Months of planning + weeks of promotion = a single day of giving. That’s what a #GivingTuesday campaign equates to for nonprofit marketers. As you prepare for your campaign launch and everything else leading up to the big day, don’t forget to say “thank you” when it’s all over.

Thanks to the Internet, donors are more empowered than ever to make informed giving decisions. With the growing number of digital channels available to them, today’s savvy donors are becoming less influenced by traditional marketing methods and are instead opting to use search engines and social media platforms to gain knowledge about charities and causes before committing their support. As a result, ROI has declined for many traditional outbound lead generation tactics commonly used by nonprofits including print ads, direct mail, cold calls, and email newsletter campaigns.

While it’s true that times change and people evolve, the standard rules of etiquette remain constant. Our social media engagements demand the same good manners and consideration we apply to other social interactions.

Tweeting nonprofit CEOs are still a rare breed despite overwhelming evidence that having a social CEO can improve brand image, thought leadership, community engagement, transparency, employee relations, and overall leadership effectiveness.

Although most U.S. nonprofits and charitable organizations are actively using Twitter (86 percent according to a study by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research), CEOs remain slow in their Twitter adoption.

Instructional best practices are all well and good, but nothing drives a message home like powerful examples. As a follow up to Wednesday’s blog post, “5 Fundamentals Of Great Nonprofit Storytelling,” let's explore some examples that demonstrate what great nonprofit storytelling looks like.

Powerful storytelling is the lifeblood of a nonprofit’s fundraising campaign success. Without a great story to share, it is virtually impossible to effectively draw an emotional connection between prospective donors and your cause.

What are audience personas?

Audience personas are fictional, generalized representations of your ideal target audience. They help you understand your donors, members, sponsors, volunteers, and prospects better. And they make it easier for you to tailor content to the specific needs, behaviors, and concerns of these different groups. 

Today’s marketers understand that blogging is one of the most effective tools for generating website traffic which can be converted into new leads for their business—and nonprofits are no exception. Content Marketing Institute’s 2015 research states that 58 percent of nonprofit marketers used blogging as a content marketing tactic in 2014—up from 47 percent in 2013.

A strong social media presence can help you meet your goals in multiple areas including brand awareness, audience engagement, fundraising, cause advocacy, lead acquisition, donor loyalty, and retention. According to Content Marketing Institute’s 2015 Nonprofit Content Marketing Report, 93 percent of nonprofit marketers are using social media as part of their overall content marketing strategy.