Tag: ePhilanthropy

Five things nonprofits should know about Facebook’s Timeline layout

Mondays with Marissa, technology

Facebook. What started out as a way for college students to find out more about their friends, has turned into one of the most powerful social media sites ever.

This week, Facebook introduced some new tools for managing your agency’s Facebook page. Let’s take a look at 5 things you need to know about “Timeline for Pages“:

1. Choose a powerful Cover Image. The new Timeline layout allows organizations to highlight their mission through a captivating photo at the top of the page. You will still have a profile photo that will be seen elsewhere on the site, but now the cover photo is a way to feature your latest event or mission in action. You can even create cover photos that supporters can download and use as their own cover photo on their personal Facebook page.

2. Tell Your Story. Facebook allows you to now fill in important dates in the history of your organization by using the new “milestones” update. This is a great way to expand your “about” section and bring it into the Timeline. Consider sharing when your organization was founded, when it reached a great fundraising goal, when your agency won an award, etc. Another approach might be to share important milestones in the history of your mission.  For example, if there was important legislation passed that the impacted your organization, this could be noted on your timeline.

3. Messages. Facebook users can now message you directly. The person does not need to “like” your page to be able to communicate with you behind the Facebook timeline. This is important to note because it is yet another place for a staff member to check regularly.

4. Goodbye landing pages. In the past, users used to be able to set up a static page that would welcome users to their page. This page would disappear if the user “liked” the page giving further access to content. With the new timeline layout, this is no longer possible. Facebook is turning the focus to direct contact with users, so content needs to be engaging in order to entice a first time visitor to your page.

5. Pinning is not just for pinterest. With each story you post onto your timeline, you have the option to highlight it “above the fold” on your page. Click the pencil icon that appears when you hover over the top right-hand corner of a story. Doing so brings up a box where you can choose to pin your story to the top. This is different from highlighting a story which stretches the story across the entire page.

These are just a few of the changes that will occur with your agency’s Facebook page once the conversion over to “Timeline” is complete. As of March 30th, all Facebook pages will be transitioned to timeline. If you want to preview how your page will look after the conversation, click the notice at the top of your Facebook page when you log in. You can preview the page until March 30th or until you publish it to the public.

Along with the layout changes, Facebook is making changes to the marketing side of your agency’s page as well. You can read up on those changes in this TechCrunch Article.

The new Timeline feature changes the focus of yoru Facebook page to sharing stories. How are you planning to tell the story of your non-profit organization using Facebook’s new tools? Let’s brainstorm in the comments below!

And the Oscar goes to . . . Take Two

Fundraising, technology

Yesterday, we talked about how donors are like a Hollywood movie and act as a mirror for your non-profit organization (e.g. reflecting what you’re about, who supports you, what messages resonate and which ones don’t, etc). If didn’t get a chance to read that post, click here and check it out. Today, I want to extend this conversation and talk about the power of testimonials and using video to capture them.

If you watched the Academy Awards on Sunday, then you may have noticed the myriad of “testimonials” sprinkled through out the television production. There were short little snippets showing Brad Pitt or George Clooney or Angelina Jolie or Sandra Bullock, and they were talking about their love of making movies. While watching those testimonials, here were some of the things I noticed:

  • Their words seemed “powerful” and captured my attention. They caused me to reflect upon why I love movies.
  • There was a sense of honesty in their words. It felt like they were bearing their souls.
  • I felt a connection to that person. It was almost an intimate conversation you have with a friend or family member.

That was my experience . . . I’m not sure if you felt the same thing. Did you feel it or was I drinking too much wine?

This experience got me thinking . . . why can’t non-profit organizations do the same thing? Interview donors on video. Ask them to recount the first time they were asked to donate to your organization? Why did they do it? Why do they continue doing it? What about your mission inspires them?

Sure, I can hear many of you already mumbling about costs and time, but does this need to be something really expensive or time-consuming? I own a flip camera and tripod. Microsoft MovieMaker isn’t that hard to use. Hasn’t technology come far enough where almost anyone can produce something like this without it looking like a train wreck? I think so. Don’t believe me? Then go spend a little time on YouTube. Sure, some of it is crap, but some of it isn’t all that bad either.

As I contemplated all of these thoughts yesterday, the most amazing thing happened. It was almost like the blogosphere gods were listening to my thoughts because one of my favorite bloggers — Jeff Brooks at Future Fundraising Now — posted his blog titled “How to make nonprofit videos that people share” and it landed in my email inbox. WOW!

