Online Fund Raising Tips

This is based on an ebook I have and printed and found it to be helpful and interesting. This is for those of us who have chosen the build a Website and/or page. It would also be useful for any other type of Internet fundraising but it also can help non Internet efforts as well.

Four Basic Goals:

• Make people aware of the organization
• Get people to care
• Encourage people to support this organization
• Keep people connected

Drive Traffic:
Gather email addresses at functions you attend and encourage people to register on your Website. Network with other organizations similar to yours and place your link and/or ads on their site.

Know your Audience:
Who do you want to donate to your organization?
When creating an online fundraiser you have to make a presence just as anything on the Internet to attract a   curtain company or person. Think about their age group, technological level, and Internet connection.
A site with a lot of graphics, photos, video clips, or moving clip arts may annoy a possible donor because these can cause your page to load slow.

Maintain Your Brand:
Be the same type of person online as in person. Your identity and messages should be the same online as well as in real life. It is important to maintain consistency.

Stay Fresh:
See your Website/page as a high impact communication and marketing tool. Possible donors will not have confidence in an organization that does not keep updated information.

Make it easy:
The donation process should be made easy by placing a "donate now" button or a direct link on each page.

Clear and Brief:
We as people tend to have a short attention span online (I know I do). Have the organization's mission posted on the home page. The window of time to "sell" is short.

Get Personal:
Personalize your email because every Online interaction is an opportunity to find out of the interests of each person. This can be used for your benefit. An email should be more casual, so speak to each person as your friend not just a business partner.

Make it Interactive:
Build your Online fundraiser as a community. People should be able to sign up to volunteer on the site. Let donors post messages and be able to share their reason for giving.

Keep Track:
Track email response to see what to continue doing and what to discontinue. There is software that lets you track click-throughs on email and Web pages.
Test the results by splitting your email list into two groups. Use a different subject line for each group but with the same message. This will tell you which one is opened the most. You can also track click-throughs to see which newsletter gets more views.

Stay Flexible:
Some people rather charge their donation by phone while others may want to mail a check. And there are who rather donate online. Give your visitors different payment options.

I hope you have found this of interest in some way and thank you for taking the time to read this post.

Marie
visitmarie.com