Turnbull Marketing Group

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Come visit us. Drop us a line to let us know how you like the new look. Read helpful fundraising tips. And then go out and help someone.

I was recently looking over some client figures from last year, and I found a very pleasant surprise. I wanted to see how well their fundraising program had done for the entire year — not just for one appeal. In truth, each one of the appeals we did for them did well. No single appeal raised a year’s worth of money, but each one had a strong, solid performance. This I knew.

But when I reviewed the numbers for the entire year, I was amazed. Since signing with TMG, the organization’s income had nearly doubled! This is not normal. But in this case, I am thrilled with not normal.

What happened? A lot of things. But the most important was that we focused on the big picture. We dedicated as many energies to building up donor relations and telling the story of the mission statement in action as we did to soliciting gifts. The end result left the dedicated donors fully committed to the organization, while increasing the number and amount of their gifts.

The most successful fundraising program will set individual appeals and campaigns aside to focus on the big picture: communicating your mission to donors and building lasting relationships with them. Then, when they give, they don’t give just because you asked them to. They don’t give just to one project that moves them. They give to you — to your mission — because they want to.

Need help with the big picture? You can drop us a line at info@tbullgroup.com and ask about our free consultation. We can also help with the details. You’re welcome to browse through our samples of successful fundraising letters.

The most traditional way to acquire new donors is to rent a list and send a letter. It’s traditional because it works. It also sounds deceptively simple.

Renting a list is simple — that’s true. But renting the right list requires a delicate balance of art and science.

I can’t tell you how often our clients say they are wary of a full-blown donor acquisition program because they think lists are too expensive and don’t work. In truth, lists are not very expensive. At least not when you think that they give you the ability to advertise directly to an individual who has expressed interest in what you do and all you pay is a few cents per name and address. The hidden cost-saving tip in that statement is “who has expressed interest.” And that’s where the blend of art and science come in to play.

Here are a few tips to help you select the right list.

1. Choose lists that feature donors who have given to similar causes or nonprofits.
2. Choose lists that offer donors who are demographically similar to your donors.
3. Choose lists that focus on potential donors who subscribe to magazines or journals that focus on causes you address.
4. Don’t go it alone. List brokers are out there for a reason. In the long run, their wisdom and experience will save you a lot of money.

That’s the science side. The art is knowing how to identify donors who are “similar.” Natural talent doesn’t hurt. But as most good artists will tell you, art is 95% perspiration and 5% inspiration (or something like that). So grab yourself a coffee and sit down with your friendly fundraising gurus (that’s us) to finally plan your dream acquisition program. You can reach us at 919.402.9074 or info@tbullgroup.com. Feel free to visit us online at www.tbullgroup.com. Oh, and I’d like a latte, please.

Turnbull Marketing Group strives to help nonprofits help others by implementing affordable, effective fundraising and marketing strategies. But we can’t do it by standing on a soapbox and shouting. The only way we truly help nonprofits is when we talk with them, when we engage them in meaningful conversation.

The same principle holds true when it comes to getting your donors truly committed to your mission. You can’t shout at them or lecture them on why your mission is important. Well, you can, but I don’t recommend it.

Instead, try engaging your donors in a conversation. Encourage their feedback. Learn what is important to them, and then talk to them about it.

Well, that’s all fine and dandy, but exactly how do we this, you say. Good point.

Here are some tips to get you started:

• Write your appeals and newsletters in a conversational tone. Appeal to your donors’ emotions — their hearts — not their heads.
• Keep your donors updated on the great results of your efforts. They need to know they’re making a difference.
• Ask for your donors’ feedback. If you’re a Christian organization, ask for prayer requests. Share your prayer needs.
• Start a blog on your web site where you bring your donors into the moving stories that are created every day through your work. An excellent example of this is Aloma’s Travel Journal from Food For The Poor.

Once you start talking with your donors and not at them, they’ll start talking back. And one of their favorite ways to talk is through their giving.

Fundraising letters are the heart of most nonprofits fundraising programs. And as electronic communications become increasingly mainstream, many nonprofits are looking to expand their eFundraising. But electronic communications are not written the same way as traditional direct mail — at least not good ones

Turnbull Marketing Group has written a very short white paper on the topic to help you get started. You can access it on the resources section of our website.

My husband and I have a bird feeder in our backyard. And the bay window in the breakfast nook has become a household favorite. In fact, I think we spend more of our waking hours here than any other place in the house. We love to sit and watch the birds feed. The squirrels scurry under the bird feeder, picking up the seeds that drop. On occasion, one of the birds will even fly right up to the window and look at us, as if to say hello.

There’s just one catch to this picture-perfect scene: You have to remember to fill the bird feeder.

We go through birdseed at an alarming pace. And the last time the bird feeder was emptied, we had no more seed in reserve. We forgot to buy more the next time we ran errands, and the next time, and the next time… until several months had passed. By this time, the birds had disappeared. The squirrels only made a brief appearance. Our busy backyard was dead quiet.

Last week we finally got around to filling the bird feeder again. Each time I would pass the bay window, I would look out eagerly to see if our friends had returned. Nothing. The seeds just sat there.

