New Ways to Approach Online Fundraising in Tough Times
According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, online giving continued to increase in 2008, but at a slower percentage than in 2007. M&R Strategic Services reports that while the average online gift has decreased, the number of online donors has gone up, more than making up the difference for most organizations. And while online donations are still a small piece of total giving for most nonprofits, some such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society have raising a significant portion over the Internet. Some techniques that are most effective:
- Including deadlines in e-mail appeals
- Seeking small sums
- Combining text messages and e-mail appeals
- Asking corporate sponsors or like-minded charities to send ‘chaperoned’ e-mail messages on an organization’s behalf
- Using multiple channels, e.g. social networks, video, e-mail, and text messages
Many nonprofits (including mine) raise significant revenues through athletic events, such as walks and endurance type events. But the Chronicle reports this too is also getting harder, encouraging us to provide lower-cost ways to participate, adding new types of events, encouraging more constituents to actively fundraise, and aggressively seeking more participants. This article encourages us to stay positive and seek creative approaches to stay afloat. Helping supporters to raise funds through third party events is sometimes overlooked as a further stimulus to overall fundraising.
More online fundraising tips are available from Alica McKee of Sea Change Strategies at Nonprofit Marketing Guide and the Nonprofit Blog Carnival.
Tags: Chronicle of Philanthropy, lls, M&R Strategic Services, Nonprofit Blog Carnival, Nonprofit Marketing Guide, online fundraising, online giving, Sea Change Strategies