Nancy Lyons

What sets good DAF fundraisers apart from incredible DAF fundraisers? 🤔 Their communications! ⚡️ Now that DAFpay is live with some of the largest nonprofits and fundraising events in the country, we can clearly see what is working best 🏆 And anywhere that an organization is prominently encouraging DAF gifts and training their event participants to also fundraise for DAF gifts, they’re are standing out 🤩 That’s why we developed these 2 templates that any nonprofit can use for DAFpay in peer to peer fundraising: 1️⃣ An email to send to your participants announcing DAFpay and explaining the benefits to them 🗣️ 2️⃣ An FAQ page you can host on your blog or resources page to refer participants too 🧑🏽‍🏫 DAFs are a massive opportunity, especially in events where you reach so many new potential donors from your participants’ networks 🔥 Better tools and communication are the way to make the most of it! 🙏🏼 #nonprofit #philanthropy #fundraising

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🌱 The Power of a Mustard Seed, ACE Scholarships, and the Significance of Father’s Day As we celebrate Father’s Day, I'm reminded of the incredible role fathers play in nurturing the dreams and aspirations of their children. Much like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, can grow into the largest of garden plants, so too can a small act of generosity grow into a life-changing opportunity. At ACE Scholarships we believe in the transformative power of educational choice. Each scholarship we provide is like a tiny mustard seed, filled with the potential to flourish into something magnificent. These scholarships enable children to attend schools that best fit their needs, fostering environments where they can thrive academically and personally. Fathers are often the ones who plant these seeds of hope, encouraging their children to dream big and work hard. We've seen firsthand how these opportunities can change the trajectory of a child's life, turning dreams into realities. It’s a reminder that even the smallest contributions can have a profound impact when nurtured with care and dedication. This Father’s Day, let's honor the fathers who inspire, guide, and support their children’s educational journeys. By supporting ACE Scholarships you're not just funding an education; you're planting a seed of hope, growth, and endless possibilities for future generations. Together, let's continue to sow these seeds and witness the extraordinary gardens they become. https://lnkd.in/gbDtyC8x #FathersDay #EducationalChoice #ACEsScholarships #Inspiration #Hope #Growth #PlantingSeeds

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The month of July marks #DisabilityPrideMonth, a time to celebrate and acknowledge all facets of the Disability community. At Upili, we are spending this week exploring the pivotal role of allyship in fostering inclusivity. In part two of our four-part series, we examine what it means to be an effective ally and how we as allies can support communities meaningfully. We address two key questions: 🔸 What constitutes genuine allyship? 🔸 How can allies best support the Disability community? Our discussion revolves around the A.L.L.Y. framework, offering insights into the fundamental principles of allyship and providing actionable guidance. READ MORE: https://lnkd.in/g59pW_Yb

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Save the Date for the next Virtual Community Sprint on Sept 26-27! Join the Sprint group in the Trailblazer Community and keep an eye out for when registration goes live. More info to come - for now, save the date! #SFDOSprint #SFDOCommons

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Would you like to find a community to help your nonprofit grow its funding and sustainability? Frame Up for Funding is the answer. Just ask Kendra, who found the tools her nonprofit needed and so much more during the 12-week program! If you're looking to learn from industry experts and connect with a group of like-minded nonprofit peers, sign up for Frame Up. Our next Cohort starts July 18th. https://lnkd.in/eARSb4pE #kblimpactpartners #frameupforfunding #nonprofitfundraising #nonprofitorganization #fundraisingstrategy

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Great start for this week! A productive morning teaching the VP of a non-profit how to integrate themes, capabilities and keywords from not only the grant funding organization, but the responding organization and non-profit market sector trends into his grant responses. The integration possibilities are endless! I love it when the light bulb goes off over someone's head and they begin thinking about AI as a collaborative tool for getting things done. Are you ready to learn how to use Generative AI? I'm ready to teach you! #AI #GenerativeAI #LearnAI #AIforbusinesswriting #AIfornonprofitwriting

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What's the relationship between super-user programs and customer advocacy? That's what I'm exploring with the incredible duo, Liz Richardson and Deena Zenyk, in the latest Talk Advocacy To Me livestream. #superusers #advocacy #customers #community #brandcommunities #onlinecommunities

