September 18, 2012

Institute of Fundraising

Increasing donations through your website

www.engagingnetworks.net

starting with the obvious

why it’s important• are you spending money to drive traffic to your website?

★ social media (e.g. YouTube / Facebook / Twitter)★ search engine optimisation (SEO)★ ad words / banner advertising★ tell-a-friend / social sharing

• what percentage of this web traffic are you converting in online donations, donor leads?

• is your website brochureware, or are you trying to engage your visitors?

• it’s important because you are encouraging the public and supporters to visit your website!

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• how much does your direct mail cost?• a recent study of donors by Dunham+Company found:

★ 50% of donors surveyed in 2012 said they prefer to give online when they receive a letter in the mail from a charity.

★ The proportion of donors ages 40-59 who reported giving a gift online in response to a direct mail appeal rose from 34% in 2010 to 47% in 2012.

★ The study found that websites lost ground in driving online giving: Only 11% of donors said what they saw on a charity’s website motivated a gift (down from 15% in 2010).

• direct mail donors that want to donate via your website deserve a good experience and can still be influenced to give more

one more reason....

why it’s important

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start with the basics

form optimisation• it is unlikely that an un-tested donation form will convert at more

than 15%• some of the elements that make a difference:

★ vertical versus horizonal gift strings★ one column versus two column layout★ field group order★ form length (one page / two)★ trust seal placement

• what works for one organisation may not work for another - you must test your forms

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an interesting form from charity: water•required label•no asking string•dynamic form behaviour (payment methods trigger)•single column•trust seal at the bottom

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rational versus emotional

effective story telling• donating to charity is not a rational process; successful fundraising

requires an emotional response• story telling is at the root of successful online fundraising:

★ copy writing (blog, emails, web content)★ images★ video★ games

• people are more likely to share stories• the ultimate hero of your story needs to be the donor• don’t tell the same story over and over again

•“Not long ago in a supermarket not so far away”•Cuke Skywalker•Obi Wan Cannoli•Darth Tater•launched in 2005•20 million views

now there’s a story

grocery store wars

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have you ordered the new iPhone 5?

getting mobile• over a 6 month period an animal charity generated 58,882 advocacy

letter writing actions: 5,120 were converted on a mobile device (9%)• the same charity had 3,329 donations over the same period: 150 were

converted on a mobile device (4.5%)• landing pages were not optimised for mobile• supporters are increasingly consuming your content on smart phones:

★ formatting email for mobile is critical★ email landing pages should also be optimised★ links posted on social networks★ general website optimisation is a distant priority

•simple format to render in mobile devices•single ‘ask’•view in browser option•text links and image links•tie-in to Olympics and the need for local champions

this is a good one

emails are read on mobiles

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don’t be afraid to ask

your web pages• don’t be afraid to ask supporters to donate or fundraise for you• give donors options to donate and make it easy for them• build brand trust and don’t send supporters to third party websites

to donate• build fundraising asks into other website activities (campaigning,

surveys, event registrations, etc)• thank supporters when they donate• set out a strong case for donations: why you need the money

you can’t miss this

a great example• the Arctic Emergency takes over the

Greenpeace UK homepage with a focus on direct fundraising appeals and limited options to take action

• web traffic is supplemented with email push to existing supporters

• on day one, over 1,200 transactions and almost £30,000 raised

• the takeover is continuing

www.engagingnetworks.net

getting personal

email, data, segments, content• email marketing is still the most effective way to build online

donations: build your email list• how this can be successful:

★ build lists (segments) based on interest and send conversion messages (conditional content)

★ incorporate social sharing★ pre-populate landing pages with supporter data★ automate email ‘triggers’ linked to behaviour / activity★ track and test

Find out more by

CONTACTING US

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