Is your website still relevant?

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Norman Reiss

Not too long ago, the main website was the centerpiece of an nonprofit’s communications strategy. This is where your multiple audiences (constituents – both current and prospective, partners, job seekers, other nonprofits) went first to learn about your organization. Now most nonprofits have a Facebook page, twitter stream and blogs to maintain in addition to the website. Since we don’t know where someone may read about us, how can we effectively utilize all these platforms?

In my view, the website still must come first. Maintaining a current, informative web presence which truly meets the needs of your visitors is an ongoing process which requires contributions from multiple departments. It’s useful to view your website from the perspective of someone who has never seen it before. Can they quickly understand the mission of your organization? Does your home page offer multiple pathways which correspond to the different parts of your constituent base? (Having a site search function is helpful, but this shouldn’t be the main way that visitors find information.)

Most of us have been through a website redesign process during our career, and it’s usually not an easy process. By the time we’ve finally launched our new site after many rounds of internal debate about what issues / areas should be highlighted, it’s no wonder that many organizations then ignore the website until the next major redesign, by which time it’s badly out of date. Tip – make sure that staff understand the nonprofit’s major priorities, especially when they shift during times of change. If the website isn’t clear, this may indicate that all staff are confused about your focus .

Why are social media tools like Facebook and Twitter often the first stop for information about a nonprofit? Because by their nature, these channels have more current information and often contain details that haven’t yet made it on the organization’s website. Social media posts also include links to news about your cause and other nonprofits who are doing similar work; website pages often talk only about your organization.

It’s always been difficult to maintain an engaging website, especially now when there’s so many other online platforms. Don’t wait for the next redesign to look for ways to improve your site, both in making sure your content is kept up to date and striving for a navigation which meets your visitors’ needs.

P.S. Don’t forget to check your website versus your social media channels for consistency, i.e. one shouldn’t conflict the other.

What’s New in ePhilanthropy

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Norman Reiss

When developing a Facebook strategy, remember that your constituents don’t just want to hear about your organization. Andrea Barry explains how she adapted Idealware’s strategy to appeal to supporters’ desire to ‘be social.’

Planning a new website? Beaconfire reminds us to pay attention to content early, and to incorporate content into the wireframes. Techsoup also provides this overview into the redesign process. Big Duck suggests we put someone in charge of content creation. (Here’s my recent post on developing a content strategy.)

This week, I launched a new campaign for my organization through a combination of email marketing, website and social media strategies. It takes a lot of coordination, but you can’t just rely on one channel to get the word out. Read more tips on integrated marketing from Convio and EMC.

How often are you sending bulk emails? Hopefully you have some type of communications calendar. And don’t forget to review the statistics after your email goes out. Is your audience actually taking the action you are encouraging them to do? See also these ideas for email marketing to seniors.

Today is Mother’s Day. In addition to showing your mother how much you love her, also post her picture to support a new campaign to demonstrate that our parents want to protect Medicare benefits not only for themselves, but for their children and grandchildren.

What’s New in ePhilanthropy

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Norman Reiss

Most of us are still figuring out what works and what doesn’t in social media. For help in developing conversations instead of one-way communications, review John Haydon’s 16 Ways to Get Comments on Your Facebook Page and Robin Stephenson’s Twitter Community Organizing Rules for Non Profits. Especially on Facebook, you’ll need to try different approaches before you find out what works best with your constituents.

Having engaging content to share in our multiple communication channels is a continuing challenge. Per Kivi Leroux Miller, here’s how ASPCAPro Manages Content Creation, which reinforces why regular editorial meetings / calendars are so helpful in developing ideas and planning your outreach.

If you think you’ve heard it all about storytelling, consider M&R’s Storytelling and the Art of Email Writing. Hint – you need to understand what motivates someone to give before you can write effective fundraising copy. Veteran storyteller Andy Goodman provides more tips in Storytelling: The First Best Thing.

