How to Create Fundraising Appeals that WorkA Step-by-Step Guide to Raising More Money from AppealsCo-authored by Danielle Johnson-Vermenton and Mike Snusz

BUILD STRATEGY

WRITE amp DESIGN

GET RESULTS

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

2

Table of ContentsPart I Writing Your Fundraising AppealSection 1 The Components of a Great Online Fundraising Campaign pg 4

Section 2 Examples of Successful Fundraising Appeals pg 7

Section 3 Online Fundraising Campaign Workbook pg 12

Section 4 Fundraising Campaign Milestone Checklist pg 16

Section 5 Campaign Integration Checklist pg 17

Part II Designing Your Fundraising Appeal Section 1 What makes a good visual design Think mobile pg 19

Section 2 Dissecting a Well-Designed Email pg 22

Section 3 Raising More Money from Email Campaigns pg 23

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

3

IntroductionYour donors like all of us are getting bombarded with emails and messages on a daily basis so itrsquos become increasingly more important for you to craft both traditional print appeals as well as online appeals that do more than just ask for money They must delight

Over the past few years wersquove seen a dramatic shift in email metrics Click-through and response rates continue to decline with a reported 18 decline on fundraising appeals in 2012 According to Blackbaudrsquos 2013 Online Marketing Benchmark Study for Nonprofits this declining response rate is indicative of a saturated channel with undifferentiated messaging and campaigns

In this guide fundraising experts Danielle Johnson Vermenton and Mike Snusz will give you step-by-step instruction for crafting and designing print and digital appeals that are worthy of a response with real-world examples along the way Itrsquos time for a positive shift in your email metrics Let this resource be your guide

This eBook is intended exclusively for online viewing If you wish to print the workbook pages please save a tree and print only pages 12-17

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

4

Part I Writing Your Fundraising AppealOn average we receive 3000 media messages every day we see or listen to 52 of them and we can remember only 4 So how can you make your online fundraising messages stand out among all the other messages competing for your supportersrsquo attention

We know that successful fundraising appeals have a few things in common a compelling story a clear call to action powerful images and dynamic subject lines The best approach when creating content for an online fundraising appeal is to envision the whole project as a campaign An online appeal is bigger than an emailmdashit has multiple parts that fit together to create one compelling story If you consider each piece individually you run the risk of creating disjointed confusing messages that simply canrsquot compete

Section I The Components of a Great Online Fundraising CampaignHow to get the right mix of tone story and examples

Start with your audience Who are you targeting for this online campaign Existing donors Prospects Volunteers Women Every good fundraiser or marketer knows that understanding the audience is key to developing content that will move them to take action

Develop a campaign theme and main message The main idea should ideally be no longer than a sentence and it should succinctly state what message you want your audience to take away from your communication The campaign theme should be as simple as possible to convey the main idea The theme should be carried through your email content subject lines donation forms and images and it should also set the tone For some campaigns the theme can be as short as a tag line like ldquoserving hoperdquo And if you plan to also include a direct mail appeal in your campaign the theme should remain consistent

Add a spokesperson Who can tell your story best Your best spokesperson wonrsquot always be your CEO sometimes it might be the program director or someone who has been impacted by your organizationrsquos work Depending on the theme and tone you might want someone who can speak with authority or maybe you want someone with a more personal touch such as a client or program beneficiary Brainstorm with your team who makes the most sense for your campaign

Mix in a good story Describe the story yoursquod like to tell your supporters over the course of the fundraising campaign While facts have a place in fundraising people react to the emotional connection a story makes with them People give based on how they feel and the narrative should inspire them to take that action

Your campaign

can include several small

stories or focus on one story

that is told over multiple

email messages

Whatever tactic you choose

remember to keep the content

focused on the reader and how

he or she can make an impact

through financial support

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

5

Have one clear call to action to give All fundraising appeals should have one call to actionmdasha call for the audience to make a donation Why that gift is important how it will make a difference and why someone should give now is part of the story you weave with the narrative images and video All of those elements should be coordinated to move the audience through the emotional steps to donate

