For some of us, even if we’ve been doing it for years, asking people for money never gets easier.
In this episode of Nonprofit Marketing with Purpose, we interview Heather Stewart, Director of Development for the Voluntary Action Center (VAC), a pro at the year-end giving ask.
Following her advice, even those who are most wary about seeking donations can find a simple recipe for success. 

Introduction to Heather - 1:22
Components of a good year-end ask letter - 4:18
Importance of personal connection in Asks - 8:45
Recap of year-end ask process/donor process - 10:48
How to tie your ask and other marketing together - 14:37
Using your team effectively - 17:34
When and if to use fundraising themes - 20:41
Organizing and segmenting your donor list - 25:24
Should you recycle content - 30:00
Quick tips for creating a year-end ask - 33:27
Learn more about the Voluntary Action Center (VAC) - 36:04

For a fully-formatted article version of this episode, visit: https://mayecreate.com/blog/creating-a-year-end-ask-that-sticks-with-guest-heather-stewart/

We love when our friend Jaime Friedrichs comes on the podcast and shares her fundraising wisdom with us! In this episode, she talks about when and how you can ask for donations for administrative costs or new hires. As a bonus, at the end of the episode, she walks us through a fundraising ask role play you can modify for your own needs. 

Introduction of Jaime Friedrichs - 1:12
What’s the right mindset for asking for donations? - 3:52
How do you ask for donations for administrative costs? - 5:55
Should you include data and numbers in your ask? - 11:46
What three things must be in your ask - 15:30
Should you theme your giving campaigns? - 18:23
Do you need additional materials to support your ask? - 21:17
Are there benefits of fundraising for a specific thing over general needs? - 28:56
What can you do to build and maintain donor relationships? - 33:33
Fundraising ask example and role play - 35:08

For a fully-formatted version of this interview, visit our website at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/asking-for-donations-to-add-a-new-staff-member-or-raise-money-for-admin-costs-with-guest-jaime-friedrichs/

When I interviewed Kimberly O’Donnell with Network for Good I thought I’d learn all about donor management software. But you know what? I learned waaaay more.

She shares inside knowledge about:

You’re sure to walk away with at least a nugget or two of goodness from this interview or at least enjoy geeking out with us!

Introducing Kimberly O’Donnel and Network for Good - 0:41
Fundraising trends - 10:23
Should we text donors? - 18:36
Exploring ways to connect to encourage donations - 23:15
The importance of communicating authentically - 26:40
Finding time to do the work - 32:36
Listening to customers to improve Network for Good - 38:23
Resources available through Network for Good - 46:55
Becoming “anti-fragile” - 52:52
Where to find more about Network for Good - 54:34

For a fully-formatted blog post of this episode, visit https://mayecreate.com/blog/the-future-of-fundraising-with-network-for-goods-kimberly-odonnell/

How did an all-volunteer organization raise $20,000 in one month? We sat down with Michelle Ribaudo and Laura Wakefield from MoDE Foundation to find out. They share things that worked, things they’d do differently, and why planning ahead and training made all the difference to their success. 

Introductions of Michelle, Laura and MoDE Foundation - 2:13
Getting started with CoMoGives - 8:04
Using training and templates to raise $20,000 - 10:14
What would they change or keep for next year? - 15:28
Creating a mini-event within the campaign - 17:28
Utilizing targeted peer-to-peer giving - 21:42
Reaching donors through personalized thank you notes - 27:33
Advice for others participating in year-end giving campaigns - 32:10
Gaining momentum through cooperation with other organizations - 34:55
Learn more about MoDE Foundation - 41:00

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/year-end-giving-success-story-missouri-disability-empowerment-foundation/

We're talking about donor management systems again! In this episode, we welcome Wende Wagner, Director of Philanthropy for the Missouri Symphony, who discusses their system of choice, Bloomerang, how they chose it, and her favorite and not-so-favorite parts of the platform.

They converted over from Neon and really like the data management and integration tools Bloomerang offers. Join me as I interview Wende to learn why!

Introduction to the Missouri Symphony - 1:31

Donor Management before Bloomerang - 5:14

Functionality of Bloomerang - 11:14

Using Bloomerang for Events - 13:59

Fom building capabilities in Bloomerang - 15:40

Bloomerang integration with accounting software - 24:48

Reporting in Bloomerang - 29:39

Using Bloomerang for printed mailings - 35:37

What Bloomerang costs and advice - 39:00

How to contact Wende - 43:15

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/bloomerang-from-a-users-perspective-with-guest-wende-wagner/

We’ve been told Network for Good can be an expensive, but amazingly comprehensive donor management system. So, I reached out to one of our nonprofit friends who uses it to find out if it’s worth the cost.

Spoiler Alert - for Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture, it totally is. From ticket sales to donor data management to text reminders, Network for Good helps them market with purpose. 

Billy Polansky and his team at the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture had been using a cobbled together system revolving around Microsoft Access which was better than nothing but not what they needed. After reviewing 3 or 4 systems they decided on Network for Good. Hear how they use it and why they love it as I interview Billy in this episode!

Introduction to Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture - 1:49
Why invest in a donor management system? - 4:25
What does Network for Good do? - 6:40
How does Network for Good integrate ticket sales and giving? - 10:53
How easy is it to import existing data? - 15:08
How easy is it to learn and use Network for Good? - 17:17
How often does Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture use the communication features? - 22:00
What customization options are available? - 25:20
What is customer support like? - 27:04
Is Network for Good a good value for the cost? - 28:37
Where to learn more about Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture - 36:40

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/network-for-good-from-a-users-perspective-with-guest-billy-polansky/

While everything is getting back to “normal,” I don't want you to forget the things you learned when you couldn't fundraise the same way you always had. 

We shouldn’t leave the skills we developed out of necessity on the table. 

Let’s review some tech-easy online fundraising event ideas we talked about way back in 2020. Those events, those activities, can fill in the gap for you. They can boost your fundraising. 

Read the blog post at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/tech-easy-online-fundraising-event-ideas/

Download 14 Tech-Easy Online Event Ideas for Fundraising

This is the first major change in over a decade. My frenemy Google keeps emailing me about how stuff is changing, and my greatest fear is all those emails get stuck in your junk mail. 

Google is trying to create something that will be an equally awesome as the Universal Analtyics tracking system we've enjoyed for so long without making people use cookies to track user behavior on the websites. 

Having a deadline is great and all but here’s the deal. We don’t know how long your current account is going to exist, and we don’t know how long you’re going to have access to it. We all need to get on board and make the switch ASAP. In this episode I'll tell you who need to worry about it, who doesn't and what to do to keep the data rolling in!

Read this episide in blog form at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/google-analytics-4-the-time-to-freak-out-is-nigh/

Organizations find all kinds of ways to manage donor data.  Some use a subscription service. But Enola’s organization is an amazing example of working with what you have. Instead of paying additional fees for another system, Enola found out she could use Square, a point of sale program, as a customer relationship management tool. Let’s find out how she does that — because if you’re not ready to invest in a dedicated donor management program, this might be a great option for you!

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/using-square-as-a-crm-with-guest-enola-white/

Hackers suck. They’re like the armpit of humanity. They just you feel victimized. It’s like having someone break into your house or your car and steal something. But it’s worse because you’re not just out these physical possessions, you have to figure out how to remedy this really, really yucky situation.

So let’s dig in and talk about the number one way that you can protect your website from hackers.

For a fully-formatted article version of this podcast, head over to our website: https://mayecreate.com/blog/1-way-to-protect-your-website-from-hackers/