If you’re always wondering what day/time is best for emailing your constituents or posting on social media, view HubSpot’s recent presentation The Science of Timing, as well as Blue Sky Factory’s When is the Best Time to Send Email. And don’t forget to integrate social media into your website so you use one channel to support the other in building your audience.

Finally, Jeff Brooks offers 20 Ways to Be Donor Centric which includes some familiar but useful reminders such as paying attention to the content and promptness of your gift acknowledgements.

Notes from Latest Benchmark Reports

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Norman Reiss

Two major benchmark studies were released at the recent Nonprofit Technology Conference: the e2011 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study (#11NTCbenchmarks) and the Nonprofit Social Network Survey Report (#11NTCBench). If you haven’t yet had a chance to digest their contents, below are some major takeaways:

When analyzing email marketing statistics, a high unsubscribe rates will often be accompanied by a high response rate. With overall open rates of emails declining, it’s a continuing challenge to get subscribers to open and read your email messages. So look at all your statistics; don’t panic if you suddenly see a rise in unsubscribes
Do you give an option for monthly gifts whenever you ask for one-time donations? Other than by large nonprofits which seem to do the best in this area, many US based organizations seem to neglect this strategy – or forget to pay special attention when communicating with these donors
9 of 10 nonprofits now have a presence on Facebook, but use of Twitter seems to be leveling off (my take – what’s good for other nonprofits may not be best for you. I’ve seen Twitter often succeed better in creating a buzz and raise visibility than relying mostly on Facebook)
While most nonprofits aren’t raising significant funds on Facebook, many of the organizations that are doing the best in raising money are small. So if you dedicate the budget and staff, you can get good results
Many nonprofits focus on commercial networks such as Facebook and Twitter; only 13% of those surveyed have private / house networks which are used mostly for program and service delivery (my take – even though they’re initially harder to create, house networks have the strong advantage of being totally under your control; Facebook can and does change its rules often, and still makes it difficult for you to extract email addresses of those who like your page.)
Few organizations have yet shown concrete hard benefits from measurements such as ROI to validate the use of social networks; soft benefits such as increased organization visibility and non-financial supporter engagement are mentioned more frequently.

How can you use these statistics to tweak your online strategy? With an overall email churn rate of 18%, it’s critical that we always be thinking about ways of building our supporter base. While website and email marketing still predominates, it’s clear that the most successful nonprofits use a variety of techniques to engage current constituents and to attract new supporters. Social media can help, but it shouldn’t be done in a vacuum. Pick a few channels to focus your efforts, test some new approaches to see how they work, and get ideas from what other nonprofits are already doing successfully, especially others in your vertical. As both reports show, results often very dramatically between sector, e.g. international organizations whose results are often skewed by fundraising for emergencies.

For even more statistics, review the Online Giving Study, also presented at the recent Nonprofit Technology Conference. Many slides and recordings from the event sessions are now available at Nten’s NTC page.

See you at NTC This Week?

Posted on March 13, 2011 by Norman Reiss

This week I’ll be at the 2011 Nonprofit Technology Conference, where a record crowd of nearly 2,000 will discuss how nonprofits can optimize their online strategy. Below are some sessions which look particularly interesting:

Stop Chasing Rainbows: Enduring Success In a Shifting Online Landscape (Fri 3/18, 10:30 – 12 Noon) - Jascha Franklin-Hodge will review how we can integrate social media, location based services and mobile to engage supporters
E-mail Design Workshop – Don’t Let Bad E-mail Code Ruin Your Day or Your Results (Fri, 3/18, 3:30 – 5 PM) – email is still the primary way to communicate with stakeholders, and Shana Masterson and Sean Powell will discuss how we can get the best results
Sneak Peek at the Third-Annual Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report (Fri, 3/18, 3:30 – 5 PM) – I helped prepare last year’s report, which is sponsored by Nten, Common Knowledge and Blackbaud. Even if you can’t attend this preview, you’ll be able to download the report soon and attend follow up events to discuss its findings.
It’s Not Direct Marketing If You Can’t Track It! Analyzing the Social Web (Sat, 3/19, 10:30 – 12 Noon) – Social media can be fun to participate in, but you have to be able to show your management how it’s helping. Brenna Holmes will offer some tips.
2011 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study Release (Sat 3/19, 1:30 – 3 PM) – Nten & M&R Strategic Services‘ annual study looks at online messaging, fundraising, and advocacy data from 36 nonprofit organizations; you’ll be able to download this report too, but it’s fascinating to hear the analysis

