO & president of Save the Children U.S.. Listen in to learn about how Save the Children U.S., as a long-established organization, is adjusting to changing expectations and new challenges to keep their brand relevant while remaining effective and true to their mission. Janti has provides great insight about how their engagement strategy has evolved and how technology is helping them achieve their mission.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
Quotes:
“The relationships with local communities in the countries where we work, that is the most critical part of really getting sustainable change. And that takes decades to build it.”
“We really need to meet people where they are.”
“We need people to be really engaged and we need people to fight for the rights that we hold dear.”
How has grassroots advocacy changed in the past few years? And what are the current grassroots advocacy trends that your organization should be leveraging to have greater success?
Today’s episode, recorded at bbcon 2019, features Jeb Ory, co-founder and CEO at Phone2Action and Zach Ragbourn, director of digital communications at National Parks Conservation Association. Listen in to hear Jeb and Zach speak with host Steve MacLaughlin about how to influence legislators, how digital advances have changed advocacy, and how to think about youth advocacy.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
Modern Advocacy Requires Modern Tools
Quotes:
“It’s now common and acceptable for people to share what they feel about issues online, on social media.” –Jeb Ory
“We’re turning a corner toward greater personalization and a greater need for emotional storytelling, both to and from advocates, to move the needle.” –Zach Ragbourn
“What it all comes down to is listening, honestly.” –Zach Ragbourn
Innovation is a big buzzword today, but what does it actually mean for social good organizations to innovate? And how can leaders create an atmosphere that allows for innovation?
Today’s episode, recorded at bbcon 2019 in Nashville features Kyla Shawyer of DSIL, an agency that works with organizations to innovate through systems changes and human-centered design. Listen in to hear Kyla talk with host Steve MacLaughlin about how the working environment has changed for leaders, what liberating structures means and why it’s important, and how to take more risks to achieve innovation.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
Quotes:
“I think leadership is about creating an environment where people can flourish.”
“About 16% of full-time employees are actively disengaged in what they do.”
“Innovations can sometimes be as much about stopping doing something as starting it.”
The 8th annual #GivingTuesday is coming up soon on December 3,2019. #GivingTuesday represents an opportunity for everyone to give back in a variety of ways, and companies are increasingly realizing how important it is to get involved in this global movement. Listen in to today’s episode for tips on how your company can leverage its people and core competencies to engage on #GivingTuesday.
In this super-sized episode, Blackbaud’s Rachel Hutchisson talks to both Gary Levante, senior vice president of Corporate Responsibility & Culture at Berkshire Bank and Icema Gibbs, director of Corporate Social Responsibility at JetBlue. Gary and Icema share how their respective companies celebrate #GivingTuesday and how the day connects to the rest of their CSR programs and overall business strategy. They also give advice for how other companies can make a mark on this global day of giving.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
#GivingTuesday Toolkit and Resources
Quotes:
“When I think of the real power of social media it’s to have a conversation with your customers with your community members with your partners about why activities like giving Tuesday are important.” --Gary Levante
“Our crew members are giving back not only through financial contributions, but really giving back in ways of really highlighting what’s important to them in their communities.” --Icema Gibbs
“We realized that we have to be able to talk about not only the outcomes, but the impact. What we did was fine, but how did we help somebody? What was the impact?” --Icema Gibbs
Coming up with strategies for fundraising can be difficult. However, if there’s a culture in place that promotes and encourages giving as a norm, an important chunk of the work is already done. That’s why it’s so important to create a culture of philanthropy, especially in social good organizations.
On today’s episode, Alia McKee and Mark Rovner of Sea Change Strategies are here to talk about their report, Inside Out Fundraising: How to Create a Culture of Philanthropy by Treating Systems Instead of Symptoms. Alia and Mark explain what it means to have a culture of philanthropy, the things that get in the way of creating that culture and how organizations can overcome the challenges to doing do. Listen to the episode to learn why culture is an important part of fundraising success and hear the big takeaways from their research.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
Quotes:
“I think the biggest “aha” was that only one in five fundraisers say their organization has a strong culture of philanthropy.” –Alia McKee
“Increasingly with channel proliferation, with people being communicated with across multiple channels, you can’t do your own thing without affecting other pieces.” –Mark Rovner
“I think that the first piece needs to be stock-taking.” –Mark Rovner
We all know that it’s important for social good organizations to connect and engage with stakeholders in order to achieve their missions. One of the most effective ways this can be done is through storytelling. But how do you craft your story in a way that gets across your message while emotionally connecting with people? Today’s episode will teach you just that!
