Mentored Online Masterclass.
Syllabus: Communications & Nonprofit Fundraising in a Digital Age

Attract Online Donations with your Website & Newsletters

A 6-Month Mentored, Nonprofit Communications & Online Fundraising Certificate Program

Return to the Nonprofit Communications & Online Fundraising training page.

Syllabus: The step by step process. This mentored nonprofit fundraising program for nonprofits is designed in a progression where each weekly module represents one sequential step for you to take in the process of campaign design and development. The assignments have real tools for you to download, print out, edit, and use as templates over and over again in launching new initiatives. We will take approximately one month for each one of the following core steps:

Month 1. Find Donors: Determine who your potential new donors are, what they are looking for, what you can offer them, and how they can find you:

• Introductory Week. In the first week we will have a chance to meet each other by telephone so we can learn more about your organization and potential online fundraising campaign ideas. Next step:

Begin Weekly Assignments

• Assignment 1. 1) Define your goals for nonprofit support and 2) the type of new individual supporters you are looking for. Do you want supporters that give a donation, volunteer, subscribe? How many do you need to meet your goal?
• Assignment 2. Get specific: Who exactly are these new nonprofit supporters you are hoping to reach? What causes do they want to support? Where do they look for causes to support? What information do you already have current, similar supporters? Compile this information and place it beneath Assignment One’s goal list.
• Assignment 3. What does your nonprofit do? Specifically, in a sound bite, let’s make this sound attractive to your new supporters

Month 2. Email List Building. Capture Names: How to capture valuable new subscribers—and then send them newsletters that convert them into donors.

• Assignment 4. Let’s do a quick website review: Does it have quick and easy navigation? Is it mobile friendly and well organized for future growth?
• Assignment 5. Collecting subscribers. What information should you ask of a new subscriber on your signup form?
• Assignment 6. Installing sign-up forms and popups on your website. Which type? Where should they pop up? What should they say?.
• Assignment 7. Incentives: Do you have a free offer? Compiling an e-book or membership program to entice new subscribers.

Month 3. Planning online fundraising campaigns.

• Assignment 8. Channels: Your communication connection: where will you launch your first campaign? Clearly define the channels that connect you to your target supporters: newsletter, blog or social media?
• Assignment 9. Calendar: Develop an achievable communications calendar.
• Assignment 10. Write faster: Writing techniques for getting the job done. Get triple duty out of a blog post/landing page by using it as the basis for a newsletter, for social media, and for a free e-book too.
• Assignment 11. Compelling 2-page fact sheet: Packaging your program/project so that is compelling to donors.

Month 4. Keywords and Simple Landing Pages: The importance of landing pages, keywords and conversions.

• Assignment 12. Keywords and the 21st Century communication secret: [Shhh… It’s all about them! Your website visitors.]. Use the same language your visitors use.
• Assignment 13. Landing pages are your salesmen: They convert a casual visitor into a donor, volunteer or subscriber.
• Assignment 14. 12 steps to building a perfect landing page template. Plus, a bonus checklist.
• Assignment 15. Turning your MS Word landing page from assignments 13 and 14 into a real, live, webpage.

Month 5. Email Newsletters. Romance your Subscribers.

• Assignment 16. Demystifying SEO. Use keywords in your headings, page title, page description and content. Post information rich, long content.
• Assignment 17. Email subject lines. Your chance to be both creative and a Sherlock too.
• Assignment 18. Email layout: What should your email look like? How long? What will lure subscribers to click through to an actionable, online donation landing page?

We’ve covered a lot of advanced territory over the past 4 to 5 months. Now it’s time to begin compiling what you’ve learned into an online donation campaign. Hopefully, you saved all of the PDFs from the different assignments for your review.

• Assignment 19. Write a new, compelling newsletter as part of your first online donation campaign. Create a master newsletter template for replicable efficiency.

Month 6. Tying it all together. You will launch and promote your first nonprofit fundraising communication using templates that I provide.

• Assignment 20. Making the final connection between your newsletter and your landing page:
  • Make sure that your newsletter and your landing page templates are dovetailed together for ensuring that there is consistency between what the reader reads in your newsletter and finds on your landing page.
  • Incorporate a call to action in both the newsletter and in your online donation landing page: convert visitors into donors.
  • Proof read: Final check: Yoast SEO, mobile friendly format, readability (send samples to different devices), check links, and check payment systems.
• Assignment 21. Launch your campaign: How to proofread, send and promote your 1st newsletter of the campaign.
• Assignment 22. Track your performance over the first week and watch it grow.
• Assignment 23. List what you would do better next time while the experience is still fresh in your mind.

10 People Only. This mentored online fundraising training program is limited to 10 people. We will have weekly communication through my advice and comments on your weekly assignment modules. I will have a monthly private telephone consultation with you so that we can be able to work closely together on your project. I will also respond to quick questions that you send me.  

Write Faster to Save Time I’ve created 20 sets of program templates (detailed step-by-step instructions and finished examples of each module for you to use) that you can download and customize to best fit your emerging project. 20 logical steps: No more writing from scratch—just edit and modify my templates to best fit your project.  

Return to the Nonprofit Communications & Online Fundraising training page.

TESTIMONIALS
“Dear Tim. I have been reading about you for some years and that is why I selected this course. Thanks so much for your comments and positive enthusiasm on Assignment 2. I really enjoyed coming up with these ideas. Thanks so much for your lesson on writing tips. The tips on how to recycle parts of a Newsletter for other purposes are very useful. I am having lots of fun doing assignment 11, The Fact Sheet. Thanks so much for your supportive comments on my assignments and for your interest in our work in the Amazon.” Richard Bodmer, Fundamazonia.  

“Tim and his online team are only an email away and based on my own experiences never failed to respond to my challenges, concerns, successes and queries. I know that my community members and I have benefited tremendously from our interaction with Tim and participation in the program. I do wish you continued success with your commitment and drive in providing excellent service, and valuable and practical knowledge.” Gillian Primus. National Disaster Management Agency.  

“Hi Tim. Thank you so much for your support all through the mentored fundraising course. I learned valuable resources and directions The whole program is very well organized, the instructions were comprehensive and concrete so that I never had any query in any assignment. Assignments were corrected quickly with feedback and encouragement from the mentor. It is very worthwhile.” Evana Rahman. Program Leader: Access Agriculture.

“Thank you for all your effort in putting together a great program and all of the program resources. Thank you for everything – for making this possible, for your guidance, and for your continuous optimism and encouragement. I look forward to the opportunity to work with you again in the next session.” Wye Yee Yong  

“Thank you so much, Tim – till the next course. It will be a pleasure to go out and demonstrate the elegant simplicity and effectiveness of your system. I thank you for a wonderful learning experience together. Looking forward to another time as classmates or colleagues.” Carolyn Wallace. Social Development Specialist.