The biggest problem you’ll probably have at the event is deciding which session to attend – since this is the largest NTC ever, there are even more choices this year. In addition to these tips from Yesenia Soleto, don’t deliberate too much about what to pick. But I’ve found that you can quickly get a feel in the first 15 minutes whether a session is matching your expectations; if not, feel free to go elsewhere. And don’t fret if your first choice is overcrowded and you need to select an alternate session; this happened to me last year and the ‘other’ presentation turned out to be fascinating. Also consider which sessions will be recorded or covered later through follow-up webinars.

If you’re in town early or staying after the conference, consider visiting the US Holocaust Memorial Museum (I’ll be there Wednesday) or attending Penguin Day to learn more about open source software.

Can’t attend the conference in person? You still still participate through the Online NTC.

Don’t forget to thank Holly and her staff for putting this event together. They work hard year round to make this a special experience for all of us. Hope to see you later this week in DC.

What’s New in ePhilanthropy

Posted on March 5, 2011 by Norman Reiss

If you’re convinced that integrated fundraising / marketing would help your organization but are finding it a challenge to implement, read these tips from Convio on how to break down your silos. Also listen to this week’s free webinar from Fundraising Success on Strategies for Seamless Integration Across Fundraising Channels. If multiple departments maintain their own calendars of constituent outreach activities, this is a good place to start by using an integrated calendar (and keeping it current).

Email isn’t dead yet, and many of us are still asking questions about what’s too much and how can we increase open / action rates. For help, see 14 tips for making your nonprofit email more effective, Make sure you think carefully about the subject line (which will affect whether or not readers decide to open your message) and test for stronger email performance. Here’s more ideas on how much communication is too much. Struggling with content ideas for your next enewsletter or direct mail piece? Try these three stories every nonprofit should know how to write.

After this week’s announcement of the upgraded iPad, is it time to retire the PC in favor of laptops and tablets? Seems to me that having a real keyboard is still helpful, especially on mobile phones which continue to boom.

If you’re planning to re-do your website, consider first what platform will serve you best, such as WordPress or Drupal. The newly updated Idealware Field Guide to Software for Nonprofits is also a great reference.

Coming next week – a preview of Nten‘s Nonprofit Technology Conference, which I’ll be attending later this month.

Need Job Description for Integrated Fundraising / Communications Position?

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Norman Reiss

If so, consider these suggestions from Internet Management for Nonprofits, which offers a detailed competency profile for a Manager / Director of Integrated Fundraising. As the authors suggested, I feel that communications must be an integral part of this role, so I’ve added a few items:

detailed knowledge of multiple fundraising channels: e.g. direct mail, telemarketing, ephilanthropy
can apply and utilize database segmentation techniques
ability to work well across departments when developing integrated fundraising / outreach initiatives
collaborative work style – supports and celebrates team successes
strong listener – able to ask and utilize others’ feedback
conflict resolution skills to negotiate conflicting priorities of multiple groups
curiosity and insight into overall organizational goals
strong connection with / customer service skills when interacting with donors
can encourage colleagues to update online communications content and to actively promote organization
unafraid of taking risks to experiment with new programs and adjust approach when needed

Fundraising is enhanced by clear and consistent communications. The nonprofit that is able to integrate these functions will be more successful in connecting with its audience, presenting a unified message to supporters and in blending traditional organization structure into a true multichannel strategy.

