The Value of Building a ‘Story Marketplace’: Chapter 1

[vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Stories are as old as we are human. Stories in some ways make us human. A story is an account of a series of related events and/or experiences. Stories shape us, influence us, motivate us, inform us, and inspire us. Oral storytelling is the earliest method for sharing narratives. During most people's childhoods, narratives are used to guide them on proper behavior, cultural history, the formation of a communal identity, and values. After oral storytelling came paper and ink, then type then print, and now we have digital as the primary source of our stories. It has been said that non-profits have…

The Six Essential Online Fundraising Pages

What is a giving initiative? Think of an initiative as a page featuring a story or group of stories with a specific objective or outcome in mind. For example, you might be thinking about a page that allows you to display a rich array of rotating funding opportunities, each with its own goals, timeframes, and leaderboards. You might have a significant day coming up where you’re hoping to galvanize your entire audience around one particular cause or need. You might be hoping to have a giving page that is evergreen that showcases the areas of need that are recurring or…

How to Pre-Mote Your Story: Communication Before Your Launch

Set Yourself Up For Success Communication about your fundraising campaign doesn't start on day 1 of your project. Promotion should start well before your campaign officially launches. The “pre-motion,” or promotion ahead of the public launch date, is some of the most crucial work you’ll do to ensure your campaign reaches its goal. It’s natural human tendency to support something which is already popular among the masses. That’s why you’ll want to get your best supporters on board early with a gift so that by the time your campaign is open to the greater public there’s a clear mass of…

Creating a Digital First Fundraising Strategy

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image="8900" img_size="full" alignment="center"][vc_column_text]All of your outreach activities will support your overall fundraising strategy. As you develop communication plans for your next initiative, consider this as the starting point: the digital landing page. Each communication channel, from email to direct mail, phone to word of mouth, are driving at the same goal of engaging your supporters in your organization’s work, all in their own unique way. Your digital landing page is the one tool can tie all of these channels together. While you should continue to seek an immediate action by way of whatever channel you’re reaching out through, you…

Engaging Campus Partners in Advancement Crowdfunding & Giving Days

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image="9042" img_size="full"][vc_column_text]Introducing a new crowdfunding campaign or online fundraising initiative is a big deal. The success of this launch is strongly dependent on the engagement received from campus partners. Does the marketing team have enough bandwidth to promote this new campaign or event? Are the Major Gift officers willing to secure gifts to feed into the strategy of this event? Do you have volunteers available to help with online promotions? How about the Advancement Team, is there enough support to dedicate manpower to build and manage this platform at our institution? These, along with many other factors, will play…

How to Turn Your Fundraising Ambassadors into Champions

Looking for a fundraising tool with untapped potential? You’ll find that your most committed supporters are willing to do more than give. Your advocates, volunteers and donors have amazing potential to contribute as champions of your mission. Today’s donors want transparency, they demand accountability, and they expect to understand the impact their gifts make. No one can tell the story of support makes an impact better than your existing advocates. By engaging your organization’s advocates in a champion program, you can leverage their energy, connections and skills to expand the reach and effectiveness of your fundraising program. Champion programs can…

#GivingTuesday: How to Measure Impact

#GivingTuesday is an annual occurrence that unleashes global giving. Nonprofits gear up every year by creating platforms for success and maintain their work long after their event in order to keep donors invested in the cause. It’s time to use the power of Giving Day to support your initiatives. Learn how to measure impact of your fundraising efforts below. Where do we start? You Can’t Do This Alone  First, assemble the team you believe can plan thoughtfully and collaborate with one another to achieve a common goal of success. This project demands the courage to undertake heightened challenges, storytelling, and…

Rev Up Your Rivalry Fundraising Results

Rivalries — a tale as old as time. From the early competition between forming nation-states to international sports competitions to the brand decisions we make every day at the supermarket, rivalries are time-honored traditions that span across communities and cultures. Is rivalry fundraising an option for you? In the fundraising world, the opportunity to leverage rivalries has never been easier with the emergence of digital technologies that allow organizations to seamlessly spin-up targeted pages. These pages act as portals to capture engagement and record head-to-head fundraising results that add another angle to longstanding events. In this article, we explore the fundraising psychology behind rivalries as well…

30+ Ideas to Rock This Giving Season

One of the perks of working with a wide array of groups is the exposure we have to the wonderfully creative, successful, impactful ideas that come out of our community every giving season. Groups large and small are putting together incredible strategies to engage their communities before, during, and after their big giving days/weeks. Whether you’re thinking about piloting your first giving day or you’re a seasoned veteran, the ideas below will inspire and challenge you. Without further ado... Content Every giving opportunity should be told from the perspective of a person impacted, be it someone who will receive a…

How to Promote Your Next Giving Day During Your Event

What’s a giving day? A giving day is a 24-hour giving event that occurs once a year. It focuses on one simple thing: reaching as many supporters and raising as much money as possible in one day. Over the years, giving days have produced many success stories and have raised millions of dollars across industries. But don't be fooled: just because a giving day only spans a short time frame does not mean it’s a “set it and forget it” type of event. One important factor in making a giving day successful is promotion, and that includes promotion during the…

How to Gamify Your Annual Giving Initiatives

gamify[gey-muh-fahy] verb (used with object), gamified, gamifying.1. to turn (an activity or task) into a game or something resembling a game: Let’s start with rule number 1: fundraising doesn’t have to be boring. There are far too many things in life that are taken too seriously. And while you should speak to the cause you’re fundraising for with sincerity, that doesn’t exclude playfulness! Adding a gamelike, and even a competitive, element to how you manage donor motivations can improve engagement and boost gift size. After all, who doesn’t love a little healthy competition for a good cause? When thinking of…

Katie Haystead

Katie Haystead

Senior Vice President, Partnerships

With over a decade of experience working with K12 schools and higher education institutions’ fundraising efforts, Katie Haystead now oversees the partnerships team at Community Funded. Her passion for partner success and satisfaction aligns with Community Funded’s priorities and Katie’s unique background is well suited to manage the day to day operations of our partnerships team as well as new market acquisition.

Prior to joining the team at Community Funded, Katie served many roles within the Fundraising Division at Ruffalo Noel Levitz. Her experience ranges from working onsite and remotely with clients executing phonathon programs, developing annual giving strategies, onsite consultations and also developing multichannel strategies allowing for strong synergy between annual giving channels and creating strong major and planned gift pipelines.

Katie is based in Metro Detroit and is a graduate of Central Michigan University, where she worked for the phonathon for 3 years while working towards her History Major.

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Kim Jennings

Kim Jennings

Senior Generosity Strategist, Generis

Kim Jennings, CFRE is a skilled fundraising leader who believes in the power of Christian education to raise up thoughtful, strong, committed leaders who can make our world a better place for all.

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Kim Jennings

Todd Turner

Director of Digital Strategies, Generis

In addition to his 11 years overseeing Chuck Swindoll’s Insight Living Ministries communications department, Todd Turner has worked as a digital strategist for faith based organizations across the globe..

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Kim Jennings

Jennifer Perrow

Senior Generosity Strategist, Generis

Jennifer is a skilled fundraising and communications professional who helps ministries articulate vision, communicate mission, and raise abundant funds to advance Kingdom priorities.

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