“They’ll be back,” my husband said. I wasn’t convinced. But he insisted. “The birds want food. And if we leave it there long enough, they’ll be back. “

It turns out, he was right. (He usually is.) Today, the bird feeder is in high demand. In fact, I counted 5 different varieties of birds at one time.

The point? Your donors are like my backyard birds. If you stop communicating with them, if you don’t give them what they want, they’ll just go away. But they’re not lost forever. Start talking to your donors. Feed your relationship with them. Give them what they want. Soon, they’ll be back. And they’ll be happier than ever.

Need help learning how to feed your relationship with your donors? Contact us at Turnbull Marketing Group. You can call us at 919.741.5072 or visit us online at www.tbullgroup.com. We don’t just help you raise more money, we help you help others.

It’s the beginning of a new year. And just like individuals make resolutions to create a new them, organizations do the same. “This year, we’re going to implement a new fundraising strategy — one that actually works.” Or “This year, we’re going to try a new fundraising event.” Or “This year, we’re going for a brand new look.”

New is exciting. And often, it’s exactly what’s needed. But what deciding what kind of new to implement is just as important.

Before you get caught up in the spirit of new for new’s sake take a moment to look back — all the way back to your mission statement. That’s right — your mission statement. Remember that dusty old thing filed vertically somewhere at the bottom of a stack of strategies, best practices, and failed attempts at jump starting your fundraising program? That’s the one. Now is the time to take it out, dust it off, and look at it. I mean, really look at it. Read it. Think about it. Live with it.

Your mission statement is more than an obligatory paragraph to be tacked on to your web site and printed brochures. Your mission statement is what drives everything you do. Or at least, it should be.

Donors don’t give to your organization because they like you. (Even if you are the most likeable group around. And I’m sure you are.) Donors give because they believe in what you do. And what you do is your mission. (You can see where I’m going with this.) Donors give to your mission.

If you really want to reach your donors, let your mission statement drive. Center every appeal around your mission — tell the story of how your organization is making a difference. And don’t do anything unless it enhances the story of your mission. That includes premiums, graphics, and packaging.

Mission-focused fundraising is the only way to  longterm success in your fundraising program. So if you want your organization to move forward this new year, take a look back at what drives you.

Need help establishing a mission-driven fundraising program? It’s what we do best. Call us today at 919.741.5072 or visit us online at www.tbullgroup.com for more information. We can’t wait to help you help others. 

We take our holidays seriously around here - apparently.

But after nearly a month of silence, we’re back online with useful tips to help you help others. Stay tuned… good stuff coming soon.

In the mean time, visit our main site at www.tbullgroup.com

Many charities mail an annual report to their donors — for most, this constitutes long hours of number crunching, fiddling with a less-than-acceptable layout, and finding something to fill the white space. Those who view the report as something to be dreaded lose a terrific fundraising opportunity in the process.

If you’ve read some of my other posts (and I’m sure you have, Good Reader), then you’ve noticed that I like to talk about how to express your need. Donors like to hear that you need them — this is very true (not just a little bit true like some of the other fundraising principles you may have heard about from other sources). But your donors also like something else — fulfillment. In fact, they don’t just like it. They need it. Donors need to hear that their support makes a difference. There’s no better place to do this than in the annual report.

The annual report gives you the perfect space to give an overview of your budget, showing your donors that your organization is an excellent steward of their gifts. The report also gives you space to include some stories and cheerful photos about projects that you completed during the past year. And, if done properly, it even gives you room for a look ahead, where you can tell donors what you’d like to accomplish in the upcoming year. That’s where the fundraising comes in.

Include a smashing cover letter, reply device, and reply envelope. Wrap it all up in the perfect package, and voila — you have so much more than a dry report. You have a slam-dunk appeal. Even better is that by sprucing up the report with interesting stories and photos, your donors will actually take the time to read it — so at least this year your efforts won’t have been in vain.

Few things would make those of us at Turnbull Marketing Group happier than helping you put together an excellent annual report. So contact us today and give us the opportunity to help you help others: 919.741.5072 or info@tbullgroup.com. Drop in anytime at www.tbullgroup.com.

The Holidays — you know, the ones that bring boughs of holly, wassail, and good cheer — are every fundraiser’s dream, and they should be yours, too. The Holidays give you an automatic theme for your mailing. They lend relevance to your appeal. At least, they should, if you do it right.

Doing it right means that you find a way to tie your mission in to the holiday spirit. Remember, your donors are feeling extra kind and benevolent at this time of year — after all, everyone loves a good Christmas Carol, but nobody wants to be a scrooge. The art of fundraising comes means knowing how to steer this benevolence to your organization. And the art can be summed up in two words: Your Mission.

Every nonprofit has serving others as some part of its mission — in varying degrees, of course. Find a way to tie your mission in to the holidays and you have relevance and motivation. You’ve answered the “Why now?” question donors ask before they pull out their checkbooks.

Need help lending relevance to your holiday appeal? Turnbull Marketing Group can help — after all, that’s what we do best. We help you help others. Contact us today at 919.402.9074 or info@tbullgroup.com