As you craft the emails and design the layout make the call to action multiple times You need more than a ldquodonate buttonrdquo you want to make the ask at least two or three times in the body of the email Bold and hyperlink key phrases or sentences to the donation form and of course include the ldquodonaterdquo button too Especially if the emails are not mobile friendly or responsive the ldquodonaterdquo button is the easiest way for someone on a mobile device to click to make a gift

Add a dash of incentives (optional) In addition to your regular messaging there might be other options you want to offer to constituents to incentivize giving These tactics will require additional time to negotiate or set up

A few examples that have proven effective

bull Matching gift challenge

bull Gift premiums

bull Honor and memorial gifts

bull Symbolic eCommerce (gifts of inspiration)

bull Gift memberships

Start talking about these early in the planning phase so you know exactly how you will weave them into your campaign

Questions to ask when crafting content

bull What is the most compelling need your audience can help solve

bull What is the story or stories that will move readers to give

bull How will the audience make a difference by giving financially

bull What tangible examples can you provide of that impact

And Remember

The time to ask the

audience to share your

message on social media

or sign up to volunteer

comes later Now is the time

to focus on inspiring the

reader to donate

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

6

Include examples of giving levels Another important component of an online fundraising campaign is giving levels To craft a cohesive campaign that reinforces the theme and call to action add tangible examples to the giving levels Providing explanations with each amount can help your audience connect their gifts to your mission

Donate now

Donate now

Donate now

Here are examples from different types of organizations

bull $20 covers food and shelter for a homeless animal for one month

bull $35 pays for one week of canvassers to collect signatures for the Human Rights Campaign

bull $50 pays for one session with the Cancer Exercise Rehabilitation Program

bull $100 fills a familyrsquos fridge this holiday season

Ideally the donation levels should be linked to a donation form with the same corresponding amounts If your online software allows it add the brief descriptions to the donation form so when someone picks the level the description appears next to it

Create engaging subject lines (it all begins here) Subject lines can be your first and last impression with the audience they are the gateway to getting your email opened and read According to Convince amp Convert 33 of email recipients open email based on subject lines When creating subject lines keep in mind that subject lines should be an extension of the campaignrsquos theme and narrative

Examples from nonprofit fundraising campaigns

bull [Readerrsquos name] you helped Sam find a home

bull Midnight Deadline Double Your Impact

bull 25 Reasons to be a Hero

bull The Last Walk for Water

bull Yoursquore changing the story

bull Join the club and serve hope

Plus subject lines should be optimized for mobile devices Try to limit them to 34 characters or less Since most smart phones only display five or six words of subject line brevity is vital to garnering interest

$20 covers food and shelter for a homeless animal for one month

$35 pays for one week of canvassers to collect signatures for the human rights campaign

$50 pays for one session with the Cancer Exercise Rehabilitation Program

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

7

Section 2 Examples of Successful Fundraising AppealsLetrsquos look at several examples of campaigns that incorporated these recommendations

Example 1of 5 Northern Illinois Food Bankrsquos Sustained Giving Campaign

Why It Works

bull A clear campaign theme is incorporated into the letterhead ldquoServing Hoperdquo

bull The campaign narrative creates a sense of belonging for the reader By giving and ldquoserving hoperdquo they can be part of something bigger than themselves

bull Its close-up images tie back to the theme and campaign tone

bull Giving levels show tangible examples of how gifts can make an impact

Campaign Elements

Kickoff letter reminder to give last chance to give campaign closestewardship appeal

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

8

Example 2 of 5 Trinity Health Foundationrsquos End of Year Campaign

Why It Works

bull Beautiful poignant images helped convey the story even though the organization couldnrsquot use photos of actual supporters

bull It displays good use of tangible examples for the giving levels

bull The campaign staff took the extra step to segment the audience by donors and non-donors for the holiday greeting

bull They included a campaign close and thank-you that was sent in early January to donors (a best practice around donor stewardship)

