Years ago, while working for a human services agency, I stumbled upon the fact that the most clicked-on item in our e-newsletter was the ‘Recipe of the Month.’ It really had very little to do with our mission, but we wanted to offer something ‘tasty’ that would assure folks opened our emails. The recipes were from clients, staff and volunteers; we then included a sentence or two about the relevant program. We hoped folks would come for the recipe, learn something about our mission that might intrigue them, and then stay for the meal. It worked! It’s a way we …
read moreClaire Axelrad
This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE. Claire brings 30 years of frontline development and marketing leadership experience to her work as principal of her social benefit consulting firm, Clairification. Named Outstanding Fundraising Professional of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Claire teaches the CFRE course that certifies professional fundraisers, is a web and audio presenter for Good Done Great Nonprofits and was recently honored as “Best Fundraising Blog” by FundRaising Success' 2013 Fundraising Professionals of the Year Awards. Her passion is instilling an institution-wide culture of philanthropy to help organizations build constituencies and drive increased income to sustain and expand missions.
Claire Axelrad's Posts
Nonprofits wanting gifts should give them. Relationships work that way. And relationships count for everything. Getting and retaining donors (and, really, any type of constituent) is all about building and stewarding relationships. Satisfying, long-term relationships; not quick transactions. And lasting relationships are measured by the mutually sustaining benefits experienced by all parties over time. Give and get. TOP 10 TRUTHS (We’ll explore what to do about these truths below). The principle of reciprocity applies in spades to social media. If you use it simply to broadcast stuff about you, you’re not going to get much in return. No clicks. No …
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We’re really hung up on technology these days. And jargon. We use terms like “social media” to describe a range of practices – from digital communications to any form of customer-centered marketing that embraces the ways in which people interact, inform themselves, form communities and co-create within the current zeitgeist. Then we mix it up with terms like “social business,” tending to again describe a range of meanings – from…. social enterprise to digital business to social ecosystem to social sales. We’re confusing the heck out of ourselves, and it’s contributing to fuzzy thinking. It doesn’t so much matter what …
read moreIt’s the Engagement, Stupid: 6 Keys to Building a Blog to Strengthen Your Nonprofit’s Supporter Base
“Newspapers are just blogs that get ink on your fingers.” Stephen Colbert Blogs are media. They’re also social. They aren’t rocket science. You can build a great blog. But why would you want to? Aha! That’s the question too many nonprofits fail to ask. So ask. Seriously. Take a moment. I’ll wait. “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” Lewis Carroll Nonprofit blogs may not be rocket science, but they should be rockets. Where do you want to go? If you’re being honest, my hunch is you’ll want your blog to strengthen your …
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Nonprofit marketing got a lot more complicated over the past decade as we evolved from Web 1.0 (internet) to 2.0 (social media) to 3.0 (mobile). Too many nonprofits still view the technology as largely disruptive, and potentially unnecessary [is someone in your organization still calling this a ‘fad’?]. This mindset allows folks to bury their heads in the sand, rationalizing that it’s best to ignore the digital revolution in favor of focusing on core programs and tried-and-true strategies. And this is understandable. Because despite what’s going on outside our doors, inside things haven’t changed that much. Most nonprofits continue to …
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“I just don’t think social media is worth the investment. I need to know the ROI.” If this is you, or your boss, you’re not alone. A recent study revealed that 450+ marketers across a wide variety of industries and levels of social marketing experience identified the struggle to address the question of ROI in social marketing as their number one challenge. Lack of clarity around ROI is not the only area where folks feel clueless. While we’ve pretty much managed in the past year to move beyond the sense that social media is just about letting the world know …
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On a wing and a prayer is not a strategy. It means barely managing to get the job done. Yet that’s how many nonprofits run their social media. They simply wing it. Cool? Not cool. Your constituents deserve more. You need to take control of your social media marketing with a strategic plan. Salesforce knows a thing or two about social business and put together a little infographic to show us what’s what. Here, in a nutshell, is what you must do: 1. Listen Have you assigned someone to pay attention to what folks are saying? Is someone charged with …
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STORY + CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE + VOICE = COMMUNITY Here’s a charming tale about customers becoming part of the story for the San Francisco Giants. Since I’m a huge Giants fan, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by this video interview conducted by one of the top thought leaders in social media, Brian Solis. It’s with Bryan Srabian, first social media director for the Giants, who’s been on the job just two years. From the Giants’ foray into social media come three take-aways that should inform all businesses, for profit or non profit, who wish to (1) contribute to the evolution …
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Presence is not a social media strategy. Your nonprofit social media strategy mantra should be as follows: Just as… I shouldn’t buy a drill unless I need a hole. I shouldn’t hire a cab unless I need a ride. I shouldn’t put in a new stove unless I intend to cook. I SHOULDN’T: 1. start a blog… 2. put up a FB page… 3. build Pinterest boards… 4. open a Twitter account… 5. create a LinkedIn business profile… …UNLESS I INTEND TO ENGAGE. If you’re just tinkering around the …
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