On Tuesday, December 8, check out our complimentary support roundtable to discuss how you can make the most of your resources on our support website. Read the whole story on the Web Sitings blog.
We also have a couple of polls on the Forums right now about Knowledgebase. How often does Knowledgebase provide you with the answers you need? Let us know! If you can't find the answer to your question in Knowledgebase, do you use Case Central or do you call? Take the poll!
Several times a week, we offer free, hour-long web seminars on our website. The seminars usually focus on Blackbaud products or best practices for nonprofits.
To register, select Web Seminars from the Events menu on our website, find a seminar you want to attend, and click Register Now. Once you submit the enrollment form, you’ll receive an email with instructions for viewing the online presentation, as well as the telephone access number. If you’d like to enroll for additional seminars, click Continue after you fill out the enrollment form.
Here are some of the web seminars coming up next week:
November 24:Online Marketing Best Practices Featuring Today’s Most Successful Higher Education Institutions, 1:00 p.m. ET: Join us to review examples of organizations who have leveraged their websites to attract supporters and maximize fundraising efforts.
Exclusive to our Blackbaud Learn customers on November 24 at 1:00 p.m. ET, join us for Finish 2009 Strong: Finding Last-Minute Donors! to learn about finding last-minute donors, implementing volunteer policies and procedures, handling high-volume gift processing and creating consolidated receipts.
Have a super weekend!
It has been a busy week at Blackbaud. It is, after all, our favorite part of the year - conference time!
In case you've been busy too, here is some of our latest news coverage. The first clip features what Blackbaud has been doing during the economic downturn to make it through even stronger.
The Post & Courier recently interviewed Blackbaud's CEO Marc Chardon for the article "Blackbaud's recession recipe: Preserve jobs, maintain clients, invest for the upturn." The Charleston-based publication will also be featuring Blackbaud's Conference for Nonprofits keynote speaker, Derreck Kayongo of The Global Soap Project in Sunday's Faith and Values section.
The Charleston Regional Business Journal was out in full force covering our recent Conference for Nonprofits this week and penned the following stories: "Blackbaud CEO gives advice at annual nonprofit conference" and "BBCON keynote tells attendees to reconnect to work."WCIV-TV ABC News 4's Neville Miller even stopped by to interview attendees for his story "Non-Profits Working Together to Make it During Tough Economic Times:
Couldn't make it to Blackbaud's Conference for Nonprofits this year? View recorded videos of a variety of key sessions for free at www.blackbaud.com/bbcontv and brief interviews with the speakers at www.youtube.com/blackbaudinc. You can even follow the Conference buzz on Twitter by searching the #bbcon tag.
Charleston, S.C. (November 19, 2009) – Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB) held its 10th annual Conference for Nonprofits this week in Charleston, South Carolina, welcoming 1000 nonprofit professionals from all over the world to learn more about nonprofit technology and techniques to help them succeed in 2010.
“In a downturn, nonprofits that can innovate, invest, involve and inspire their constituents are going to come out stronger than when they went in,” said Marc Chardon, Blackbaud’s chief executive officer. “Our customers live the value of ‘service to others makes the world a better place.’ We at Blackbaud live that value too, and the Conference provides a great opportunity for all of us to walk away with just a little more inspiration and just a little more energy to face the challenges ahead.”
>> Watch a recording of Marc Chardon’s welcome session at www.blackbaud.com/bbcontv.Read more.
On Tuesday, December 2 from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. ET, we are having a Faculty Access for the Web Support Roundtable. Willow Schultz and Nate Hall, our Education Solution Product Support Leads, will discuss all things Faculty Access for the Web. The roundtable is broken into sections with a question-and-answer period in between. The sections cover:
Register today!
Now that we’ve covered how to write compelling content for your appeal letters, let’s discuss the other details of your campaign. In my research, I have found that many fundraising professionals ask these common questions:
How Often Should I Send Appeal Letters?The frequency that you should send appeals depends on your organization. It’s important to remember that your donors’ cash flow fluctuates, which means they could have the ability to donate on some occasions but not others. For this reason, experts say that once a year is not enough. Some organizations send appeals monthly; others conduct quarterly mailings. I would suggest using this information as a starting point and aim to send appeals 4 – 12 times a year. Remember two important rules. First, if you don’t mail to your constituents, someone else will. Second, most people won’t donate unless they are asked.
