3 Tips for a Stress-Free End-of-Year Giving Campaign

ASNF 1 month ago

For many, the month of December is a time to decompress and relax with family and friends. But mention “end of year” to any advancement professional and you’ll likely be met with some combination of wide eyes, deep breaths, and a reassuring mantra such as, “We’ve got this!”

As someone who has worked in fundraising, I understand that reaction since over 30% of all giving to nonprofit organizations occurs during the month of December, making it one of the busiest times of the year for schools and universities. But why is this month so busy? And how can you turn a stressful month into a streamlined, stress-free operation? Read on for three quick tips you can apply to streamline your end of year advancement efforts.

Over 30% of all giving to nonprofit organizations occurs during the month of December, making it one of the busiest times of the year for
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3 FTSE 100 shares I’ll be watching in January

ASNF 1 month ago

The festive season has provided investors with some respite from what continues to be a tricky period for the UK market. However, it won’t be long before companies start releasing updates on trading. With this in mind, here are three stocks from the FTSE 100 that I’ll be keeping an eye on in January. 

Next

Fashion and lifestyle retailer Next (LSE: NXT) will be among the first companies to report to the market in 2022. A trading update, scheduled for 6 January, should serve as something of a bellwether for how well retailers have fared in the vitally important run-up to Christmas. 

Considering just how challenging 2021 has been for some businesses, Next investors have had a fairly decent year. Boosted by pent-up demand from shoppers, shares have climbed 15% in value and outperformed the FTSE 100. 

Whether this momentum has continued more recently is difficult to say. At 10%, … Read more

How to Create An Email Strategy

ASNF 1 month ago

Creating an email strategy feels like you’ll need a whiteboard, 5 different colored pens, your entire team, and 4 cups of coffee each.

It feels like a *big* task—something that your team needs to work on at *just* the right moment. 

We have some news for you…it’s actually the opposite. An email marketing strategy is less about an over-the-top, “started from the bottom now we’re here,” type of strategy and more about taking one step forward. Then, another. And, another.

There are 5 steps to creating an email strategy that encompasses your organic, newsletter content (that isn’t overly promotional), and your promotional content (that sells products).

And each one can be situated within a week (maximum!).

Your email marketing strategy doesn’t have to wait until things slow down, you “know more,” or you’re finally ready. It just requires taking the first step…choosing your type of newsletter.

Step 1: Choose Your

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The 20 Best & Worst Marketing Campaigns of 2021 (The Small Business Version!)

ASNF 1 month ago

As 2021 draws to a close, we’ll soon see compilations of the best (and worst) marketing campaigns of the year, which will likely include Geico’s Scoop There It Is ice cream, Nerf’s chief TikTok officer and, of course, Burger King’s “Women belong in the kitchen” tweet.

These roundups are entertaining and have their takeaways, but from a small business standpoint, they’re not very useful.

So we sought out to come up with a more practical best-and-worst round-up for small businesses. No, you won’t see any new ice cream flavors in here, but you will find plenty of simple tactics that yielded very gratifying results—plus how you can apply them yourself.

The best of small business PPC

We asked 20 marketers from a variety of industries for their campaign highs and lows this year. Their answers, which follow, include a range of new and old tactics, as well as the lessons … Read more

Welcome to the wind-powered McDonald’s 

ASNF 1 month ago

McDonald’s has opened the firm’s first UK net zero carbon restaurant. The building is powered by wind turbines and solar panels and is located in Market Drayton, Shropshire.

The building’s cladding was made using recycled IT equipment and household goods, while signs were created from used coffee beans. Insulation for the restaurant is provided by sheep wool.

The fast-food company said it would be used as a “blueprint” for other sites and work has started to roll it out.

‘Net zero’ means not adding to the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.

McDonald’s new build is the first restaurant in the UK that is due to be verified as net zero emissions for construction using the UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC’s) net zero carbon buildings framework.

McDonald’s and other fast food firms have previously come under fire for their carbon footprints
IMAGE SOURCE – PA MEDIA

The problems of … Read more