“Donor-focused messaging” and “donor-focused culture” are a couple of descriptions that we use to describe Oneicity’s guiding principle in communicating with donors. Maya Angelou, poet, writer and civil rights activists has a quote that does a great job of explaining why this donor-focused thing works. She wrote, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you […]
the poet, your donor and you Read More »
As we were landing in Austin on Tuesday, I took my phone off of airplane mode, and a voicemail and 3 texts popped in. The voicemail was my clue something was up. No one that knows me leaves me a voicemail, and this was from one of the Oneicity team. Something indeed was up. The
My friend Steve and Easter Read More »
You focus on your donor communication. Your donor doesn’t. Won’t. Can’t. The rookie mistake is to think that a single impact or a single email or a single phone call will connect powerfully enough with the donor for them to make a good giving decision. It won’t. The rookie mistake is to evaluate a single
once is not enough Read More »
Sorry if that sounds like one of those clickbait posts. It’s not clickbait, it’s truth. Really it’s a 13-word sentence that will improve your fundraising. Not only will these 13 words improve your fundraising and development work, they could change your career, your relationships, really your life. And it explains a lot of the craziness
13 words that will improve your fundraising Read More »
When I was Executive Director/CEO of a nonprofit, I had the opportunity to make asks face-to-face, eyeball-to-eyeball with donors. I actually made a few six-figure asks. And a boatload of smaller asks. I can tell you in all modesty I was absolutely lousy at it. A miserable failure (as in “not successful” and “feeling lousy”
how to make an ask Read More »
2017 marks our 8th year of choosing a Word of the Year. We do that instead of resolutions or other ways to mark the beginning of a new year. Our “Word of the Year” is a focus point, a rallying cry, a commitment, a guide, a prayer. And it’s an interesting marker to look back
2017 Word of the Year Read More »
A mid-30’s professional, I’ll call him “Phil,” told me about his experience with improper form. Phil and his wife enjoy giving. They’re exactly who you want to begin to draw into your work. They care about people and changing the world. They have some resources, and they’re committed to their community. Phil had noticed an
donor confidential: poor form Read More »
A blog (a truncation of the expression weblog) is a discussion or informational site published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete entries (“posts”) typically displayed in reverse chronological order (the most recent post appears first). Until 2009, blogs were usually the work of a single individual[citation needed], occasionally of a small group, and often
Everyone gets stuck at some point. You can’t figure out how to proceed. You’re not sure how to solve a problem. You’re overwhelmed with too much to do . . . and then everything seems most important and nothing seems most important. Or there’s this one thing that’s not working. If only you could get
This donor story begins at a jazz night. A local chapter of a national nonprofit supporting teens hosted a Jazz night with professional jazz artists jamming together. Let’s call this nonprofit Teen Fun Alliance (TFA). A mid-30’s couple, both professionals, attended because of their interest and love of all things Jazz. Let’s call them Justin
donor confidential: jazz night train wreck Read More »
“When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand.” That’s advice on writing from Raymond Chandler, the father of the gritty American detective novel. Chandler was championing the element of surprise and twisty plots. And action! If you’re writing a novel, particularly a detective novel, this is the
This is the story of the how the Chairwoman of the Board found her place serving a thriving ministry and the CEO who was smart enough to let the plot develop. I’ll call the Chairwoman Kim and the ministry “Growing Strong” (not their real names). Let’s begin at the ending. As part of my work,
donor confidential: the chairwoman Read More »
Oneicity was born from our desire and passion to serve small- and medium-sized ministries and non-profits with affordable fundraising and marketing. We are a professional services firm that is unlike any you have ever worked with.