Jeff shares 10 tips on how non-profits can produce great videos. I urge you to read Jeff’s post, and then circle back here to DonorDreams blog and share your thoughts and experiences using the comment box below. Has your agency done a similar project? What were the results? Were the time and money obstacles too high to overcome? What are the obstacles keeping you from doing something like this? Please remember that we can all learn from each other.

Here’s to your health!

Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.com
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
http://twitter.com/#!/eanderson847
http://www.facebook.com/eanderson847
http://www.linkedin.com/in/erikanderson847

To Pin or Not to Pin. Is Pinterest Right for Your Non-Profit?

Fundraising, Mondays with Marissa, technology, Uncategorized

There’s a new kid on the crowded social media block, and she’s turning heads. By coming in ahead of YouTube, Reddit, Google+, LinkedIn and MySpace in website referral traffic at the start of this month – Pinterest has certainly arrived.

But just because it’s popular, is it right for your non-profit agency? Let’s find out.

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is the cyberspace equivalent to the cork bulletin board hanging on the wall in your office.

Upon signing into Pinterest, you will see a collection of photos that other “pinners” (people who you’ve chosen to follow) have pinned to their boards. You can “repin” a photo, adding it to one of your boards. When a user clicks on one of the photos in a pin, they are directed to the website from where the image originated. For example, if you see a photo of the most delicious chocolate cake you’ve ever seen and would like to make it for an upcoming party, you can repin the image of chocolate cake to your “Party All the Time” board so you can refer back to it later. Additionally, original content can be added to a board by clicking the “pin it” bookmarklet.

Currently the pins that seem to be the most popular include recipes, outfit collections and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects. However, businesses are getting involved. Recently, it has been observed that Pinterest is driving web traffic to retail sites.

The majority of users on Pinterest are females between the ages of 25 and 44. On all other social media sites, the average user is a male between the ages of 18 and 24. An older demographic usually means there is more disposable income available even in these hard economic times – which is good for retail.

If the for-profit world can benefit from Pinterest and see an increase in traffic, why not the non-profit world? After all, the more people who visit your website, the more potential donors or volunteers you can reach. Right?

Concerns

Let’s start with the fact that Pinterest has only been around for 6 months. While it seems that Pinterest’s momentum could take it far, I wouldn’t blame you if you took a wait-and-see approach.

Much like Google+ when it first started, Pinterest is currently an “invite-only” community, which is a double-edged sword regarding your reach.  However, with 10.4 million registered users, chances are you’re already connected to an active pinner. Of course, even if you can’t identify a pinner in your social network, you can request an account directly from the site.

Another recent concern raised by some is the issue of copyright laws. For example, the photos on Pinterest are usually the property of someone else. So, make sure you are properly pinning by linking to a website or giving credit where credit is due. You can read more about this debate here.

Should your non-profit agency jump on the Pinterest bandwagon?

In my humble opinion, the simple answer is yes, at least in one of the following ways:

  • Claim your name. Whenever a new social media site comes along I make sure I sign up for it before another Marissa Garza can claim the username or space on that site. Do I use every site I sign up for? No, but the important thing is that I am in control of it if I choose to participate.
  • Become an expert. Pinterest allows you to curate resources into different boards. Remember that each pin has a website associated with it. Websites come up in search results. So, if a person is conducting a search on non-profits with your type of mission, and you have an entire board set-up with ideas focused on your mission and agency’s services, then Google might just point that person to your Pinterest account.
  • See what people are saying. If you visit pinterest.com/source/website, you can see if people have pinned things from your website. You can then connect with users on the site by either commenting on one of their pins or following their boards.
  • Yet another way to fundraise. Last week Erik talked about how non-profits can incorporate selling into their fundraising plans. John Haydon recently blogged on a number of different ideas on how non-profits can use Pinterest. One example included adding a “$” symbol in the description of a pin, which results in it automatically being included in the “gifts” section of the site.

That being said, I know that time is limited for many non-profit staff. Joining and cultivating a community on Pinterest takes dedicated time. As with any social media site, make sure you have integrated this site into your written ePhilanthropy and online fundraising plan (e.g. who is going to make posts, how often posts will occur, etc).

While Pinterest may be a great resource with lots of potential, it might not be the right time to implement involvement. If you can’t fully commit to being involved in Pinterest at this time, but feel like you would have an audience there, make sure that you add a “Pin It” button to your website. If you can’t pin things yourself, you might as well take advantage of Pinterest’s popularity and make it easy for visitors to your website to pin things for you. (Note: you may have to create an account to do so.)

