Once the basic plumbing is in place — Web site and donation page — fundraisers need to get busy. This is the moment the online donation discussion can become an online fundraising conversation.
Recall the fundraising days pre-Internet. How did you get your donation forms out into the community? Some of you asked volunteers to knock on the doors. Others organized potlucks or gala dinners. Some stood near busy street corners handing out literature. These community-organizing tactics can and should be applied to your online fundraising.
There will be important differences you’ll note as you expand your online fundraising. Campaigns can be measured in real-time, providing “dream data” to fundraisers who have the capacity to make adjustments based on the information. This cuts both ways, however, as some find the information “fire hose” overwhelming. Distill your reports to key metrics that drive the bottom line: number of online fundraisers, number of donors per fundraiser, and average gift per donor.
Even though there are important differences between offline and online fundraising, I believe the similarities are more significant. Keep in mind all of the lessons learned before the Internet: People like to give to people. People need to be asked to give. Fundraisers need to be coaxed. Fundraisers will perform better if part of a fundraising team. Fundraisers need to be recognized and feel valued.
If you are enjoying this content, I invite you to search for my Digital Fundraising Podcast on iTunes and listen to interviews with top thinkers in the world of digital fundraising. If you have any ideas or comments, I’d love to hear them at philip.king@artez.com.
Philip King is president and CEO of Artez Interactive.
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Good quick overview. I would second checking how easy it is to donate online. Many NPOs don't test this. Most people won't contact your organization if they can't easily donate. They just won't. I'd also add being strategic with online communications and social networking to always focus on building relationships and think like your audience. Why should they give? Why now? Why to your organization?
Good mention of wordpress. There are some great open source solutions that don't have any licensing fees. They've come a long way and would urge your organization to check what they can get that's powerful, easy to use and affordable.
Mark
non-profit solutions
raSANTIAGO + Associates
Portland, Oregon
Thanks for the great article. This really hits home "People like to give to people. People need to be asked to give. Fundraisers need to be coaxed. Fundraisers will perform better if part of a fundraising team. Fundraisers need to be recognized and feel valued" I am going to work some of these concepts into www.raiseforfuture.com .