What Kind of Response Should I Expect?Unfortunately, there is a lack of research that can tell us the average response rate to an appeal letter. Direct mail response rates average at .25 percent to 3 percent, but some say that nonprofits get better results. Anecdotal evidence indicates that nonprofits can expect response rates anywhere from .25 percent to 7 percent. Some people say that if you are mailing to contacts you closely know on a personal level (friends and family), you can expect a quarter of them to respond. Regardless, if your organization has the resources and can afford it, conduct a follow-up calling campaign to boost your results.
Other than a Calling Campaign, What Else Can Trigger Better Results?List segmentation and personalized appeals. Identify the groups that your constituents naturally fall into, such as members, loyal donors, new prospects, alumni, volunteers, patients, and employees. Create appeals specifically for each. Spend time tailoring your message so that it speaks directly to their needs and preferences. Check out some of Blackbaud's white papers to find out how to ask your patients or employees for money.
How Can I Incorporate the Web into My Appeals?Including your organization’s website address is a great way to offer your constituents a convenient way to donate or find out more about your organization. But don’t use your website as the only method for donors to give money. Too often, donors get distracted and forget to take that important step! As I mentioned in the eNewsletter, always include a remittance envelope.
A better question would be, “How can I incorporate my appeals into my web marketing?” Use everything from your eNewsletters, email signatures, Facebook® page, Twitter® updates, and other social media to promote your donation page. To find out more about the subject of online marketing and fundraising, check out the NetWits blog.
What Part of My Letter Will Get Read The Most?Research shows that besides a headline, the portion of a letter that gets read the most is the postscript! Make sure to take the time to write a postscript, and make sure to write it as if you know your recipient personally. I would recommend re-stating your one-sentence takeaway in a creative call-to-action.
Do you have any burning questions about appeal letters that you would like anwered? Did you find the tips for writing appeal letters helpful? Do you have any tips of your own that you would like to share?
It's time for another Chat Support Success Story! If you haven't used Chat Support already, it's a new way to contact support that is currently available to organizations who use The Raiser's Edge, Target Analytics, P!N, and Data Enrichment Services. If you use one of these products, you can access Chat Support by going to case central and clicking Chat Online. Chat works a lot like AOL Instant Messenger or Microsoft Office Communicator; it allows you to communicate with an analyst in real time.
Making two software programs play nice with each other isn't always easy. This week, a user had to replace a hard drive on a workstation running The Raiser's Edge. In the process, he installed Office 2007. When he logged into The Raiser's Edge, he got an error message that Office Web Components needed to be installed. After researching the issue, the user found that Office 2007 does not have a Web Components feature. The user tried to install the Office 2003 Web Components, but this did not resolve the issue. In need of a quick resolution, he turned to Chat Support.
The user was immediately connected with a Raiser's Edge analyst, who was able to diagnose the issue based on the information he provided when he initiated the chat session. The analyst told him that issue could be resolved by installing the Microsoft Office XP Web components. The user had come across this over the course of his research, but had assumed Office 2003 would be sufficient. Thanks to chat support, the issue was clarified speedily and the user was able to move forward.
To initiate a chat session, click Chat Online on case central and enter your name, organization name, and question. An analyst will type a response that displays on that web page, and you and the analyst will continue the text chat session until either your question has been answered or you feel a phone conversation would be more productive.
Appeal letters are considered a crucial aspect of any nonprofit’s fundraising plan. The Internet has certainly changed the way organizations raise money, but experts still say that direct mail is here to stay. It’s the end of the year, which means that Americans will receive an onslaught of appeals. And that’s okay — after all, not everyone is passionate about the same cause. Still, all these factors contribute to stiff competition for donor dollars, which should motivate you to take every necessary step to get your appeals in tip-top shape.
Before You Pick Up Your Pen: Creating a Plan
Successful writing begins with a good plan. Make sure you know the short answer to WHY you’re writing an appeal letter — your letter’s content will be better off because of it.
Of course, your primary answer for why you are writing to your constituents should be, “Because I want them to respond.” So, what inspires and motivates people to respond?
Research shows that donors give because they feel connected to an organization’s vision and mission, they want to help others, or they want to make a difference in their communities by giving back. But if you’re sending appeals to new prospects who don’t know much about your organization, you can’t depend on these factors to motivate them to give. That’s why it’s important to treat your appeal like it’s any other piece of direct mail, which needs to be especially enticing to get a response.
