Issue 40: Don't Be Scared

If I had to sum up my advice for this week, it would be to don’t be scared.

There are many reasons to feel scared. I understand that and want to acknowledge that feeling.?

However, we must remember that within our DNA is something deeply coded to be helpful, kind, compassionate, and focused on collaboration and community. These aren’t learned behaviors; they are natural, like breathing when the environment allows for them.?

Much of what I’m going to ask of you in the coming weeks is to breath, to step back and ask questions, and to focus on helping those around you, especially those not afforded some of the privileges that someone likely reading a LinkedIn newsletter may have.?

We got this. Let’s dive in.

Generosity in Action

Some of the best work I get to do in the nonprofit sector is when I pair up with someone deeply passionate about a specific topic - much of our success in growing our events by 30% yearly can be attributed to the work I’ve been doing with Julia Campbell for a few years now on the Nonprofit Social Media Summit.?

If you haven’t seen the lineup and agenda, they are BANGING. And the conference is free. We love partnering with Julia to ensure her speakers are compensated for their time and help produce a fantastic experience. I hope to see you in a few weeks.

Tips & Tricks

It’s no secret that we’re big fans of GivingTuesday here at Neon One. We have a lot of different resources available, but our team wrote a solid roundup of ideas for how to participate in the day. Here are a few of my personal favorites:

Encourage Non-Financial Participation

Financial gifts are fantastic, and even the smallest contributions can help you move closer to your GivingTuesday goals. However, to reach the broadest audience and the resources they have available, it’s important to remind people that there are non-financial ways they can support your mission.

According to a report by Giving USA, charitable giving declined in 2023 (when factoring in inflation). But people were still generous—20% donated goods and 18% volunteered.?

This is all the more reason to call out the various ways people can support your nonprofit besides donating money. Build it into your campaign messaging: “This GivingTuesday, consider supporting our work by giving financially, volunteering your time, or donating goods.”

Enlist Social Media Advocates

Influencer marketing isn’t only for the fashion and beauty industries. There are tons of people with large online followings who would happily share your mission with their audience.

This idea will likely require some of your marketing budget and will definitely require advanced planning. Still, you can find industry-related influencers or other individuals passionate about your cause and collaborate with them for GivingTuesday.

Partner with Local Businesses

Many businesses in your community are open to—or even seeking out—opportunities to give back. Reach out to a few local businesses, share your GivingTuesday fundraising goal, and ask if they’re interested in helping to reach it.

For example, if there’s a local coffee shop in your area, you could team up with them for a “Donate Your Coffee” campaign where people can donate the cost of their morning coffee to your organization.

Make a Big Deal About Recurring Gifts

If you’ve been meaning to get serious about asking your supporters to become recurring donors, take GivingTuesday as a chance to bring it up.

In our research for The Recurring Giving Report: Data-Backed Insights for Sustainable Generosity, we discovered that, among Neon CRM clients, there was a 34.23% increase in recurring gifts made on GivingTuesday in 2023. This—along with many other positive statistics—tells us that recurring giving is growing in popularity, and donors are more open than ever to setting up recurring gifts.

However you generate excitement on GivingTuesday, add a special shout about recurring gifts. Make recurring donations a unique color on your goal-tracking graphic. Include a few sentences about the importance and impact of recurring donations to your campaign emails. When you share your fundraising progress, emphasize the number of recurring donations: “Thank you for your generosity! We’re 60% of the way to our GivingTuesday goal. And 15% of the donations so far are recurring gifts—woohoo!”

Read the rest here:

Data Dive

Today is an important day as chair of the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, since we have released our newest quarterly report. We’re beginning to gear up for aseries? of discussions relating to the initiative's future. We are thrilled to see continued support of FEP as the most trustworthy benchmarking resource the nonprofit sector has and I’m personally ecstatic that even more data providers have heeded the call for supporting collaborative data - welcome to Leya Simmons and the BetterUnite team to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project!

The Fundraising Effectiveness Project's Q2 2024 report provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of philanthropic giving, highlighting both encouraging trends and ongoing challenges. The Q2 insights demonstrate a -3.9% decrease in the number of donors and a -4.5% decline in retention rates, the total dollars raised have increased by 3.7%, suggesting that while fewer individuals are donating, those who do are giving more generously, indicating a continued reversal from the sharp declines seen in previous years.?

However, the smallest donors, who make up a significant portion of the donor base, are continuing to lead the decline in donor engagement, indicating the need to tailor fundraising strategies to small and medium-sized donors, often seen as the backbone of a resilient donor base. The report also points to a continued year-over-year increase in donations to International and Foreign Affairs causes, indicating that global aid and relief efforts continue to be important drivers to unlocking American generosity. The data underscores the importance of innovative strategies to engage small donors and enhance donor retention while leveraging the generosity of more frequent and committed supporters.

KEY FINDINGS

• Decline in Donor Participation: Donor numbers have dropped by -3.9% year-over-year, with smaller donors ($1-$100) showing the steepest decline (when accounting for late data). This signals a weakening in grassroots support, which many nonprofits rely on for broad-based contributions, particularly during year-end campaigns
• Falling Retention Rates: Retention rates are down 4.5%, with a notable -5.8% decline in dollars raised from repeat retained donors. Even traditionally loyal donors are becoming less engaged, making it essential to address retention strategies in the coming months.
• Modest Increase in Overall Fundraising: In line with similar trends seen last year, total fundraised dollars have increased by 3.7%, albeit from a smaller amount of donors. This reinforces the need for nonprofits to remain agile, continuously adapting their fundraising strategies to capture as much year-end giving as possible.

Read the report here:

Community Spotlight

I’m so appreciative of the work that clients like The Nonprofit Partnership do. Adam Bratton and his team have curated a solid regional conference that attracts some exceptional talent. I met some fantastic speakers while reconnecting with friends like Chad Barger, ACFRE, ACNP and Josh Hirsch, MS .?

Of course, I have to mention how I had the privilege of sitting next to Vu Le during our dinner last night (and likely hurting his eardrums in the process). There’s something powerful about these in-person conversations that remind me that while digital is a very powerful tool, it still cannot beat the connections and nuances you can pick up when listening to people speak in person—especially around a dinner table!?

I can’t wait to do my presentation, debuting for the first time in person some of our recurring giving data from the GivingTuesday and EOY giving that just came out.?

Upcoming Events

I’m taking a break from the live stream and coaching in November, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have some great stuff coming up!

Nonprofit Tech Circle: 4 Ways to Simplify Your Day on GivingTuesday

November 6, 2024 | 1:00 PM ET

Running a GivingTuesday campaign is a great way to kick off your year-end fundraising by rallying both new and existing supporters to your cause. But, as with any fundraising campaign, it can be a lot of work—and most of it is done in 24 hours.

Can you do anything to make your life a little easier on GivingTuesday itself?

Yes! On Wednesday, November 6 from 1:00-1:30 p.m., we’re going to go over some practical steps you can take to make your GivingTuesday go as smoothly as possible!?

Register

Nonprofit Social Media Summit

November 13-14, 2024 |?

Julia Campbell presents the nonprofit sector's only conference dedicated to making change go viral through the power of social media. This lineup is pretty kickass, this should be a do not miss event for any marketers who want to be better at fundraising and fundraisers who want to be better at marketing!?

Save Your Seat

Neon CRM Monthly Release: November 2024

November 19, 2024 | 3:00 PM ET

Are you ready to take your nonprofit’s engagement to the next level and simplify volunteer management? Join us on Tuesday, November 19th for our upcoming monthly release webinar, where we’ll showcase the latest improvements in Neon CRM designed to help your organization grow and thrive. This month, its volunteer enhancements and Quickbooks integration improvements!

Register

Final Thoughts

I love Halloween and can’t wait to spend some time setting up a few surprises at my house.?

I’d love to hear in the comments what folks will be dressing up as. I’ll make sure to post my costume tomorrow. Here’s a picture of my lawn, which my children informed me was not good enough.?

Puzzle of the Week

After a few years of hiatus from the internet, I just launched my father's website, and it’s a perfectly fine brochure site. The puzzle relates more to trivia—what was the first story that my father published and in what magazine??