Campaign Elements

Kickoff letter holiday ePostcard to non-donors and donors (segmented lists and targeted messaging) last chance to give message campaign closestewardship appeal

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

9

Example 3 of 5 Grace Community Church Centerrsquos Sustained Giving Campaign

Why It Works

bull The theme ties all of the pieces together (campaign stationery emails donation form)

bull The campaign includes a spokesperson who speaks with intimate knowledge about the scholarship program

bull The message is highly relatable to the audience told from the point of view of three young girls who were program recipients

bull It demonstrates good use of giving levels tied to impact (eg $15 per month pays for books for one semester)

bull Campaign staff included a campaign follow up that tied directly back to the program recipients with a personal thank-you message (another best practice in donor stewardship)

Campaign Elements

Campaign kickoff reminder to give message last chance to give message campaign closestewardship email

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

10

Example 4 of 5 Vitamin Angelsrsquo End-of-Year Last Chance Email

Why it Works

bull The email includes a clear theme that sets the tone and includes the call to action ldquoThis Holiday Season Give the Gift of Childhoodrdquo

bull It includes a terrific example of a touching and emotional image that conveys the theme immediately

bull The narrative ties the donation to impact (ie donations will provide children lifesaving vitamins)

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

11

Example 5 of 5 Chicago Public Libraryrsquos Last Matching Gift Email

Why It Works

bull The campaign theme and call to action are front and center in the email banner

bull The organization tells a clear and compelling story of how children use the library with a tie in to the local community and the impact to the reader

bull It displays a smart use of mission-related images that feature children in the library in just one email the organization includes three photos

bull Itrsquos a terrific example of showing incentive to give as part of a matching gift campaign

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

12

Section 3 Online Fundraising Campaign Workbook This section will help you develop the story and content for your own campaign Use this to develop everything from the narrative to the subject lines

FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN THEME

Describe in your own words the theme of your fundraising campaign For example

bull ldquoBy addressing the underlying causes of community issues together we can have an impact on the challenges facing our communityrdquondash The theme for United Way of Pitt Countyrsquos sustained giving campaign that focused on education and workforce preparedness

bull ldquoWonrsquot you open the door to your heart this holiday season to help save dogs and cats in desperate needrdquondash The end-of-year theme for Tony La Russarsquos Animal Rescue Foundationrsquos multi-message campaign

bull ldquoBring light into a seniorrsquos life this Chanukahrdquondash A holiday campaign by DOROT to remind its constituents of the need to visit and support the homebound elderly during Chanukah

[Enter your theme here]

CAMPAIGN SPOKESPERSON

Choose a spokesperson based on who will resonate with your audience and who can tell your story with sincerity and authenticity Keep in mind that some campaigns can have more than one spokesperson depending on the scope and integration of the messaging

[Enter your spokesperson here and explain why he or she is your best choice]

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

13

CAMPAIGN NARRATIVE

Your online campaign will have multiple email messages and the narrative should convey a beginning (kickoff email ldquointroductionrdquo) middle (rising action) and end (last chance to give ldquostory climaxrdquo)To begin sketch out the outline for your narrative Create a mind map around your theme and then put the pieces together in the order that will create a compelling story

What about images to go with the story ldquoPictures are like movie trailers for written contentmdashthey provide a snippet of what an article brand site or other piece of content is about so that you can quickly decide if itrsquos what you wanted or notrdquondashAdam Lemmon Blackbaud consultant Begin thinking about what images you want for the campaign during the planning process You may need to get photos taken or buy stock images and that takes time

Writing tip Need a good story Talk to the people on the front line ask program staff and volunteers what they are seeing and hearing They can be your best source for inspiring stories

[Enter your narrative here]

ADDITIONAL HOOKS OR INCENTIVES

If you are going to include an incentive try to keep it simple and only add one For example donrsquot run a challenge campaign and offer a premium for gifts Donors want to be inspired find out how they can make a difference and give Too many choices and too much information can kill a campaign

