Getting Attention, helping non-profits succeed thru marketing

As an art-loving New Yorker, I've visited the New Museum of Contemporary Art many times over the years to see its provocative shows, but hadn't visited in several years. After all, there are so many New York City museums competing for visitors and supporters.

Frankly, my attention and support, and that of most New Yorkers, was pulled elsewhere by museums that more effectively raised their voice over the NYC cultural scene.

So I was struck, hard, by the creative marketing and extensive media coverage around the re-branding and concurrent re-opening of the Museum in a striking new building. It was the startlingly succinct mission statement that first caught my eye.

Read this comprehensive case study to learn how the New Museum leveraged the attention and excitement around its new building to launch a definitive new brand.

New Museum. New building. New brand. New level of attention, awareness and support.

P.S. Take a look at this re-branding case study of the Art Gallery of Ontario.

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Can't get much better than this -- The Catholic University for Independent Thinkers.

Here's why. The tagline:

1.  Adds critical info missing from the university's name (that it's Catholic). Many Catholic colleges/universities are clearly Catholic (i.e. St. John's).
2. Builds understanding of its unique value for prospective students -- the university's open-minded and intellectually curious community, which may not be assumed of an ecclesiastical institution. It provides some surprise value.

Remember, your organization's tagline has to complement its name and should enrich your base's understanding or engagement in what its doing. Does yours?   

Your name, and the few words that comprise your tagline, are more important to your nonprofit marketing impact than any other. Unfortunately, 72% of nonprofits rate their taglines as ineffective, or don't have one at all.

PS Learn how to make the most of your tagline  with the free Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Report -- due out in June.

Sign up today for the Getting Attention e-news to ensure you get a copy. 

So much great content comes my way, I just had to share a few sparklers from two folks I am continually inspired by:

1) Seth Godin urges nonprofit marketers to focus on whom you're talking with (not your org) and the  relationships rather than the tools. He also advises that we test, test, test to find the best strategies for our organizations.

• Get more tips and insights via the full transcript of Seth's online discussion with Chronicle of Philanthropy readers and staff. He knows what he's talking about. Really.

2) Allison Fine shares her research on what it means to Millennials (15-29 year olds), to have the ability to become an advocate for their cause instantly, broadly, inexpensively, and what that ability means for nonprofit communications. She found young people to be very idealistic, marinating in causes, alienated from government and public policy -- in short, Social Citizens.

• Your org has to learn how to work with Millennials most effectively if you want to move forward, and they're incredibly savvy marketing wise. As Allison said at the close of a recent speech on her research, "If we don’t figure out how to incorporate Millennials into our nonprofit organizations, they’re just going to start their own causes, overnight, using free tools.”
• Dig into Allison's paper to learn more about her methodology and guidance on talking and working with Millennials, then keep up with the conversation in her Social Citizens blog.

Photo credit: abielskas

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Update 5/20/08: New York Times reports on unprecedented volunteer movement among Chinese citizens wanting to help earthquake survivors.

As I listened to earthquake news this morning from China's Sichuan province, I realized that the cards may be aligned for the Chinese government to welcome a real nonprofit sector. Reminds me of post-Berlin wall days in Eastern Europe.

There are already thousands of grassroots nonprofits in China, but they are fighting just to survive without the necessary support and infrastructure, much less to provide services to this huge population (estimated at 1.4 billion). Weak management skills and lack of operating resources are among the  key barriers to Chinese nonprofit impact, as cited in a recent McKinsey & Company report.

However, dramatic events are the most common harbinger of major change, and there's little more dramatic than the events of the last days in China. There may be a star in this dark, dark sky.

The Chinese government's response to this earthquake is strikingly different than that to the last major quake in Tangshan in 1976. In those last days of Mao's regime, the government tried to hide the earthquake, vastly underestimating the death and injury toll. By the end of the year, the Gang of Four was out of power.

In this last ten days, we've seen the Chinese government act very differently in:

• Launching a massive rescue and relief effort
• Asking for help (rescue equipment)
• Opening information and news channels
• Opening its doors to foreign aid (contributions and aid experts), and acknowledging that "without aid [they] won't be able to return to even current quality of life in the region for over 30 years."
• Honoring its citizens who perished in the quake with a three-day period of mourning (the first ever for Chinese citizens).

