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“FineLine has been instrumental in reaching new levels of donor engagement for our company.


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George Hood
Salvation Army

Donation By Generation: Prospects & Pitfalls in the Non-Profit World

Donation By Generation: Prospects & Pitfalls in the Non-Profit World

Every generation gives differently. They give to different kinds of charities, different total sums of money, and towards different causes. So it's important that non-profit organizations analyze the donor habits of Boomers, Gen Y, Gen X, and Civics in order to properly target and maximize donations of the current and future donor base.Blackbaud, a research company geared towards analyzing issues in the public sector, conducted a study in 2010 to unpack some of the specificities of donating, broken down by generations. Acquiring Donors by Generation Note:  CIVICS (born before 1945) BABY...

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Fundraiser Trends of 2015: Prospects & Pitfalls in the Non-Profit World

Fundraiser Trends of 2015: Prospects & Pitfalls in the Non-Profit World

Fundraiser trends (aka what attracts donations) are constantly changing in our fast paced world. Today, donors expect the same great responsive service that the private sector provides.It's an exciting time, as non-profit organizations shift in order to track these three fundraising trends to attract more donations, create convenience, and cater to the wants and needs of donors. 1. Fund your Friends. Peer-to-peer campaigns, made popular by Crowdfunding, is a fairly new fundraising approach that allows any person to set up a profile, describe a goal, and create an online platform to raise...

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Public Sector Initiatives of 2015: Prospects & Pitfalls in the Non-Profit World

Public Sector Initiatives of 2015: Prospects & Pitfalls in the Non-Profit World

This year there are three major trends growing within the public sector. Non-profits should learn more about: the integration of corporate channels analyzing the big picture (with big data), and increasing communication and cooperation with other public sector firms Here are three key operational changes that will help your charity improve its branding, in-house management, and customer experience in 2015: 1. Integration of Corporate Channels Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is an in-house system that helps to manage a company's interactionswith current and future customers. It uses...

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Donor Trends in 2015: Prospects & Pitfalls in the Non-Profit World

Donor Trends in 2015: Prospects & Pitfalls in the Non-Profit World

The way to engage with donors is constantly changing. One minute they want charts, graphs, and numbers, and the next minute they want personal stories from the field. One day calling donors on their landline is a great idea, and a few years later you're told that mode of communication is outdated and ineffective. It's very important that charities stay on top of donor trends in order to better communicate with their donors. Here are three donor trends for 2015, and strategies for how charities can respond: 1. Gen X is an increasingly bigger contributor to charities. Every year, Gen Xers make...

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Philanthroship: The Evolution of Social Business

A social business is an umbrella term, due to its varied and multi-faceted nature. Within a business, it falls under many departments and processes.In his book, Social Business and the Future of Capitalism and Building Social Business, Professor Muhammad Yunus has defined a social business as an entity “created and designed to address a social problem”, operating at “a non-loss, non-dividend” and “is financially self-sustainable”. Profits garnered from a social business are “reinvested in the business itself (or used to start other social businesses), with the aim of increasing...

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Social Media Marketing vs. Community Management

Social Media Marketing vs. Community Management

In recent posts we have talked a lot about social media, social media management, community engagement, community management, etc. But what exactly do all these terms mean? How do we differentiate these terms?Today we discuss the specific dissimilarities between ‘social media marketing’ and ‘community management’.It’s important to be able to define and differentiate these kinds of terms. Your corporation will run much more smoothly and work more efficiently if you understand how to categorize and compartmentalize the streams of operations and various kinds of marketing. These notions are...

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Storytelling Part III: The Most Effective Medium

Storytelling Part III: The Most Effective Medium

In part one of our storytelling series, we discussed what storytelling entailed when sharing your brand withconsumers, and why it is important for your company. In part two we unpacked what kind of story you should tell in order to have the greatest impact and positively influence your customers.Now, in our third and final part of the storytelling series, we will discuss how to share the story of your brand.So, without further, adieu, what is the most effective medium? The most effective medium is a conscious marketing department with good listening skills. There is  no singular best...

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Storytelling Part II: What Kind of Story?

Storytelling Part II: What Kind of Story?

Last week we discussed the importance of telling a story to strengthen your brand. We unpacked the fundamentals of this marketing approach, but now it is time to delve a little deeper.This week we are going to talk about what kind of story you want your brand to tell, and with which medium you should share it!So what kind of story should you tell? Rule #1 - Keep it personal. The most important thing to remember when sharing the story of your brand is to make it easy to understand, relatable, and emotional. In other words, let your story give your brand a personality.You want to talk about...

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Storytelling Part I: The Fundamentals

Storytelling Part I: The Fundamentals

You have a company. You have a brand But what's your story? In the past, companies believed that the 'image' of a brand was sufficient for success. Once upon a time it was. But today people want more, they want a story; the history of how the scarf ended up in their hands or how this entertainment company was born. Storytelling is a central component of content marketing. It breathes life into your brand. It gives your products and services an identity that captures the brand's essence. A story puts a face to a name for customers; it brings to life and humanizes the brand. It takes...

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Philanthroship: The Three Canadian Business Brands

Philanthroship: The Three Canadian Business Brands

You want your company to be successful; every businessperson does.So how des a company become successful one a macro-level scale? Simple! One word, two syllables: Branding.In order for your company's brand to be the best, you need to know what's the best right now. So which brands are the best? What makes a brand the best? How did these companies build such impressive brands? Well, for your education and research, here are Interbrand's three best Canadian brands of 2014: Toronto Dominion, Royal Bank of Canada & Thomas Reuters. Keep reading to find out why!#1 - TD (Toronto Dominion)It is...

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