[List the additional campaign hook you want to include]

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

14

GIVING LEVELS

Campaigns have themes for a reason theyrsquore the glue that holds everything together and creates a cohesive story for the audience Adding giving levels tied to impact creates a deeper story and reason to give for the audience

A few more examples

bull $10 provides disease support information to a new client

bull $35 provides 5 hot meals to disaster victims

bull $70 a month will sponsor 3 children for a semester of our anti-violence program in American schools

bull $500 gets 100 copies of the translated version of ldquoThe Coverdquo to schools libraries and community centers in Japan

Writing tip These examples may not be readily available so be sure to give yourself time to work with Finance on pulling specific examples You can also speak to your colleague who prepares grant applications very often that person needs to provide a detailed breakdown of what program funding provides

[List giving levels and descriptions here]

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

15

SUBJECT LINES

Believe it or not you should spend as much time creating fantastic and intriguing subject lines as you do on the content for each email message Develop three or four choices for each email and then run them by colleagues and even friends to see which resonates best

Once yoursquove run several fundraising campaigns itrsquos a good time to analyze email results See if you can find correlations between short subject lines versus long subject lines or personalization versus no personalization This kind of analysis can help boost open rates and overall fundraising results by creating more targeted content

Writing tip While it may be tempting to create subject lines that are vague and might pique peoplersquos curiosity research shows that readers appreciate straightforward clear subject lines that let them know what to expect when they open the email

[List subject lines here]

CAMPAIGN FOLLOW UP (aka Donor Stewardship)

The final component to the multi-message fundraising appeal is the campaign close or donor stewardship message With donor retention still an ongoing challenge for many organizations adding a campaign close is an important tactic for retaining donors The follow up email should include a heartfelt thank-you from the organization and campaign spokesperson(s) Make it personal for the donor and include a quote from a program recipient or a short story and image that illustrates the impact of the donorrsquos support

This can be the most important part of the overall campaign Blackbaud customers who implement this tactic see open rates as high as 60 on the campaign close messages For more ideas about donor stewardship download our free Show the Love eBook

[Enter the content for your campaign follow up message here]

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

16

Section 4 Fundraising Campaign Milestones and ChecklistUse the list below to track your progress as you plan build and launch your online fundraising campaign

Meet with your team to brainstorm a campaign concepttheme

Decide who is responsible for each component ie Who will design the email stationery who will create campaign content who will post on social media etc

Fill out the campaign guide workbook

Develop content for (based on a basic four-part campaign)

kickoff message

reminder to give message

last chance message

stewardship message

donation form

autoresponders

Collect and prepare images (campaign stationery donation form autoresponder stationery sidebar etc)

Design campaign stationery

Create the donation form and autoresponders

Decide on the campaign audience and segmentation strategy

Prepare target and suppression lists

Test messages donation form and autoresponders

Make revisions and test messages and forms again

Decide on the schedule for campaign delivery (day and time each email will go out)

Approve and schedule the campaign

Monitor email deliveries

Pull donation reports

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

17

Section 5 Campaign Channel Integration ChecklistConstituents expect to hear from the organizations they support in various ways email direct mail social media PSAs video and print Coordinating the campaign across multiple channels amplifies the message and will garner stronger fundraising results

Use the list below to begin to identify ways to integrate the campaign across channels Once you decide on the tactics develop a timeline for how you will coordinate the overall plan A solid multi-channel campaign can run for two or three months

Direct mail

Newsletter

Radio or television PSAs

Insert in mailings

Rotating banner on homepage

eNewsletter

Staff signature lines

Social media

Engagement wall on website

Cross promotion with corporate partners

Inclusion in board memberrsquos company news

Special event program books

Speaking engagements

Telephone thank-a-thon

Story in the local paper

Magazine ad

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

18

Part II Designing Your Fundraising AppealldquoDesigningrdquo an email campaign today is much different than it was five years ago Structurally we know multi-message multichannel campaigns raise more money Visually the focus is on simpler lighter emails and donation forms that render well on any device Letrsquos take a closer look at each

