January 30, 2014
A study by Georgia Tech has helped identify what some of the most successful phrases are for use in Kickstarter campaigns. The phrases can also provide nonprofit fundraisers with an idea of how certain language can impact the effectiveness of social media posts, print materials and even speaking in person with a potential donor.
While the study is very comprehensive, Nonprofit Quarterly has provided a nice infographic that provides a couple of the key findings. The phrases fit well into two different categories and correlate closely with the success of the campaign:
Applying positive phrases to other forms of fundraising
According to the nonprofit research firm GuideStar, this positive language can also be used when asking potential donors for money. For instance, it suggests asking a donor for a contribution of $1,000 a year for three years. The power in the phrase is that it shows you consider your cause of enough importance to ask for a large, continued investment. Should the potential donor agree, you have the added bonus of securing some future funding without having to ask again.
You can also apply this confident language to any of the ways in which you engage your clients. When posting updates on social media, sending out fliers or writing commercials. Nonprofits should as for money, not beg for it. A confident aura when raising funds shows that while they are needed, the organization is a capable one. Donors give money to causes they believe will succeed and positively impact another person's life.
Develop your own list of key phrases
The phrases from the study are helpful, but could be awkward to work directly into all crowdfunding campaigns. Before approaching donors on the Web or in-person, sit down with a fundraising team and throw around some positive, confident terms that can help make your next fundraiser a success.
Content presented by First Nonprofit Companies, the leading provider of state unemployment insurance solutions for 501(c)(3) nonprofit employers.
Ready to chat? Get in touch today to request a no-obligation savings evaluation.
We’ve been a member of First Nonprofit’s Unemployment Savings Program since 2011 and highly recommend joining. The program is terrific and allows us to earn interest on our own funds while still meeting the state’s requirements on unemployment payments. In addition, the staff are great and always helpful sorting out any questions we may have. Thank you all!
CCSCT was approached by First NonProfit to discuss its Unemployment Savings Program and ways the program could significantly reduce the amount of unemployment taxes we were paying. At the time, our agency was paying approximately $80,000 per year. First NonProfit conducted an analysis to determine if making the switch would be in our best interest, and it clearly was based on our circumstances. The first year on the program, CCSCT saw a 70% reduction in its unemployment costs and each year, continues to experience further reductions as a result of having minimal claims. Some additional benefits of the program including having a fixed annual cost, an interest-baring reserve account, professional unemployment claims management and representation at all unemployment hearings. This has been one of the best decisions we have made.
We first started using First Nonprofit’s Unemployment Savings Program when we were a small startup nonprofit. We didn’t have an HR department and needed expertise in the event that an unemployment claim was made. We knew we were eligible to be a reimbursing employer, but weren’t sure how to navigate that process. They made it easy to set things up, plan for, and then manage claims when they came at a very reasonable cost. The amount of time and stress they’ve saved us dealing with all this has been worth way more than the cost. We’ve now grown to a large nonprofit and do have an HR department but have no plans to stop using their services. I highly recommend them to every nonprofit I come into contact with!
Throughout our membership in the Unemployment Savings Program, First Nonprofit understood our demands, community dynamics, and the importance of seamless services; that allowed us to serve our constituents better.
Because INCS advocates for the operating conditions that allow charter public schools to provide high quality public education, partnering with First Nonprofit was an easy decision. First Nonprofit’s unemployment programs provide our member schools two operating elements crucial to their ability to provide high quality public education: savings and budget certainty. Capable, committed teachers are the key to student success. By participating in the unemployment insurance savings plan, charter public schools gain peace of mind and are able to invest more money in their teachers.
It has been our sincere pleasure to maintain a strong, vibrant business partnership with First Nonprofit. We greatly admire their strong industry knowledge, technical expertise, constant professionalism, knowledgeable and dedicated staff. They are always extremely responsive, personable and provide us with the necessary guidance and recommendations on a numerous variety of employment scenarios.
NYCON members who use First Nonprofit’s programs enjoy enduring savings and improved efficiency. Our association knows that success, because from the beginning, we achieved the same great benefits. Great savings, seamless technology, and responsive service. NYCON highly recommends First Nonprofit’s remarkable unemployment solutions.
Visually Impaired Preschool Services has been a client of First Non-Profit since it was first offered as a benefit of VisionServe Alliance. We completed a thorough evaluation of cash savings to our agency before taking advantage of this wonderful benefit and it has been a very wise decision. Our experience with the processes from accounting to claims have been professional, expeditious and easy.