Yes, this is political maneuvering (aka crisis communications) as China tries to shine in contrast to Myanmar's government's disgraceful power play rather than the well being of its people and to the worldwide critique of its anti-human-rights approach, while maintaining some semblance of national glory in hosting the 2008 Olympics. Nonetheless, it's the end result that really matters.

In addition, over $1 billion in domestic donations have been made by a citizenry largely unpracticed in giving. What a great start. Much of the giving, according to NPR, is coming from students, and those who have achieved urban success after migrating from rural locales who are already busy on message boards questing for accountability for the use of their gifts. 

This is a society aching for nonprofits to fill the gaps the government has been content to hide for so long. This is a people no longer willing to live without rights, or in poverty. This is a country where nonprofit organizations can bring their issue and functional expertise to complement what the government can provide.

Watch, look and listen. With over 50,000 dead and 5 million homeless quake survivors, there's no better time than now for China to birth a robust nonprofit sector.

Your thoughts?

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A new study released recently measured 2007 internet fundraising and activism of nonprofits and highlights the continued importance of the Internet to the sector. The 2008 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study, co-authored by M+R Strategic Services and Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) adds new depth to 2006 benchmarks findings with additional data on the importance of major donors and 'super activists.'

Here's the essence: Email fatigue is here -- open and click-through rates are down -- but it remains far more effective than Web 2.0 strategies and annual gift size is increasing.
The report includes many benchmarks you can use to gauge the success of your nonprofit's e-marketing and e-fundraising. Other key findings (and related tips) include:

• Finding: The total amount raised online increased by 19 percent from 2006 to 2007
  • Tip: Keep focusing on your online presence and fundraising.
• Finding: The average nonprofit sent over 4 emails per subscriber per month in both 2006 and 2007.
  • Tip: Don't take a break from your email schedule. Keep the schedule you've promised to your readers. Weekly is great; more often if warranted; monthly ok; less than that not advised.
• Finding: Email open rates, click-through rates and response rates have fallen from 21.3 percent to 17.6 percent, and click-through rates have dropped from 4.9 percent to 3.8 percent.
  • Finding: The average advocacy email response rate in 2007 was 7.5%. The average fundraising email response rate was 0.13%.
  • Tip: But more emails are being sent out, for a net:net that's not bad.
• Finding: 'Super activists,' taking six or more online actions in a year, made up just 5 percent of the total email list size but accounted for 42 percent of the organizations' total actions.
  • Tip: Find these folks and make it easy for them to take frequent action. It's likely their great donors, or giving prospects, too.

Put these findings to work in crafting your marketing and fundraising plans.

P.S. The NTEN/M+R team has done a stellar job of marketing the report with its report-focused mini-site, webinar and coverage on both of the org's Web sites. True multi-channel marketing!

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Once again, like in last week's lightning response to Myanmar's cyclone Nagris, Mercy Corps was out there first with a program in place to provide relief to survivors of the earthquake in China.

With more than 12,000 already reported dead, and the count climbing by the minute, it's clear that the scale of devastation is huge. Immeasurable relief aid needed for their survivors -- most without shelter, clothing, food and livelihood. Unfortunately, the challenge of raising relief dollars is going to be harder than ever, with last week's disaster in Myanmar leaving many prospective donors feeling tapped out.

Here's how Mercy Corps communicates its ability to help, and quickly convinced me that I should direct my donation to them and ask friends and family to do the same:

• Highlights the earthquake relief effort on its home page, with text and a photo, and a link to...
• Provides a full-page description of how Mercy Corps is already working with its longterm partner org in the region (China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA))
  
  • These partnerships, with orgs with established relationships in and understanding of regions, are a hallmark of how Mercy Corps does it work, and a real differentiator.
  • Even in the context of a crisis like this, Mercy Corps brand shines through.
• Offers a donate form that let me direct my gift to the China earthquake relief effort.
  • I couldn't find another org that gave me this option when I donated this morning at 10am est.

With this impressive, on-target communications approach, I wasn't surprised to receive a prompt thank you email "from" founder Dan O'Neill. Dan thanked me for my gift, and reiterated the way Mercy Corps works and how my donation will help (generally). Also, he tells me that via donating I've subscribed to their e-newsletter (good approach) and directs me how to unsubscribe should I so desire. Only addition I'd like to see is a relief-effort-specific paragraph, and a promise to keep me informed on Mercy Corps work in the China earthquake relief effort.

But most importantly, I urge you to give now to aid the hundreds of thousands of survivors, left without family, shelter, clothing, food and livelihood.