Why include multiple messages

Nonprofits are sometimes concerned theyrsquoll overwhelm constituents with too many emails So they may just send a single email appeal message and hope for the best

Why is this not the right approach See the graphic

If your list is 14000 people you could expect 10 gifts per email So you can send one email and get 10 gifts or you can send four emails and expect 40 gifts

Sending a well-planned series of emails allows you to connect with and convert more people It may take several messages before people give your campaign a look especially with inboxes so crowded

When done right follow up emails often outperform the initial email And donrsquot forget the often overlooked post-campaign follow up email which can boost retention rates on your next campaign

Why is this notthe right approach

12Only 12 of

people open an appeal message

1400But only one in about

1400 makes a donation

lt1click through

2013 eNonprofit Benchm

ark Study NTEN amp M

+R

1

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

19

Section 1 What makes a good visual design Hint Think mobileIn November 2013 51 of all emails were opened on mobile devices according to Litmus When thinking about your email visual design mobile rendering needs to be the priority

How can you design mobile-friendly emails Here are several ways

Responsive Email Design

Responsive design automatically detects the device being used (mobile phone tablet laptop) and reformats the email The goal is to provide the best user experience regardless of device

For this reason itrsquos the best approach for sending mobile-friendly emails Creating responsive design emails though often requires someone with design expertise

Mobile-Friendly Email Design

If yoursquore not using a responsive design email there are still several ways to make your email mobile-friendly They include

51of all emails were opened on mobile devices in November of 2013

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

20

Simple Layout

Simple is best especially to design mobile-friendly emails Use one main column for your text A second right column can be added for an image and call-to-action

Keep the height of your header image under 100 pixels And surround text with a more significant amount of whitespacendashit improves comprehension by 20 according to Crazy Egg

Narrower Email Width

Use a narrower width ideally under 500 pixels Why Smart phones shrink your emails to fit their screens So the wider the email is the smaller the text will be And Androids can cut off the entire right third of your email

100 200 300 400 500

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

21

Compelling Mobile-Friendly Images

Images can be an important piece of your email Compelling ones can draw people in catch their attention and even move them to give

Use a unique header image that highlights your campaign theme in words pictures andor graphics

When choosing other images pick one that tells a story in one glance and shows up well on a mobile device For example a photo of a group of children is fine to view on a desktop computer but a photo of one or two children close up has more impact when viewed on a mobile device

Keep in mind that images wonrsquot appear initially in many emails Use smaller image file sizes so they donrsquot take long to download on mobile devices

Make Content ldquoScannablerdquo

80 of people will only scan your email according to Nielsen Norman Group And longer paragraphs are even tougher to read on a mobile device Create one- or two-sentence paragraphs use lists use bold on important phrases and leave enough white space so important points stand out

Go Big with Buttons

Donrsquot be afraid to create larger call to action buttons so they can be read and easily clicked on mobile devices Use a button height of at least 44 pixels

Meaningful Links

Similarly your text links will likely stand out as theyrsquoll probably be underlined and a different color Instead of ldquoclick hererdquo link a meaningful phrase that conveys the impact of a gift

Include meaningful phrases in your call to action button instead of just ldquoclick hererdquo or ldquodonaterdquo If someone glances at your email you want the impact to be clear

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

22

Add Pre-headers that Complement Subject Lines

Mobile inboxes have a third component the pre-header Appearing underneath your subject line the pre-header should be a continuation of your subject line Together they should persuade constituents to move to the next step opening your email

Pre-header lacks meaning Pre-header complements subject line

Section 2 Dissecting a Well-Designed Email

Customized campaign header image

Mobile-friendly up-close image

Scannable content with important points standing out uses short paragraphs bulleted list and bolded text

