Nonprofit Bridge

A few nonprofit organizations I’ve spoken to recently have told me that in the light of the financial crisis, they are reconsidering the need for positions responsible for online communications, particularly the web site.  In a recent survey by the DMA Nonprofit Federation, respondents expressed an expectation for smaller gifts and fewer individual donors during the upcoming holiday season.

In my view, this is exactly the time to utilize online communications strategies to reach out to constituents, many who have demonstrated in the past will continue to support our causes even during tough economic times.  Below are some ideas to stimulate online fundraising and engagement:

1. Give your web site a fresh look with new examples about how your organization has been effective.  Sharing a personal story is always more effective than a general appeal.
2. As Seth Godin suggests in Flip the Funnel, appeal to your strongest supporters to spread the word about your work.  (Do you have a segment of these constituents already created that you can email to separately from your general email list?)
3. Make sure to thank your supporters often and personalize the messages – don’t just use the default auto responders that come with your software.
4. Find pictures and videos that tell your story, and make them available in places where your constituents are, not only on your web site.
5. Examine your web site statistics to find out which parts of your web presence are receiving the most attention – then actively keep this content fresh and stimulating.
6. Take the time to develop multiple email templates that can be used quickly by non-technical staff – and make sure the branding is consistent with other types of communications.
7. Don’t be afraid to use newer technologies such as blogs and social media.  Not all constituents will respond to the same approach, so why not use many techniques, especially when they can be setup without much financial investment.

Is this the time to cut back?  No, more than ever, this is when online communications is critical to surviving until the financial situation improves.

I’ve learned much of what I’ve learned about ephilanthropy and using online tools for attracting and engaging constituents by participating in webinars from several organizations which are usually provided at minimal or no cost.  Some of my favorites are:

Nten – always has a full schedule of pertinent topics, such as this week’s session on how to get executive buy-in for technology projects.  The most cost effective way to participate is to purchase a block of three sessions or purchase an unlimited pass through 2009.

Idealware is the place to go to learn about software for nonprofits and also offers online seminars.  Try out a free session on Online Communications on a Shoestring next week.

Fundraising123, a service of Network for Good, always has interesting teleconferences available, usually for free,  If you can’t attend at the time they’re given, you can download slides and MP3 recordings and listen to them on your MP3 player, as I’ve recently started to do.

My suggestion: take advantage of the learning opportunities available and make sure that you participate in the discussion, either through online chat or phone chat.  Most presenters encourage interaction, and this is how you will get the most value from the information provided.

Although I have moved all posts, previous comments to items posted from January 2007 through October 2008 can be viewed here.

This recent OnPhilanthropy article suggests that Web 2.0 technologies are now in use by all ages of Internet users, not just the young.  More ‘traditional’ email appeals aren’t having the same impact, with open rates dropping to 14% in the latest Convio Online Marketing Nonprofit Benchmarking Index Study.  Facebook Causes and YouTube’s nonprofit channel have started to play a large role in online fundraising and constituent engagement.  Yet Harry Lynch of SankyNet says the email is not dead yet in this AFP article, Isn’t Email Just Like Regular Direct Mail—But on Steroids.

Nten’s WeTheMedia Project offers an interesting challenge this month to Create the Ultimate Nonprofit Social Media Toolbox, categorizing web 2.0 tools by:

• listening - monitoring conversations, using RSS readers and social bookmarking
• participating - commenting on conversations
• sharing your story - using blogs / podcasts and sharing photos / videos
• spreading awareness, generating buzz - accessing ‘crowd sourced’ news and content, using micro media to broadcast content to targeted communities, and using a ‘life stream’
• social networking for action and fundraising - using social networks and fundraising widgets / applications.

My take: when even the value of email communications is being questioned, it’s time to sit up and pay attention to the many new ways a nonprofit can develop ongoing relationships with its constituents.

Addendum 10-15-08
Social networking expert Beth Kanter offers How Much Time Does It Take to Do Social Media, – apparently enough to fill a full time position.

Since learning about search engine optimization (SEO) techniques at my first nonprofit job, I’ve long been a fan of Jill Whalen and her site High Rankings.  Below are her tips for what not to do on your web site which appeared this week on SearchEngineLand:

1. JavaScript or other crawler-unfriendly navigation that may impede indexing.

2. Navigation that buries important pages within the site architecture. The deeper that pages are buried within the website, the less importance they are given (and the less likely that visitors will find them).

3. Same content appears under multiple URLs, often caused by content management systems.

4. No keyword phrase focus in the content or conversely, keyword phrase stuffing. Keyword phrases must be used within the content and must be different for each web page.  You can’t use the same phrases all through your site.

5. Only optimizing the home page for search engines, but not paying attention to interior pages.  When your site visitors find your site through search engines, many won’t enter through the home page.

6. Additional domains owned by the company are not properly redirected.  Jill suggests using 301 redirects to the main web site.

My additional tip: if you’re planning a web site redesign, make sure you pay attention to SEO during the process not as an after thought after the new design has been rolled out.