New ePhilanthropy Resources From Around the Web

Posted on January 23, 2009 by Norman Reiss

Do you take the time to analyze how long visitors stay on your web site, and what paths they take?. Try these 14 free tools to find out why they leave. Crazy Egg is especially worth looking at, even though it now has a small monthly cost.

Many nonprofits are still unsure about how to approach social media. Wild Apricot’s blog offers encouragement in how to create a social media policy

Want some real statistics in how nonprofits are faring during these rough economic times. Review Target Analytics Index of National Fundraising Performance as well as The Agitator’s quick review of its findings. Why do you think animal welfare and environmental organizations are doing better than others?

Steve MacLaughlin offers an interesting look at 2008 Online Giving Trends, including more reasons to use a multi-channel fundraising approach.

Need more reasons to pursue or enhance an online fundraising policy at your nonprofit? Robert Weiner has many great resources to support your case.

Finally, Jeff Patrick at Common Knowledge offers an analysis of Mission Inspired Gifts, a combination of fundraising and ecommerce which may be worth trying at your organization. In a webinar earlier this week, Jeff explained how the messaging is critical in telling donors exactly how their funds will be used.

Online Communications – More Important Than Ever

Posted on October 30, 2008 by Norman Reiss

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:

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.
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?)
Make sure to thank your supporters often and personalize the messages – don’t just use the default auto responders that come with your software.
Find pictures and videos that tell your story, and make them available in places where your constituents are, not only on your web site.
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.
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.
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.

Web 2.0 Becoming Mainstream?

Posted on October 14, 2008 by Norman Reiss

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.

NYC Nonprofit Boot Camp – Social Networking for Nonprofits?

Posted on August 29, 2008 by Norman Reiss

More from Craigslist Foundation’s recent NYC Nonprofit Boot Camp; Big Duck‘s Farra Trompeter offered an engaging session on social networking – is this a tool that nonprofits should be taking full advantage of now?

If your organization does take the plunge, expect that it will require a 2-3 hour investment daily. A recent feature at Philanthropy Journal confirms this, also describing who is best suited to fit this role:

Knows and enjoys social media
Is tech savvy (but doesn’t have to be a geek)
Knows your organization and is committed to its mission
Has a personable, outgoing writing style

Is your main goal is to raise funds or to attract and interest current / prospective constituents? So far, few nonprofits have successfully been able to prove that the potential return is definitely worth the dedication of resources to social networking activities.

Farra recommended these first steps in Facebook:

find out whether other organizations with compatible missions are already there, and what they are doing
create fan page
create cause

Some nonprofits have been also to receive donations through text messaging, although this also is a relatively new initiative. Twitter is already used by nonprofits such as Red Cross and ASPCA to distribute information.

Starting and maintaining a presence on social networking sites confirms the trend that your constituents may never find your organization’s web site, so why not go to where they already are?

Listening to the Groundswell

Posted on August 14, 2008 by Norman Reiss

Probably the best book I’ve read on how the Internet has changed our world is Groundswell, Similar to my posting last week on how donors are bypassing traditional nonprofits to make direct contributions, authors Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff define groundswell as a social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like corporations.

The main idea is how organizations can use tools such as blogs, social networks, wikis, forums and other web 2.0 technologies to listen and to communicate with customers. Many examples are offered such as Salesforce’s IdeaExchange and Dell’s IdeaStorm where customers participate in an online community to help develop products. This is a very different approach to how communication and branding have traditionally been handled since no longer is the organization controlling the messaging vehicle and the content.

How can we apply these ideas to nonprofits? By engaging with our constituents all year, not only when we are seeking a donation. By having a presence on social networking sites. By communicating through blogs and paying attention to what others are blogging about our cause. By rewarding constituents who not only support our organizations, but also spread the word to others.

It’s not so important that we figure out which tools we should use, but instead utilize whatever technologies are available to connect with our audience. As the authors point out, Even though you may have a clear vision of what the company needs to do, getting the company to embrace the groundswell will take a lot of small steps and a lot of time. The first step is to find others in your organization who already understand the value of these strategies and can help win management support, which is essential for successful implementation.

See the Groundswell blog for more ideas on how to get started.

Using Social Networking Sites to Attract Constituents

Posted on August 23, 2007 by Norman Reiss

At the quarterly Not-for-Profit Webmaster Round Table meeting this week, I initiated a discussion on social networking, stimulated by Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal article, A New Generation Reinvents Philanthropy. In addition to the popular MySpace and Facebook sites, the article mentioned many new ways in which our supporters are finding to raise money for their favorite causes.

David Milner, who has run the webmaster group for several years, raised an interesting question. If pages are created on these new sites and successfully generate interest in the organization, this will hopefully increase traffic to the nonprofit’s main web site. But if the nonprofit maintains the MySpace and Facebook sites while neglecting its own web site, how will this come across to the constituent? I also asked – how does the nonprofit decide which content to put on these sites while making sure there is consistency with its own web site?

The social networking sites present an interesting opportunity for us to engage a new audience. It is likely that visitors will seek out an organization on these new networks before visiting an organization’s main web site. So we’ll need to make sure that our nonprofits have a presence on these new sites while also keeping our own web sites fresh. This will be a challenge, but it’s easier to go where our constituents are than hope that they’ll find our organization web sites.

In addition to MySpace Impact and Facebook’s Causes, other sites mentioned in the article that are attracting interest especially among younger constituents include Change.org, DoSomething, Firstgiving, GiveMeaning, Kiva and SixDegrees.

Tips on Raising Money with Facebook

Posted on August 17, 2007 by Norman Reiss

Carie Lewis, Internet Marketing Manager at the Humane Society recently blogged about her organization’s success in using Facebook on Wild Apricot’s non-profit technology blog. Major points:

Through collaboration with Project Agape, which runs the Facebook Causes application, they’ve had success in connecting with constituents who are active in other nonprofit organizations with similar missions
MySpace or Facebook? Although it’s a bit early to know for sure, so far they’ve had more success with fundraising on Facebook and advocacy on MySpace.
In addition to Facebook Causes, they’ve also participated in applications available at Change.org and Care2

Many specific suggestions in getting the most in engaging constituents through Facebook are in the blog posting, Using Facebook to Spread Your Message.

An interview with Project Agape staff about Causes Facebook is available on the Non-Profit Tech Blog. Causes has raised over $300,000 in only a few months of operation!