Direct marketing professionals say that the top motivating factors that get people to take action are guilt, fear, exclusivity, greed, and anger. But how can you weave these motivations into your letter and ensure that they apply appropriately? Here are a few tips:
When you set out to apply any of these techniques, make sure not to go overboard. While these emotions can inspire action, they can also serve to alienate your readers if they seem too threatening. Americans need positive messages, especially today.
For example, if your organization’s mission revolves around serving food to the needy, a sentence like, “Without your help, 800 citizens in this area will go hungry in 2010” sounds dire and threatening. Consider mentioning your organization’s successes and re-write as, “In 2009, our organization distributed 12,000 fresh meals to people in need. For many of these disadvantaged citizens, it meant they wouldn’t have to choose between paying their heating bills and purchasing food to fill their stomachs. With your help, we hope to double the number of meals we distribute in 2010.”
Not only is the re-written message stronger because it’s more positive, but it also paints a better picture of the need. Blandly reciting facts and figures (“800 citizens will go hungry”) doesn’t truly illustrate the problem your organization is trying to remedy. When you tell a story, even a short one, (in this case, we told a story about how hungry people sometimes have to choose between paying bills and purchasing food) the reader will be able to better identify with the situation and make an emotional connection.
Before you begin writing your letter, gather testimonials from the people you serve. You can also come up with a tangible story by thinking about how your organization’s services impact the community and ask yourself, “But what does that really mean?”
Putting Ink to Paper: Tips for Writing Effectively
A first impression can make or break your letter. Your first paragraph should include motivational language (as mentioned above) as well as the one thing you want your reader to remember. Writers call this the “one-sentence takeaway,” or the single most important thing that needs to be communicated. Think of it as the only sentence your supporters will read before making the decision of whether or not to throw your letter in the trash. Make sure your one-sentence takeaway is clearly written and stated in the beginning of the letter.
Make sure to avoid using the passive voice and write to your supporters as if you are having a one-on-one conversation. Use action verbs, avoid lengthy words and sentences, and use the words “I” and “you.” These are easy ways to ensure your readers will make a connection with you.
Be explicit in your “ask.” Don’t hope that readers will understand what you’re asking for. Make it clear, and repeat it as often as you can. For example, write, “By making a tax-deductible donation, you can help…” and then repeat with a variation like, “Join this important cause by making a one-time or recurring donation.”
Always mention that there is a tax benefit to donating to your cause. For many donors, this is one of the most motivating factors.
Beyond the Letter: Other Important Elements
The content of your letter is extremely important. But not as important as your mailing list and the timing of your appeal. These elements should be carefully considered while you are making plans. Other important factors include the appearance of the envelope, and whether or not your letter offers a tangible reward. Letters that are part of a campaign in which individual donations are matched by another donor are highly successful.
Many organizations struggle with the decision of whether or not to include a “teaser” on the outside envelope. While a teaser can offer incentive for opening the envelope, some savvy constituents might see through it and consider it a marketing ploy. One way to settle the dispute would be to use a direct mail service that can print text that appears hand-written.
Last, and most importantly, make it easy to donate. If you leave out that critical step, you might never get a response, even if you’ve gotten your constituents to open your letter, read the contents thoroughly, and make the decision to respond. Include a remittance envelope so that when your constituents decide to donate, they can do it right away before they forget.
Want more tips for writing fundraising letters? Check out the post Effective Appeal Letters — Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, which explains which portion of a letter recipients read the most — it will surprise you!
In case you haven't heard, our first Accounts Payable End-of-Year Support Roundtable was a great success. If you missed it, make sure you register for one of our future sessions or check out the recording and PowerPoint from our last session. Here are some of the excellent questions your fellow AP users asked:
This is my final entry in the series on SQL queries for Patron Edge. Today let’s take a look at the access control tables, so we can do some cool stuff with barcode scanning results:
select * from Barcodes_Log inner join Barcodes on Barcodes.brtSourceCode = Barcodes_Log.brtlCrossRefID and Barcodes.brtSourceTable = 2 inner join Barcodes_Scanners on Barcodes_Scanners.brtscCode = Barcodes_Log.brtlScannerID inner join SubsStaticReport on SubsStaticReport.ssrSubsProgNum = Barcodes.brtSourceCode
Scanning tables are pretty complex, so let’s break down some of the fields:
Now you can report on barcode scanning to do things like plan staffing at entrances, figure out traffic flow through your venue, etc. How are you using scanning data? Leave a note in the comments.
