Slide 1

Online Fundraising

Heidi McLarenJune 16, 2008

The Facts

For most nonprofits, online donations make up less than 1% of giving

Some organizations, like United Way, who raised 247.4 million online, seem to have online giving figured out

Online giving is still climbing, but rate of growth has slowed

Pattern of larger gifts from fewer donors in 2007

Online giving grows after a crisis

People who make their first gift to charity online give 1.5x as much as those whose first gift was made by mail.

Economic Worries

Donations are failing to keep pace with inflation

More people are needing services, such as Community Action Food Bank

Older methods such as direct mail, are declining in effectiveness

Advantages

Immediacy of online donations makes donors feel their gift will get to those in need faster

Efficiency

Information, reviews and summaries can be browsed without pressure

Attraction of different donors; young, wealthy

Little time investment by staff

Problems

Smaller organizations have neither the budget, time, personnel, or audience to receive large amounts of funding online

Getting users to your site

Maintaining donors

Donor fatigue

Maintaining/updating site

Organization staff dont have expertise

Techniques

Thank yous--organization personnel should receive automatic notification of online gifts

Embedded videos in e-mails, on websites

Provide, seek out matching gifts and provide info

E-mail lists advocacy alerts, news, newsletter

Affiliate with companies, recommend products

Provide information, news center

Create a reason for individuals to visit site

Good example:Need

Options

Visual

Information

Tips

Make pitches in person, volunteers to give presentations

Have existing online donors sign others up, use online relationships

Combine advocacy with online fundraising

Test different online techniques

Get a celebrity

Year end campaigns

Visibility through social networks,

comment on blogs, news, share

organizations news

Build a dedicated, updated website

Brand yourself

Be focused and easy to use

Know audience

Be passionate

Plain speaking

Dont exaggerate

E-mail updates

Dont spam

Make donating easy, but not obnoxious

Use charity auctions

Put website on literature, materials

Participates in online discussion and forums

Ask related sites and bloggers to link to your site

Be personal

Be Personal

Fin