online advocacy and fundraising: are you doing everything you can?

Online Advocacy and Fundraising: Are You Doing Everything You Can?

Steve Daigneault, M+R Strategic Services(Amnesty International USA)

Mark Davis, Director Technical Solutions, Blackbaud

Blackbaud’s Conference for Nonprofits — Charleston | Mark Davis| Page #2


Agenda Introductions Advocacy Overview and Industry Benchmarks The “Issues Du Jour” Concept and Case Studies Connecting Advocacy and Fundraising Best Practices Blackbaud Internet Solutions Offering



Key Participant Take-Aways

Understand Key Industry Benchmarks and Trends for Online Advocacy/Fundraising Campaigns

Understand the Importance of the “Issues Du Jour” Concept

Understand Best Practices to Successfully Implement an Online Advocacy/Fundraising Campaign



ADVOCACY OVERVIEW AND INDUSTRY BENCHMARKS




Internet is an Effective Political Tool

•Anyone with an internet connection can set up a website or launch an online campaign

Ease

•An activist can learn about legislative activities instantly via email, web and mobile

Speed

•There are over 220 million U.S. Internet Users or 72.5% of our population

Reach

•Web 2.0 technologies offer new tools to link people of similar interest

Interconnection



Key Ingredients for Online Advocacy

Advocacy Action Center

A central online hub for all messaging

Email Communications

Some way to keep in touch with supporters

Social Media Program

Methods to influence online discussions



Growth of Email Communications to Capitol Hill

Congress received four times more communications in 2004 than 1995 All of the growth was due to e-mail communications

Source: CMF, Communicating with Congress, 2008



Comparing Email Response Rates

Source: M&R Strategies: 2009 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study

Advocacy –based Email Response Rates Outpace all Other Types



Online Advocacy Versus Other Outreach Requests

Online Advocacy Call-to-Actions have the Highest Response Rates




Who are Your Activists?

Most of your activists take action one-time. Need to identify and cultivate your super-activists.




Actions Yields Donations

Compares with Returning Donors who are 16X more

likely to give

Existing Activists to your cause are 7-8X more likely to give than Non-Activist

Activists Donors

0.47%

3.08%

0.07% 0.19%

Gift Conversion Rates

Returning New

Source: Charitable Memberships, Volunteering, and Discounts: Evidence From a Large-Scale Online Field Experiment , May 2009, National Bureau of Economic Research



THE “ISSUES DU JOUR” CONCEPT AND CASE STUDIES

Steve Daigneault, M+R Strategic Services(Formerly Amnesty International USA)



What is “Issue Du Jour”?

Relevance required for any online engagement No one cares about yesterday’s newspaper Make sure your message isn’t yesterday’s news Immediacy is Required for Online Advocacy and

Fundraising



Open rate: 30% (vs. 13%)Response rate: 25% (vs. 10%)

Imperfect but on-time is better than perfect but late



Show relevance: link to news articles + reports.



Real news > fake news.

DOUBLE THE RESPONSE RATE OF….



Real news requires a real plan.



Show success and movement.



advocacy + WHAT? = money

This action raised more money than a straight up appeal.



Integrate: capture them after they act.

$13K action on Suu Kyi VS. $6K appeal on Sri Lanka Same time frame, same list.



Integrate: remind them your mission needs money.

Action on 11/3 followed by appeal on 11/6

Include appeals for funds in footers of actions…

…add a P.S. to success report backs on actions.



CONNECTING ADVOCACY AND FUNDRAISING BEST PRACTICES

Steve Daigneault, M+R Strategic Services(Amnesty International USA)



Turning actions into money

News: drop scheduled stuff to respond. Tell them your plan. That Moment: after they act, ask them to give. Integrate: actions + fundraising = Oreos + milk. Case for action = case for giving: know it! Report back: even if mixed. Show success.



What about Social Media? Hundreds of millions on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube Great integration of actions = +10% lift Relevance still essential



Next Steps: Building an Program

Answer: what is happening today that most people know about that is directly relevant to my mission?

Develop a campaign around this issue / concept Set a goal: what can you achieve that will help move your

mission forward? Develop a message calendar Plan actions that go from easy to hard Tell them what happened



BLACKBAUD INTERNET SOLUTIONS OVERVIEW




Key Ingredients for Online Advocacy

Advocacy Action Center

A central online hub for all messaging

Email Communications

Some way to keep in touch with supporters

Social Media Program

Methods to influence online discussions



Blackbaud Solution Offerings Blackbaud Sphere® eMarketing Advanced™



Common Cause – Campaign Sites Use New Media to Promote Campaigns

– Map Mash-up Provides Interactivity



IFAW – Year-End Appeal

Target Appeals based on Advocacy Interest– Tie Donation to Specific Action



IFAW – Welcome Campaign Automated Welcome Campaign Series to Convert Facebook, Event, Website,

and Advocacy Subscribers to Donors Average Email Donation Conversion: 0.13% (from M&R Benchmark Study IFAW Welcome Campaign Success 10-20X Average Conversion Rates



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Thanks!

online advocacy and fundraising: are you doing everything you can?

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