Issue 14: Beyond Toronto

I have a complicated relationship with professional conferences at this point.?

On the one hand, there is immense power in gathering people together around a specific purpose and there is a beauty in the power of crowds when it comes to energy and community building.?

On the other hand, they are, by design, exclusionary. Paying not just for conference passes but also all the travel, networking events, and random unplanned expenses can be compounded if there’s also pressure to work during this time instead of just enjoying the experience and learning.?

It isn’t just money but the time and value of the education itself that must be considered, and that triple thread tends to make something like the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference a pipe dream or even something seen as unimportant to a small nonprofit organization.

Hence, I entered the days leading up to Toronto with a bit of apprehension. I am not going to sugarcoat that there are major issues that we need to address within the nonprofit sector if we want to have one in 50 years. Critical issues related to race, class, gender, ability, cultural appropriation, educational design, social engagement, and more all slam together into a weird mix.?

My background in sales adds another layer to this. Over the years, I've put much emotional energy into truly getting to know how others tackle problems in our industry through a lens that looks beyond competition. All the while, I've had to navigate the tech bro posturing and sometimes "gotcha" behavior that's all too common among tech companies that don’t have a collaborative spirit in their approach to the sector.?

Yet, this AFPICON ended up being one of my best experiences in years. There are many problems to be still addressed, but I am witnessing that a groundswell of individual voices are building into a community that is starting to see a world that genuinely can reflect their values and vision for the future.?

Much has clouded that and will continue to cloud that. Misinformation, cynicism, systemic oppression, and economic and social inequality are massive issues that can make the typical nonprofit leader despair that there is no hope.

The past few days have shown me there is hope. Let’s use this week’s newsletter to consider how we can expand the learning community beyond the walls of a conference room.

Generosity in Action

I am going to officially designate Meghan Meyerson, MSW as the Neon One Ambassador MVP of the conference. She is the Director of Donor Experience at IPH, a leader in providing services to people experiencing homelessness and at-risk individuals and families in New York State. She also participated in one of our client stories as part of the launch of our recurring giving report.

Not only has she been so generous with her time and perspective as we continue to evolve our nonprofit platform at Neon One, but she has also enthusiastically helped me work through a decentralized ambassador program approach to AFPICON that included a game and invite-only party.

I had selected a few ambassadors to participate in the launch, where they received a special jacket, hat, and printed copy of the report. They were also provided with scratch-off cards that featured prizes, like the winner receiving a personalized jacket themselves. But it was Meghan Meyerson who most embraced the spirit of the game, which was to have conversations with fellow attendees.

She was present at every step of the AFPICON launch process. I am so proud that she trusts our company with some of the most sensitive information she needs to use for her work, and I hope to continue supporting her growth as one of our community’s leaders.?

Please comment to give Meghan some social media love today!?

Tips & Tricks

We have rolled out this fantastic supporting article about how nonprofits can start, grow, and maintain their monthly giving programs. Here’s a snippet from a much larger resource .?

Grow Your Monthly Giving Program

If you have a small number of monthly donors or would like to generate more revenue from monthly donors, here are some tactics you can try.?

Promote Your Monthly Giving Program on Social Media

Acquiring recurring donors takes time—it’s not an “if we build it, they will come” situation! In addition to sharing details about your recurring giving program on your website and through email, make sure you include it in your social media posts, too. Focus on sharing compelling stories that will make people excited about supporting your cause, tell them what that support will achieve, and make it easy for them to set up an ongoing gift.

Add a “Give Monthly” Call to Action to Direct Mail Appeals

Since many direct mail donors have historically given by check, nonprofits commonly focus on asking for one-time gifts through this channel. But by explicitly asking your donors to give monthly, you may have a more successful campaign in terms of expected revenue than if you had just asked for single gifts.

If you choose to go this route, make it easy for people to set up this type of gift. Try including a QR code people can use to navigate to your online donation form to finish their gift—this is a great use case for that monthly giving-specific form you create.

You may also want to consider including contact information for someone at your office who can help donors who would prefer to set up their gift over the phone.

Invite One-Time Donors to Set Up Monthly Gifts

This tactic will be most effective if you’ve told one-time donors what their previous gift achieved. Once they know they’ve made a difference with their one-time donation, they’ll be more likely to set up an ongoing gift to achieve similar outcomes.

Occasionally Ask Your Monthly Donors for Upgrades

Every once in a while, ask your monthly donors to increase their support for your organization. 12% of monthly donors will upgrade when asked—it’s worth trying!?

There are a few things to keep in mind if you want this to be successful. The first is that new recurring donors should not be approached for upgrades for a while—give them six months (or longer) before asking for increased support.

The second is that, as is the case with any type of donor, appeals for additional support from your monthly donors will be most effective if they already understand how their existing gift makes a difference. Share their impact, thank them for their existing gift, and tell them why you’re asking for more support. Then ask for an upgrade.

Alternatively, you can occasionally ask monthly donors to give an additional one-time gift, buy a membership, attend an event, or support you in other ways.

Include a Monthly Giving Call to Action In Your Email Signature

This is a small touch that can help keep your program in the minds of your constituents, even when you’re not actually asking for support. When you do ask for a monthly gift, it won’t be a new concept!?