What do you think? Will Pinterest be a part of your social media strategy? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Further Reading:
42 Creative Pinterest Ideas for Nonprofits
Nice Uses of Pinterest for Nonprofits
Example of a Pinterest Users Non-Profits/Charities/Social Causes board

Can your non-profit raise $1,000,000 in 24 hours using a crowd funding site?

Fundraising, Mondays with Marissa

What a difference a day makes. This week, video game developer, Double Fine Productions, raised over $1,000,000 within 24 hours of posting their next project on the popular crowd funding site, kickstarter. That’s a lot of money in a short amount of time, and it got me thinking — if it can happen for video games, why can’t it non-profits do the same thing? Today we’ll take a look at two kickstarter-like options for you and your agency.

Helpers Unite

When you combine the entrepreneurial spirit of kickstarter with charitable giving, you get Helpers Unite. Helpers Unite creates opportunities to help businesses fund projects while registered 501c3 organizations collect donations.  According to an article from The Next Web, the process for nonprofits goes like this:

“HelpersUnite has Projects and Causes on the site. Registered 501c3′s can create a Cause profile, including their logo, and then send the link to their Cause on HelpersUnite to their donor list as part of any fundraising campaign. Causes can keep their profile on the site forever, at no cost to them. They do not have to align with a charity and donate part of their funds raised on the site to another 501c3′s. All the money raised, less admin fees to HelpersUnite and credit card processing fees from PayPal, go to the non-profit. HelpersUnite features Causes on its site and social media channels regularly to help further promote users’ work.”

Additionally, Helpers Unite will send the donor a receipt for tax deduction purposes, so you won’t have to.

FirstGiving

FirstGiving is crowd funding through your current network of supporters. Supporters can create their own pages and raise funds through their social networks.  According to Crunchbase:

“FirstGiving partner’s with nonprofit organizations to allow them to plan, execute, and measure successful online fundraising campaigns. For individual fundraisers, FirstGiving aims to make the process simple, effective, and even fun.”

This approach allows supporters to tell stories and bring awareness to their cause. FirstGiving seems best suited when supporters are fundraising for a project that is connected to a nonprofit, such as running in a marathon.

A few things to keep in mind:

  • Just like every other social media site, it is important to cultivate the community on each site. Make sure you have someone monitoring the interactions, engaging in those virtual conversations, and updating your profile often.
  • Spread the news. Not only announce that you have set up a profile on a crowd funding site, but announce the successes. People like to be a part of success.
  • Learn from others. Take a look around and see what other organizations like yours are up to. How are they using the site? Remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
  • Be specific. We all know that donors like to know where their money is going. On these kickstarter-esque sites, details about how the funds will be used is more important than general fundraising.
  • As of the writing of this post, Double Fine Productions has raised $1,662,430 with 47,231 backers making an average donation of $35. The company only asked for a $1 minimum donation. 25,730 supporters donated between $15 to $30. You can check the current figures, here. It only goes to show that, every penny counts.

Non-profits always seem to be trying to diversify their revenue streams. Do you see crowd funding as another possible fundraising strategy for your agency? Have you used a crowd funding source before? What worked? What didn’t? Please join the  conversation by using the comment section below!

How Google’s Recent Changes Affect You and Your Non-Profit Organization

Fundraising, Mondays with Marissa, technology

Google. The little search engine that could – has changed search, yet again.

This month, Google made significant changes to how they deliver search results and the Terms of Service attached to each of their products. Today we’re going to take a look at what you need to know about these changes and how they affect your agency’s presence on the web.

Search + Your World
Google became popular because it was able to develop an algorithm that would deliver relevant search results to the user. Over the years, Google has improved on its formula and has become the most recognizable search engine in the world. The cyber-world has changed a bit during this time as it has become social. Today, people are using Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites to access information on topics before heading to Google. Why? They trust their already established social network. Recognizing that curated search results are popular, Google adapted it’s algorithm and introduced Search + Your World.

This new system has 3 features:

  • Provides Personal Results – Now when you search for “fundraising ideas” on Google, the first set of results that you see will be anything that may have been shared with you from your social network. This includes photos, blog posts, videos, ect.
  • Profiles in Search Results – Google+ is Google’s social network. With the new changes, if you search for a topic such as “photography,” the Google+ profiles of photographers may show up at the top of your search.
  • People and Pages – Again, directing the user to Google+, search results will now offer up profiles of people or pages related to your search topic.

A few things to keep in mind:

  • Facebook and twitter results are not included in search results.
  • If you have a Google account, your own media (photos, blog posts, videos, etc) will show up in your results. Also, they will show up in the results of anyone Google thinks you might know.
  • You can opt-out. On the Google search results page, in the upper right hand corner, there are two new icons: a person and a globe. If you click on the globe, you will see search results without the new “+ Your World” filter.

