35 ways to maximize fundraising through your website

35 Ways to Maximize Fundraising through Your Website

Allan Pressel CEO/founder, CharityFinders

July 7, 2010

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35 Ways to Maximize Fundraising through Your Website

Wednesday Webinars

July 7, 2010

Every nonprofit should have a website that actually furthers its mission -- not just describes it…

Presented by:

Allan Pressel, CEO/founder

CharityFinders

877-456-3210

www.CharityFinders.com

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


© CharityFinders, proprietary & confidential, not for reproduction

1966-2006 Total Giving

($ in billions)

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006

Inflation-adjusted dollars

Current dollars

PHILANTHROPY OVER THE YEARS

Source: Giving USA FoundationTM / Giving USA 2007

Recessions in light green: 1969-70; 1973-75; 1980; 1981-82; 1990-91; 2001


Statistics – Barack Obama’s Campaign

Raised $605M

More than double McCain’s fundraising Meghan McCain: “Unless the GOP evolves as the party that can successfully

utilize the Web, we'll continue to lose influence"

3.1M donors

Mostly small donations ($25 or less)

90M YouTube video views

8M volunteers recruited online

2M Facebook supporters

Lessons for you: Social networking

Text messaging

Blogs

Outreach groups

Virtual volunteering

“It’s no accident that [nonprofits] are asking about Web sites like Barack Obama’s. The [old] order is rapidly fading.”(Tom Watson, a consultant for the Manhattan-based Changing Our World nonprofit consultancy and the author of CauseWired, a new book about the use of social media in advocacy)

Lots of short, clear e-mails

Little US mail

Great branding

Focus = solving problems, effecting change

Website: Attractive, easy to navigate, short bits of info


ONLINE FUNDRAISING TIPS

35. Get your 990 in shape

www.charitablegift.org/your-

charitable-plan/evaluating/form-

990.shtml

34. Register with GuideStar

33. Register with volunteer sites VolunteerMatch

ServeNet

AmeriCorps

SeniorCorps

Idealist

32. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

31. Search Engine Marketing(SEM)

http://www.charitablegift.org/your-charitable-plan/evaluating/form-990.shtml








Search Engine Optimization (part 1)

1. What are the key search engines?

2. How do they work?• 200+ ranking factors!

3. What can you do to optimize your search engine standings?

a. Metatags• Description (should be < 150 characters)

• Keyword

b. Choosing and Using Keywords• < 10 keywords per page

• Keyword selector tool s

• http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion

• Use keywords/phrases liberally in page title, headings, body

• Use different keywords on different pages

• Keep them updated

c. Links• Incoming

• Count your links: in Google, type “links: www.yournonprofit.org”

• Choose relevant, reputable sites

• Outgoing

• Twitter, tweets, retweets

http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion

http://www.yournonprofit.org/


Search Engine Optimization (part 2)

d. Other• Use blogs

• Submit your blog to technorati.com

• Offer RSS feeds

• Robots.txt

• Search engines prefer HTML

• Search engines prefer text over graphics

• Use alt text (on every image)

• Avoid splash pages

• Don’t use frames

• Be careful with Flash and JavaScript

• Create a site map

• All pages should be easy to navigate to (esp. home page)

• Create focused pages

• Get listed in The Open Directory Project• www.dmoz.org

• Register with search engines• Unpaid

• Paid

• Purchase your domain name (URL) for as long a period as possible

• Keep your site updated frequently

e. SEO is based on unknown and changing algorithms!

http://www.dmow.org/


Private Website Consultation

I’d like to offer each of you a free private website consultation

One hour

Consultation includes: CharityFinders’ assessment of your site

Recommendations

Building your nonprofit's most-needed functionality

In person or by webinar

Include anyone you want (e.g., ED, DD, board members, etc.)

In one location or several

We’ll contact you in 1-2 business days to schedule the consultation



30. Google Alerts www.google.com/alerts

29. Google Grants www.google.com/grants

28. Prospect research/wealth screening of your database Target America (www.tgtam.com)

27. Zillow (www.zillow.com)

26. Grant sources Grantstation

Guidestar – Grant Explorer

Foundation Center

NOZA Search

http://www.tgtam.com/

http://www.zillow.com/



25. Affiliate marketing (Shopping, travel, etc.)

24. Toolbars

23. 3rd party sites that can add needed functionality to your online and offline presence

22. Register multiple versions of your domain name (e.g., .org, .com. .net, .cc, etc.)

21. Publish your website’s URL at every opportunity



20. Develop a privacy/security policy

www.the-dma.org/privacy/creating.shtml

19. Collect e-mail addresses (for as many constituents as possible)

18. E-mail list management

17. Spam minimization

16. E-newsletters



15. Voice broadcasting

14. Ask for referrals

13. Promote your site in mailing lists and newsgroups

12. Create a disaster plan

11. Develop an Internet strategy



10. Integrate online & offline fundraising initiatives

9. Designate someone to be in charge of your nonprofit’s Internet strategy and implementation

8. Adapt organizational infrastructure and personnel

7. Issue press releases (e.g., announcing your new site, etc.)

6. Develop strategies to attract donors to your site



5. Create compelling website content – text

4. Create compelling website content – images

3. Solicit input on your site from your constituents

2. “Soft launch” versus a “hard launch”



1. Build a secure, interactive, “e-philanthropy” website


You should strive to achieve these goals for your site:•Findability

•Stickiness

•Loyalty

•Referability

•Maximum conversion rate

•Dynamism

•Positive ROI

Your website: 7 Key Goals of an Effective Website


What should people be able to SEE on your site?• Home Page (dynamic!)

• Brief description

• Calls to action

• Mission Statement

• Services/Programs

• Goals

• What’s New

• Accomplishments

• Brief History

• Issues/Causes

• Message from E.D.

• Press Releases

• Past Events

• Urgent Action Alerts

• Testimonials

• Photo Album

• Endorsements/Awards

• Donor Hall of Fame

• Privacy and Security Policy

• Annual Report

• 990

• Download Documents

• How We Can Help You

• Staff List/Bios

• Board List/Bios

• FAQ

• Links

• Contact Us

•Private/password-protected area(s)

oBoard-only area

oStaff-only area

•Multiple languages


Individual pages should include lots of images:

•Pictures

•Graphics

•Animation

•Audio

•Video


Financial (i.e., fundraising) transactions

• Cash donations

• Events

• In-kind donations

• Membership

• E-Store

• Auctions

• “Thons”

• Affiliate Marketing

• Investment donations

• Planned Giving• Bequest Gifts

• Life Income Gifts

• Charitable Gift Annuity

• Charitable Remainder Trust

• Life Insurance Gift

• Charitable Lead Trust

• Retirement Plan Gifts


Non-financial transactions

• E-mail List Signup• Volunteer• Employment• E-newsletter• E-advocacy• Petitions• E-Cards• Forms

• Public Opinion Poll• Questionnaire• Referrals• User Feedback• Web 2.0 Tools

• Discussion/Message Board• Chat Room• LISTSERV• Podcast• RSS• Wiki• Blog


Contact Information

Allan Pressel, CEO/founder

[email protected]

www.CharityFinders.com

1-877-456-3210

641 21st St.

Hermosa Beach, CA 90254


http://www.charityfinders.com/

Find the listings for our current season of webinars and register at

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Chris Dumas [email protected]

707-812-1234

Special Thanks To Our Sponsors

35 ways to maximize fundraising through your website

Business

use blogs

search engine standings

retweets charityfinders

html search engines

key search engines

use twitter hashtag

use of social media

graphics use alt text