Announcing PickettCRM

I am excited to announce PickettCRM, a new consulting business to improve the efforts of nonprofits.

What differentiates PickettCRM from other consulting firms is our focus on one of the biggest challenges facing all organizations:

What is the most productive means to find, win, and retain donors?

Our solutions are called Strategic CRM Solutions as they combine a number of standard Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools into one solution to answer the question above.

Strategic CRM Solutions are composed of:

• Vision & Marketing Concept
• Strategic Plan & Management Framework
• CRM Software
• Website Design & Development
• Email Marketing & Communications
• Project Management & Technology Support

Together they are more valuable than the sum of their parts.

We are ready to work with nonprofits that want to:

• Grow / Increase Income
• Reach a Broader Audience / Find New, High-Quality Prospects
• Keep Donors Happy & Involved
• Lower Costs
• Generate Sustainable & Predictable Income
• Increase Productivity
• Make Strategic Improvements
• Build a Brand and Reputation

Keep PickettCRM in mind for projects of this nature. More information can be found on our website at www.pickettcrm.com.

Best Regards,
Brian Pickett
PickettCRM, Inc

Successful fundraising on a tight budget

On a tight budget, the most cost-effective ways to increase donations from individuals are:

1. Focus on Current Donors
Small improvements in the rate of renewal can make a big difference to the bottom line. Do you have a regular eNewsletter? Does it work for you? A valuable eNewsletter can keep current donors feeling appreciated, informed, engaged and involved. The value you create with informative messages pays off the next time you ask for support.

2. Build a Brand
The number one asset you have in building a brand is your vision. A short, simple message about how your organization is going to change the world provides a rallying cry for your constituents (new and old). What is the Big Goal your organization is going to accomplish? If you don’t have a vision yet, get started!

3. Get the Word Out
In today’s world, almost all of your current and potential donors are online. The Web gives you three excellent, cost-effective opportunities to get the word out.

First, foster outreach within your current donor base. With online tools to refer-a-friend or ask for sponsorships it easy to help the organization grow.

Second, step-up your website. Most prospects find themselves on your website soon after hearing about your cause. Is your website compelling? Does it engage potential donors? Is it professionally done? Your website is a direct reflection on how you approach your programs. If your website is not useful and exciting for potential donors they often miss the value of your programs or worse discount your ability to get anything important done. Investing in your website enhances all your outreach efforts.

Third, use email. Email messages are an inexpensive and easy way to encourage grassroots networking.

How many supporter emails do you have? Not enough? Send a postcard asking for their email. Most donors want to hear about the results of their donation and email is the cheapest way. Include an offer or give-a-way if you think you need to sweeten the deal.

Lastly, leverage your vision statement and revved up outreach efforts to gain press coverage and drive traffic to the new website. Include media outlets on your distribution list and you never know when your nonprofit might end up in the news.

Tie it all together and you have a larger more active donor base that is helping you find new sources of funding. What does that do? It further grows the donor base and you have a larger more active donor base that is helping you find new sources of funding. The wonderful cycle continues!

When the economy turns around your organization will have a boat full of supporters whose contributions will rise with the rising economic tide.

Voila! That is successful fundraising on a tight budget.

Previous Post: Fundraising in times of economic turmoil

Brian Pickett helps nonprofit organizations leverage technology to expand their donor base using Strategic CRM Solutions. Houston, TX based for more information visit www.PickettCRM.com.

Fundraising in times of economic turmoil

In times of economic turmoil, nonprofits are not spared the recession. As funding becomes less reliable, nonprofits try to maintain their current funding level on an ever tightening budget. No easy feat! Unfortunately as so often happens, programs are scaled back and the social benefit of the organizations drop.

Nonprofits that successfully fundraise on a tight budget can keep their programs running at top speed.

How do they do it?

Create a new fundraising event? Expensive, and risky.
Apply for government grants? Not if you need the money fast.
Reach out to new foundations? Maybe, but they are also feeling the economic downturn too.

The key to successful fundraising on a tight budget is to focus on donations from individuals.

Grow your base of donors! Collectively, contributions across a larger donor base can make up for each person’s generally smaller donation (it is an economic downturn after all). In addition, these new donors are likely to refer other donors, corporate sponsors, and foundations giving you new opportunities to make up for funding lost from other sources.

Next up: Successful fundraising on a tight budget

Brian Pickett helps nonprofit organizations leverage technology to expand their donor base using Strategic CRM Solutions. Houston, TX based for more information visit www.PickettCRM.com.