What does this mean for your non-profit organization?

Seeing as this change has happened only recently, it is hard to see how it is affecting organizations when it comes to where they show up in search results. However, as we all know, social media is becoming increasingly important to having new donors find you on the internet. One scenario came to mind. Say a donor, volunteer or staff member talks about their experience with your agency on their personal blog. That post could show up in a friend of the writer’s search results before your official site.

The curation of search results will continue with both Twitter and Facebook trying to step into the ring.  Now more than ever, it is important for your agency to have a controlled and active online presence to ensure that the information you want to show up first, does. Test it out. Google your organization and see if this new way of search has made an impact.

Google’s New Terms of Service (or One Google To Rule Them All)
If you’re anything like me, I live my life in Google. I use Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google+, YouTube, Zaggat, Google Maps and Android, pretty much everyday. Currently, each of these services has it’s own Terms of Service (TOS) outlining how Google will use my personal information. That will change on March 1, 2012 when all Google products will operate under one TOS. Google claims this will enhance results across their products and improve how products work together.

However . . .

People concerned with privacy are worried about how their information is going to be shared on the internet. For example, say a person uses Gmail for personal correspondence and is trying out stand-up comedy on YouTube under an alias. After March 1st, the person’s real name will be associated with the YouTube account – easy for anyone to find. It should be noted however, that Yahoo! and Microsoft already have similar practices.

Again, what does this mean for your non-profit agency?

If you are currently using any Google service on behalf of your agency, it is important that you are aware of how your information will be combined. I suggest creating separate personal and professional accounts before March 1, 2012 to make sure that the separation is clear to Google.

Also, if your organization already uses Google products, I would review what services are being used with your account. This can be done by logging into Google Dashboard.

Finally, if you decide that Google products are not the best fit for your organization, you can always export your data and delete your Google account.

What do you think about the changes Google has made? Do you see them as a help or hinderance to your organization? I’d love to discuss this with you, but you need to start the conversation using the comment box below!  😉

How Can SOPA/PIPA Affect Non-Profits?

Fundraising, Mondays with Marissa, nonprofit, technology

The Final Frontier . . . The Information Superhighway . . .  The World Wide Web . . .  The Place Where Cute Cat Videos Reside.

Call it what you will, but the Internet as you know it might change drastically after Tuesday, January 24, 2012. On this date, the Protect IP Act (PIPA) goes up for vote in the Senate. If it passes, censorship will have a permanent home on the Internet. PIPA is the Senate bill of the more publicized SOPA bill that was in the House, both have to do with censoring the Internet.

What are PIPA and SOPA? What does this have to do with the non-profit world?

Well, let’s take a closer look.

The main idea behind both PIPA and SOPA is to stop online piracy and ensure that content creators get benefits (mainly monetary) for their work. While this sounds pretty fair, it’s the enforcement of the bill that upon further inspection has people concerned. A recent TechCrunch article does a nice job explaining the issue:

“The big problem with SOPA is in the way it is supposed to be enforced, namely by blocking domain-name system (DNS) servers of copyright-infringing websites. But DNS servers are a basic technical component of the Internet (they translate site names like techcrunch.com into numerical IP addresses computers can understand better). Once you start messing with DNS, all sorts of unintended problems arise.

Blocking DNS without a full adversarial hearing in a courtroom raises the potential for censoring speech and other lawful activities. It is also the same method China uses to block “offending” content from China’s Internet.”

Furthermore, Ars Technica explains that passage of PIPA encourages online companies to act independently of the court system.

“The PROTECT IP Act goes even further than forcing these intermediaries to take action after a court order; it actively encourages them to take unilateral action without any sort of court order at all.”

So what does this have to do with the non-profit world?

Since there is currently no definition of what an “intellectual property right infringement” might be, your site could get cited under SOPA or PIPA because of links you’ve included in your online newsletter or stories on your website. If your agency gets cited, donors and supporters who might be trying to find you online via Google or other search engines wouldn’t be able to see you in their search results.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t this have a tremendous impact on what you’re trying to accomplish with your online presence?

This post on nonprofitmarketing360.com provides more clarity on why ALL non-profits should care:

“Ostensibly, nonprofits do not present anything that would seem to threaten these conglomerates, but, under SOPA’s current terms, nonprofits will not get a day in public court if they are deemed of trafficking in any such material. Even if they did, what nonprofit has a cabal of lawyers and lobbyists to counter the plaintiff’s accusations?”

