Lightning over city

Subject Lines – Strike Like a Bolt of Lightning

“I was struck by lightning.” Those were the first words my ex-girlfriend said to me when we ran into each other 20+ years after high school. She definitely had my attention. One. Hundred. Percent. See, that’s the power of a great headline. It hooks you in and leaves you begging for more. The best headlines … Continued

Father helping his child

Moving On Up…The Engagement Lifecycle

Here’s an interesting problem that can occur in the nonprofit space: you have a healthy volunteer list and engagement but not enough volunteer opportunities. Subsequently, you risk having this excited group of supporters losing enthusiasm for your organization. We recently had a great conversation with a nonprofit partner that ran into this snafu. They have … Continued

Fish swimming in ocean

Finding Nemo: Lessons on Where to Look for What You Want

Remember Finding Nemo? Much like in the movie, Marlin wasn’t going to find his son by staying close to home. He needed to go out to where Nemo was in order to reconnect. Unfortunately for him, he had no idea where he needed to go and had to discover clues along the way. For you … Continued

Piggy bank

Cover Your Acquisition Costs Through Recurring Donations

What’s your strategy to create ongoing engagements with donors? I recently had a great conversation with Tim Sarrantonio from Neon One during which he mentioned that nonprofit research data suggest that it typically costs $1.25 to bring in that first $1 in donations. That means that more work needs to be done to turn that … Continued

Person staning near pillars

Your Organization Is Only As Strong As Its Pillars

I recently did an interview with a nonprofit organization here in Colorado and we discussed how to build solid organizational and stakeholder partnerships. One of the problems they identified was their need to mobilize a LOT of volunteers, supporters, and business partnerships in order to succeed. They have done some outreach but need to figure … Continued

Athlete climbing stairs

Process for accelerated growth: A site analysis

Recently, we had a client reach out to get some ideas on ways in which they could improve their marketing performance (specifically in relation to their website). Here was my response of recommended activities that are rooted squarely in the Audience Engagement Cycle framework: 80/20 analysis: Let’s find the money. Who are your best clients? … Continued

People looking at art

The Art of Tangential Targeting

I recently had a conversation with a nonprofit leader around the challenge of rallying support for her cause. One of her struggles is around the challenge of audience growth and expanding her reach. Her nonprofit is focused on a very unique issue in a “noisy” space – getting her message out to the right people … Continued

Climber facing a difficult challenge

Here’s a Hard Truth, Your Website Isn’t For You

Is your site dialed in to appeal to your ideal audience? Much like a good email or marketing campaign, you need to consider your audience when creating your site to ensure that it really connects. Understanding your audience persona is the first step to help you focus your message and design. Ideally, your website needs … Continued

Man painting ancient ruins

When’s the last time your site went to the doctor?

When’s the last time your site had a checkup?  With the beginning of a new cycle, (and since it feels like a lot longer than that since we’ve provided you with an actual offer), we thought it was high time to provide an opportunity for you to take your marketing to the next level. No … Continued

Lightbulb in sand

Create A Strong Purpose Framework With This 15 Word Exercise

Has this happened to you? You are in conversation and someone asks about your non-profit organization’s mission or about donations. But as soon as you start speaking, all that falls out of your mouth is gobbledygook. Sometimes when we are passionate about what we are working on and believe in, we can get so excited … Continued

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