116. SPN (Some Personal News)
Optimizing your content for humans AND machines; How to create evergreen (fundraising) opportunities; Building an Ad with AI tools
A very warm welcome to all the new subscribers. I’m thrilled to have you as readers and truly appreciate your feedback and support.
I’ve been back in the skies again today, so I’ve got travel on the mind!
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In this week’s SPN:
Capturing the urgency of Emergency fundraising to enhance your evergreen strategy.
Create an ad using AI.
How to optimize your content for humans AND machines.
Jobs that took my fancy this week.
Let’s do this!
If Content is King…
…then context is the Kingdom.
Feed the machines your context. Make it easy for Google and Bing to crawl your site. Your content needs optimized as much for humans as for machines.
There’s a ton of crap content on Org websites right now serving zero purpose, obviously written by AI (and not edited for even basic considerations like tone/sense/value) and creating a sub-optimal donor experience.
Donors need content that’s engaging, thought-provoking, and informative. Otherwise they’re going to get it from elsewhere. Your Org needs to solve the donor’s search query and sustain their interest throughout the process. Time on site and “terminated user’s search” are strong SEO signals.
If you don’t know what donors are searching for start there. And have that inform your content marketing strategy.
Here’s the content optimization checklist that’s helped me drive a ton more qualified traffic to websites because we’ve gotten the technical bit right, as well as the storytelling. Take a look:
Content Optimization Checklist
#1. SEO metadata
No, this is not for SEO ranking. It’s to improve clickthrough rates when your article shows up on Google. Treat it like ad copy - it must be compelling.
Title: Craft a compelling title with your target keywords. Though not a direct ranking factor, it's bolded in search results and should include a CTA.
Description: Treat it like ad copy, hook donor interest so they click.
URL: Ensure it matches your target keywords. Avoid duplicate page structures and refrain from including years in URLs. For example, if you’re targeting “SPN post checklist” do “/SPN-post-checklist”
#2. Schema markup
Implement schema types like Article, BlogPosting, and Breadcrumbs so your content displays on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). If yours don’t, some other Orgs will which means prospective donors won’t be seeing you.
#3. Original images
Every image should have a descriptive Alt attribute for SEO visibility and accessibility. Don’t just lazily say “image of UI.” Describe the key elements as if someone can’t see them.
Break up or replace large amounts of text with visuals (I’m guilty of not doing this enough in SPN)
Stock photos? Nein danke!
#4. Content length
Aim for a minimum of 700 words, adjusting based on:
Competition: If competitor Org’s are at 1,000 words, write a more thorough article that’s 1,500+ words.
Query specificity: A shorter article is probably sufficient if the keyword is super specific. If it’s broad, like “donate to cancer charity,” then a very broad and thorough article is likely required.
Relevancy: And don’t just add random nonsense like AI blog post writers seem to do. Instead, add contextually relevant sections and examples to round it out.
#5. Table of contents with anchor links
For longer articles (1,500+ words), add a table of contents to make it easy to jump to what donors care about.
Use anchor links throughout the content for easy navigation. Google indexes these, which is a nice plus since you’re also enhancing donor experience (UX) and it’s providing valuable data to you.
#6. Heading structure
Use only one H1 - the article's title, ideally with the target keyword.
Add supporting text under each heading to add context.
Use H2s, H3s, and H4s appropriately.
Make headings compelling. You have to keep them interested.
#7. Internal links
Internal links are extremely important. Many SEO experts say they’re more important than backlinks.
Ensure every page has internal links leading to and from it. This helps in crawl efficiency and contextual relevance.
If you have a long article targeting a high-level keyword, each section in that article could link to another dedicated blog article (ex: X Programs and their Impact to date, How we select where to deploy X funds).
Aim for articles to have 7+ internal links by cross-linking related ones.
#8. HTML elements
The goal is make articles more scannable and easier to consume, increasing time on site and the chance they terminate their search with your article (and maybe donate).
Use lists, tables, and accordions to capture featured snippets.
#9. YouTube embed
Ideally, pair each article with a complementary YouTube video. In fact I’d prioritize the other way around. YT first then a complementary post.
Embedded videos act as backlinks and will increase your Org’s visibility on both Google and YouTube.
#10. Clear, compelling CTA
Add clear CTAs throughout the article to turn readers into donors. This immediately leads to better interaction metrics and conversions.
Add contextually relevant lead magnets (email subscribe/volunteer sign ups/community event invites) to each article.
Add popup modals that trigger based on time on the page (a few minutes) or scroll depth (>50%).
I’m hopeful you’ll find some helpful nuggets in this list that you can action and drive more conversions to $$, and attract some lifetime supporters.