In this episode of the sgENGAGE Podcast, host Christine Newman is joined by two storytelling experts, Jocelyn Wright and Kirk Lilwall of Blackbaud University. Listen in to hear what Jocelyn and Kirk have to say about the different types of stories organizations can tell, how to leverage multimedia communication channels, and key tactics for conducting interviews that will result in the information you need to craft a compelling story.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
Blackbaud University Organizational Best Practices: Multimedia Storytelling
Visual Storytelling for the Modern Nonprofit
Quotes:
“The stories that you tell are really going to shape the way that people perceive your organization, how they understand your organization, and also how they understand their relationship with your organization.” –Jocelyn Wright
“We’re all storytellers in our everyday lives. When you send texts, you send emails, you make phone calls, all those things are stories.” –Kirk Lilwall
“Personal stories are something that’s always going to resonate.” –Jocelyn Wright
December 3rd, 2019 marks the 8th annual #GivingTuesday. It has grown every year since its inception and become an important part of the end-of-year giving season. But with so many different organizations taking notice of the success and participating, it’s important to find a way for your organization to stand out.
Joining host Rachel Hutchisson on the podcast today is Jennifer Dunworth, director of development for the Maryland SPCA, who shares the background on the creative campaign her organization used last year that helped them raise $41,000… $11,000 more than their goal. Listen in to hear what Jennifer has to say about preparing your organization for Giving Tuesday, engaging and exciting your donors, and managing the creative flow from idea to execution.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
Blackbaud #GivingTuesday Webinar Series
Quotes:
“As you can imagine, some folks are very vehemently one team or the other, and we want to ensure that we always represent Team Both.”
“Remember that you can get lost in the creative joy and sort of overinvest your time.”
“What popped was not the times that we closeted ourselves in a room and actively, almost forcefully brainstormed – although there was a lot of good stuff from those brainstorms that we used later – it was really the organic conversations.”
What is leadership? Knowing that management is directive and leadership is connective is a great place to start, but social good leaders often struggle with understanding and balancing these two.
To explore what leadership really means in a connected organization, Marc Pitman joins host Steve MacLaughlin on the podcast today to talk about the role of the social good CEO or executive director in fundraising, how to connect and balance internal and external leadership, and why continuous improvement is such a powerful way for organizations to focus.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
Blackbaud Institute: The Connected Office eBook
The Wake Up Call leadership research
Marc's framework for growing in confidence as a leader
The Executive Coach Project Report by Compass Point
Quotes:
“Part of what leaders need to do is cast a vision of something that’s greater than… some better world, some better experience for whatever the mission is that they’re trying to solve.”
“Doing that really well, caring for that cause, doesn’t provide the revenue.”
“I have a growing appreciation for events – if they’re not solely for fundraising.”
As a charitable organization, how can you leverage the popularity of live streaming to fundraise? How do you find a live streamer to pair up with? And how can you build and have a successful relationship with live streamers?
Today’s episode features Alyssa Sweetman, the Charity Program Manager at Twitch. Tune in to hear her talk to Roz Lemieux, director of Blackbaud Labs, about how nonprofits and other social good organizations can work with live streamers, also known as content creators, to raise money on live streaming platforms.
Topics Discussed in this Episode:
Resources:
Article: How to Harness the Fundraising Power of Twitch
Questions for Alyssa? Email her at Alyssa: charity@twitch.tv
Quotes:
“If you build these relationships up, they can grow every year.”
“When we think about money, we don’t often think of instantaneously give it away. So it’s often about making an emotional connection.”
“People like to feel like they have a bit of control, power, and that they can contribute.”
Hill Days, also known as “fly-ins,” are an important part of social good organizations’ advocacy strategies in the U.S., bringing their supporters together to speak with their members of Congress to advocate for priority issues and legislation. Preparation is key for these fly-in days to be successful. So, what’s the best way to prepare for a meeting with a member of congress? How can people working in the social good community make sure that elected officials prioritize their concerns? That’s what today’s guest is here to talk about.
Sandra Swirski, co-founder of the D.C. based advocacy firm Urban Swirski & Associates, has helped many charitable organizations and nonprofits run awareness campaigns, build coalitions and advocate their priorities to members of Congress. Tune in to hear Sandra talk with Sally Ehrenfried, Blackbaud’s principal government relations leader, about what makes a meeting with a legislator successful, how to prepare to walk into a meeting, and how to follow up after a meeting.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
Quotes:
“What I do in Washington, generally, is I translate what is happening in Washington to the donor community and then I help donors translate what they do and their concerns to Congress.”