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I was struck by this high-impact Mother's day fundraising campaign from City Meals featured in a full-page ad in Sunday's New York Times. The woman at left could have been my grandmother.

City Meals educates readers that "70% of our meal recipients are women. Many no longer have spouses, siblings, friends or children in their lives. That can make for a lonely Mother's Day. Send meals in your mother's honor or memory to elderly New Yorkers who would otherwise be hungry and alone.

Mom taught you to care for others. Show her how much you learned."

Beautifully done, Citymeals-on-wheels. They get the empathy and the guilt pumped, and they motivate the desire to please with the encouragement to be your best, as mom taught you. Hokey but it works.

What makes this campaign truly effective are the supplementary components that make giving a real participatory experience including these e-cards for your mom (you "purchase" the card, that's your donation) and the campaign mini site.

C'mon and give. Show mom your true colors.

PS I love that Mother's Day has become a focal point for campaigns to help others, which is exactly what mothers do 24/7. Seems much more authentic than the Hallmark version of the day.

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It's shocking to hear the current count (estimated at 50,000100,000) of those dead from last weekend's fierce cyclone (most from the low-lying delta region), and dismaying to learn that over 40,000 are still missing and almost 2-3 million more (that's the population of the region hardest hit) wounded and/or without food, water, shelter or fuel. Here's the latest from The Times (UK).

Worse yet, as you've heard, the military junta has been slow to allow aid agencies in to help, only yesterday giving the heads up to these agencies whose staff are still waiting for visas. This delay will only increase the severity of injuries, dehydration and starvation, and the need for help. Even when aid arrives in Myanmar, it will take time to get it distributed in this destroyed rural area.

The Federation of International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is already on the ground in Myanmar, and UNICEF and World Vision are en route to provide emergency relief. Help them do as much as possible as quickly as possible to help cyclone survivors in this devastated country.

Donate today to:
UNICEF
World Vision 

Photo credit: Luisrene

My husband received this highly-effective email from Nothing but Nets this week, just in time for Mother's Day.

There's probably no better holiday to leverage folks' humanity, love and guilt (yes, mothers are known for that, whether its articulated or not) than Mother's Day. And nonprofits are doing a great job of it this year, especially those who can capitalize on a natural link to motherhood (focused on children, seniors, etc.).

Here are just a couple of the powerful campaigns I've seen:

1) The Nothing but Nets email campaign, which opens with this hard-to-resist pitch:

In the first few years of our lives, our mothers held our hand, picked us up when we fell, and rocked us to sleep. They provided a healthy, happy environment and kept us safe from harm.

Nothing But Nets works to give mothers in Africa the chance to do those same things, by providing them with insecticide-treated bed nets so that they and their children have the opportunity to realize their full potential too. Pregnant mothers and children under five are the most susceptible to contracting malaria. Protective bed nets allow mothers to enjoy the simple pleasure of caring for their children, as our mothers cared for us

2) The Families of Children from China(FCC) Mother's Day appeal for assistance to Chinese orphanages is another winner. Most members are, like us, families who have adopted children from China, so the interest in the welfare of the orphans still in China is already very strong.

It's hard to resist when asked to "keep our promise to the children who call the orphanage home."  Tie that to a focused email campaign on how donations can help provide "grandmas" in the orphanages, or more foster care, and bingo. I forwarded this email twice to my husband, with a strong request that this be my Mother's Day gift.

Any other great Mother's Day campaigns out there? Let me know by clicking the Comments link below.

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I'm a big fan of developing fully-fleshed-out fictitious characters (aka personas) to understand your base and other groups your org wants to engage. As Wikipedia so aptly puts it, "a user persona is a representation of the goals and behavior of your [target audiences]. Each persona is captured in one to two page descriptions featuring behavior patterns, goals, skills, attitudes, and environment, with a few fictional personal details to bring the persona to life."

Shaping personas is a practice that enables you to "know" your target audiences far better than simple audience segmentation, which is limited to demographic definition in most cases. Most importantly, personas are a great lead-in to audience research, and a useful ingredient in product/program/service development and testing. Use them to hone your approach as precisely as possible before you dive in with pricey and hard-to-find focus group participants or testers.

Learn how in my just-updated guide to developing personas that will increase the impact of your nonprofit marketing.

PS While you're strategizing how to get to know your constituencies better, read Getting Great Audience and Stakeholder Feedback, at Little Cost (Case Study)

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