Online Fundraising
Best Practices
Funding Your Mission in a Rapidly
Evolving Digital World
April 21, 2014
A little about me
Caryn Stein
Content Strategist, Network for Good
Mission: Empower and inspire online
fundraisers.
Reach me: @caryn74
A little about Network for
Good
Network for Good helps nonprofits raise
money online with easy, affordable online
fundraising tools and training.
The State of Online Giving
2013 Distribution of
Donation Dollars
Nonprofit Website
- Branded
Peer to Peer
9%
7%
12%
Portal Giving
54%
18%
Nonprofit Website
- Generic
Employee Giving
Donation Growth Rate by Channel
Online Fundraising by Channel
Online Fundraising by Channel
The giving experience
matters.
Online donors convert at a
higher rate and give more
with a personalized,
consistent giving experience.
Online or off, your
fundraising must:
Tap into emotion.
Make it easy to take action.
Get social.
Tap into emotion.
americanbar.org
To get the most out of online fundraising,
you still need to:
Make your cause personal.
Be specific.
Clearly show the impact of a donation.
Make it easy to
take action.
The average attention span in 2013:
8 seconds
The average attention span in 2000:
12 seconds
The average attention span
of a goldfish:
9 seconds
http://www.statisticbrain.com/attention-span-statistics/
Get social.
Use technology to amplify other
voices.
People on the front lines of your work
Fans who will champion your work
People with credibility and authority
who can attest to the quality your work
Optimize for
Online Donations
5 Donation Page Musts
1. Feature one clear call to action that emphasizes
why your mission is critical.
2. Connect the donor to your cause with a
compelling photo, plus your branding and
message.
3. Offer well-positioned recurring gift options.
4. Keep your form short and uncluttered – the
more fields to fill out, the higher the abandon
rate.
5. Include social proof like testimonials, tickers or
ratings.
Work Your Website
5 Ways to Instantly Improve
Your Nonprofit Home Page
1. Feature an emotionally-engaging image.
2. Include a 2-second statement that instantly
conveys who you are and what you do.
3. Provide clear, intuitive navigation.
4. Feature a big, bold donate button.
5. Offer an easy way to engage people whose
interest has been captured (like an email
signup).
Leverage Social
Power
6%
Technology enables people’s most trusted sources those perceived as their peers - to be the most
influential and amplified messengers.
We are no longer the messengers in chief.
Being Socially Smart
Set up a listening station
Maintain a consistent brand and voice
Share more than you ask
Use social media as a testing lab
Empower your champions by giving
them the right tools and content
Be Mobile Ready
Your cause must be
mobile-friendly
Email Opens by Platform
December 2013
Desktop
31%
Mobile
51%
Webmail
18%
Source: Litmus Email Analytics
Your cause is mobile, whether
you are ready or not.
How do you start?
Take inventory of how accessible your nonprofit is
via mobile.
Learn how many of your visitors arrive via mobile.
Recognize the opportunity (the chance to reach
people more immediately) and the constraint
(mobile experiences need to be simple and easy).
Optimize for easy giving and pledging.
Remember:
Technology doesn’t inspire
people …
YOU
DO!
Questions?
Online Fundraising Learning Center: fundraising123.org
Free Nonprofit Webinars: nonprofit911.org
Digital Giving Index: onlinegivingstudy.org