International Audio-Visual’s Post

Building a tight-knit community starts at your nonprofit's digital doorstep. 🏡 Imagine your homepage as the welcoming face of your mission, greeting visitors with clarity and warmth. It’s your first impression—a powerful moment to resonate with potential supporters and partners. 🌟 Use clear, compelling language to share the impact of your work. When someone visits your site, they should instantly grasp what you stand for. Highlight your supporters and partners right on your homepage. Display logos, share testimonials, and celebrate collaborations like a team proud of its jersey. Your site’s aesthetic is its first handshake. Use visually appealing layouts and colors that reflect your nonprofit’s spirit and mission. Speak to your visitors as you would a friend; make understanding your cause effortless. Ensure your website is more than just a collection of pages; it should offer a smooth, user-friendly experience that builds trust and encourages interaction. Confused about where to start? Don't worry! Quokka for Good is here to guide you every step of the way. Schedule a consultation call, and let’s enhance your digital presence together. 📞💬 Like, comment, and share this post to help others find their way too! #tightknitcommunity #trustandtogetherness #nonprofitwebsite #missiondriven #partnershippride #userfriendly #websiteimprovement #nonprofittips #communitybuilding #quokkaforgood

Let's talk about envelopes! 📢 📩 The outer envelope is the gateway to impact. Crafting a compelling narrative on the outside is the key to capturing hearts and inspiring action. A non-profit's envelope strategy is more than just packaging – it's the first step towards meaningful donor engagement. ✔ First Impressions Matter: The envelope is the initial point of contact with potential donors. A well-designed and strategically crafted outer envelope grabs attention, creating a positive first impression that encourages recipients to open and explore the contents. ✔ Capturing Attention in a Crowded Inbox: In an era of digital communication overload, physical mail stands out. An effective envelope strategy ensures your non-profit's message doesn't get lost in a sea of emails. It's a tangible and personal touch that demands attention. ✔ Storytelling Begins Outside: The outer envelope serves as a teaser, offering a glimpse into the narrative within. An engaging and compelling exterior sets the stage for the story your non-profit is telling, invoking curiosity and motivating recipients to delve deeper into the mission and impact. ✔ Building Brand Recognition: Consistent branding on the envelope reinforces your non-profit's identity. A recognizable and trustworthy appearance builds credibility, making donors more likely to open the envelope and engage with the materials inside. ✔ Driving Response and Action: The ultimate goal of any fundraising effort is to prompt action. An envelope strategy that incorporates persuasive elements, such as urgency or a call to action, can significantly increase the likelihood of recipients responding positively, whether it's through making a donation or participating in a campaign. 💡 What are some of your favorite teasers for the outer envelope?💡 #NonProfitImpact #DonorEngagement #DirectMail

Back by popular demand, Every Monday Matters (EMM) and my friend Matthew Emerzian is going to back to NYC in July, and they want to put your beautiful face and/or brand on a billboard in NYC's Times Square. Mine turned out pretty great and apparently people think I'm big time now 😉 It's their second "Billboards for Good" campaign. PACKAGE INCLUDES:  Your image on a digital billboard in NYC's Times Square  High-Quality photograph of your billboard for personal or professional use Donation:  $1,500 Individuals - Authors, Speakers, Influencers, Podcasters, Families, Friends $2,500 Non-Profit Organizations $5,000 Companies * Slots are limited. Donations must be made to secure a slot. Every Monday Matters (EMM) is non-profit organization that provides free K-12 resources to help our youth and young people embrace how much and why they matter. EMM serves over 3 million students and 20,000 educators in all 50 states. At a time when our youth and young people are struggling more than ever with mental health and well-being, we can make a massive difference. Just $.50 cents allows EMM to register one new student into their life-changing program for a year. Your billboard will change 3,000-10,000 lives. You matter. MORE DETAILS:  💥100x100 foot billboard in the heart of Times Square by the iconic red stairs  💥 Multiple cameras ready to capture your special moment  💥Billboards play in 5-15 second rotations  💥Billboards can include your image, name, logo, book cover, or a combination. We will work with you to approve the artwork ahead of time  💥Perfect for professional (social, websites, newsletters, bureaus, slide decks, demo reels, etc.) or personal (holiday cards, birthdays, graduations, honoring someone, etc.) use BOOK A SLOT TODAY: matthew@every mondaymatters.com #gobigorgohome #youmatter #killeropportunity #dogood

