Connecticut Foodshare’s Post

✨ Looking for inspiration to enhance your nonprofit's #fundraising strategies? Explore how Meals on Wheels North Central Texas enhanced their donor relations and fundraising efforts with Bloomerang. Dive into their impactful success story and unlock valuable insights! 🔓 #DonorEngagement

✨ Looking for inspiration to enhance your nonprofit's #fundraising strategies? Explore how Meals on Wheels North Central Texas enhanced their donor relations and fundraising efforts with Bloomerang. Dive into their impactful success story and unlock valuable insights! 🔓 #DonorEngagement “Using Bloomerang, we can track each donation’s journey and see how every gift supports our mission, deepening our understanding of donor contributions."

Direct mail remains a powerful tool for nonprofits, and it's crucial to stay updated on strategies that make our campaigns impactful. Check out this insightful article by Gabrielle Perham, MBA, Director of Marketing & Sales Operations at Deep Sync, where she shares "5 Tips to Upgrade Your Nonprofit’s Direct Mail Strategy." 🔗 Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/e8CGgHWd Gabrielle offers practical advice that can help us elevate our direct mail efforts and better engage with our donors and supporters. Let's optimize our strategies and make a greater impact together! 💼✉️ #Nonprofit #DirectMail #Strategy #Fundraising #Marketing

If your nonprofit has any part in feeding people, I have a #leadgen idea 💡 for you! It's likely you're preparing for a LARGE meal (or two, or ten 🤷🏻♂️) in the coming weeks, and I'm willing to bet it's not the first time you've held something like that. In fact, I'm pretty confident you could be considered an expert in feeding large groups of people a delicious meal, right? Well, you know who isn't an expert but is still planning on hosting a large gathering? People like me. People who want to gather with family and friends and share a delicious meal but aren't regularly cooking for a crowd. And you know what people like me would like? Some help! Tips, tricks, guides, hacks, however you approach it this holiday season is a great opportunity for you to put together a resource for donors, supporters, and prospects to help them cook for a crowd. It could be as simple as your top ten recipes that are easy to make in a large batch or a day-of guide with a timeline for when everything needs to start being prepped, cooked, and cooled in time for the meal to be ready. This is something you can have fun with while also highlighting the critical work you do in your communities. If you have a kitchen staff, you can feature stories of growth throughout the guide or if you provide bulk food items you can talk about the impact food security makes. Let me know what you thought about this idea! And if you're on the hunt for a buffet of food-based-fundraising ideas, you're in luck! 👉🏻https://bit.ly/3RMim9e

Are you experiencing really poor email open rates?  Though no ape, the humble starfish ⭐ 🐟  can actually teach us thing or two about MailChimp! As they fed on their catch of clams, oysters and scallops, Victorian shellfishermen used to cut starfish into pieces before throwing them back in the ocean. Starfish have since become known for their crazy ability to regrow, not only limbs, but an entire body from a severed limb. They thought they were reducing the starfish population; instead, they were multiplying it. So, we once helped a charity cull 1400 subscribers from their e-news audience. 🙊 Say what?! These 1400 contacts hadn’t opened a single email from the organisation in at least 6 months. We ran a re-engagement campaign (which also resulted in another 200 successful re-engagements!), but these 1400 maintained their stony silence. So, we removed them. Inactive subscribers bring down your open rates. Culling your disengaged audience – whether by 10 by 1400 – means NOT ONLY improved open rates, but likely regeneration. Having too many inactive subscribers lowers your credibility as an email sender – and therefore, the deliverability of your emails. Those who actually want to hear from your organisation won’t be, because your emails are likely ending up in their junk folder, too. Culling the deadweight promotes engagement from those who matter. Many organisations are still clinging onto lists of subscribers who were collected well before our most recent GDPR. Be brave! Culling can cultivate; reduction can promote regeneration. (But just please don’t try chopping off anyone’s limbs…) 😬 How's your email list looking? #charity #email ⭐️

Ever considered 'Adopting a Family'? That's what Every Day is a Miracle does on the daily. On any given week, they serve anywhere from 60-80 hungry families, in a single WEEK!🍝 Did you know that 1 in 3 children and 3 in 5 adults face food insecurity in the Bronx? By providing residents with access to nutritious foods, this incredible nonprofit aims to eliminate food scarcity and insecurity one household at a time. How? By offering the following invaluable resources to those in need within the Bronx: 🍚 Food Choice Pantry 🍴 SNAP Screening and Application ⚖️ Health Buck Coupons 🌱 Access to Gardening I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity to provide marketing strategy support to Every Day is a Miracle through Taproot Foundation. Working on their 'Adopt a Family' fundraiser was a truly rewarding experience. It was inspiring to connect with Natia Bueno, their wonderful Development and Communications Manager. Her dedication to the cause and passion for the mission brightened up the whole room!🌟 Here are some solutions we discussed to amplify their campaign's reach: 1. Social Media Campaign: - Platforms: Focus on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for their wide reach and engagement potential. - Content: Share stories and testimonials of families who have been helped by similar initiatives. Use compelling images and short videos. - Hashtags: Create a unique and catchy campaign hashtag, e.g., #FeedAFamily2024, to increase visibility. - Call to Action: Encourage followers to donate, share, and use the hashtag. 2. Email Marketing: - Audience: Reach out to existing donor base and newsletter subscribers. - Content: Send personalized emails with a clear and urgent message about the campaign. Include success stories, infographics, and links to donate. - Follow-Up: Send thank-you emails to donors and update them on the progress and impact of their contributions. 3. Local Media: - Press Releases: Send press releases to local newspapers, radio stations, and TV channels. - Interviews: Arrange interviews with key campaign representatives to share the campaign's mission and goals. - Community Events: Partner with local events to promote the campaign and engage with the community directly. 4. Website and Blog: - Landing Page: Create a dedicated campaign landing page with detailed information about the campaign, donation options, and real-time updates. - Blog Posts: Publish regular blog posts highlighting the campaign’s progress, including stories from beneficiaries and behind-the-scenes looks at operations. 5. Collaborations and Partnerships: - Influencers: Collaborate with local influencers and bloggers to spread the word about the campaign. - Corporate Partnerships: Reach out to local businesses for sponsorships and matching donation programs. Any other ideas to help promote this campaign? Let me know in the comments💬 #NonProfit #EndFoodInsecurity #CommunityImpact https://edmnyc.org/

