non-profit organizations: children

1

Non-Profit Organizations:Non-Profit Organizations:ChildrenChildren

Juan Cukier Rui Li

Francis Montet Theo Nicholas

Jeffrey Pany

2

“Much of the next millennium can be seen in how we care for our children today.

Tomorrow's world may be influenced by science and technology, but more than

anything, it is already taking shape in the bodies and minds of our children.”

--Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations

"Every minute, somewhere in the world, three children die of vaccine-preventable

diseases”--Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's

Fund

3

General Non-Profit Organization General Non-Profit Organization FactsFacts

There are more than 620,000 non-profits organizations in the US– Over 30,000 of those deal directly with children

including the top ranked non-profit organization The top 5 non-profits ranked by revenue are:

• YMCA ($3.25 Billion)• Catholic Charities ($2.31 Billion)• Salvation Army ($2.08 Billion)• Red Cross ($2.06 Billion)• Good Will ($1.5 Billion)

There are several categories of children’s non-profit organizations…

Source: NonProfitTimes: www.nptimes.com -- November, 1999

4

Major Players by CategoryMajor Players by Category

Adoption AgenciesAdoption.comThe Adoption Exchange Maine Adoption Placement Service

Disease and Disabilities

Association of Birth DefectsThe National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities

Kids on the Block Inc.

Poverty, Relief,

and Welfare

Second HarvestCare USAFood for the PoorCatholic Relief Services

Rights

Children NowChildren’s Defense Fund National Children’s Advocacy Center

5

Children’s Non-Profit OperationsChildren’s Non-Profit Operations

Many are run completely by volunteers

Most operate completely on donations– Majority of these donations come from

corporations and International agencies– Donations offer tax-breaks because of 501(c)3

status

Most are just starting to develop an online presence

6

Online Front Page SamplesOnline Front Page Samples•Nation’s first comprehensive interactive child welfare database

•Functions as an one-stop information resource for potential donors

•Less dynamic, single purpose site

•Plays on emotions through use of photographs

7

How Do They Attract People How Do They Attract People Online?Online?

Direct mail (most) News features in media (some) Links from community service award sites (some) Links from sites with similar causes (most) Corporate affiliations (some-CareUSA w/Delta Air) Word of mouth (all) Search engines (all) Physical presence of local branches (some) Community events (some)

8

Targeted AudienceTargeted Audience Primary donors vary with cause:

– Adoption: Parents seeking adoption or parents looking to put a child up for adoption

– Disease/Disability: Generally parents of a child with a disease/disability. Also attract researchers and educators.

– Poverty, Relief, and Welfare: “Growers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers…(donators) primarily of surplus food” (Source: http://www.secondharvest.com)

– Rights: Parents, children, educators, researchers, activists In general these organizations are looking for moderately

wealthy people who are sympathetic to the various causes. The focus is on people who already have some kind of motivation.

9

Advantages To Being OnlineAdvantages To Being Online

Another forum to distribute information/ promote cause– Expands community reach

– Information is available 24/7 Offers another forum for donations

– Site advertising can also generate revenue Reduces costs by providing documentation online Provides anonymity for sensitive topics (adoptions,

abuse, etc.) Charity websites have become an industry standard

10

Advantages of Being Online (II)Advantages of Being Online (II) Online sites also offer new alternatives for generating

revenue– Shop & Support

Program (MAPS)

example

Source: http://www.shopandsupport.com/front.asp?pageid=hw

11

Sample Donation ScreensSample Donation Screens

•Persistent automatic pop-up screen

•Link buried within the site

12

Incentives For Customers to Incentives For Customers to ReturnReturn

Subscription to newsletters (all) Online donation capabilities (most) Extensive archives, statistics, and databases

(CWLA.org, Adoption.com) Links to resources within the community (most) Direct communication with sponsored child Updated legislative information (Children’s Rights

Council) Free Internet Services (eg free e-mail at adoption.com)

13

Professional advice for parents, children and educators (most)

Emotional photographic stories (Children Now) Virtual tours to projects overseas (Care USA) Online store (NCAC, AdoptShoppeBooks.com)

– Videos, books, interactive training, publications, etc. Online specialist consultation (Birthdefects.com,

Adoption.com) Multilingual support (Habitat for Humanity, UNICEF)

Incentives For Customers to Incentives For Customers to Return (II)Return (II)

14

Suggested Strategic MovesSuggested Strategic Moves

Personalized pages, with customized news articles– Include detailed information about the use of their

donated money Offer more sophisticated donation strategies (eg

automatically charge yearly donations,etc.) Increase links and ads to major corporate donors Become more of a portal to attract a larger audience

– Offer children review services on: toys, movies, medicine, books, etc.

15

One click donation– Currently, visitors have to provide personal detail as

many times as donations are made Distance learning

– Offer courses and conferences for parents and schools Negotiate reciprocal linking with similar sites Promote tax benefits

– Provide updated information on tax reductions for donors

– Offer customized online calculations to show how it would affect their taxes

Suggested Strategic Moves (II)Suggested Strategic Moves (II)