Online Fundraising Best Practices

Funding Your Mission in a Rapidly Evolving Digital World April 21, 2014

A little about me

Caryn Stein

Content Strategist, Network for Good Mission: Empower and inspire online fundraisers.

Reach me: @caryn74

A little about Network for Good

Network for Good

helps

nonprofits

raise money online with easy, affordable online fundraising tools and training.

The State of Online Giving

12%

2013 Distribution of Donation Dollars

7% 9%

Nonprofit Website - Branded Peer to Peer Portal Giving

18% 54%

Nonprofit Website - Generic Employee Giving

Donation Growth Rate by Channel

Online Fundraising by Channel

Online Fundraising by Channel

The giving experience matters.

Online donors convert at a higher rate and give more with a personalized, consistent giving experience.

Online or off, your fundraising must: Tap into emotion.

Make it easy to take action.

Get social.

Tap into emotion.

americanbar.org

To get the most out of online fundraising, you still need to: Make your cause personal.

Be specific.

Clearly show the impact of a donation.

Make it easy to take action.

The average attention span in 2013: The average attention span in 2000: 8 seconds 12 seconds The average attention span of a goldfish: 9 seconds

http://www.statisticbrain.com/attention-span-statistics/

Get social.

Use technology to amplify other voices.

People on the front lines of your work Fans who will champion your work People with credibility and authority who can attest to the quality your work

Optimize for Online Donations

5 Donation Page Musts

1. Feature one clear call to action that emphasizes why your mission is critical.

2. Connect the donor to your cause with a compelling photo, plus your branding and message.

3. Offer well-positioned recurring gift options. 4. Keep your form more fields to fill out, the higher the abandon rate.

short and uncluttered – the 5. Include social proof like testimonials, tickers or ratings.

Work Your Website

5 Ways to Instantly Improve Your Nonprofit Home Page

1. Feature an emotionally-engaging image.

2. Include a 2-second statement that instantly conveys who you are and what you do.

3. Provide clear, intuitive navigation.

4. Feature a big, bold donate button.

5. Offer an easy way to engage people whose interest has been captured (like an email signup).

Leverage Social Power

6%

Technology enables people’s most trusted sources those perceived as their peers - to be the most influential and amplified messengers.

We are no longer the messengers in chief.

Being Socially Smart Set up a listening station Maintain a consistent brand and voice Share more than you ask Use social media as a testing lab Empower your champions by giving them the right tools and content

Be Mobile Ready

Your cause must be mobile-friendly

Email Opens by Platform December 2013

Desktop 31% Mobile 51% Webmail 18%

Source: Litmus Email Analytics

Your cause is mobile, whether you are ready or not.

How do you start?

Take inventory of how accessible your nonprofit is via mobile.

Learn how many of your visitors arrive via mobile.

Recognize the opportunity (the chance to reach people more immediately) and the constraint (mobile experiences need to be simple and easy).

Optimize for easy giving and pledging.

Remember:

Technology doesn’t inspire people … YOU DO!

Questions?

Online Fundraising Learning Center:

fundraising123.org

Free Nonprofit Webinars:

nonprofit911.org

Digital Giving Index:

onlinegivingstudy.org