In Raiser's Edge 7.91, an inactivity feature was added as part of the PCI DSS requirements. In version 7.91.5056, which is being released today, this feature has been made OPTIONAL for all non-Supervisor users.
A Supervisor user is any user who meets any of the following criteria:
Check out the new look of this feature, and how it can be made optional when your organization updates to 7.91.5056:
For more information, please visit BB700189 in our Knowledgebase.
This is the final day of Blackbaud's 2009 Conference for Nonprofits and there's a big focus on Internet topics today.
This morning I am doing a session called "The Future of Blackbaud’s Internet Solutions" which will be full of surprises about some great new things we're working on. And then the online focused content kicks into high gear!
Blackbaud added an extra set of Internet related sessions on today's agenda. Blackbaud's Internet Afternoon is an exclusive networking and training opportunity for our Blackbaud Sphere and Blackbaud NetCommunity customers. There's was no extra cost for these sessions for conference attendees.
I'm doing the keynote presentation as part of the afternoon Internet sessions. I'll be covering some of the major trends in online fundraising that are changing how nonprofits engage with supporters.
Today's Live Sessions:Can't attend the conference? Watch these sessions live online:12:00 to 1:30 p.m. ET, Keynote Session, presented by Steve MacLaughlin 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. ET, Google Analytics® and Search Engine Optimization, presented by Bo Crader and Chris Tuttle 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. ET, Launching the Space Shuttle: Practical Advice to Ensure a Smooth Launch of Your Website, presented by Raheel GaubaFollow the conference on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bbcon and by using the hash tag #bbcon.Other Links: Conference Sessions | Special Internet Sessions | Live Streaming Sessions
Here are last week's most popular Forums posts as well as unanswered posts:
Most Popular Topics:
Unanswered Posts:
During Blackbaud's 2009 Conference for Nonprofits, Melanie Mathos and I lead a two-part social media workshop. Part I of this pairing was a new session we developed called 50 Social Media Tactics Nonprofits Use to Meet Their Mission. It was a real blast delivering this content, and people seemed to react well to it.
The idea behind the session was to provide tactics and tools nonprofits can use to meet their social media objectives. The presentation is full of examples that can easily (and sometimes not so easily) be implemented once you have a social media plan. I've been to so many sessions in the last couple years that focus on high level social media strategy, discuss why these networks are important, or cover how organizations can begin a social media program. 50 Social Media Tactics assumes you already have a plan, and are simply looking for tactics to plug into that plan that can help meet its objectives.
Below is the Slideshare of our presentation...I hope you're find it useful. What other tactics does your organization use? What important tactics are missing from our list? What social media tactic have you used sucsessfully? Let me know in the comments.
Last Thursday was the celebration of National Philanthropy Day in beautiful Fort Wayne Indiana. I say that because it was truly a warm sunny day for so late in the year in Indiana's second largest city. Perhaps that helped draw nearly 140 fundraisers together to celebrate the best and brightest in Philanthropy. From students to fundraisers to philanthropists, the stories of their accomplishments were outstanding, if not truly heartwarming!
I was delighted to be part of this celebration in several ways. First, Blackbaud provided sponsorship by being an exhibitor at the event. Secondly, I was honored to address the "Master's Track" of senior fundraisers with a presentation on Ethics. Just as I had figured, my presentation to such senior professionals quickly turned into a group discussion. This was especially true with regards to the four case studies I presented. Each case study was adapted from those provided by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Here is a link to the section of the web site where the Code of Ethics guidelines are found here.
What truly separates the fundraising profession from many others is not only the Code of Ethics, but the ability to enforce them via a specified appeal and hearing process. Being involved with several of those hearings as part of the AFP Ethics committee did allow me to help bring the case studies to life. Of course, very little prompting was required to bring the thoughts and opinions of the senior group to the forefront.
Please find below the case studies we discussed. As you glance through them, do you think you know the proper and ethical answer or answers to each one? If not, please refer to the link above for the specific guidelines. No matter what, I think you will enjoy the scenarios. Perhaps many of you will be better equipped to prevent them with proper policies at your organization after you review them. Here you go: