What is it?

Outsourcing is simple. Let’s say your organization wants a service done, but no one on your team has the skills or time to do it. That’s where a freelancer comes in. A third-party source will provide the service on behalf of your organization.

Often these freelancers are members of your network or friends of friends, but often they tend to be “whatever you can get” instead of the best of the best. With a service like Fiverr, you get to connect with freelancers from anywhere and find the perfect person to suit your needs.

Why more nonprofits are outsourcing to freelancers

With many nonprofits putting their limited resources towards hiring team members who are good fundraisers, things like graphic design, bookkeeping, or information technology-related tasks are considered less essential. For smaller organizations, outsourcing can save a nonprofit.

Benefits to outsourcing

Balancing your mission and your organizational structure is a constant challenge for nonprofits, but it’s not impossible. Outsourcing can solve a lot of your problems.

1. Save money on labor costs

In the long run, outsourcing is actually cheaper. If your organization hires a full-time position to cover what a freelancer does, you would be wasting time and money on payroll. A freelancer could do the job in less time and would be cheaper in the long run if you only need the job done a few times a year.

2. Help out your team

Additionally, outsourcing can take the stress off of an already overloaded team. Odds are, if you have a small team, many are probably wearing many hats. Team members might have to take the time to teach themselves how to do something, wasting both your time and theirs. By working with a freelancer, their time can be better spent focusing on what they thrive at.

3. Get tasks done, and done well

The great thing about freelancers, is they are experts in their field. When working with a freelancer, they have portfolios or references to vouch for their work, and they specialize in a field because they know what they’re good at. The job won’t only get done, it will get done well.

4. Learn from outside experts

Freelancers also bring new insights to your organization. Since they have most likely worked with other organizations before, they know the industry standards, while having the latest technology. This means they can help you find out where your organization might be falling behind.

5. Focus on your mission

Lastly, outsourcing your labor is the number one way for you to focus on what really matters: your mission. When you don’t have to dedicate your time to putting out fires left and right, your nonprofit will be able to thrive with your full attention.

*This sponsored blog post is courtesy of Fiverr

The post How Outsourcing Can Change Your Nonprofit Game appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

Our teams have been tested in this last year. The move to working remotely was less of a transition and more of an overhaul of everything we were used to. Teams were forced to work online, trying to brainstorm, collaborate and connect at a distance ― and it was rough. Here is how to build a stronger team either on Zoom or in-person.

As the world settles down and rebuilds, many workplaces are considering how to move forward. Many have adopted remote work as their new normal despite its complications, while others are trying to move back to in-person workspaces but have lost some essential team collaboration skills.

Let’s hash this out. Choosing how your team rebuilds in the wake of the pandemic is a big decision, so let’s make it wisely.

Team collaboration: the core of the workplace

According to Codegiant, 86% of people surveyed said failures in the workplace were due to poor team collaboration. Communication is key, especially in a workplace. Creating a productive workplace means making every member of the team feel valued and needed for their specific role.  When a work environment is created to support each of its members, it leads to overall efficiency and increased collaboration. 

One way to support your team is to take off some of the workload and outsource tasks to freelancers. With Fiverr Business, thousands of freelancers are available at your fingertips, allowing your team to take a breath and focus on what matters most.

Engage your team

Regardless of how you meet, collaboration is incredibly important to build a stronger team. Here are some quick tips to help increase collaboration in the workplace.

1. Establish a clear mission.

Give your team members a cause to rally behind. Make them believe in their company and their team. This can be done by creating a mission statement for your organization and establishing core values ― and sticking to them.

2. Clearly state expectations and create daily, attainable goals

If your team doesn’t know exactly what you want them to do, you can’t expect them to do it. Rather than waiting for members to “take initiative,” spell out exactly what you want from your team through attainable goals.

3. Create team roles

A workplace functions like a well-oiled machine when everyone has a clear role and objective. Even if each member can wear many hats, letting each of them have a specific role will increase productivity and make them feel valued and essential to the team.

4. Recognize good work

Keeping your team motivated will go a long way in your workplace productivity. When a team member does good work, recognize them for it and encourage them to keep it up. If someone is lacking, take the time to work with them and get them on the right track.

5. Keep it human.

At the end of the day, the best way to create a strong team is to remember we’re all human. We all mess up. While productivity is important, it’s essential to allow for some leeway. Organize social events with your team, start off meetings with a fun question ― just get to know your people.

The post How to Build a Stronger Team: On Zoom or In-person appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

JULIA CAMPBELL: Cause Camp 2021 Host

Julia Campbell is on a mission to make the digital world a better place. Through speaking, training, and consulting, she shows social purpose organizations how to use social media and storytelling to build communities, showcase impact, and advance their causes. Julia is the author of Storytelling in the Digital Age: A Guide for Nonprofits and has a new book coming out this fall on nonprofit social media strategies. She was recently named one of the top 25 Nonprofit IT Influencers to Follow in 2019 by BizTech Magazine.

“In times of disruption and upheaval, it’s more important than ever for nonprofits to come together and learn how to best move forward. Cause Camp combines some of the most innovative thinking in the sector with tactical action steps you can take back to your organization and hit the ground running!”

MARYANNE DERSCH: Make It Stick: How to Get New Ideas into Action

Maryanne Dersch specializes in helping nonprofit leaders increase their influence and be the change agents they have always wanted to be without feeling rejected, ineffective, or pushy. She has spent almost thirty years working in the nonprofit world helping organizations communicate more effectively internally and externally. She is leading a movement to change “nonprofit” to “human investment company” to accurately reflect the contributions of the sector. She’s known for her love of ultrahigh heels, extra-large Diet Cokes, and short karaoke rotations.

“You are going to learn so much at Cause Camp that you will want to take back to your organization and make stick. I will show you just how to introduce these awesome new ideas in a way that will have anyone in your organization excited to implement them!”

PETER ROSS: How to Measure the ROI of your Marketing Strategies

Peter has defined the vision, strategy, and culture of 829 Studios since its founding in 2007. It is his mission to help clients transform their data into strategy and provide an integrated approach that blends creativity with technological sophistication. He is constantly searching for new opportunities clients can leverage to achieve differentiation, develop competitive advantages, and better communicate their brand story. Peter received his Executive MBA from Imperial College London and primarily focuses his time on business consulting, marketing strategy, site architecture, frontend/backend development, SEO/SEM, and interactive media.

“If you’re not already preparing for the changes coming to advertising attribution (particularly on Facebook) then you need to get started. It’s fundamentally changed the landscape.”

CIERRA SELBY: Kickstart Your Organization’s Internal Communication Strategy

Cierra believes effective internal communications are essential to nonprofit success. Her experience includes 8+ years of Marketing, Communication, and Program Management for organizations working on issues such as poverty, financial literacy, voter engagement, health research, and the public arts. Over the last few years, she has served as a conduit for making these best practices accessible to organizations seeking to enhance their efficiency and workplace culture.

“Internal communications can be your organization’s greatest asset or greatest liability,” said Selby. “I believe Cause Camp is going to be incredibly impactful this year. It’s an ideal experience for nonprofits seeking to both thrive and innovate in a post-covid world.”

BILL MCKENDRY: Doing More with Less

A veteran marketer, speaker, and messaging expert for nonprofit causes, Bill is the founder and chairman of DO MORE GOOD as well as the founder and chief creative officer of HAVEN | a creative hub. Recognized in 1999 when he headed Hanon McKendry as the top professional nationally doing cause marketing work by the American Advertising Federation (AAF) and inducted into AAF’s Hall of Achievement, Bill has cultivated a reputation as an expert in key success principles for nonprofit marketing and communications.

“It’s important for every nonprofit to understand that it is a conduit and not the cause. Cause Camp helps give attendees the tools and confidence to manage that reality.”

TAMMY CHARLES: How to Create Winning Corporate Partnerships

Tammy Charles, MBA is the Founder and Chief Strategist at Inovo Strategic Consulting. Inovo is a global consulting firm that helps purpose-driven leaders with innovative and profitable business models to pursue social change. Her passion for community impact and development has allowed her to train, consult, and coach more than 30 nonprofits and social enterprises. Also, she has raised over $10 million in financial and non-financial support in her career to support impact areas such as economic empowerment, social justice, poverty alleviation, health equity, racial justice, social innovation, and more.

“The pandemic has presented an opportunity for us to reimagine social change. Now more than ever, the cross-sector collaboration between nonprofits and corporations will be critical to scaling, innovating, and ensuring sustainable impact for generations to come. I’m excited to talk at this year’s Cause Camp to share some important tools and strategies nonprofits can leverage to create winning partnerships with corporations through innovative funding models and strategic alliances.”

The post Cause Camp 2021 Speaker Line-Up appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

DO MORE GOOD was formed to help nonprofits move from good to great through their content, ideas, training, and access to world-class thought leadership. Nonprofit Hub provides nonprofits with the tools they need to succeed through educational content. It was a match made in heaven.

“When we work together, we can create a greater impact than each of us have had individually. By coming together, that impact should just grow exponentially,” said Bill McKendry.

There are also a few perks for you with this merger. For example, when you get a DO MORE GOOD membership, you’ll be able to attend Cause Camp for FREE. 

Check out the full video below to learn more about DO MORE GOOD with Bill and Katie!

The post Today’s Talk with a Big Announcement! appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

By knowing these issues ahead of time, you can better prepare yourself for possible troubles ahead. Let’s talk about some common mistakes that might be holding you back.

1. Not having your plan in writing

Most fundraisers go into the planning process with an idea for what they want to do. Having a starting point is essential. But brains aren’t the most stable place to keep important information. You can’t be sure you won’t forget aspects of your ideas or accidentally change them as time goes on. 

This is why it’s so important to write out your plan. The brainstorming process is all about throwing any and all ideas out, and then narrowing it down to the ones with merit. But it gets significantly harder if it only exists in your head. Also, there’s no one to hold you accountable if no one else can see it. Unless it’s written out, it’s not real. 

2. Having unclear goals or no goals at all

While you’re writing out your plan, set clear, measurable, and attainable goals. It’s pretty difficult to achieve success without defining what “success” means for you. Give yourself something to work towards and set out steps to accomplish that goal along the way.

Having measurable goals also goes a long way to keep yourself accountable. A goal like “attract more donors” is too arbitrary and uses weasel words. “More” could mean three or fifty. A specific goal like, “Raise 10% more funds than last year” will help you out more in the long run.

3. Making everything perfect

Obviously, it would be great if everything worked out perfectly. But this is real life, and that rarely happens. Prepare for the inevitable. Things won’t always work out as well as you’d hope they would. You may want to spend days on one part of your fundraising plan because you know you can make it better. But then you just end up being days behind schedule and having to scramble to make up for lost time.

Focus on getting tasks done and checking them off the list, then move on. Having tasks done is better than sheer perfection ― or at least more realistic.

4. Neglecting your donors

Don’t get tunnel vision and only think about the money. Focus on where it comes from. Continuous communication with your donors is key. Show interest in creating a deeper relationship with them ― not just reaching out when you need them. This will make them more willing to give when you actually do call on them for help.

Set aside time to reach out personally to donors. You could even make a “donor calling” event, spending a whole day communicating with and thanking your donors.

5. Not making time to plan

We know your to-do list is seemingly never-ending. There will always be more to do. But planning is an essential and timely process. Create time in your schedule to focus on creating a detailed fundraising plan, and you’ll be better prepared to tackle your to-do list.

Start earlier than you think you’d need to. Giving yourself plenty of time in advance allows for those inevitable human errors, and time to fix them.

6. Taking on too much

Don’t overload your plate. You can only handle so many responsibilities! Everyone wants to be that “yes” man who can help out with every step of the plan. But it’s just not realistic. Even with a thorough, step-by-step plan, taking on too much inevitably leads to burnout.

Be kind to yourself and your team, and plan realistically.

The post How NOT to Make a Fundraising Plan appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

This is the perfect time to start your year-end giving campaign ― if you haven’t already. Nearly a third of all annual giving happens in December. While this year has definitely been different, it might spell good news for nonprofits. People are even more willing to lend a helping hand during hard times. According to a survey conducted by Fidelity Charitable, 25% of donors plan to increase their donations this year.

Knowing this, it’s incredibly important to create the best possible year-end giving campaign for your organization. Use these tips to create a stellar campaign you can be proud of.

1. Take stock of where you’re at.

This has been a whirlwind of a year, as we all know. Times have been really difficult for many people, and there are lots of organizations that haven’t or won’t make it through this pandemic afloat. Take a look back at this year for your organization. Be thankful for your wins, be proud of your team, and learn from your losses.

Before starting your 2020 campaign, look back at your 2019 year-end giving campaign. What worked? What could be improved? Because we have “special circumstances” this year, things may have to look a bit different from last year’s methods. But if you had something great, there’s no point in starting from scratch.

2. Set specific goals.

When setting goals, you’re giving yourself a starting point for where you want to be. Make sure they’re attainable and specific ― and hold yourself to them. Don’t be afraid to be ambitious. Year-end giving is a big deal and can elevate your organization as a leader in the sector and help acquire more long-term donors.

It’s easy to think of goals and say they’ll get done “someday.” But then they end up sitting on our to-do list, collecting dust. Make sure to give yourself deadlines.

By setting these goals, you and your team can stay on track and work together, even if you’re working from home.

3. Focus your message.

Your campaign should run like a well-oiled machine. This means every move you make should be strategic. You should develop strong branding that is specific to your campaign. Make it clean and recognizable, but still cohesive with your nonprofit’s brand. Name your campaign and give it a slogan that encompasses your goals.

You should also use donor segmentation to personalize your messages to the perfect audience. There are tons of donor segmentation softwares available for nonprofits. By using specific messaging, your message will resonate more with each audience you reach.

4. Make it easy to give.

With so many of us reaching dangerous levels of screen fatigue, no one wants to spend our time navigating a confusing website, just to be able to donate. Create an easy, clean user experience on your website for donations. Make sure to provide links to the donation portal in every piece of content you put out! This creates a clear call to action and a clear way to participate

5. Peer-to-peer fundraising is your bread and butter.

Use the holiday joy to your advantage. With people being more festive, (and talking to all their friends and family) the holiday peer-pressure is REAL. 

This is where peer-to-peer fundraising comes in. By suggesting peer-to-peer fundraising to your donors, you’re giving them an easy avenue to contribute more to the cause, with no actual additional cost. You’re showing them their impact can grow exponentially.

6. Give thanks.

Thank. Your. Donors. It is so incredibly important to let your donors know how much their contribution has helped you. It’s also so simple and easy to do. You can do anything from sending out personalized emails to long-term donors, creating thank-you videos, or sharing stories from the people you’ve been able to help. Storytelling is immensely powerful and impactful, so use it to your advantage this year.

With your year-end giving campaign coming to a close, we can finally start putting 2020 to rest. The “year from hell” will soon be over. Take a moment to process this past year ― personally. Think of when you were truly tested. Think of the people who make you happy.

We all know our troubles won’t end the second the clock strikes midnight on the 31st. But it marks a new beginning, and hope for the future. Happy holidays, everyone.

The post 6 Tips for Your Year-End Giving Campaign appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

Andrea has been involved with capital campaigns for her entire career, and she’s still passionate about them. She talked about how capital campaigns are great because they have such a large impact, and you’re able to do them in a very structured way. Instead of worrying about finding millions of donors and asking for small gifts, with capital campaigns, you can focus on 20 donors and still raise millions

In this talk, Andrea spells out the elements of a strong capital campaign. If you’re looking to start your own capital campaign, she offers plenty of helpful tips. Learn how to approach major donors and the best way to facilitate a capital campaign from the master.

If you want to hear more, check out the full interview here:

The post Today’s Talk with Andrea Kihlstedt appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

Lisa is the chief fablanthropist for Fablanthropy, helping nonprofits reach the intersection of fabulous and philanthropy. As she talked with Randy, she discussed a few reservations donors might have to set up planned giving. 

She said donors tend to be hesitant when talking about planned giving because no one really wants to think about where their money will go when they’re gone. We know we won’t be able to personally speak for what we leave behind. So, if you can help your donors accomplish a meaningful goal and help them curate a plan for when they’re gone, you can establish a level of comfort when it comes to these tough conversations.

This is a process, and it’s not easy. That’s why Lisa stressed that building these donor relationships is so important. It can take years, so you need patience. But if you show dedication to your donors, you can help them achieve their life’s goals in a way they feel confident about their legacy.

Check out the full interview with Lisa Chimola here:

The post Today’s Talk with Lisa Chimola appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

It seems like working remotely is going to be our reality for the rest of 2020 ― at least for the United States. We’re going to have to teach ourselves and our teams how to stay productive and motivated, even when we can’t be there face-to-face. 

Challenges to working online

To know how to fix a problem, we first have to address the issues. 

I had the opportunity to talk to Wendy Van DeLaCastro, the president of the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools in Lincoln, Nebraska. She told me that, since the start of their quarantine, some of the hardest things to maintain among her team are collaboration and meaningful discussions.

When you’re communicating with a group of people over zoom or on the phone, you can get your message across, but it feels less personal than a normal conversation. Participants may not stay as engaged in the topic at hand so they may not put much thought into discussions and they may feel disconnected from the group.

She manages a team of eight people, and she works hard every day to make sure they each feel heard.

Communication, communication, communication.

Making sure your team feels like they have a voice is extremely important. It’s your job, as a good and effective leader, to listen and adapt. Working online isn’t easy for everyone. In order to make your team motivated and productive, accommodate your plans to fit how they work best.

Right before quarantine, Wendy Van DeLaCastro and her team were experimenting with an accountability program called EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System). It was a way to make sure everyone was getting their assigned tasks finished and accounted for while they were working apart.

“Because we had started this, working remotely actually made people more productive and on track, not less,” said Van DeLaCastro.

They would hold regular meetings over zoom to check in on projects and discuss the challenges they’d come across. But they also held daily “coffee breaks” where they met and talked about anything but work. 

“It kept us connected personally and allowed us to make sure everyone was ok during the crisis,” said Van DeLaCastro.

Due to these check-ins she had set up with her team, they were able to communicate with her that they were getting weary of the way they were forced to do business.

So she met with them and asked some questions ― What do you love about working remotely? What are you missing about working together? How can we bring the best of both back to our work when we come back together?

“What resulted was some really great ideas to dive deeper on. It also got some difficult conversations out on the table in a solution-oriented setting,” said Van DeLaCastro.

Give your team a shared purpose.

Establish goals and celebrate achievements. Even small teams can do amazing things when they’re motivated behind a mission.

Once Wendy and her team had that important discussion, they were able to focus and move forward toward a common goal. They had reaffirmed their objectives and each left with a clear motivation.

“We rallied and brought in over $400,000 in a very short amount of time to help students and their families impacted by the pandemic. Not only did we feel great about being able to help, but taking on a task like this sparked innovation unlike anything we have seen before. We got smarter, swifter, and more effective ― because we had to,” said Van DeLaCastro.

Changed for the better.

We’re all bound to come out of this crazy year a bit changed. There will be bumps and bruises along the way, but overall, we’ll gain a new perspective on our lives. At least I have.

I always assumed life was so stagnant before COVID. I thought that things about the world or about myself couldn’t change because it’s just “the way things are”. But I haven’t participated in what I called my “normal routine” in over four months, and I’m still completely fine. People adapt and change and can survive incredible circumstances.

When I talked to Wendy, she noticed a marked change in her team as well from before quarantine to now. 

“They are more self-directed, independent, communicative, and accountable to their own outcomes. They take pride in checking big accomplishments off the list and work hard not to let others down.”

We’re already halfway through this year. We’ve been through the “unprecedented times” and now we’re working on recovery and rebuilding. You and your team can make it out of this year better than it started ― you just have to do it together.

The post How to Keep Your Team Motivated Through 2020 appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

Fundraising from home has presented some challenges in that traditional events aren’t the most reliable anymore. As your focus shifts to online methods, maintaining your impact and fundraising goals seems like a daunting task.

You don’t have to condemn your fundraising goals to an early grave. Check out these tips to help transition your fundraising online!

Reaching your audience

You’re in luck ― the easiest ways to get the word out about your fundraiser are already digital. Email marketing, social media, and calls to donors are great ways to inform your supporters about ways they can help. 

But the challenge isn’t in the medium, it’s in the methods. You can put as much information as you want into the void, but unless it’s something that breaks through the clutter, it won’t make an impact with your audience. Everyone is tired of screens. So how do you get people together for an online fundraising event? 

Make it something they won’t want to miss. 

Get creative

The same old fun-run event won’t really hold up in a world still recovering from a pandemic. Be innovative with your ideas ― maybe you can use old fundraising strategies with a new, online format. For example, you can move your silent auction online fairly seamlessly. There are great online resources you can find to make the transition a bit easier.

If you need a little inspiration for online fundraiser ideas, try these:

• Virtual dinner party. Invite your friends, some local community leaders, or some industry superstars for an online dinner soirée. Admission into the video call can simply be what someone would normally pay for a meal, and you can sit and chat with some great people for a great cause. This can be a super great way to get to know your donors. You could even do a series of dinner parties, once a week, with different special guests each week.
• Host a class. Do you have a cool/unique skill? You could hold a small pop-up class for a cause. Teach one of your family recipes, host a yoga class, show your friends the wonders of rock gardening ― whatever it may be. This is a fun way to pass on some of your expertise and share your hobbies with your community.
• Game night. Just because we can’t meet in person for a board game doesn’t mean it can’t happen. You can set up a super fun game night from the comfort of your couch. Have some games in mind that might transfer online easily ― like poker, bingo, Dungeons and Dragons, Scrabble, or Monopoly. You can create a sign-up sheet for participants to choose which game they want to play. Start the night with a Zoom call and then use breakout rooms to create a game room for each group!
• Movie night. Create a poll and send it out to your supporters of some great, family-friendly movies they’d like to see. You can charge admission to be as much as a movie ticket. By using an online watch party platform, you can have the option to chat with other people while watching a movie. Then you can just sit back and watch.

While having an innovative idea to get your donors’ attention is important, maintaining contact with them is essential.

Call your donors regularly

Video is tiring everyone out. If you can, try to avoid using screens to communicate with donors. Try opting for calling your donors instead of video chatting. Something about being able to sit back and have a semi-normal conversation with donors ― instead of having to awkwardly stumble around Zoom’s audio delays ― is really refreshing. 

Giving donors that familiarity with your call also goes a long way to make them feel valued by your organization. The importance of connecting with current donors, especially when we all feel so disconnected, is huge. Focus on the donors you have and ask them for their continued support, rather than trying to get new donors.

Make the most of it

I know we would all rather be able to do these events in person ― seeing someone and connecting with them in person is a hard feeling to replicate online. But we hope these online fundraising methods can brighten your day, and your donors’ days and help your organization to power through.

The post Fundraising From Home: A Nonprofit Hub Guide appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.