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The Five Basic Steps to Acquiring Donors Online

May 2009 By Geoff Handy

Sure, raising money online is a bit more complicated than renting a mailing list and testing various packages on the names to see what works and what doesn’t. For starters, in the spam-challenged online world, you need donors’ permission to continue communicating with them. And to be sure, your organization can raise serious cash online without sending a single e-mail, particularly during December when many donors seek you out. Heck, you can even raise a few dollars (but only a few) on Facebook these days.

But eliminate all the jargon and the steady stream of innovative ideas, and you’ll find that acquiring donors online boils down to five key steps.

Step 1
Secure the technology
There’s little point in acquiring donors online unless you have the tools to build enduring relationships with them. Fortunately, several companies provide the tools you need to send e-mails, create donation forms, manage Web sites and host events (among other things). Linking these functions is a central database that captures every action your members take online with you.

Why is such software critical? It enables you to build relationships with your supporters online in a way that maximizes their lifetime values — by delivering timely, relevant e-mails that are likely to be of most interest to your supporters and persuade them to respond. If you’re a national group that lobbies at the state level, for example, you can e-mail everyone in a particular state to call their legislators about an important bill. If you know that one of your donors has made several gifts over the past two years on a specific issue, you can try to convert her into a monthly supporter around that same issue. By basing your e-mails, including appeals, on past actions a supporter has taken, you’ll stay relevant to her and boost your donation income.

If your organization hasn’t yet solved the tech puzzle, read technology writer and nonprofit Internet strategist Michael Stein’s excellent primer on choosing software at Idealware.org.

Step 2
Drive prospective donors to your Web pages
After you’ve invested in the right software, you can begin the work of acquisition. Every nonprofit can graph a unique pie chart showing the various sources of donors acquired via the Internet — not to mention donors who contribute online but who were first acquired via offline channels such as events and direct mail. Here’s a rundown of the most common online sources and key tips to maximize them:

 

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