See four infographics, be brief & improve your marketing.
Three weekly insights to get funding
Dried, not defeated
It’s been a brutal week for many nonprofits. USAID’s 90-day freeze left a lot of leaders without funding. Or worse, without jobs.
Perhaps the wise words from LinkedIn follower, Vincent Mbisa, give you a tinge of hope?
“When one river dries up, another spring flows.”
— Kevin
💪🏽💛
Three insights
1. Four fundraising infographics.
“It’s a bloodbath. And it’s unconscionable.”
“I don’t think anyone can survive for 90 days.”
The USAID headlines are painful. And a sector leader told me yesterday that our fellow nonprofits in this funding crisis need the fundable and findable framework, now more than ever.
So here are four fundraising infographics to help.
💰 BE FUNDABLE
Theory of change
Strategic plan
🔍 BE FINDABLE
Positioning strategy
Marketing communications
2. Wordy ideas are unfundable.
Get to the point. Get the donor.
Because short does not mean shallow.
Four quick examples to inspire your fundraising:
💻 Airbnb’s first and famous pitch deck was only 14 slides and 300 words. It led to a $615,000 investment with $7.2 million a year later.
🗣️ Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was shorter than a TED Talk. But it’s one of the most memorable in history.
🌐 The UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights enshrines the freedoms of all human beings. Yet each declaration is just ~45 words.
📕 Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in just six words. He penned: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
Donors stop reading before you stop writing.
So less length = more strength.
3. Fundraising isn’t a facelift.
✔️ How to improve your fundraising materials:
🚫 Don’t start with fundraising materials.
✔️ Have to pitch for funding?
🚫 Don’t start with a pitch deck.
✔️ Want a better website?
🚫 Don’t start with the website.
✔️ Need bold messaging?
🚫 Don’t start with messaging.
✔️ Struggle with social media?
🚫 Don’t start with your social media.
Instead:
Start with your theory of change and positioning strategy. Because the most fundable and findable nonprofit brands are built from the inside out.
That’s why — long before you write copy, design creative, code pixels, find followers, or launch fundraising campaigns — you must nail down your reason, mission, vision, landscape, SWOT, uniques, audiences, and personality…
First.
All of that upfront brand strategy is your future fundraising communications.
One small example: the problem statement from your theory of change becomes the opening line in your elevator pitch, slide two of your pitch deck, and your website header text.
Marketing starts within, not on your homepage.
Funding begins at the core, not the cover.
Donors buy substance, not sparkle.
The weekly bonus
Your headline is the star of any marketing material. From email newsletters (subject line) to a social post (the hook) to your annual report (the title).
“Great headlines aren’t great sentences — they’re great ideas expressed in words,” says Dan Nelken.
So check out this cheat sheet from The Creative Marketer on how to write creative headlines. And read the full post for more advice.
Get my help
Are you ready to get even more fundable and findable?
Check out Brand Bootcamp. It’s our self-paced, online course to maximize your funding. In just 15 minutes a day.
And it’s currently 50% off the regular price. 🎉
P.S.
A confused donor always walks away, just like a duck in snow. 🦆