How To Appeal To Millennials And Get The Best Results

Millennials seem to be the “hot topic” for many of today’s conversations. Society is constantly trying to figure us out and come up with a way to connect with us. As a millennial who is involved in the nonprofit sector, I have noticed that many organizations struggle to attract and maintain millennials on a long-term basis for donating their time and/or money.

Since we aim to help organizations like yours, today we will learn how to appeal to millennials and get the best results.

How To Appeal To Millennials And Get The Best Results

Build Trust...Then Make The Impact

Trust is a MAJOR thing when it comes to millennials! If we don’t trust you, forget about us donating to your cause.

We don’t care for fake news. 👀 It is best, to be honest with us and state the facts because we tend to do our research. Before we donate to an organization, we will run it by our family and friends, see what others have to say about it, and then give our support. Focus your marketing efforts on building trust and use conversational language so we can connect with you.

Tip: Show examples of the awesome work your organization does for the community and/or around the world, so we know where and what the money we donate go towards.

Maintain a Relationship Through Social Media

The social media trend is still alive and well. Millions of millennials stay connected and become aware of organizations through social media outlets. Once you’ve gained our trust, maintain a relationship with us (outside of the typical monthly newsletter or annual report). Make it possible for us to stay up to date with your organization’s social media pages or through your weekly blog(s).

Tip: Focus on only one or two social channels and two to four blog posts per month. It’s better to do less and do it well than to spread yourself too thin.

Update Your Website

Let’s admit it; there is nothing worse than clicking on a website that takes forever to load or looks like it hasn’t been touched since millennials were born. *laughing emoji* Invest in a modern and reliable website and update it frequently with news about to your organization. Also, include an online giving tab that allows potential donors to donate to your cause conveniently.

Tip:  Check out The Best Way To Encourage Online Giving to learn more about attracting more online givers.

Take advantage of simple, yet impactful tips and receive a fresh wind of new volunteers and donors that will help support the great cause your organization makes each day/week/year. As you make a difference in the lives of those you touch, don’t forget to file your annual Form 990 with ExpressTaxExempt and stay compliant with the IRS.

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Are You Making These 5 Crowdfunding Mistakes?

Back in the day, fundraising was usually a face-to-face, spoken word kind of venture. But in the digital age, things have changed.

In order to maintain competitive fundraising, you need to look towards the Internet! But with great crowdfunding comes great responsibility.

I mean, there are certain rules, drawbacks, and benefits to Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, and GoFundMe. But no matter what, there are mistakes you can make on every crowdfunding site.

Your Campaign Is Not Clearly Defined

Don’t use a crowdfunding campaign for general fundraising.

Instead, focus your crowdfunding to a specific project, and how it will inspire donors to be a part of it.

Also, a specific project will have a smaller goal ($10k is a lot more palatable than $100k).

You Have No Mass-Market Appeal

Be realistic. You’re a big supporter of your cause, but the Average Joe isn’t.

If you do your market research, you can find the broadest appeal for your project. Research allows you to target your fundraising efforts.

You Have No Dedicated Resources

After you research, you need to make sure you have the capabilities to manage a big campaign.

If you don’t have a dedicated marketing professional on your team, you need to split the duties of a marketer between your current staff.

Also, you need to spend a little to earn a little in most situations, so make sure you have a budget that accounts for marketing.

You Don't Have a Plan

With proper resources, a real plan comes together.

Every plan has a before, a during, and an after. Start by setting goals you plan to meet, metrics you will measure with, and a time frame for all of this to occur.

With prepared content and continuous outreach, you can build relationships with your new donors even after your campaign ends.

You Have No Existing Donor Network

In order for your campaign to succeed, you need a relationship with your existing donors. First of all, they’re passionate about your cause.

Second, they have friends and family to share your project with. New donors are more likely to give if their loved ones have vetted the cause already.

Once you have your crowdfunding road-map in order, you can implement your plan!

With a solid crowdfunding campaign, your project is sure to be successful.

And it’s never too early to start planning your tax exempt return—once all these donations roll in, use the awesome recordkeeping features of ExpressTaxExempt to import donations. If you have any issues e-filing your 990 form, contact our support team at 704.839.2321.

Are you making these crowdfunding mistakes?

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3 Email Marketing Questions Every Nonprofit Should Ask

So you’ve set up a social media empire, and you’re producing stellar video content to impress your donors and board. What’s next for your nonprofit marketing campaign?

Have you thought about email?

Think about it—just about everyone you know has an email address. There has to be a way your nonprofit can tap into that market. So let’s break down some email marketing tips your tax exempt organization can use.

Why Should We Use Email Marketing?

The affordability of email marketing is reason enough! With an email marketing campaign, you have a lower price point since you avoid the costs of printing paper flyers. Not only that, your nonprofit keeps responsible outlook by reducing your paper footprint.

Email is a great option because of its ease of use and widespread use. These days, almost everybody has an email address, and they know how to check their email. There’s little confusion with a well crafted email that says “click here to donate.”

Because of the low price point, your organization can get a higher return on investment. Of course, you want to approach your emails in different ways depending on the kind they are.

How Should We Approach Email Marketing?

First things first, sign up for an email marketing service, and work the cost into your marketing budget. With your email marketing service, you can catalog and sort user email addresses by demographics. With each new donation you receive, you can obtain and build a bigger database to send future emails.

Once you’re ready to hit send, make sure you reach out to your donors with effective messaging. Try telling a story! Use your organization, your volunteers, or even those you help to get the message across. You can even update your audience with the comings and goings of your organization, while working in a plug for donations with subtlety.

Aim to keep it short and simple. Email marketing is for hundreds of words, not thousands. If you have a source of long form content you want your readers to see, include a link with a short synopsis instead. Remember, less is more – you want people to read and digest the email as fast as possible.

And most importantly, create a call to action - start and end with a call to action: donate now. click here, read this - don’t leave the email hanging.

How Do We Start?

There are quite a few options out there, and you’ll have to see what works best for you. For a more detailed approach, check out some of the email marketing guides provided by the services themselves.

Here are 3 guides to email marketing for nonprofits you should check out:

• The Nonprofit Email Marketing Guide (PDF)
• MailChimp for Nonprofits
• Basics of Email Marketing for Nonprofits (PDF)

Bonus Question: What Other Tips Do You Have?

First off, keep a calendar and a schedule for any of your campaigns. You can make a master calendar that includes your social media, video, and email efforts. After that, stay scheduled! With your email blasts, find organic opportunities to link back to your blogs, social media, and donation landing pages. Most of all, as you design your emails, ask yourself – would I read this email? Would I click that link?

With a strong email campaign, you can work wonders for your tax exempt organization. And when it’s time to file Form 990, we’ll be here to help you. If you have any questions, reach us by email, live chat, and 704.839.2321.

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