18 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • DECEMBER 2021
NONPROFIT NEEDS
SURVIVING COVID’S CRUSH
393A Moffitt Blvd., Islip NY 11751
Open Monday through Friday with
appointments on the weekends.
Please Vote for Us 2021
www.dansBOTB.com
• Ransom ware protection and remediation
• All phases of remote worker support
Conveniently located in Islip,
servicing all of Long Island.
Winner of Dan’s Best of the best
six years in a row
BY KENNETH CERINI
MANAGING PARTNER, CERINI &��ASSOCIATES, L.L.P.
While the world has defi nitely opened
up a little more in 2021, we are all still
feeling the lingering strain of the Covid-19
pandemic. There are still many people
who have not recovered from being out of
work, or being isolated, or losing a loved
one. Many of them have turned to the
tremendous network of nonprofi t organizations
that provide help and support on
pretty much every level. As a result, nonprofi
t health and welfare organizations
have seen a tremendous uptick in demand
for services, and conversely, arts and cultural
organizations have been devastated
in their inability to provide services. In
either case, this has created a tremendous
need for additional discretionary
resources by nonprofi t organizations.
Overall, the nonprofi t sector saw an uptick
in giving in 2020, but that increase
barely kept pace with infl ation. In a time
of rising demand, as we have been experiencing,
this has put a tremendous
strain on nonprofi t fi nances. Luckily
for most nonprofi ts, the holiday season
is a time when most people get their
Ebenezer Scrooge on (the post-visitation
by the three-spirits version) and reach
into their crypto wallets, stock portfolios,
or, for the more traditional donors,
checkbooks, to spread the holiday joy.
It also means that prospective donors
are going to be bombarded with appeals
at all levels. So how do you get
your message heard above the clatter
of all of those virtual bellringers?
1) Monitor: Messaging that worked before
may not work now. Monitor your
campaigns when necessary.
2) Make your campaign targeted:
Find out what draws your donors to
your organization and target your
messaging. One size does not fi t all, so
break up your messaging across your
audience.
3) Videos work: People don’t really like
to read. Tell your story in an impactful
video, and don’t forget the “donate here”
button at the end.
4) Retention: Help make your donors
repeat givers. How?
a. Show them their impact and yours
(give them a backstage tour)
b. Communicate with them regularly
c. Make communications personal:
Who is donating? What is their
demographic?
5) Keep real issues in your messaging:
a. The pandemic isn’t over. What is your
organization doing to combat the issue
we all face on a daily basis?
b. Is your story still relevant in this “new
normal?” How do you need to pivot to
ensure it is?
6) Continue to diversify revenue streams
a. How the fundraiser has changed over the
last two years and will continue to change
b. We can›t go back to our galas and
dinners
c. Elevate what you have done over the
last two years. What has worked and
what hasn’t? Can you add a virtual component
to your fundraising?
If Covid has taught us anything, it
is how to pivot to remain relevant.
Now is the time to do it again. Happy
fundraising!
POINT OF VIEW
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