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Facilitated a very productive focused discussion today using ToP Facilitation methods. The discussion was with community stakeholders around how we can all work together to revitalize a commercial corridor. The group seemed energized to take action, there were a lot of great ideas, and solid next steps to take came out of it. I’m amazed at how these methods work. #facilitation #focuseddiscussion #ToPfacilitation

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👉 "Interviewing for a job in social impact is a 2-way street" and "help you see where you may be competitive." Check out more hiring tips from Luis Maes who shared his insights in "How to get a job in social impact" event, hosted by the Corporate Leadership Council of more than 50 top global CSR/ESG experts. Full recording and resources coming soon. #jobs #socialimpactjobs

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Over 7 years, I’ve developed a framework to ensure that a nonprofit's stories uplift their community and protect their client's privacy & dignity, but why? 🤷🏽‍♀️ Why invest so much time and effort into something that isn’t a job requirement or a standard in the nonprofit sector? 🤨 Here’s my story. 🎥 If you get where I’m coming from, I encourage you to download the newly expanded guide to the EquaStory™ framework for ethical storytelling (formerly Informed Consent Conversations). This free guide to the EquaStory™ framework helps nonprofit leaders learn how to craft compelling impact stories that raise money, while reducing risks for their organization and their clients. ✅ ✅ ✅ Use EquaStory™ to put the power of storytelling back into your clients' hands and raise money with confidence & integrity. The link is in my profile and in the comments below the video. Thanks for checking it out and starting your journey as an ethical storyteller! 🙌🏽

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I've been so busy in my new role on the Fundraising Solutions Team at DickersonBakker that I haven't said much lately. One exciting thing we're doing at DB right now is our annual Nonprofit Leader Study (NPLS). Last year, we found that folks like you were hungry for change in fundraising, leadership, and metrics. But here’s the kicker—lots of organizations haven’t seen that change happen yet. So, this year, DickersonBakker is teaming up with Arbor Research Group to dig deeper. We want to know why. How do organizations like yours kick-start, manage, and actually make change stick? Your thoughts are crucial in cracking this code and finding real solutions. It'll only take a few minutes to fill out our survey, but your input will make a huge difference. Don’t worry, we’ll keep your answers confidential. And as a big thank-you, you'll get a summary of the key findings. Trust me, it’s gonna be gold for guiding your organization toward positive change. Let’s shake things up together! Dive into the study HERE---> https://lnkd.in/evXp4Nwg and let’s make some magic happen!

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This is a huge win if it goes through for behavioral health. ESP what we are aiming to do with our research. It will give Social workers more flexibility to work in other states. With a shortfall in the market. We are encouraging those who go through our program. Become social workers and psychologists, psychiatrists in order to truly be relatable to post incarceration syndrome. https://lnkd.in/gcuSeSeM

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Did you know that Donor Designated Funds are one of the FASTEST growing sources of funding? What is your nonprofit doing about that? Midwest Studies Group would suggest: 1 - Take the time to learn more about these sources. 2 - Take the time to build relationships with people in your community 3 - Take the time to learn more about planned giving, retirement funds, trusts, wills, and other indirect but closely related topics. The keywords here are "TAKE THE TIME". If you don't you might miss the boat. #Fundraising #Nonprofits

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Storytelling is woven into every aspect of our lives 🎤 I once heard a former political candidate say, "My campaign's failure was due to actually answering the questions asked." His team advised him to divert every question to pre-prepared answers. This approach—having a set of answers or a canned presentation regardless of the audience—can be tempting. However, it's crucial to remember that while polished presentations and talking points are valuable, storytelling needs to be relevant and authentic to truly connect with the audience. Have you ever set aside your notes and spoken from the heart?

