Regular programming for the Fresh Research podcast has been pre-empted this month to tackle the the issue that has impacted life worldwide the past few weeks: the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). The NonProfit Times recently hosted a webinar on mail and digital messaging to donors during COVID-19, which has led to widespread shutdowns of non-essential business in the United State and beyond, impacting everyone, including charities. Listen to the episode here.
Donors are being bombarded with messages of fear from the news and live broadcast by public officials and often feel helpless. Fundraisers have learned from past national emergencies that donors stand ready to help, no matter how dire the situation.
Paul Clolery, editorial director of NPT Publishing, publishers of The NonProfit Times and Exempt magazine, moderates a panel of seasoned fundraising experts:
- Gretchen Littlefield, CEO, Moore
- Nick Ellinger, chief brand officer, Moore
- Angel Aloma, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Food For The Poor
- Steve Froehlich, senior vice president, business analytics and optimization, ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
- Jamie Natelson, senior vice president, Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
Click here to access the episode.
The issue is messaging. Do you make reference to the emergency? How do you stay on message? Do you tinker with your creative? Which channels work best? Those are just some of the issues the panel explored during the hour-long webinar, which has been adapted to this month’s episode of the Fresh Research podcast. The panel also delves into questions from audience, including how to talk to leadership during a crisis.
Nationally, financial losses to the nonprofit arts sector are estimated to be $4.5 billion as of April 6 (up from $3.2 billion on March 20), according to surveys and studies by Americans for the Arts. Nonprofit arts organizations have experienced an estimated 197 million lost event admissions due to cancelled or postponed events.