Patience is a virtue… as the saying goes… Living in the space between moments isn’t easy for me. For most of my life, I wasn’t good at waiting. Then I learned healthy coping skills that suited my personality. I put this tactic to good use this month. Waiting... Looking for a new job can be overwhelming and exhausting. You do all you can.  You connect with people. You follow them. You comment. You message them. You apply. You wait… You reach out to your network… you wait. You interview… you wait. Waiting is the hardest part. The anxiety. The voices in your head. Questioning yourself. What healthy coping strategies do you use in times of waiting? Drop a comment ⬇ below on how you handle the wait. What do I do?   I make the conscious choice to get out of my own head and I provide service to others. This week I volunteered at Farmer Foodshare, a not-for-profit located in Durham, NC. In my most recent position, I organized volunteer activities for our office. This is when I found Farmers Foodshare. Why do I love Farmers Foodshare? They connect food insecure families and individuals to vibrant, healthy food grown by North Carolina family farmers AND help those small, local farmers grow their businesses. Here is how they do it: Farmer Foodshare sources fresh food year-round from small and mid-scale North Carolina farms and producers and sells it wholesale to a host of organizations — schools and universities, grocery stores and restaurants, and hunger relief agencies. This creates new revenue opportunities for small farms that otherwise would not grow in sufficient volume to sell directly to large institutions. But they don’t stop there! They work to close the gap of food insecurity for local North Carolinians. When necessary, they use Fresh Food Funds from donors to help increase the buying power of community-based organizations whose needs outstrip their budget. The Result: Four of us packed over 180 boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables to go out to local community members. The recipients received a special treat of beautiful purple cauliflower from the mountain region of NC. Ways to support this organization: Visit them at www.farmerfoodshare.org to learn more about individual and group volunteer options or consider a company sponsorship or individual donation. There are so many great ways to support this amazing organization! *Disclaimer – I do not work for FFS and the only affiliation I have with them is I LOVE what they do.  Kelly Crane

Check out our most recent blog post - "Staying in Contact with Volunteers using Text: 4 Tips" which highlights the ways organizations can leverage SMS communications to help share new volunteer opportunities, keep volunteers updated on their mission, encourage volunteers to donate, and show appreciation! With the advent of the new Email Service Provider (ESP) spam laws that went into effect January 1, it is more important than ever for social impact organization to change up their communication strategies in order to improve engagement & retention! Check it out! - https://lnkd.in/esgAgmiW

Good data and understanding of who your donor champions are is a critical step increasing your annual giving program. Amy's advice is spot-on.

Enhancing Food Pantry Management in Non-Profit Organizations As the heart of every community, non-profit organizations play a crucial role in addressing hunger and food insecurity through their food pantries. To ensure efficient and impactful assistance, implementing best practices in food pantry management is essential. Here are some key strategies to optimize operations: Collaborative Partnerships: Foster strong collaborations with local businesses, farms, and food distributors to secure a steady supply of fresh and diverse food items. These partnerships can help minimize costs and maximize the variety of products available to those in need. Efficient Inventory Management: Adopt a systematic approach to track inventory levels, expiration dates, and product demands. Regularly conduct food drives and encourage donors to provide items with longer shelf lives to minimize food waste. Volunteer Training and Recognition: Train volunteers in customer service, empathy, and cultural sensitivity to create a welcoming and respectful environment for clients. Recognize their contributions to boost morale and retain dedicated volunteers. Client-Centric Approach: Implement a client-choice model where individuals can select the food they need, promoting dignity and reducing food waste. Collect feedback from clients to continuously improve services. Technology Integration: Utilize technology to streamline processes, such as online appointment booking and digital record-keeping. This reduces paperwork and increases efficiency in managing client data. Nutrition Education: Offer workshops and resources to educate clients on nutrition, cooking, and meal planning. Empowering them with knowledge enhances the impact of food assistance and encourages healthier eating habits. Data-Driven Decisions: Analyze data on client demographics, preferences, and service utilization to make informed decisions. This helps tailor food pantry offerings to meet the specific needs of the community. Fundraising and Donor Engagement: Develop a comprehensive fundraising strategy to ensure sustained financial support. Engage donors through newsletters, social media, and appreciation events to foster long-term relationships. Transparent Reporting: Maintain transparency in financial and operational reporting to instill trust among donors, volunteers, and the wider community. Clear communication on the impact of their contributions fosters ongoing support. Continuous Improvement: Regularly assess food pantry operations, seek feedback from stakeholders, and be open to adapting practices for continuous improvement. A dynamic approach ensures the organization stays responsive to evolving community needs. By adhering to these best practices, non-profit organizations can optimize their food pantry management, making a profound difference in the lives of individuals and families facing food insecurity. #FoodPantry #NonProfit #CommunityImpact