One week ago today, was the Fundraising Roundtable workshop in New York City. It was a fun 1/2 workshop where we got to visit with many of our nonprofit friends and even got to meet quite a few more of the nonprofit industry’s rockstars.
So, what did we talk about? Well, the agenda included an icebreaker so attendees could get to know one another, we had 3 sessions that will aid any nonprofit’s peer-to-peer strategy: Say What?! Messaging in a Multi-Channel World, Registration Dos and Don’ts and Data to Drive Your Strategy. Then, to finish the day, Rachel Simon of Blackbaud moderated an expert panel comprised of: Krystn Kuckelman, Senior National Walk Director, National Kidney Foundation, Jenny You, Peer-to-Peer Consultant, Shatterproof and Linda Tantawi, CEO, Susan G. Komen – Greater NYC. They share some amazing insights about their real-world struggles and successes and sparked great interaction from the whole room.
But what did we really talk about? Which topics were really hot? To me, it seemed like communication was a main theme of the day. It came up a few times during each session and even during the expert panel.
Key Takeaways:
- Meaningful marketing means better storytelling. In recruitment and engagement emails, share the stories of your fundraisers. Why YOUR mission matters to them. More and more, people trust what their friends and family have to say over what an organization is telling them.
- Social Media strategy is a must for organizations. Social media is about interacting not broadcasting. Especially on Facebook it’s about asking questions, sharing and getting those treasured ‘likes’. If you only broadcast when you need something, you lose your audience and drop in their news feeds.
- IFE’s (Independent Fundraising Events) are a great way to do market research for your next P2P event. Allowing your constituents to choose what they want to do may be the next big idea for your organization to expand on.
- The online registration flow and registration forms need to be designed with the needs of the participant in mind, not the organization’s needs or wants. Ask the right questions and get them to the end quicker!
Want to review the presentations? Here are the slides.
The workshop was so much fun and I am grateful that I was able to connect with so many passionate, nonprofit professionals in New York City. Huge thank you to our stellar panel members, all the attendees and our partners at Blackbaud, this event was great and I look forward to it again next summer!
Attendees, this event qualifies for 5 continued education points toward CFRE, so don’t forget to log those hours! If you missed the event and want to attend next year, follow us on Twitter: @CharityDynamics or check back on our events page to get updates on when registration is open, nonprofit speakers and more! #FundraisingRoundtable