Your Rally Point Episode 11: Moving From Contact to Conversion

As grants disappear, nonprofits need to do more fundraising. Your Rally Point podcast hosts James Martin and Jack Bobin talk about the classic marketing funnel and the process of moving people from initial contact to conversion with that much needed donation. It’s going to be a multi-channel process. And you’re busy, so automation is your friend. Find multiple ways to connect and engage. Experiment to find out what works best. Reduce barriers for action and make it as easy as possible. It’s time for nonprofits to get moving and we’re here to help.

What You’ll Learn

• Grants are drying up and nonprofits are forced to ramp up fundraising.
• Depending on grants can make nonprofits inefficient and neglect fundraising.
• You need multi-channel engagement strategies.
• You need people to take that next step: Social media to email to event to donation.
• Incorporating technology like near field communication (NFC) can enhance marketing efforts.
• Experimentation is key to finding effective strategies.
• Curiosity can drive engagement with potential supporters.
• Reducing barriers for action is essential in marketing.

Resources

• The Thank You Time Machine is a way to reengage donors with a thank you..
• NFCs: Tap to go is a new technology that allows quick and easy connection.

Quotables

• “The big elephant in the room is the loss of funding.”
• “This whole thing isn't all that complicated. I lost some funding, I got to close the gap, and how do I do that?”
• “Grants can obfuscate, they can hide your other problems.”
• “Automation addresses the fact that nonprofits are constantly resource challenged.”
• “This is where I see a lot of organizations get it wrong—they get email and permission to communicate with them, but then they're dependent on email, which is great, but that's one channel, one method.”
• “The idea is to move people to that logical next step in that funnel and to move them down closer and closer and closer to a decision.”
• “What we're talking about here is providing people with the opportunity to engage with your nonprofit in a non-pushy way.”
• “Good marketing, good messaging really comes down to just making sure the message is relevant and that you're trying multiple things to get people to act in the moment.”
• “Texting or mobile is for the moment, right? You're in the moment. How do I reduce the barrier for you to act?”
• “If you're a nonprofit out there and you're watching this, let's go. Let's go. No more sitting around. Come on. We're here to help you. Let's go.”

Skip to What You Want to Hear

• 00:00 - Introduction and Earthquake Experiences
• 03:00 - The Current State of Nonprofits and Funding Challenges
• 06:04 - The Importance of Mobile Solutions for Fundraising
• 09:03 - Inefficiencies in Nonprofit Funding and Grant Management
• 11:59 - Understanding Donor Acquisition Costs
• 15:05 - Multi-Channel Engagement Strategies for Nonprofits
• 19:21 - Innovative Marketing Strategies
• 23:13 - Leveraging Technology for Engagement
• 28:00 - Building Relationships with Donors
• 31:58 - The Triple Cs of Nonprofit Success
• 34:46 - Future Directions and Support for Nonprofits

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