I know stories bring in more dollars. But only when the story is told well. A few months ago I worked with a nonprofit leader prepping for a huge donor event. Every year they invite major donors for a weekend of connecting. Amazing entertainment. Great food. Beautiful accommodations.  This was his first year delivering the donor appeal - the story with the ask for donations. At our first meeting, he was nervous. Spoke in a monotone voice. Flat, no ups and downs. Just boring. He delivered a strong story. But without vocal interest, I knew it would fall flat. I struggled - how do I tell him he's a boring speaker? Not an easy conversation. But that's my job. I'm here to help him craft and DELIVER a powerful message. That won't happen with a monotone speech. We talked. I recorded him practicing. He immediately saw the problem when we watched together. We got to work on vocal variety, musicality and pitch. Then speed, pauses and tone. Next we put it all together with commanding the stage. By event night, he was ready. He stepped onto that stage and shared a story that connected to the donors. They saw the power of their gifts come alive. When he moved to the appeal and shared the ongoing need, the donors stepped up. They met and exceeded their goal because of a powerful story, a leader willing to learn, and an appeal that showcased the need. I can't stress this enough - storytelling raises money, but only if done well. Monotone speakers put audiences to sleep. Donors tune out despite a great story. Vocal energy and variety are everything. Speed it up, slow it down. Pause for emphasis. Change your pitch. Most importantly, let your passion for the cause shine through! When you share stories with enthusiasm and conviction, you'll have donors leaning in, captivated. They'll be primed and ready to give when you pivot to making "the ask." But lifeless, flat delivery? You've already lost them before getting to the appeal. Don't let that happen! Put in the work to energize your presence and delivery. That's what separates game-changing fundraisers from snoozefests. Your donors - and your mission's bottom line - deserve better than a boring speech. Bring those stories to life and watch the dollars start rolling in! _____ Are you looking to create a more powerful story that will increase giving? Let's talk. Send me a message

First impressions are so important.

When you host a nonprofit event, the feedback you get from attendees is essential for improvement. Here are some tips on how to create survey questions so you can gather valuable insight into your events. #CharityComplianceSolutions #Nonprofit #NonprofitEvents

If you are a nonprofit that has events, this stat is mind-blowing! 🤯. 91% of event attendees are more likely to take further action with a nonprofit after a positive event experience. Is check-in easy? Is check-out quick and frictionless? (I have anecdotes of people just leaving their items because it took too long) Are you delighting your event attendees? #fundraisingevents #nonprofitstrategies

  WHAT TO DO WHEN PEOPLE SAY “NO” The #1 thing that causes people to hesitate to ask for money is the fear of rejection. What if the donor says no? When people say no to a request, what do they mean? Sometimes “No” means “No” but I’m fond of saying that No means: ·      Not you ·      Not now ·      Not yet or… ·      Not this Let’s go through these. “Not you” means that they can say ‘no’ to you. They might say ‘yes’ to someone else from your organization. “Not now” means you can try to ask them again later. You might hear “not now” when someone says, “Times are tough” or “I have a lot of commitments right now.” Ask if you can come back in a few months. “Not yet” might mean that they haven’t been involved enough in the organization. Perhaps you can get them involved and ask again later. Or it might mean that they don’t have enough information, and you need to provide more. “Not this” might mean that they would respond to another cause, but not this one. Perhaps you are an art museum and they prefer programs to sponsor artists, or they might prefer performance art. You can refer them to another program. To me, this is a real No. As Terry Axelrod, author of Raising More Money, says, “Bless and release” which means you should let them go. Don’t keep bugging them, don’t put them on the mailing list, and don’t ask them to think about it. However, I will add that I have had donors come back and give more money after saying “not this” because when I referred them to something else, it caused them to trust me, and they later made a gift to my cause. It’s rare but it happens. It’s more likely to happen if you’re gracious in accepting their declining. Someone asked me if anyone ever said, “Not you.” I replied, “I’ve actually done that myself. I turned down an organization’s staff member who asked if I would fill in on a board of directors for six months until their next board election. I turned her down, telling her that she should find someone who could then run for an open position, where it would count that they’d already been on the board for six months. Then I added, ‘You know, I can turn you down, but if Mr. Dunn (a board member) asked me, I could never turn him down for anything.’” Mr. Dunn never asked so I never said yes. Thus, it might be a rare answer but it does happen. If you figure out what people are saying to you, you can turn a No into an opportunity, or at least you can get a straight answer and go on to your next prospect. The main lesson is that hearing No isn’t going to kill you. (It also means that you get to say "NO" to other people, but that's a subject for a different time.)

You Got Mail 📩 It may seem old fashioned, direct mail tends to have a higher open rate than cold emails. Here are some tips to improve your open rate: #1 Your Company Name and Logo The number one factor for getting any mail opened is the name of the sender.  #2 Tell Them to Open It Give them an incentive to open the mail by directly putting a call to action on the envelope. #3 Change Up Your Envelope Size In lieu of using the standard 4 1/8″ by 9 1/2″ envelope, experiment with different size envelopes, it will make your mail stand out from the crowd. #4 Change Up Your Envelope Style In addition to experimenting with different envelope sizes, you can also change up the color and texture as well. #5 Appear Less Businesslike Use handwritten fonts to make it feel more personal and authentic. #6 Research Your Demographic The better you’re able to narrow down your demographic and really focus in on your target audience, the higher your open rate will be. #nonprofitmarketing #nonprofitfundraising #directmailmarketing ----- I took my 20+ years’ experience in the nonprofit sector and wrote "Nonprofit Fundraising – Lessons from the Trenches" – https://a.co/d/4zLTFnq https://lnkd.in/gPdkQjjm

Unlock the potential of your non-profit's online presence. Discover essential elements for a winning website that effectively communicates your mission and connects with supporters. #NonprofitSuccess #DigitalEngagement