fundraising on the internet

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Fundraising on the Internet The Promise and Power of the Connected World A WORDSMITH WHITE PAPER by Jeff McLinden wordsmith -marketing .com

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Nonprofits are still hoping to find treasure in Internet-based fundraising solutions. Marketing consultant Jeff McLinden examines the realities of online fundraising in this White Paper from Wordsmith Marketing, LLC.

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Page 1: Fundraising on the Internet

Fundraising on the Internet

The Promise and Power of the Connected World

A WORDSMITH WHITE PAPERby

Jeff McLinden

w o r d s m i t h - m a r k e t i n g . c o m

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Fundraising on the Internet

“Salvation is at hand! No more printing and postage costs! We’ll do everything by electronic media! The Internet is the answer!”

Sound familiar? A quick word... We have yet to discover the ultimate power of the Internet for communications purposes. Web 1.0 was all about information. Web 2.0 was all about creating community. Web 3.0 is dedicated to using the power of the Internet to affect daily living — linking technologies to lifestyles and life needs. This amazingly rapid evolution will continue, so it’s far too early to predict what will happen. But please hear me on this point: You simply MUST NOT give up on everything else in fa-vor of web-based communications strategy.

The Web is a wonderful tool that presents amazing possibilities for enhancing communications ap-proaches, supplementing traditional development tactics — and even replac-ing them someday — but not now. Not yet. There remain far too many of your donors that have yet to adopt (or adapt to) the trends and technologies that are creating buzz in the market-place. That is why you must not abandon your other communications media and as-sume that you can reach everyone on the web. But you must certainly explore the pos-sibilities for ADDING these media and technologies to your communications mix.

Guess what? That makes your job even more complex, more difficult — and with even stronger payoff. For example, adding e-mail communications to your mix means

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even better segmentation of your file to identify those who PREFER to receive their in-formation via e-mail. In the same way you (hopefully) have identified other communi-cation preferences (such as frequency, medium, delivery address, etc.). Complexity should not be a deterrent, however! The Internet-based applications that have recently become de rigeur are powerful — and amazingly effective at continually touching those who participate in your nonprofit programs. In effect, such applications and channels as YouTube, FaceBook, Linked-In, Twitter, Pinterest, Squidoo and literally hundreds of others are changing the landscape of personal and community interactions.

Remember the concerns expressed even not too many years ago about “cocooning?” Remember how people had “become increasingly isolated” as a result of hours spent daily online, relegating all forms of communication to impersonal e-mails, individual entertainment choices and eschewing of social interaction? Gone are those days!

The new social media have swung the pendulum to the other extreme in which peo-ple are sharing the minute details of their lives, moment by moment, in 140 character chapters! While this may seem to many to be an absurd way to “create and share com-munity,” it is the fastest growing worldwide trend in history. To ignore these media would be foolish.

How to take advantage, however, is the question you must ask. And to be sure, a few gurus are figuring this out. And a very few nonprofits are beginning to take full advan-tage of the potential these create. One of the chief issues you should consider is how to integrate social media communications into your organization’s communications plan...

Creating Content May Mean Re-purposing Content...

Remember that the chief issue for you as a communicator is not the method of deliv-ery... Rather it is your OBJECTIVE. This is followed closely by carefully choosing your AUDIENCE and then the method of delivery. Finally, you must determine content. Content is what drives all forms of Internet communications. Whether e-mail, blogging, Tweeting, or anything else, the quality of your content is what will create either follow-

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ers or defectors. HAVING content is critical — formatting that content for the right types of delivery systems becomes a vital part of your planning and execution.

Remember the dreaded “From the President’s Desk” column that is the staple of so many nonprofit newsletters? That shouldn’t automatically translate into a “President’s Blog.” Blogging doesn’t work that way. Blogs are helpful if they’re coming from people who have personality, opinions, humor or a built-in following (i.e. they are published authors, speakers, opinion leaders or even missionaries. By the way, I say missionaries because they are typically supported financially by several hundred people who are in-terested in their experiences and the results of their mission). But those who are vision-aries or activists can be wildly successful bloggers — AND those who are leading the charge in an important cause. AHA! Your nonprofit can be successful with one or more blogs (assuming that you have more than a few followers who, like you, believe in the cause you represent).

There are opinions aplenty about what constitutes a good blog — and how that can relate your organization’s cause to the worldwide web. There are also a variety of opinions on whether blogs must actually be “current.” In your nonprofit work, I would hazard the opinion that you already have a wealth of written material that can be “repurposed” to create meaningful, relevant and “current” content for one or more blogs. It’s simply a matter of creating a content plan and map-ping out the objectives, the audience and the source of the con-tent that will be used to create your blog. Think in terms of ar-chived publications — what a wealth of articles, stories, testimonials, etc. that could provide the raw material for new blogs! Blogs demand a sense of currency — the power of immediate communications helps readers feel that they are being kept in the forefront of “what’s happening” at your organization. Blogging simply takes discipline — whether you’re creating brand new material daily (or at least weekly), or you’re shift-ing and shaping older, archived material with the same frequency.

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Consider Alternate Sites...

One of the advantages of the social media sites is your ability to custom tailor addi-tional sites on the Internet — locations where you can be found by the hundreds of mil-lions of folks who are searching for new and different things to tickle their interests. If, for example, you are new to FacebookTM, check out the options for creating sites dedi-cated to organizations, businesses, forums, etc. You can create a site for Your Organiza-tion, post all kinds of content you’d never have on your own website, provide photo and video albums, links to other content, forums, comments, etc., etc. All for a fraction of the cost of building and maintaining a decent corporate website with half the func-tional capabilities and features. But the best part is that you can develop a huge “fan base” of people who visit and promote your site to others in their own networks, simply by declaring they are a “Your Site Fan.” Think of the many ways you can keep in con-tact — and promote your cause — through such a presence on Facebook!