Explore Nonprofit Tools & Platforms: Link
Create an Ad using AI
Many SPN reader’s will know by now that I love to take inspiration from outside of our sector. And you’re 8 steps and 6 tools away from making a full AI cosmetic ad! You can obviously focus your prompt away from a perfume bottle and toward any topic - the step-by-step is the same.
I’m trying not to get too hyped up by the release of new AI tools. New tools are being released almost hourly. Sure, they offer a glimpse into the current tech ceiling but quality isn’t everything.
I’m more interested in practical use cases for these new image or video generators.
And I found an amazing example: a fully AI-generated ad for a fictional cosmetic brand. Below I dropped a link and screenshot to the final video followed by step-by-step visual tutorials across different tools used.
It was created by Heather Cooper, an AI educator who I’ve been learning from for awhile now as I’ve attempted to unlock some creativity using gen AI tools.
How can you achieve similar results?
1. Generate a Detailed Prompt: Use a prompt enhancer like Flux Prompt Enhancer Glif to create a detailed prompt.
2. Create Images: Input the detailed prompt into FLUX Realism LoRA to produce the images you need.
3. Generate and Animate Videos: Ask Claude to create three video prompts, then use these prompts in Runway Gen-3 to generate animated videos from images.
4. Find Music: Use the “Search by Video” feature on Epidemic Sound to find music that fits the mood of your video (requires a paid subscription).
5. Use Canva Template: Search for a cosmetic ad template on Canva, replace the template videos with your own, and customize the design. A Pro subscription unlocks more templates, but you can also design from scratch using the free plan.
6. Edit Your Video: Upload your video clips and music to Canva, then arrange and edit your video.
7. Add Transitions and Adjust Speed: Add transitions between frames and adjust the speed of clips to ensure a smooth flow.
8. Sync Video to Music: Use Canva’s Beat Sync feature to time video clips with the beats of the music. Adjust the volume and add fades as needed.
Was this impossible to do a few month’s ago? Not really. The only “new” tool here is FLUX. You could manage with Midjourney or Stable Diffusion as well, but from experience FLUX’s prompt adherence and text rendering is just better.
And why am I sharing this? Because it has never been easier (and cheaper!) to create content. This ad isn’t meant to air on TV in prime time or serve as a blueprint for a global fundraising campaign.
But it can be extremely helpful for stretched marketing and fundraising teams or mid-sized Org’s that don’t have access to in-house production teams.
Nobody on your team needs to be a “professional AI enthusiast” to follow the guide above. I’m amazed how far a little dedication to playing around has gotten me (non-technical) in the short time I’ve been tinkering.
Jobs & Opps 🛠️
WFP: Programme Manager
United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC): Senior Director, Annual Giving & Digital Fundraising ($124,086 - $157,589)
British Red Cross: Senior Digital Engagement Platform Manager (£43,485 – £52,897)
Methodist Health System: Director, Development
National Resources Defense Council: Senior Vice President of Membership & Development Operations ($300,000 to $320,000)
Procom: VP, Head of U.S. Foundation & Corporate Citizenship
World Wildlife Fund: Senior Director, Oceans Communication ($140,000 - $201,000)
rePurpose Global: Head of Marketing & Brand ($200,000 - $250,000)
The Rockefeller Foundation: Director, Strategic Comms & Media Relations ($176,000 - $236,000)
Climate Group: Board Director
Great Ormond Street Hospital (UK): Senior Innovator (£47,329)
Doctors Without Borders (MSF): Deputy Chief Communications Officer ($173,720 to $269,265)
UNICEF: Community Health and Nutrition Advocacy Team, Intern (Paid, full time)
Bowel Cancer UK: Head, Public Fundraising (£48,000 - £50,000)
British Heart Foundation: Innovation Manager (£55,000 - £60,000)
“Inspiration” from Emergencies to Drive Evergreen Fundraising
Many Org’s rely on the majority of their revenue being driven by 3 “calendar date types.”
Emergency Fundraising
End-of-Year
Giving Tuesday (Cyber Week)
In last week’s SPN #115 I went pretty deep into how I approach Cyber Week.
Cyber Week (and EOY) are highly competitive and expensive. Thankfully they can’t be organized or owned by a single Org. And nor can they be an evergreen strategy where you just talk about them week in week out all year round.
On the other hand, Emergency Fundraising is unique to our sector. And for those Org’s who currently don’t activate around Emergencies because you work outside of “Disasters” it might be worth considering a different tact for fundraising.
