(Thanks to Lauren Miller of Blue State Digital for some of this great content)

Online Fundraising

What We’ll Cover

• Who’s Online and What Are They Doing?• What It Takes To Raise $ Online• Internal Organization• Step-By-Step Guide• Case Study

Who’s Online?

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project April 2009 Survey

What Are They Doing?

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project April 2009 Survey

What It Takes To Raise $ Online

• A great story

• Some good luck

• A clean website

• Supporters who can help carry your message

• A solid theory of change

Internal Organization

Field/Organizing Communications

Fundraising

OnlinePresence

Internal Organization

• Online fundraising is about money, but also about intense internal cooperation

• Coordinate fundraising across channels– new media, phone banks, field, direct mail

• Communications and field– Can provide great stories to highlight for

fundraising– Assist with list-building and fundraising asks

Step-By-Step Guide

1. Build your email list2. Know your list3. Tell your story4. Make your ask5. Maximize your website6. Track & engage7. Additional fundraising methods

1. Build Your Email List

• Collect email addresses through:– Petitions– Pledges– Donations– Tell a friend– Social networking sites– Offline activities

• Partner with organizations who have a similar mission and goals to do an email swap

2. Know Your List

• Where did the people on your list come from? Why did they join? What are they expecting?

• Did they sign-up based on a particular petition or cause?

• Segment your list:– Interests– Donors v. non-donors– Recent donors v. lapsed

donors– New donors v. reoccurring

donors

3. Tell Your Story

• Invite a conversation with your supporters

• Use voices and personalities from your organization

• Be creative – and use both email and web

• Share what’s happening out in the field

• Ask supporters for their input and FOLLOW UP

4. Make Your Ask

• It's not just about donating – it’s about empowering and providing a way to take action

• Set goals and deadlines

• Plan around key milestones

• Use personal stories as often as possible

• Take advantage of breaking news

4. Make Your Ask

• Be transparent. Tell your supporters what you want to do, what it’s going to cost, and what change will result from their donation

• Start with a small ask (e.g., $10 or $25)

• After people donate, slightly increase the amount in the next ask (e.g., $50 or $75)

5. Maximize Your Website

• Make it as easy as possible to– Donate– Signup for email

• Engage and empower your supporters

• Share personal stories throughout your site

5. Maximize Your Website

• Content on your site should match the content in your email campaign

5. Donation Page

• Make it as easy as possible for supporters to donate

• Don’t stand in the way!

• Thank supporters after they donate

• Use a targeted landing page to encourage donors to share with friends

6. Track & Engage

• Monitor your initiatives and track the progress

• Segment your list and conduct A/B testing

• Keep the conversation going – provide updates/ action items

• Expect a drop-off rate with email addresses and donors

• Continue to build and refine your list

6. Track & Engage: A/B Testing

• Gives a better picture of what does/doesn’t work so you can maximize future asks

• Things to test (one at a time)– Subject line– Sender– Phrasing of the ask– Small graphic– Length of email– Placement of donation link

6. Track & Engage: Metrics

• Different types of metrics to look at:– Open rate– Click-through rate– Average donation– Number of donations– Increase in donation amount– Forward to a friend

7. Additional Fundraising Methods

• Splash page (home page takeover)• Name the fundraising campaign• Feature personal stories• Text-to-donate campaigns• Match two donors and introduce them to each

other• Dollar for dollar matching• Recurring donations

Case Study: Oxfam

• Background Info: November, 2008, the economy was terrible and Oxfam’s appeal was generating 50% of last year’s total, even though the audience had grown by 50%

• Instead of continuing their standard end of the year appeal, they decided to focus on a single problem: 100 million more people went hungry in 2008, and they gave it a name: the Global Hunger Epidemic

Case Study: Oxfam

• A/B email test: (A) referred to and (B) did not refer to the financial crisis as a challenge in their work. Email B outperformed A, so they didn’t mention the crisis in their appeals

• Set a public goal of raising $2m online by Dec 31. Promoted it in email and web copy, along with a thermometer graphic

• Created a short video and included it on landing pages

Case Study: Oxfam

• Added two appeals to schedule without sending more messages by replacing an e-newsletter and a yearly giving appeal

• Included a hint of guilt-inducing language in last email of the year

• Added a home page takeover during December (only displayed once per visitor using cookies)

Case Study: Oxfam

• Results– Increased end-of-year

giving by almost $200,000 over 2007

– Brought in over 3,500 more donations

– Exceeded their goals

Case Study courtesy of M+R Strategic Serviceshttp://www.mrss.com/oxfam-eoy-2008-fundraising.pdf

Contact Info

New Organizing Institute(202) 558-5585info@neworganizing.comwww.neworganizing.comwww.twitter.com/neworganizing