The Backyard Philanthropist

It’s that time of year when everyone is thinking about year end appeals and donors have that fuzzy sense of giving in their hearts.  We get a lot of calls from the nonprofit community on why to start online fundraising or how to start.  The task can be daunting and we are here to help guide you through that process using our own online fundraising solutions and to introduce you to other effective resources to leverage your offline / online cultivation.

Sit back, this won’t be painful.  This is an excerpt taken from my new radio show The Backyard Philanthropist that airs every Saturday at 3pm on Talk1410 where I put my co-host, Dave Brindle through Pincgiving’s Fundraising Bootcamp.

Who is giving online?

-    Baby Boomers – (1946-1962) account for 52% of online giving
-    Generation X – (1963-1980) account for 30% of online giving
-    Silent Generation – (1901-1945) account for less than 15% of online giving

Why give online?

-    Easier than writing a cheque
-    Faster way to provide support (especially things like disaster relief)
-    It can be anonymous
-    They like recurring donations

Develop a strategy.  What is the main goal?

-    Expand Online Giving Opportunities
-    Grow database of emails and contacts

How are you going to accomplish this?

-    Optimize website and donation page
-    Monitor your online reputation (what are others saying about your organization?)
-    Increase your visibility online (internet marketing and SEO)
-    Use email marketing to build relationships and drive traffic back to your website
-    Analyze and measure – revise tactics – and optimize strategies.

The Donor Experience

-    Make sure your online donate now button can be found with two seconds from each page on your website.
-    Be sure your donation page is informative and tells donors what the funds will be used for, and why it is important.

Turn offs for donors – some stats:

-    2 in 10 people cannot find where to donate
-    4 in 10 people don’t donate because of poor design, cluttered pages, and unintuitive layout
-    4 in 10 people cannot find the information they need or find the website content unclear

How to optimize your Donation Page (the basics)

-    Ensure your donation page matches your website (donors do not like to be redirected)
-    Offer both one time and recurring donation options
-    Offer anonymous donations
-    Offer tributes or memorial gifts
-    Offer supporter designation for specific programs

How to build relationships with your donors or subscribers

-    E-Mail Communications (targeted to interests, donor level, etc.)
o    Using an Email Service Provider will allow you to track statistics, click through rates, opens, opt-outs etc.
-    Thank Donors
-    Follow up with donors after the fact to let them know how their donation was used, and how it was helpful.
-    Ask your donors how they would like to receive communications, how often, and about what topics.

Other Online Fundraising Resources

Social Networking Sites  (Facebook and Ning)
Blog
Peer-to-Peer Fundraising  (PincGiving and SocialGiving)
Life On Purpose Network

Here are a few additional Tips

1.    Create a strategy and implement Tactics
2.    Incorporate Relevant content (keeping your donor’s preferences in mind)
3.    Make sure your donors can find your donate now button within 2 second of being on any page of your website.
4.    Ensure your donation form is clear, easy to use, informative and matches your website
5.    Make sure your website shows up in search engines
6.    Make sure to put your website on every bit of marketing material – both online and print.
7.    Track your E-Communications and try different approaches to see what works
8.    Use Online Video and imagery to tell a story online