Why You Need to Connect Advocacy with Fundraising

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Norman Reiss

When planning your integrated communications / fundraising calendar, you may offer several opportunities for your constituents to take action on issues your organization is supporting, as well as scheduling fundraising appeals throughout the year. You probably have a department that focuses heavily on advocacy, while another group is involved primarily in development. But as will be clearly demonstrated during the upcoming Advocacy Live virtual event, you will get the best results if you connect online advocacy and fundraising, also detailed in this white paper available from Amnesty International, Blackbaud and M&R Strategic Services.

If you examine open rates and click-thru statistics from your email marketing (you are regularly looking at these, right?), you will find that advocacy focused communications consistently outperform other types of emails such as enewsletters and financial appeals. Advocates for your causes often feel strongly about showing their support, and may often respond favorably to a fundraising ask at the same time that they are taking action to sign an online petition.

Per the white paper, these are your strongest targets for fundraising appeals:

repeat activist who took action in the last 24 hours
current donor who took action in the last month
“super activitist” (took 6 or more actions in last year)

As I’ve discussed here, your constituents view you as one organization, not as multiple departments with differing goals. If you’re still operating in silos (see Beth Kanter‘s inspiring book, The Networked Nonprofit), you’re missing an opportunity to allow your strongest supporters to help you in more than one way. Online strategy works best when its a joint effort from many parts of your nonprofit.

Thoughts for a New Year

Posted on December 31, 2010 by Norman Reiss

If there’s ever a good time to get a major snowstorm, it’s probably the week between Christmas and New Years, when many of us are either off from work or working a lighter schedule than usual. Fortunately, the temperatures in NY have been rising in the past few days, so maybe I’ll be able to move my car soon from where it’s been parked since last Sunday :>). (Even if I could get it out, where would I park it when I return? These are times to be grateful if you have a garage or driveway.)

For those of us in nonprofit, late December is prime fundraising season; I hope you’ve been successful with your year-end appeals. But it’s also a time to take stock on what your organization has achieved in the past 12 months, and what you have planned for 2011. Make sure to tell your constituents what their support has allowed you to accomplish, and thank them for their help.

In the past few years, I’ve worked for a large nonprofit, as a consultant to smaller organizations, and as a staff member of a consulting firm that services nonprofits. Recently, I’ve also helped a startup foundation to create the essential building blocks: donor database, email marketing outreach, website. Immediately after the holidays, I will begin a new full time position with Jewish Funds for Justice. So how can you help your nonprofit to succeed in 2011?

Take the time to develop a compelling case for giving. Just because your organization does great work doesn’t necessarily mean that others will want to donate. Hank Rosso’s Achieving Excellence in Fundraising is a great resource if you need help.
Online products are great, but you won’t get the full benefit if you don’t involve your staff in selecting and implementing new tools. Make sure you’ve planned to provide the training and ongoing support to help your employees to get the most from new software.
If your organization uses consultants, make sure they take the time to understand your needs before recommending any solutions. But it’s also your responsibility to clearly define your requirements so the consultant can best address them.
Develop a content strategy for what online platforms you will be on, and how frequently / what type of information will be placed on each (and who will create it). Social media is very popular now, but your nonprofit still needs to have a website that fully explains its mission and how you’re serving your target audience.
Get to know your supporters. Trying to build a list quickly without segmenting on interests will make it difficult to prepare targeted communications. Organizations like Care2 and Change.org can help you reach constituents who are most likely to be interested in your cause.

Finally, make the best of whatever curves come your way. While this week’s snow was an inconvenience for many, I saw some people enjoying skiing on the beach in Coney Island and others taking advantage of the opportunity to slow down for a few days.

Have a healthy, peaceful and joyous 2011.

Nonprofit Bridge

Bridging Technology, Communications & Development to Implement ePhilanthropy for Nonprofit Organizations

Category Archives: ephilanthropy

Is your website still relevant?

What’s New in ePhilanthropy

Need Job Description for Integrated Fundraising / Communications Position?

Why You Need to Connect Advocacy with Fundraising

Thoughts for a New Year