Apr 25, 2021 | Non-Profit Network
We had another successful retreat with area nonprofits.
Mark Dalton, FHCCA Treasurer, gave a full presentation on the GiveSmart auction software. This technology is available to Nonprofit Network members for an additional $100 per year.
Vicky Derksen, FHCCA Membership & Marketing, gave a brief presentation on volunteer recruitment and retention. This was followed up with an open discussion where various participants contributed ideas.
Tammy Bell, FHCCA Vice President, discussed the future of the Nonprofit Network and the benefits of joining as a member. There are some valuable resources that are offered for those who become members.
The meeting wrapped up with a discussion about shared resources among our nonprofits, led by Dori Wittrig, FHCCA President.
CLICK HERE to view the recorded retreat.
For questions about this network, please email us at iLoveFountainHills@gmail.com.
Feb 13, 2021 | Non-Profit Network
Does your Nonprofit organization send a regular newsletter?
A newsletter is one of the most important communication tools you have, and it probably won’t cost you a penny. With a newsletter, you show up in the inboxes of your audience and members, prompting them to make an easy connection with you regularly.
OPEN RATES
Open rates for newsletters sent from Nonprofits average 25%. That means if you send a newsletter to 100 people, you could get around 25 people to open it and read it. That doesn’t sound great, but it’s much higher than the 6% open rate that corporate emails get! That low percentage never stops them from sending emails and newsletters all the time!
FREQUENCY
How often should you send a newsletter? Mailchimp, one of the free newsletter companies (if you have under 2,000 subscribers) says that people are more inclined to open your emails if you send four per month rather than one per month. However, you have to find what makes the most sense for your organization. For example, FHCCA only sends a newsletter on the first day of every month. Occasionally, we’ll send an additional one mid-month if we have something important and timely to announce. This works for the way our organization operates and with the expectations of our membership. We average a 57.6% open rate, proving that this frequency works for our audience.
CONTENT
If you are going to take the time to put together a newsletter, it is important that you respect the time and attention your audience is going to give to them. These tips will help you create something they appreciate and enjoy:
QUALITY CONTENT
Create content that your audience will appreciate. Help them get to know your organization better, give them a glimpse behind the scenes, share important news, give them links to relevant content, etc. Keep your paragraphs short and double and triple check for spelling (use Grammarly.com to help).
PHOTOS
Some newsletters get away with not having any photos, but people are far more attracted to relevant photos. Your organization’s logo should always appear at the very top. Share photos of your volunteers, your leadership, your events. If you need to use stock photos, check out websites such as Pixabay, Pexels, and Unsplash for free images.
No silly cat memes…unless your organization’s name is Fearless Kitty! However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t inject humor…or even a meme. Just make sure that it is relevant to your organization and your audience.
VIDEOS
People love videos. You can create your own videos on a smartphone, or make them professional quality if you have the means. You can even share relevant (that is the keyword) videos from YouTube. Don’t waste their time with videos that are not important to your message.
LINK BACK TO YOUR WEBSITE
While you have your audience’s attention, be sure to give them ample opportunities to click over to your website. Share an important page, like how they can join, and provide a link. Create a blog post that you can talk about in your newsletter and share the link. You get the idea.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Many people look for these in your newsletter. They want to follow you on Facebook or Instagram. This gives you a chance to reach them as they scroll every day.
BRIEF AND TO THE POINT
Only say what needs to be said in your newsletter. People have shorter attention spans than ever. If you have a blog post, write two sentences about it in your newsletter to pique their interest, then provide a link back to it if they want to read more. If you have numerous topics to cover, be sure to create a solid headline for each topic, or number them. Make it as easy as possible for people to read.
RESOURCES
There are numerous newsletter platforms out there, so it’s important to do your homework and comparison shop. Constant Contact is a great resource, but there is a monthly membership fee. Mailchimp and others like it are free if you have less than 2,000 subscribers.
At this time, FHCCA uses Mailchimp. I’ll be honest and say that we tolerate Mailchimp simply because it is free. It has some frustrating limitations that probably exist so that you’ll decide to upgrade for a fee. It can also land in a lot of Junk boxes when sent to subscribers and there is nothing you can do about that. However, it meets our needs right now and allows us to communicate for free. Do your research to find what fits your needs.
Feb 13, 2021 | Programs
The origins for our Nonprofit Network reach back to 2019 as we brainstormed ways to bring together the local nonprofit leaders to network in a meaningful way. As we were trying some new things, the pandemic hit, and everyone was thrown into the world of the unknown.
