Most nonprofits get the bulk of their donations during December. So what can we do to get the word out this month?
Heavyweight Salvation Army has stepped up its digital marketing efforts, switching its radio budget to online communications. There is now an online version of the red kettle, which have already appeared at many locations I pass daily. They’ve also embraced newer tools, such as an Iphone application and have established a strong presence on Facebook and Twitter. After long relying on direct mail for new donor acquisition, Salvation Army is now focusing on online community building and on attracting younger donors through online strategies.
Convio estimates that more than 111 million constituents will donate over $4 billion online this holiday season. At last month’s Convio Summit and Blackbaud Conference (oddly held during the same week in different parts of the country), the theme was the same – web giving continues to increase, even while overall donations have dropped a bit during the recession. In his overview of online fundraising, Steve MacLaughlin suggested that we segment our audiences by generation – and communicate with them differently. He also suggested we build relationships with constituents by asking for small actions first before asking for financial help.
How do you keep up with the many communication channels now available, e.g. email, RSS, Facebook, Twitter etc. In her recent presentation at the Blackbaud event, Nten’s Holly Ross suggested we use filters to find what’s most relevant and not try to “keep up with everything.” The volume of information available through social media can be overwhelming, but we have to find a way to keep abreast of conversations that are already taking place about our organizations and our causes. Looking for a tool to integrate email with social media? Take a look at Threadsy.
What’s the fundraising outlook for 2010? According to Mal Warwick Associates, we should try to get donors to give more frequently, even if they can’t make the large contributions they’ve given us in the past. In addition, we should continue to use a multichannel approach because “the number of donors who choose to respond by writing a check will only continue to dwindle.”
Wishing everyone a prosperous end of year fundraising season.