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WE ARE LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS!!! The Voter Empowerment Project (VEP) was set up to give people nonpartisan ways to help increase voter turnout by letting you use your existing skills to help really amazing, small POC led organizations that mobilize voters in low turnout areas. They need help with things like compiling key info from online searches and preparing it to be added to the website, or helping with social media posts, or doing basic data analysis, or creating graphics and videos for their outreach. We REALLY need volunteers with experience in: - fundraising/donor engagement - graphic design - writing and editing - research/googling info - web design - working with voter file data But anyone with ANY skills can have an impact! You can volunteer as much or as little as you can, based on your availability and interest, all from the comfort of your own home. Learn more and sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eExQPQUh PS here are what some volunteers as well as the leaders of the groups we help have to say about participating in VEP: WHAT VOLUNTEERS SAY: "I believe in VEP's philosophy that assisting community-based organizations is critical since they know best how to engage and act responsibly in their localities. It's often the small underfunded groups that get overlooked even though they are the most tuned into their communities' needs. That why I'm volunteering with VEP." X.R. (Atlanta, GA)   “I’m frustrated with the current state of politics and the threats to democracy. I’m a volunteer with VEP because it’s helping me turn my concern for democracy into action.” K.W. (Washington, DC) WHAT ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVING VEP'S HELP SAY: “VEP has been a game-changer for us. VEP provided volunteers who could design our website, create videos to encourage people to vote, do social media marketing, phone banking, text banking, grant writing and creating our newsletter.” Rebeka Islam, Executive Director, APIAVote-MI "I was incredibly impressed by the professionalism of the VEP volunteers who were able to help us in our work.  VEP provided longer-term capacity building support - not just delivering on projects but also training our volunteers (and me) during that whole process.  It's an excellent model for creating pockets of strength that can then carry on themselves in the future." Reverend Joan VanBecelaere, former Executive Director, Unitarian Universalist Justice Ohio   “We are a small grassroots organization with limited capacity, but VEP volunteers helped us "up our game” in 2020 to get out the New American and Latinx vote in Western CO!  Volunteers helped us with our website, developed social media tools for us, and with their support, we created the only Spanish language video in the state to help people in our community register to vote.” Karen Sherman Perez, Community Relations & Development Director, Hispanic Affairs Project of Western Colorado  

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This is absolutely wild (for those who do digital fundraising). The M+R Benchmark's annual study of over 225 nonprofit's digital programs was released last week. They reported that 67% of all donations were made on a desktop device. ActBlue also just released its Q1 report. They reported that 67% of all donations on the platform were made on a mobile device. What does that say to me? Nonprofits are doing a poor job of converting mobile visits to donors. Most folks are looking at content on their phones, not on their desktops. After all, 52% of the traffic to nonprofits was on mobile devices. But they're seeing a 15-point drop-off from those who are overall site visitors vs donors. The content is likely an issue, but I suspect that technology is a bigger problem. M&R provided mobile vs desktop conversion rates, but we don't have the same data from ActBlue to fully compare and know for sure. But we do know that nonprofits are not enabling mobile-friendly technology to aid with conversion rates. For example, only 38% of nonprofits had ApplePay enabled. It's not new technology, ActBlue enabled it 7 years ago. Contribution form technology is all about making incremental improvements that add up to significantly higher conversion rates. It's about obsessing about page load speed, layout, and yes saved payment products. ApplePay would not be a panacea, but it would help. These stats tell me that the fundraising tech orgs are using is letting them down, costing them a lot of money. And that's just awful.

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With a 1% YoY drop in digital fundraising according to the M+R Benchmarks, many nonprofits will be looking to optimize every part of their programs. Start with your donation forms first. There can be a 20%+ difference in conversion rates across different vendors, even the most heavily used products aren't that great. Any improvements in the contribution form conversion rates will boost your entire digital program's bottom line. Here's where to start if you are a nonprofit and you're not seeing 60%+ of your donations coming in off of mobile devices: 1. Do you have Paypal, ApplePay, and Google Pay enabled? If not, get it turned on ASAP or find a vendor that has it integrated. 2. Do a page load speed test head-to-head against an ActBlue form as it is the gold standard. Speed is money, especially with all that mobile traffic. See if you can change anything on the form to reduce the load time, like uploading smaller header/hero image files. 3. Test your current provider against either ActBlue if it's not a political problem, or another stand-alone donation form provider. 4. Pricing does matter when it comes to evaluating tech, but in this case, if you find a vendor that has a 1% higher processing fee, but your conversion rates are 10% higher.... well, you can do the math. As always, drop me a line if I can be helpful in navigating these sorts of challenges.

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