We started getting an idea of the new challenges our friends in other nonprofits were facing, and the idea for a quarterly retreat solidified. We hosted our first one in September 2020 with a dozen local leaders. We shared the vision for the Nonprofit Network, explained FHCCA’s role in the community, and asked them to share their challenges and victories.
Our second retreat was held virtually in January 2021 with 24 participants. Here is what we shared:
- Why your website is your most important marketing tool and how to treat it as such.
- How to leverage social media for free marketing and greater exposure in the community.
- How to communicate directly to your audience/members with a regular newsletter.
- Why an event calendar on your website is so valuable and how you can sync it with Fountain Hills Live (soon to become Desert Vibe).
- Why it’s crucial that you set up all these accounts with a general organization email instead of someone’s personal email.
The feedback we’ve received on this second retreat has been amazing. A couple of the organizations who have extensive experience in these areas also shared tips from what they have done, too.
If you are a leader or volunteer of a local nonprofit and you would like to attend our next retreat in April, please reach out to us at iLoveFountainHills@gmail.com.
We also have a separate section of this website dedicated to this program. CLICK HERE to learn more.
Jan 12, 2021 | Events
We partnered with the Fountain Hills Art League to sponsor their 2021 Juried Art Show. Like everything else of the last ten months, it was a different experience this year, but the art that is submitted never fails to leave an impression.
The competition was judged by artist Julie Gilbert Pollard. You can see her great artwork HERE.
Here are the winners of this great event:
BEST IN SHOW
Antonia Lowden: Abstract Painting #1
PHOTOGRAPHY & DIGITAL IMAGING
1st Place: Lloyd Tarr with “Golden Glow”
2nd Place: Alan Magazine with “Giant Argentine Cactus”
Honorable Mention: Ken Lundgren with “Desert Paired”
DRAWING- PASTELS, INK, CHARCOAL & PENCIL
1st Place: Joan Rand with “The Little Painter”
2nd Place: Marjorie Barritt with “Great Horned Owl”
WATERCOLOR PAINTING
1st Place: Kay Meyer with “Guatemalan Abuela”
2nd Place: Kay Meyer with “Head for the Hills”
Honorable Mention: Jackie Kinsberry with “Pods a Plenty”
ACRYLIC PAINTING
1st Place: Mary Ann Grace with “For an Open Mind”
2nd Place: Carol Ofsthun with “Reflecting White Flowers”
OIL PAINTING
1st Place: Shelly Hackett with “Diego”
2nd Place: Kari Hogden with “Hat with Flowers and Feathers”
Honorable Mention: Patricia Muscarello with “Prickly Pear”
Honorable Mention: Bonnie Schweihs with “Maya”
MIXED MEDIA
1st Place: Antonio Lowden with “Silent Observers”
OTHER MEDIA
1st Place: J. Rothenstein-Putzer with “Cityscapes-Downtown”
2nd Place: Lee Carlson with “Abundance”
Honorable Mention: Lee Carlson with “Twisted Sister”
Honorable Mention: Sandy Dionisio with “Beach, Seashells, and Waves”
For more information and to view the winning pieces, visit http://www.fountainhillsartleague.com/2021juriedshow/
Dec 28, 2020 | Membership
The Fountain Hills Cultural & Civic Association, also affectionately known as “I Love Fountain Hills”, has been serving the community for four decades. Our purpose is to develop, promote, and operate programs and activities that will preserve and enhance the cultural, civic, educational, and social qualities of Fountain Hills.
Right now, we are doing that through 16 different programs and committees.
- Community Band
- Community Chorus
- Community Garden
- Civic Affairs
- Dark Sky Association
- AED Program
- Greening of Downtown
- Non-profit Network
- In-Home Concerts
- Munch & Music
- Leadership Academy
- Poinsettia Tree
- Public Art
- VisionFH
- Encore for More
- Fountain Hills Community Foundation
FHCCA provides these programs with the infrastructure that is necessary to do what they do. This comes in the form of non-profit status, banking, accounting, insurance, website, some marketing, mailbox, and other benefits. Each program has a representative who sits on the FHCCA board of directors.
Your membership allows us to continue offering these important and valuable services. Please consider becoming a member today for as little as $25 for the year. Your donations are also important to us and allow us to do more to make our community a better place for all.
CLICK HERE to become a member today.
