“Started from the Bottom, Now We’re Here”: How Drake University’s Bold Social Media Campaign Defined a Generation of Students
I spoke with Niki Smith, digital media strategist at Drake University (and a Bulldog herself—she’s a Drake University alumna JO’08, GR ’15) about the recent student and university-led campaign to #BringDrakeToDrake and why it’s important to take risks on social media. At its core, social media is a form of entertainment. It connects us to […]
Respect the Inbox: Fundraising Email Best Practices for the Annual Fund
A few weeks ago, I met up with a good friend of mine. As we were catching up, he told me that he had once unsubscribed from his alma mater’s solicitation emails. He wasn’t in a financial position to give at the time, and he felt overwhelmed by the constant emails. But because he unsubscribed from being solicited, he somehow […]
Alumni Turned Advancement Staff Share Their Stories
Your advancement office. Hundreds of graduating seniors (i.e., your new alumni). Seems like a match made in heaven. When it comes to growing your advancement team, does your institution hire from within? It’s not always easy to find the right candidates for those hard-to-fill positions. A dream applicant is one who is intelligent, has the […]
5 Alumni Reunion Ideas to Upgrade Your Game in 2016
Click here for 5 tips on how to utilize your alumni to build a great volunteer program. In the age of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, what happens at reunion doesn’t necessarily stay there. And that’s a good thing for your alumni relations team. In fact, we took a deep dive to compare digital vs. in-person alumni […]
Social Media Etiquette: Can a Donor and Fundraiser Be Facebook Friends?
Imagine this: You’ve just had a successful meeting with a prospect. They are engaged with your institution, and your ask didn’t fall on deaf ears. They seem on board to give a major gift via the payment plan you’ve proposed. And then it comes in: a Facebook friend request from said prospect. The paperwork […]
How to Get Buy-in for an Advancement Social Media Budget
I’ve seen many a social media manager (myself included) get hung up on how many likes, retweets, shares, and favorites they get on social media. With the death of organic traffic (we miss you!), it’s becoming harder and harder for brands and nonprofits to get fans to see their posts. So what can you do? […]
Should Your Advancement Office Hire a Social Media Manager?
Spoiler alert: You should. This question is like asking yourself, “Eating a dozen chocolate chip cookies isn’t that bad for me, right?” You already know the inevitable truth: You need to hire a social media manager. Social media is ruling the web. If you’ve ever visited Twitter, the stream just keeps going—and people pop onto […]
Using Social Media to Optimize Your Alumni Events
Any good advancement professional knows that the key to building authentic relationships is having face-to-face interactions. And events are a great way to start those relationships. Not only do events foster engagement within the alumni community, but they also give major gift officers an opportunity to mingle with prospects and to move conversations forward. Time […]
7 Simple Ways to Capture Alumni Email Addresses
If you’re like most social media marketers, you hope that alumni check your Facebook page, retweet your posts, and like that awesome photo of a sunset over campus. But is that where your focus should end? What would happen if Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn changed the “rules” and suddenly your access to thousands of alumni […]
Track Your Facebook Investment With Data or Keep Wasting Time
As a social media manager, you know the ins and outs of your social media profiles. The constant commenters. The all-stars who like everything. And you know that sinking feeling when a network’s audience has moved on. But how do you convince other stakeholders in your organization to (gulp) pull the plug? With data. Thanks […]
Homecoming: Why Volunteers Are Your Best Friends
Homecoming. In the midst of the parades, dances, and big-time sporting events, the spirit of the event is clear: Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming alumni back to the school. For those of us who work in advancement, homecoming offers a great opportunity to see our prospects, build relationships, and close gifts. In order to […]
How to Use LinkedIn to Boost Planned Giving
In fundraising today, social media has become a constant conversation. Are we using it enough? How can we use LinkedIn more? Should we start on the next social network? In a previous blog, I wrote about how social media and development teams can collaborate to raise more. However, there’s one arm in the development tree branch […]
