building a digital fundraising strategy

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BUILDING A DIGITAL FUNDRAISINGSTRATEGY

Nonprofit Tech Summit | May 9, 2016

Emily Davis, MNM

President, Emily Davis Consulting

Senior Governance Consultant, BoardSource



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A LITTLE ABOUT ME…



A LITTLE ABOUT YOU…

30 seconds or less

Name & Org

1 Question or Challenge

1 Social Media Buzz

Word



• Fundraising essentials

• Understanding social

networks

• Digital fundraising plans

• Social media lifecycle

• Additional considerations

AGENDA



THE POWER OF DIGITAL FUNDRAISING



WHAT IS FUNDRAISING?

• Investment in a mission

• Improves capacity for impact and change

• Build relationships – “Friend”raising

• Not begging for money

• People are not ATMs



FUNDING SOURCES

Diversity is keyIndividuals

Membership

Special events

Foundation grants

Government grants

Corporate sponsorship

Earned income

Service clubs



DONORS & GIVING

BEQUESTS/PLANNED GIFTS

MAJOR GIFTSCapital campaigns

Endowment campaignsSpecial events

ANNUAL GIVING Annual campaigns

Special eventsDirect mail

Online givingMembership programs

ONSITE/FIRST TIME GIFTSNewslettersVolunteerismSocial media

Peer-to-peer giving

New gifts

Annual donors

Midsize donors

Major donors

Planned giving



LADDER OF ENGAGEMENT

*Beth Kanter

Awarenessabout service or giving

Interest in learning about service or giving

Desire to buy service from org or donate

Action when service purchased or donation is made



FUNDRAISING PROCESS

PROSPECTING Identification Preparation

CULTIVATION Build the Relationship

Engage the Donor Ask for the Gift

STEWARDSHIP Recognition Reporting Communicating Engagement



UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL NETWORKS

“Organizations don’t have to create…

social networks; they exist all

around us in a variety of forms.

Networked Nonprofits strengthen

and expand these networks by

building relationships within them

to engage and activate them for

their organizations’ efforts.”

(Fine and Kanter, 2010)



THE GOOD & THE BAD



WHY SOCIAL MEDIA AT ALL?

• Position as expert

• Connect with allies

• Collaboration opportunities

• New resources & ideas

• Develop brand

• Low cost



COMMUNICATIONS EVOLUTION

Traditionalists

Postal MailPhone calls

Boomers

TelevisionFacebookEmail

Generation X

Websites E-newslettersEmail

Millenials (Gen Y)

Social MediaWebsitesMobile

Generation Z

???

Adapt or die!

Every generation

teaches us new technology



SOCIAL MEDIA LADDER OFENGAGEMENT

Happy bystanders (Listen)

Spreaders (Share)

Clients(Money)

Evangelists (Ask)

Instigators (Create)

*Beth Kanter



MEDIA SPOKESPERSON



HAVE POLICIES



10 TIPS

1. Social media is A

tool not THE tool

2. Social media is a plant

3. Add value

4. Two way street

5. Prospecting,

cultivation, stewardship

6. Philanthropy’s next

generation

7. It ain’t free

8. Not everyone

“Diggs” social media

9. Selling social media

10. Have a plan



HAVE A PLAN

Set Purpose(s) Goals & Objectives Tools & Strategies

Implementation Evaluation



SOCIAL MEDIA LIFECYCLE

* The Networked Nonprofit, 2010



CHARACTERISTICS AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT

FIRST STEPS

• Not using social media

consistently

• Resistant to change

• Struggle with control

• Need basic marketing plan (i.e. branding,

print materials, online

outreach, etc.)

• Leadership-driven change in culture to

adopt online

engagement

1. Develop communications strategy (audience,goals & objectives, etc.)

2. Listen & develop online presences

3. Leadership initiated discussion about engagement




Characteristics Areas of Improvement First Steps

• Using 1 or more social media platforms, but not consistently

• Online presence connected to marketing goals

• Learn & use best practices• Focus on 1 – 2 social media

platforms• Need to link to campaign,

program(s), objective(s)

• Need to link goals, objectives, and activities

• Need to identify audiences• Collect data for measurement

1. Low-risk pilot program to demonstrate ROI

2. Build implementation capacity internally

3. Create/revise social

media policy4. Integrate and document

measurement data




CHARACTERISTICS AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT

FIRST STEPS

• Strategic use of multiple social media tools

• Part time or full time staff for digital communications

• Board using social media in governance

• Social media usage integrated throughout org

• Has developed relationships & technology integration

• Need more sophisticated measurement tools

• Find ways to increase involvement from staff across the organization

1. Social media staff trains & coaches other org staff

2. Research moresophisticated measurement data, tools, and processes

3. Evaluate, revise strategies4. Share success stories with

other orgs




CHARACTERISTICS

• Embracing culture of learning • Use social media data to help the leadership guide decisions

• Demonstrate clear and compelling results

• Networked with other organizations showing similar success

• Internalized social media communication best practices including:o Strategy

o Implementation

o Integration

o Evaluation




RELATIONSHIPS DON’T CHANGE

• Cultivate, steward,

& solicit

• Recognize

• Multi-channel

communications

• Meet one-on-one

• Develop

ambassadors

• Stewardship more

than solicitation

• Effective database



5 THINGS TO DO TODAY

①Make a plan

②Watch other orgs

③Attend trainings & ask for support

④Invite participation

⑤Support new ideas



PLEASE DON’T

• Ignore stakeholder input

• Make it hard to participate

• Stray from being unique

• Talk all about yourself

• Forget to acknowledge,

connect to impact



ü Social media is as much art as it is science.

ü Every org has different experiences.

ü We are all learning.

ü Social media is always evolving.

ü Ten Tips to Using Social Media as a foundation.

ü Listen and learn!



TAKE AWAY & COMMITMENT



QUESTIONS?



PRINT RESOURCES

• Fundraising and the Next Generation

• The Networked Nonprofit

• Measuring the Networked Nonprofit

• The Complete Facebook Guide for Small Nonprofits

• Twitter Jump Start: The Complete Guide for Small Nonprofits



ONLINE RESOURCES

• Beth’s Blog (Kanter)

• Nonprofit Technology

Network (NTEN)

• Network for Good

• Socialbrite.com

• IdealWare

• Mashable.com

• Alltop Nonprofit

• 4Good

• John Haydon

• frogloop



Emily Davis, MNMEmily Davis Consulting

(720) [email protected]

emilydavisconsulting.com

building a digital fundraising strategy

Government & Nonprofit