Workplace spontaneity and 4 other things you need to read this week

Workplace spontaneity and 4 other things you need to read this week

by | Mar 12, 2021 | +Good Newsletter

 1. Cultivate Deeper Relationships 🤝  with your Donors.

We know you’re a whiz at using email to connect with donors, but there’s always room to improve! Is your strategy ready for a refresh? These proven donor cultivation strategies actually work (as in, they’ve been tested by real nonprofits!) and, just as importantly, are simple to implement.

Three Proven Non-Profit Donor Cultivation Strategies. [via NextAfter]

2. Make the 👍 Facebook Algorithm work for you.

The Facebook algorithm presents a unique challenge, and marketers need effective strategies to beat it. Posting a link on Facebook used to be an easy way to generate revenue or drive traffic, but now the average post will only reach 5 percent of your followers. This analysis offers 20 actionable ways to boost your organic reach on Facebook by utilizing strategies such as brand presence, cross-promotion on various platforms, and audience insights.

20 Secrets to boost your organic Facebook reach. [via Neil Patel]

3. Finding the right 🤳 shot.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so if your content doesn’t feature the right image, you could be missing out on an opportunity to convey your message to your audience. But have no fear. Pexels provides over 10,000 open-source stock photos and videos shared by talented creators. Marketers can search by keyword to find the right image for any project — and best of all, it’s free.

The best free stock photos & videos. [via Pexels]

4. Where workplace ⚡️ spontaneity lives again.

There’s been plenty of chatter around Clubhouse, the limited-access social network where users can jump into voice chat rooms together. The app draws users in by promoting off-the-cuff, unplanned conversations. Now, a slew of spontaneous social apps is following in its footsteps. For professionals bogged down in a calendar of Zoom calls and Slack check-ins, anything that resembles the water cooler chats and lunch breaks of days gone by is a welcome change.

A wave of spontaneous apps. [via Techcrunch]

5. Your Donors’ Love ❤️ Languages.

Valentine’s Day may be behind us, but romancing your donors is a year-round gig. From engaging new donors to stewarding your most faithful supporters, two strategies always pay off in a relationship: paying attention and communicating! Unique volunteer opportunities, segmented mailing lists, and handwritten thank you notes are just a few ways to show your donors some love.

Light the spark — and keep it alive. [via Nonprofit hub]

Workplace spontaneity and 4 other things you need to read this week

Donor retention and 4 other things you need to read this week

by | Mar 5, 2021 | +Good Newsletter

1. Retention 🤗 is the name of the game.

We all want to increase our retention rates—but the big question is how? Enter: donor cultivation. The way you communicate with your community all year long matters, and there are easy things you can do to improve your strategies right now.

An insider’s guide to donor cultivation. [via NextAfter]

2. Something new for your 🎧 headphones.

Hey podcast fans, this ones for you! If you find listening to content easier than reading it, check out Audiblogs—a new tool that can turn any web article into an audio file in your podcast app. And bonus: it’s free.

Check out Audiblogs. [via Audiblogs]

3. Copywriting 101 ✍️ with Aristotle.

Want to be a more powerful writer? Start with Aristotle. Sure, his world was thousands of years away from emails and direct mail, but ethos, logos, and pathos are as effective today as they were back then. And they are the building blocks of effective fundraising communications.

An ancient guide to compelling copy. [via Copyblogger]

4. Getting started with Google and Facebook ads. 🖥️

If you want to connect with donors, spend time where they are already hanging out. These days, that means online—and it probably means Google and Facebook. Luckily, both platforms have made it easy for nonprofits to take advantage of their advertising tools (sometimes for free!), helping you reach more people with your message.

Learn how to advertise online. [via Classy]

5. Keep your evergreen 🌱 content alive.

We are plant people. Our homes are overflowing with succulents and snake plants and monsteras…and somehow the collection keeps growing. One thing we’ve learned from our plant babies is that they need attention—and the same thing is true for your evergreen content. You need to do some work to keep it alive. The thing (whether it’s your new cactus or that blog from 8 months ago) will only stay green if its needs are met.

How to care for your evergreen content. [via Amazon]

How to do a content audit and 4 other things you need to read this week

How to do a content audit and 4 other things you need to read this week

by | Feb 25, 2021 | +Good Newsletter

1. Where great plans 📝 go to die.

Have you ever spent hours (days? weeks?) on a project document or campaign overview or editorial calendar…and then never looked at it again? There is no point in making a plan if it doesn’t actually guide your work. Here are a few of the likely culprits for why your beautiful strategy only lives in the recesses of your dreams—and what you can do to rescue it.

How to make a plan that you actually use. [via Nonprofit Marketing Guide]

2. The next new social media 📱 platform.

We know what you’re thinking: another social media platform to understand and manage? But it’s always wise to learn about the new major players, especially when they are gaining traction among business and media leaders (including Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and Oprah!). Clubhouse—which lets users listen in on audio conversations about key topics, often featuring big-name celebrities and thought leaders—is growing fast.

An inside look at Clubhouse. [via Hubspot]

3. How to do a content 📊 audit.

If you want to squeeze all the life you possibly can out of your content, it’s time to schedule a content audit. This strategic analysis of all of the amazing stories, blogs, and resources you have produced will help you identify what is working—and what isn’t. It will also help you make easy changes to extend the work that you’ve already done instead of reinventing the wheel.

Your step-by-step guide to content audits. [via Animalz]

4. Your email ✉️ deliverability vocabulary lesson.

You know that you want people to receive (and read) your emails. But do you know what all the terms mean that help you achieve this goal? Dive into MTA Reputations, DNS, Spoofing, SPS records, and more with this helpful email deliverability vocabulary guide.

Start here to improve email deliverability. [via Folderly]

5. Dust off that 📚 library card.

Typically, we recommend articles, tools, and videos that you can consume or test out in just a few minutes. But we are also big believers in books. (Sometimes, you need more than 1,000 words to make a point.) This week, we’ve been totally engrossed in David Epstein’s Range. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to think more creativity, cultivate curiosity, and break out of the trap of specialization.

Add this to your TBR list. [via Amazon]