Classy

Nonprofit development and marketing teams make a powerfully dynamic duo. When they work together, you get enhanced teams through skill-sharing, increased efficiency and cost savings, and diverse perspectives enriching fundraising campaigns. Want to get the most out of both teams? Here are four steps for effective collaboration: 1. Analyze supporter data. Marketing can share the types of content supporters engage with most, and development can share its prospect research for insight into the types of donors your nonprofit wants to target. 2. Coordinate campaigns. Cocreate an annual fundraising campaign and content calendar, so goals and roadmaps are always shared between the teams for more unified strategies. 3. Share language and materials. Both teams sharing materials creates more cohesive messaging across all assets, both digital and physical. It also makes any changes to branding guidelines much easier to align. 4. Communicate wins and pain points. Open, ongoing communication about what works and what doesn't helps refine development strategies and marketing storytelling—all to better recruit and retain donors.

We were so thrilled to host Andy Carr, VP of Development and Marketing for Feed My Starving Children, at Classy's recent Faith-Based Community Convening. Andy shared with us effective messaging and engagement strategies that have worked well for his organization, despite declining attendance numbers in churches and houses of worship in recent years. He provided our community with real insight into how Feed My Starving Children has been able to maximize their partnerships in faith to ensure they have the resources, volunteers, and support they need. We then broke into discussion groups to unpack Andy’s actionable takeaways and collaborate on how they could be applied to the respective challenges of our attendees. This is what our Faith-Based Community Convenings are all about. We want this community to be an exciting and engaging way to connect with fellow social sector leaders, learn how to improve strategies, and ultimately work through real-world solutions with people facing similar challenges. Join us for our next virtual meetup on September 19! Register here: https://bit.ly/3XjbIJS

How good is your donation page? Is it engaging? Effective? Easy to use? Is it optimized? Accessible? Memorable? A top-tier donation page should be as successful as it is seamless—a place that feels personal to each visitor, built with the savviness of long-term strategy. That may sound like a lot to balance, but we’ve made it simple. Classy and Cro Metrics have teamed up to create the Ultimate Donation Page Checklist—and it's FREE. Score your donation page with 20 checklist questions to help you craft the ideal user experience with top-of-class best practices. Optimize your donation page once and for all: https://bit.ly/4dXYNTp

Ready to master your next fundraising campaign launch? 🚀 Check out our new blog post. It gives you a comprehensive guide that covers the essential elements to elevate your fundraising efforts: ✨ Testing your donor experience ✨ Encouraging recurring gifts ✨ Maintaining brand consistency ✨ And so much more! Find out exactly what you need to do and which of Classy’s innovative tools can help you achieve stellar results. 👉 Read the blog: https://lnkd.in/eTqgK-i

Do you know the right software questions to ask? Whether you’re directly dealing with a tech vendor or making decisions with your in-house tech team, it’s important to know how to pick the right software for your organization. That’s why we put together a list of 24 questions to ask during your nonprofit’s software evaluation. See what you need to ask: https://lnkd.in/emGemVNc

3 barriers that keep your donors from giving: 1. Lack of Community Without a strong sense of community or belonging, donors can feel isolated in their support and disconnected from your cause. Fostering a vibrant and inclusive community can make all the difference. 2. Rigid Engagement Frameworks If your avenues of engagement are too rigid, they may not resonate with your supporters. Flexibility, creativity, and variety in how you interact with your donors can enhance their experience and commitment. Look to meet them where they are. 3. Missing Identity Connection Making a difference is important to your donors at a core level. When they don't feel a real connection to your cause and impact, it becomes challenging for them to see their contributions as representative of their identity. It’s not just about what they do, but also who they are. Ensuring that your mission aligns with their personal values is crucial. 

Help us extend a big welcome to a few of the thousands of nonprofits who choose to utilize our technology to engage with their community and fund their impact! Get to know some of our newest customers: ⭐ Phoenix Rescue Mission exists to share hope, healing and God’s love with all who are hurting in the Valley. ⭐ Ronald McDonald House Charities Ann Arbor provides essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families and promote healing when children need healthcare. ⭐ Momentum for Health helps individuals achieve mental and emotional health, discover and reach their potential, and fully participate in life. We are inspired by their impact and cannot wait to see the campaigns they’ll create on Classy. Have tips or tricks you want to share with these organizations? Drop them in the comments 👇

5 key strategies to enhance your nonprofit’s brand: 1. Differentiate yourself. Identify what sets your organization apart. This could be your unique methods, specific goals, or regional focus. Use a clear, authentic voice to attract donors and volunteers. 2. Personalize your organization. Tailor your messaging to resonate with your target audience. Peer-to-peer fundraising is an excellent example of personalization. Enable supporters to create their own donation pages. 3. Be relatable. Show that your cause is relevant to everyone. Highlight stories of those you’ve helped and demonstrate that any contribution, big or small, can make a difference. 4. Appeal to the emotional. Connect with your audience on an emotional level by sharing impactful stories and testimonials. Emotionally engaging content can motivate people to take action. 5. Be a thought leader. Position your organization as innovative and forward-thinking. Engage with sector conversations, attend conferences, and challenge traditional thought processes to elevate your nonprofit’s voice.

Mark your calendar: You’re invited to Classy’s Healthcare Community Convening on August 15! 🌟 Our healthcare community convenings are a fun and insightful series of virtual meetups for those who work in healthcare, healthcare philanthropy, or an adjacent sector—or even simply those who just love being inspired by people doing meaningful work. This upcoming virtual meetup will feature two terrific guests, both from Sandford Health Foundation—Carrie Biondi (Senior Director of Marketing & Operations) and Kelsey Spader (Manager of Foundation Operations). The pair will be diving into how they've built a grateful patient program from the ground up—the tests they’ve run, the successes they’ve seen, and the analytics that back it all up. We’ll also be breaking into small groups to discuss the challenges you’re seeing and the strategies you’re deploying at your own organization, so come prepared to share and learn together! See you on August 15! Register here: https://lnkd.in/eSuSYwr5

It’s time to make the most of your donor data. Use these three powerful ways to activate your data and provide a personalized experience for your different audiences: 🔍 1. Develop detailed donor profiles. Create a 360-degree view of donors by integrating donation history, volunteer involvement, event registrations, and communication preferences. 💌 2. Deliver personalized content. Segment your audience based on characteristics like special interests, donation size, and engagement frequency, and tailor your marketing strategies accordingly. 🚀 3. Improve operation workflows. Enhance internal workflows through reverse ETL (extract, transform, and load) to streamline processes, reduce manual efforts, and focus on impactful activities. Learn how to unlock the full potential of your donor data: https://lnkd.in/eXE5XFBG