Read more here!

Data Dive

In a recent article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy , two research initiatives I’m involved with were touched on. As they outline, “The number of individuals who made charitable contributions during 2023 fell 3.4 percent, year-over-year, according to new data from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project. During the last three months of 2023 alone, donors gave 2.8 percent fewer dollars to charity than they did at year-end 2022. This marks the second year in a row that year-end giving — the life’s blood for most nonprofits — has decreased relative to the previous year.”

The article highlights our new recurring giving research as a potential solution that a nonprofit can invest in to address this trend. Leveraging data from more than 2,000 nonprofits over five years, this report explores the transactional analysis of recurring and non-recurring gifts and a dedicated review of over 100,000 recurring donors. These insights will highlight the positive impact of recurring giving programs as a sustainable form of revenue for all nonprofit organizations.?

The report provides an understanding of how this dedicated group of people has supported nonprofits over five years; insight into when, how, and why they support their favorite organizations; and examples, advice, and encouragement from other nonprofits and industry experts.

Overall Neon One clients analyzed in the report saw 144% growth in their recurring revenue over 5 years. Some other critical insights on the benefits include:

• The average nonprofit’s recurring donor base grew 127%
• Individual recurring donors gave about $949.19 each year
• The average monthly recurring donation was $79.10
• The highest recurring monthly gift was $51,593.61
• Nonprofits had an average recurring donor retention rate of 78%
• The average recurring donor lifetime was just over 8 years

This is one of the most important pieces of content that I’ve ever helped create and I hope that you and your larger network can benefit from it.

PS: Do you want to help spread the word about the report? Then here’s a special resource we make to make that easy on social media . The first five people to tag me in their post will receive a special “Let’s Be Besties” hat from us at Neon One.

Community Spotlight

There is so much to highlight here! What I think was really powerful at this year’s AFPICON was the intentional focus on community. Not only were there critical conversations led by folks like Nikole Hannah-Jones , Nneka Allen, CFRE, COC, PCC , and Phyllis Webstad , but there were also a dizzying number of gatherings designed to go beyond drinking on a vendor’s dime and not really caring about who was in the room other than your friends.

Instead, I had the pleasure of learning more about the Canadian philanthropic sector at the fantastic gathering that Cindy Wagman and Sara H. hosted that ended up making me miss the majority of Classy’s awesome party at the top of the CN Tower (thank you Michelle Boggs, MBA, CFRE and Krista Lamp for the free elevator ride though, I showed my kids a video about it at the bus stop today!).?

There were also the now-annual gatherings of the Fundraising Effectiveness Project and Fundraising.AI . Both of these initiatives represent the future of data management, and ensuring more nonprofit leaders are at the table will be a major focus of mine heading into the rest of 2024.

Are you passionate about the future of data and fundraising in the nonprofit sector but feel you’ve never been “important” enough to join these conversations? Or have you been doing independent research or hosting gatherings like the ones I’m talking about that haven’t synced up with the more traditional paths of “leadership” in the sector?

Then please get in touch with me. I want your voice in these conversations. Over the coming months, I want to speak to fundraisers, consultants, and researchers who are interested in:

• Making data more accessible and actionable
• Empowering the future leaders of our sector with data-backed tools and insights
• Ensuring that technological innovations like artificial intelligence are being designed in a responsible and beneficial way
• Research into the generosity experience to understand the ways that marketing, revenue, and impact data intersect

The next few months will be critical for turning the tide around and building the future we want to have in our sector.?

We need to stop waiting for someone else to do it for us - join me by commenting or DMing me your interest.?

Upcoming Events

Neon CRM Monthly Release: April 2024

April 16, 2024 | 3:00 PM ET

Dive into this month’s product enhancements for Neon CRM, with a focus on major communications improvements as well as continued evolution of our grants management features. Very few CRMs properly manage grants, so I’m thrilled to see this focus by our team!

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An Insider’s Look at The Recurring Giving Report

April 17, 2024 | 1:00 PM ET

The Recurring Giving Report: Data-Backed Insights for Sustainable Generosity releases soon! Join us to learn more about what we found and how to create a stable, sustainable community of donors.

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Galactic Generosity: Navigating the Attention Economy with Stellar Recurring Donations and Brand Experience

April 29, 2024 | 2:00 PM ET

This workshop, a collaboration between Neon One and Cosmic, will provide actionable strategies to enhance your brand and optimize the donor experience while inspiring your imagination.

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Final Thoughts

The practical reality is that the energy from conferences will fade, the promises to keep the conversation going will get missed in the shuffle of returning to work, and the immediacy of action will turn into a post-it note to get to it later.

Yet, what is the core point of these gatherings? They aim to tap into a moment of time when we can all be aligned on a path forward to change things for the better of all of us, not a select few.?

My hope for AFPICON is that the focus turns toward the infrastructural investments needed to scale this change beyond the walls of the Toronto Conference Centre. I plan to use that to make the resources, assets, communication, plans, strategy, and vision apparent to those who did not attend.?

Otherwise, it will reinforce the feeling that decisions are being made behind the scenes and that your voice doesn’t matter.

Your voice matters. I'm really looking forward to hearing it.?

Puzzle of the Week