Emergencies can be a very useful donor acquisition vehicle, admittedly with iffy retention. In fact, how to retain donors who have given during an emergency is a whole other topic worthy of another SPN.
But how can Org’s replicate emergencies’ unique acquisition elements in the Donor Lifecycle and improve retention, and make it part of an evergreen strategy?
In other words, how can we take “inspiration” from the urgency and relevancy an emergency offers and fold that into a go-to-market approach for our overall fundraising strategy?
To donors, an emergency is likely 3 things:
- External: they boost awareness of a topic, with a specific Org showing up in paid searches when a person wants to “donate to Ukraine.”
- Relevant: those donating to the emergency cause feel somehow empathetic and moved by it.
- Forgettable: most emergencies collect 50% of the money in the first 12 hours, with donation volume drying out entirely after three days.
The externality and relevance of emergencies make them a perfect acquisition vehicle. Some Org’s try to replicate them by leveraging stories at the top of the news agenda, and attaching their message to it. I received a good example of this recently from the Black Lives Matter Foundation when Kamala Harris was first announced as the Democratic nominee:
I suspect this may have worked on some level for their fundraising and provided a little boost, but it still isn’t quite evergreen.
Building a Campaign Structure
So within this context here’s how I leverage the news cycle and drive relevancy (and $$) among different audiences.
1. Create a list of micro-emergencies at the community/local level that are relevant to your cause.
These aren’t emergencies on the scale of an earthquake measuring a 7 on the Richter Scale per se, but chances are the people who are searching for them on Google and reading about them are more interested than the average person.
If your Org is working on planet-related activities, micro-emergencies can be weather-related news (heat, wildfires, rainfall).
If your Org is supporting children, micro-emergencies can be news of a local outbreak of some infection.
If your area of focus js animal shelters, micro-emergencies can be flooding or an electricity black-out.
These micro-emergencies comprise a list of targeting triggers for paid media campaigns.
2. Separate them into two types: Media and Situation.
- Media triggers e.g., keyword list comprised of “news, excessive, heat.”
- Situation triggers e.g., actual temperature/wind/rainfall rules. You can later use them in your Google Ads campaigns.
Here’s an excellent guide on implementing the Bid by Weather script and integrating the Open Weather API.
3. Once you have the list of triggers, set up 50 display ad campaigns in your Google Ads account applying both “media” and “situation” triggers and excluding your current donors. (I just picked 50 because I’m in the US and that’s one for each State I fundraise in).
- SPN Tip: If situation triggers don’t apply to your Org, add an extra layer of keyword targeting with words such as “local” or applying an exclusion list of all the large, nationwide media sites, keeping only the local news channels in the mix.
- SPN Tip 2: The ideal setup is even more granular, with individual ad groups by DMA within each campaign. However, it’s more complex to manage, so only doing it for States that tend to drive most of your revenue.
- SPN Tip 3: Consider overlaying lookalike audiences of your current emergency donors to increase the conversion rate.
4. With this campaign structure in place, set a budget at $1 per day per campaign, turning all of them on and adding an automated rule to send you an email if any one campaign becomes limited by the budget.
If triggers are set up narrow enough, it’ll only happen if there’s a local emergency – then you can manually increase the budget. After one or two manual iterations, if/when campaigns perform, increase the “default” minimum to $10 or $50.
Creative Variations
For creative, these variations could be helpful to you:
Local triggers set for excessive heat e.g., “Organization X is working hard so every day never becomes as hot as today.”
Local triggers set for strong wind e.g., “Winds 10x stronger destroy the lives of X people every year. Organization X is working to provide them relief.”
Running as a part of your overarching evergreen setup, the above campaign structure will provide a handy acquisition vehicle for one-time donors.
Yet in order to prolong the lifecycle of these newly acquired donors beyond the first donation, pursue these 2 additional tactics:
Lead all clicks from “micro-emergencies” campaigns to a dedicated landing page not used for other campaigns.
Put all the donors who donated on this page into a separate email cadence, sending them one email a week for 3-5 weeks showcasing your organization's impact on solving the larger macro emergencies. Include an “Upgrade to a monthly donation now” CTA only in the last email of the cadence.
Set up a separate retargeting audience to capture all the people who clicked on the micro-emergencies ads but didn’t donate.
Once a year, run a 2-week-long campaign to this audience with the message of “raising $1,000,000 to the cause of X”, and include a dynamic donation tracker on the landing page.
SPN Tip: Instead of using the dynamic tracker, test a message like “Upgrade to a monthly donation and we’ll match your contribution for one month up to $X.”
That’s all for today!
Let me know how you get on. If you enjoyed this edition, please consider sharing with your network. Thank you to those that do.
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