“I also find that the more gracious and firmer you are, the more likely you are to get what you want.”
“Always start with timely, because that is very important to the member. That they will naturally be able to act on.”
This year, #GivingTuesday falls on December 3. While this feels far away now, it will be here sooner than you think, and it’s time to start preparing! Whether you work at a small nonprofit, a community hospital, a large museum, or anything in between, #GivingTuesday can help your organization attract new donors, re-engage old ones, or even just set the stage for year-end giving campaigns.
In today’s episode, Tanya Fitzgerald, senior marketing manager at Blackbaud, joins host Steve MacLaughlin to talk about how organizations can prepare for a successful #GivingTuesday and year-end giving season. Listen in to hear some #GivingTuesday success stories and to learn some key steps for preparing a campaign, how to develop messaging that resonates, and the key elements to include in a stewardship plan.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
#GivingTuesday Best Practices Article Series
Quotes:
“This to me is a global day of kindness, a way that you can connect with others, share your heart, and you can do it many different ways.” –Tanya Fitzgerald
“Your volunteers are your donors. They give more than just your donors.” –Tanya Fitzgerald
“You should really have a #GivingTuesday stewardship plan.” –Tanya Fitzgerald
New privacy regulations, data breaches and consumer attitudes about data privacy are constantly in the headlines. But it’s not just corporations that have to worry about data privacy - data privacy regulations are a serious topic for social good organizations as well.
Cameron Stoll, Principal Legal Counsel at Blackbaud, joins host Steve MacLaughlin to explore the topic of data privacy regulations in depth. Listen in to learn about the changing expectations of consumers and donors, the importance of transparency in data privacy policies, and how the GDPR is influencing data privacy regulations globally.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
Privacy Toolkit: An Introductory Guide to Safeguarding Your Constituent Data
Article: Two Crucial Themes from the GDPR Featuring in US-Privacy Legislation
Quotes:
“I think this one’s going to stick. July 2019 was the biggest month for privacy enforcement in history.” –Cameron Stoll
“Cambridge Analytica really changed the landscape of privacy and the concept of privacy in the everyday user.” –Cameron Stoll
“It really is a top-down effort, because privacy controls affect so many different aspects of an organization’s behavior.” –Cameron Stoll
An organization’s finance team is often one of the biggest overlooked strategic assets. However, in a connected office the finance team is a crucial part of driving success for an organization’s mission.
Joining the podcast today to explore this topic is Russell Pomeranz, President and CEO of Claverack Advisory Group. Listen in to hear Russell and host Steve MacLaughlin talk about the crucial role of finance in mission success, how and why the finance team should build relationships with other departments, and the importance of investing for the long term.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
eBook: The Connected Office: Your Guide to Creating a Cohesive Constituent Experience
Article: Three Roles of the Nonprofit CFO that Lead to Mission Success
Quotes:
“Basically, mission success, fundraising success, marketing success, programmatic success, can’t happen without financial function leadership, and financial function leadership can’t happen without understanding the mission.” –Russell Pomeranz
“The drive and the alignment of finance and fundraising, and finance and programming, and finance and everything else is so important to get the organization to where it wants to go.” –Russell Pomeranz
“The notion of investing long-term is limited because finance committees and boards are so focused on the short-term they’ve stopped thinking strategically on the long-term.” –Russel Pomeranz
What’s the last thing you failed at? What did you learn from it? How you think about failure in the context of learning can make a big difference in future performance – both personally and as an organization.
Today’s guest is Kate Robinson, executive director of the film Failing Forward: On the Road to Social Impact. Kate talked to host Steve MacLaughlin about how nonprofits and social good organizations can use failure to make a bigger impact. Listen to the episode to hear what Kate Robinson has to say about learning culture, the questions that organizations should be asking to improve programs, and what role funders play in the process of failure and learning.
Topics Discussed in This Episode:
Resources:
Quotes:
“I really set out to find an organization that I could use to kind of illustrate learning culture.” –Kate Robinson
“A learning culture puts learning as a very key priority for the organization.” –Kate Robinson
“To funders, I would say even if you think you’re being very extensive in your offer to hear what’s not working or hear the learning, I would say go even a step further” –Kate Robinson