Welcome back to Ask a Responsive Fundraiser, where we tackle some of the most pressing questions nonprofit organizations face in their quest to make a difference. This week, we welcome Mark Becker, Founding Partner at Cathexis Partners, with another video edition! Whether you’re re-evaluating your tools and systems, figuring out what kind of content to use, or starting a website redesign, we’ve got you covered. (Mark’s answers have been lightly edited answers for readability and clarity.)
Be sure to check out past editions of Ask a Responsive Fundraiser and leave us a comment on LinkedIn so we can answer your questions!
Let’s dive in and see how you can transform these common hurdles into opportunities for growth!
Dear Responsive Fundraiser: We are a growing nonprofit, and our systems no longer fit our needs. However, we don’t know if we’re ready to take the plunge with a full-service CRM. How do we know when we’re ready, and what should we look for?
—Definitely, Maybe?
Dear Definitely: If you’re asking the question, you’re probably ready, right? Inertia is an organization’s worst enemy. You think, “This is what we’ve always done.” “Oh, it sounds like it’s going to be a pain.” It isn’t going to be your best year if you’re heavily involved in a migration to a different CRM, to be honest. But you’ll be so much better off on the other end and it’s worth the time and the effort.
But if you have siloed data; if you have inefficiencies managing your donor relationships; if you have a hard time looking at a full view of your constituents and how you’re interacting with them or how they’re interacting with you; and having a really hard time tracking metrics; you find your team is just doing a whole lot in excel—it’s time.
Dear Responsive Fundraiser: In your experience, which types of content work best for fundraising campaigns? Should we focus on emails only or include social media and blog content?
—Content Quandry
Dear Content: All the things right? Omni-channel and multi-channel are the ways to go because everybody’s going in different directions and listening to different things. Everybody has their preferred social media, right? Or maybe no social media. Email marketing is still really solid. On social media, you’ll find people in different little communities with different preferences. If you have a blog, content is where you can spend that time and get into those deep-dive discussions about success stories and missions. But to all of that, sprinkle in short videos wherever possible.
Dear Responsive Fundraiser: Our nonprofit is ready for a website redesign, but we don’t know where to start. Which areas of our website would be the best place to start, and how should we measure its effectiveness?
—Redesign Roadblocks
Dear Redesign: Think about your audience and persona. Is it one audience? Usually, it’s not just one audience. Find out who the typical example is for those different personas, then see how easy it is to navigate your website.
It all starts with navigation.
If they can’t find things, what are the funnels? What are the ways to navigate your website? Get the information and calls-to-action. How many clicks does it take to actually complete whatever you’re doing?
So it starts with the overall navigation, then the journey people take on your website, and then the homepage, and then that ever-important top real estate on your website. Make sure it’s something that can be easily updated and frequently. Again, always make very clear calls-to-action. Make sure your donation page, your registrations, your volunteer signups, all your ways to interact with people are really easy to use and are mobile friendly.
Make sure you’re tracking KPIs via Google Analytics or any way you get your data.
If you want your question answered, drop us a line on LinkedIn! Check back next Thursday to see what our Responsive Fundraisers have to say.