Have video content? Create a YouTube site! Again, the technologies permit you to reach a potentially vast audience beyond your normal base of loyal donors and part-ners. These prospects can see your latest project unfold in brief video presentations on the premier online media channel. AND you can create your own branded presence on YouTube with a selection of video content that’s designed to engage your audience and help them experience your brand!

Isn’t that really what the concept of donor-centric communications is all about? The Internet and the exploding world of social and other new media provides you with po-tentially huge opportunities to shape the experience of your donors and partners. Not only that, but you now have access to a literal, worldwide audience of prospects,many of whom are actual searching for the kind of information you can provide, the causes you promote and the opportunities you provide for participation.

Don’t forget about the potential of alternate sites hosted by search-engine friendly “hosts” such as Squidoo or HubPages. These provide you with a way to tell your story to a completely different audience and to “searchers” who can find your information on

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these popular info sites. Here’s an example of a Squidoo “lens” that was built to sup-plement the organization’s primary website:

The site contains interesting stories, photos, videos and numerous links to a “donate now” site. And these can be replicated across the Web in a variety of hosted “commu-nity sites” that are driven by advertisers who want to target people of various interests.

A Word to the Wise

The Internet is continually changing to the point that it is virtually impossible to stay abreast of every opportunity it provides to shape, hone and deliver your message to

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your audience(s). Perhaps it is the very fact that you can identify and target so many potential audiences — whether they consist of millions of “browsers” or even a very se-lect few who might have a specific interest in some aspect of your organization. This is what makes web-based communications strategies so powerful — and so vitally impor-tant as part of your communications mix.

If you do not focus on delivering value to existing financial supporters, volunteers, participants and other constituents via the Web, then you will certainly be missing op-portunities to connect with the vast majority of your followers. Worse, you will simply not “be found” by the potential thousands or millions who are looking for good causes in which to invest.

How to engage your prospects to create members, customers or donors…

Most nonprofits have, at the very least, an Internet-based engine that permits people to “give online.” For some that is a link on their website. Others are beginning to see the ad-vantages of using the same on their FacebookTM page (or pages). Still others are using donor portals that link to the organizational website. These provide opportunities for do-nors to state their preferences, con-trol their giving, etc.

One of the more popular approaches to online fundraising is to establish a presence with a third-party ‘charity site” such as Network for Good. Such sites are “aggregators”

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of charitable causes that permit site visitors to choose -- and make online donations to -- a whole variety of organizations. Sort of an online shopping mall for charitable causes as you can see in the screenshot below...

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However you choose to engage prospects and donors online, we have one word of advice:

Following up prospects, clients, and customers is the BEST way to grow your organization. The more you engage people — give them a reason to visit or to donate to your organi-zation, rather than someone else — the more success you will have.

Highly personalized marketing and fundraising activity doesn’t have to be costly or time consuming. In fact, you can take advantage of some of the most powerful tools available to reach and engage your prospects, current customers or former clients – automatically!

Use the communications vehicles that get attention and get RESPONSE! Voice mail…SMS text messaging…E-mail… Direct Mail.

Following is an example of how to design and set up your follow-up campaigns to engage your customer or prospect and lead them to a point of decision. This is a spe-cialty of my other business, Wordsmith Marketing, LLC. We love to create cross-channel marketing campaigns designed to achieve development objectives.

Micro-site Marketing Designed to Create Donors

Cross channel campaigns are starting to take advantage of Internet strategies de-signed to engage and follow-up prospects.  Often it begins with carefully selected do-main names and the creation of landing pages or micro-sites designed to capture con-tact information. Take a look at the diagram on the next page to get an idea of how some ministries are utilizing micro-sites and web-based technologies to capture leads and create donors...

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The sample above illustrates a campaign we designed for a motivational speaker to capture information at conferences, then follow-up via automated text messaging, voicemail and email messages targeted precisely to her prospects and lasting over a four week period.  The simple idea is to use these Internet based communications tools to lead prospects to the point of decision. This small, two-person organization now has a powerful front AND back-end marketing machine designed to ENGAGE prospects and convert them to donors!

When you use the Internet to build your contact base you can control the sequence of messages designed to create customers or donors.  Don’t place all your marketing eggs in one basket — use a cross-channel approach designed to FIND, WIN, ENGAGE and KEEP raving friends and donors. Find out more -- and experience how this works -- at CustomerCommunicationSystems.com.

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About the Author...

Jeff McLinden has worked in the area of resource development and mar-keting for nonprofit organizations since 1979 and has served in a variety of capacities in development and marketing management for Campus Cru-sade for Christ, the Christian Broadcasting Network and Bible Literature International. In 1988, he was awarded national recognition for exemplary service as a Development Professional by the Development Association for Christian Institutions (DACI).

As corporate vice president at McConkey-Johnston International for 20 years, Mr. McLinden specialized in marketing communications, direct mail fund raising, development publications, branding, and other market-ing strategies, and remains a frequent leader of seminars and workshops on these topics at national development seminars and conferences.

Jeff is president of Wordsmith Marketing, LLC, a Colorado-based market-ing and branding firm that specializes in unique Internet marketing strategies and founder of Raising-Support.com, an online resource and training center for missionaries and others who must raise personal sup-port for their work. He is also the author of The Successful Development Di-rector, a popular book for nonprofit fund raisers, The Nonprofit Communica-tions Handbook, Partners for LIFE! support-raising training for missionaries, and The Christian Fundraiser’s Major Donor Handbook, all of which are available at Amazon.com.

Jeff and his wife live in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

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