Bigger mobile-friendly call-to-action button

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

23

Section 3 Raising More Money from Email CampaignsEmail is important to nonprofits Itrsquos the top driver of online donations generating 35 of gifts But nonprofits continue to face hurdles

Nonprofit click-through and conversion rates significantly declined in 2012-13 Staff turnover and a lack time and expertise can make it difficult to send emails that cut through the clutter

The shift to creating mobile-friendly emails a lack AB testing and sending ldquoone-size-fits-allrdquo messaging can also all hurt campaign conversions

Whether itrsquos from Blackbaud or someone else getting outside help can fill in those gaps and provide insights on how to connect with and convert constituents It helped Student Sponsor Partners for example use new techniques like testing and personalized content to help improve its back-to-school email appeal from $6000 to $16000 raised

For Inland Valley creating a more cohesive strategy and framework helped boost online sustainer donors by 43

For The Peregrine Fund it helped to take a different approach to its year-end storytelling incentives and format The results The amount raised increased from $3700 to $25000

copy August 2014 | 2000 Daniel Island Drive Charleston SC 29492 T 8004439441 E solutionsblackbaudcom W wwwblackbaudcom

How To Create Fundraising Appeals That Work

24

Get Started Making An Appeal (With Blackbaudrsquos Help)Blackbaud has more than 30 years of experience working with nonprofits Our team of email experts works with nonprofits of all sizes and expertise levels to get results To learn how we can help your email campaigns contact solutionsblackbaudcom

copy July 2014 Blackbaud Inc

This eBook is for informational purposes only

Blackbaud makes no warranties expressed

or implied in this summary The information

contained in this document represents the

current view of Blackbaud Inc on the items

discussed as of the date of this publication

All Blackbaud product names appearing

herein are trademarks or registered

trademarks of Blackbaud Inc The names of

actual companies and products mentioned

herein may be the trademarks of their

respective owners

About BlackbaudServing the nonprofit and education sectors for 30 years Blackbaud (NASDAQ BLKB) combines

technology and expertise to help organizations achieve their missions We work with more than

28000 customers in over 60 countries that support higher education healthcare human services

arts and culture faith the environment independent K-12 education animal welfare and other

charitable causes The company offers a full spectrum of cloud-based and on-premise software

solutions and related services for organizations of all sizes including fundraising eMarketing

advocacy constituent relationship management (CRM) financial management payment services

analytics and vertical-specific solutions Using Blackbaud technology these organizations raise more

than $100 billion each year Recognized as a top company by Forbes InformationWeek and Software

Magazine and honored by Best Places to Work Blackbaud is headquartered in Charleston South

Carolina and has operations in the United States Australia Canada the Netherlands and the United

Kingdom For more information visit wwwblackbaudcom

About the Authors

Danielle Johnson-Vermenton is a senior interactive strategy consultant and speaker at Blackbaud and is often called to present at events like Digital Leap AFP Planet Philanthropy and bbcon Prior to joining Blackbaud she worked in the nonprofit industry in roles such as director of individual giving at Boys amp Girls Clubs leadership giving manager at the American Red Cross and director of development at HUGS for Kids Daniellersquos passion is inspiring nonprofits to have a plan for today with a grand vision for tomorrow You can follow Danielle on Twitterreg DJVermenton and find her blogging on npENGAGE

Mike Snusz brings more than 11 years of nonprofit experience to his role as a senior internet marketing consultant at Blackbaud where he develops strategy consulting services to help nonprofits build constituent relationships deliver compelling messages and maximize giving opportunities His areas of focus include email campaigns online giving search engine optimization web analytics and usability social media and mobile He previously managed the turnaround of the Ride For Roswell including the eventrsquos growth from $330000 to $12 million over a three-year period With sound online fundraising communications and marketing practices in place the event now raises more than $3 million annually Mike also volunteers for Compass providing pro-bono strategic consulting to strengthen the sustainability of Washington DC nonprofits Connect with Mike on Twitterreg at mikesnusz