April 21 and 22nd, 2013 Foraker Leadership Summit Director’s Report
This was an experience and training to remember! Cost wise, we received a Foraker scholarship that paid for my RT airfare and one night’s lodging at Captain Cook. I left early Monday morning and returned Tuesday night. An added plus – I did not realize there would be so many others from Fairbanks that were attending the conference. My table, taxi, and training mates were from PHH, IAC and OCS, all key folks for the FYA Director to know better on a personal basis and for FYA to be connected with.
Recorded here are some of my notes from the speakers & workshops. Since much of this has bearing on how we do business – I think you will find it interesting.
Monday Morning:
Steve Culbertson, the CEO of Youth Service America (now called YSA) the world’s largest youth community service engagement organization. I tweeted a lot of what he said, but this was the gist of his message: “find a kid and make room for them to do good.” He said young people are volunteering in record numbers.
Michael Balaoing, know your audience, know your content, and when you speak, leave out what he called “weak” words. Weak words are the “uh’s” or “so’s” or overly used words “actually” “very” “really” etc. we use mindlessly. For every weak word in a presentation, we lose audience attention.
Kivi Leroux Miller, Kivi said we get roughly 300 messages a day, pay attention to 50 and remember 4. So what are we doing differently that people will remember us?“
½ all donors give 2/3 of annual donation to their favorite charity”. We want to be everyone’s favorite charity!!!! The favorite nonprofit wins. Regarding giving – it is never about us, it is always about them – the giver. We are helping people get high when they give. Donors want 1) to feel appreciated, 2) feel included, and 3) be in the know. “
Get your 501c3 out of the way you will be successful.” She kept emphasizing that your supporters need to be connected through feelings not facts. She said “You have to communicate love and you have to connect them to your story.” “Thanking is something everyone at your agency should do” – including board members, employees, etc.
As an agency: be. . .
Rewarding: make knowing you fun, make giving fun
Realistic: make it easy – use a pop up “donate”
Real time: Communicate in the context of what is happening now,
Responsive: Respond on facebook, respond so they know you are listening
Refreshing: be unique – you may have a serious message and mission but have fun with it.
We purchased her book: Nonprofit Marketing Guide http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/resources/aboutus/meet-kivi-leroux-miller/
Tom Ahern: “Why most Newsletters drive donors away and why some succeed beyond anyone’s wildest Dreams”
- Why are you in my house? –
- a newsletter is an invasion of my privacy –
- YOU have a 3 second chance to get my interest! E-newsletters have 2 sec.
- 70% of all first time donors never make a second gift
- A good charity newsletter helps with donor retention
- LTV: Life Time Value: If you lose someone – you lose LTV
- What are readers reading:
- 80% read headlines more than anything else
- 75% Photos
- 56% Headlines
- 29% Captions
- 25%text but never get to paragraph 3!!!
- E-Newsletters: are not effective
- 21.6% opening rate, on average on best day at beg. Of week
- Paper newsletter
- 4-6 pages, include envelope, before and after stories
- 14 size print
- age 55+ are largest donors, 35-55 small donations
- call me to action
- use donor centric language
- All Credit must go to donor MUST
- Newsletters are Never about the organization, but about the donor
- AID
- A- get my ATTENTION, Attract my eyes
- I- INTEREST: hook me – little note on the outside . . . or something unusual
- D-DESIRE – build mine- smiley faces don’t raise $$$, show me faces that give me an opportunity to help, Show me Problem & Solution
Tuesday:
Thaler Pekar in Her presentation on “Why Your Stories Matter” combined what we previously learned and built on it:
- Why stories:
- oxytocin is released – when you look someone in the eye and tell a story
- you build trust
- you connect
- stories stick – facts go by the wayside
- Stories
- Think about what you value and share it
- Build empathy not sympathy
- Brains work to make pictures
- Listeners are connecting to their personal experiences
- Heart: Develop Story context
- Head: a little data into your story , a few facts
- Hand: call to action
- Listeners will continue to support you if it means something to them
- When you tell stories
- Set story in time
- Know you last line before you begin
- No context – those details are for you
- Give characters names
- Add sensory details if you can
- Tell them to your employees, your board, tell little stories on FB
- Writing the story will help you tighten it up
Tom Ahern: A case for Donor Support
11 prospects to get 1 donor
- Anything you ask for needs a case for support
- Operational Support (Keep us strong)
- Readers are moved from
- Uniformed to informed
- Skeptic to believer
- Resistance to gift giving
- Your case for donor support
- Keep Simple
- No Jargon
- Makes donor the hero
- A good case is the right offer in front of the right people at the right time
- Keep in the positive
- hope, love compassion
- Ask yourself:
- Why us?
- Why now?
- Why would a donor care?
Zan McColloch-Lussier & Kivi Miller: analyzed 10 participant websites.
Website should be:
- Clean
- Visual
- Colors match severity of message
- Be viewer centered
- Easy to track
- Clear message
Decide the top 3 reasons why someone would access your website – that becomes the navigation
- Design navigation around user groups
- What are the top 3 questions people are asking – put it on your home page
- Use google analytics – look at pages not getting traffic and drop them or tuck them into secondary pages
DO:
- Link viewer to great articles that others are writing
- Use photos/visuals with every blog post
- Use real pictures of people viewer thinks they know –
- Update website at least every 3 years