Moreover, the effect of PIPA and SOPA goes beyond just impacting search results. It can wreak havoc with your ePhilanthropy efforts. Check out this quote from an article by Computer World:

“Basically, Sec. 103 will give the owner of any intellectual property the right to pursue private action against websites that they deem are infringing their rights. Under SOPA, IP rights holders will be able to ask payment providers such as MasterCard and PayPal to shut off services to allegedly infringing sites. They would also be able to ask Internet advertising networks to stop providing ads to the websites.”

So not only would the passage of these two bills affect your visibility on the internet, but donations taken via your website could be shut down as well if you are found to be in copyright infringement. Here’s a helpful infographic for more information.

In a nutshell, both PIPA and SOPA would cut off a resource many of us use everyday to communicate, research, and learn.

Can you imagine doing research for a grant and not having access to the information you need? Or what if your Twitter account gets taken down because you linked to a YouTube video? The landscape of the Internet will never look the same if these bills pass.

In response to a signed petition, the White House has recently come out against many of the main tenants of PIPA and SOPA, but this doesn’t mean the need for you to take action has passed.

This Wednesday, January 18, 2012 there will be a hearing on SOPA in the House of Representatives. In response, many popular sites such as Google, Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, Amazon, AOL, LinkedIn, PayPal, and WordPress will be participating in a blackout to draw attention to the issue of Internet censorship.

If you want to get involved in the process, you can contact your Congressperson at opencongress.org.

The media has neglected to cover PIPA/SOPA effectively. I hope that this post shines some light on how the issue of censoring the Internet could impact your everyday Internet life and the life of your non-profit organization. These two bills are just the start of trying to define the relationship between the government and the Internet. Even if they do not pass, there will be others that try. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject in the comments below.

2012 Non-Profit Trends and Predictions: Rise of the Machines

Fundraising

This week I’m looking back upon 2011 for major trends, and then looking forward to 2012 with an eye towards making a few predictions. Today, we are looking at non-profit online giving and ePhilanthropy.

Back in late July and early August, I focused my blog posts on the various faces of ePhilanthropy including: Twitter, Facebook, online videos, website, and email. Ever since writing those post, I’ve kept my eyes open for evidence of this trend, and I must admit that I see indicators everywhere pointing to:

2012 will continue the long-term transition towards online giving.

Every year at this time, I read blogs predicting that the upcoming year will be “The Year of ePhilanthropy,” and every year I look back and fail to see the big transformation. Well, I am being a big ‘ol dummy because the transformation isn’t going to be dramatic and sudden. The change (as is the case with most trends) will take place over time, and in fact it has been taking place for years.

The proof can be found in the data and analytics provided by Blackbaud who publishes a monthly index of online giving that compares year-over-year online giving statistics. Take a look at the last 12-months and let me know if you see can see the proof in the pudding:

While the overall gross revenue from online giving is still relatively small (between $5 and $10 billion), the trend arrow is pointing up-up-up and has been for many years. Additionally, this trend is not just being fueled by large, multinational health and disaster relief organizations. I was surprised when I saw how much year-over-year growth in online giving came from small non-profit agencies and organizations in the non-profit human services sector. If you have some time, I encourage you to click here  and dive into Blackbaud’s treasure trove of data.

Of course, what gives me the most confidence in predicting this trend is what I see going on with our “for-profit cousins” and e-commerce. Click here to check out some very cool e-commerce infographic at “Next Widgets” blog. If my eyes aren’t deceiving me, I see parallels between e-commerce and ePhilanthropy.

More and more people are spending time and money online, and this reality can mean only one thing for non-profit organizations. As a matter of fact, this trend isn’t just confined to non-profit and for-profit businesses. Just last night Rock Center with Brian Williams featured a news segment on individuals who are using crowdfunding sources like Kickstarter to secure financial resources for things ranging from start-up projects to catastrophic healthcare expenses. Click here to read and see more.

Unfortunately, this trend is not as simple as it seems. The online world is constantly changing . . . what seemed as easy as building a website with a “donate now” button is now more complicated with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, WordPress, and email marketing (e.g. Constant Contact). All of these things work together like little cogs in a complicated machine.

More distressing is how quickly the landscape changes. I can still remember when AOL was the future of all cyber-things (and it wasn’t just me who thought this to be true . . . go talk to our friends over at Time Warner . . . LOL), and today it is all about Google and Facebook. Well, just wait because in no time we might just find ourselves saying the same thing about these new digital overlords as we ohhhh and ahhhh over the next greatest thing.

It sounds like 2012 will be the year that Facebook finally takes itself public with an IPO designed to raise $10+ billion dollars. I suspect that 2012 will be the “Year of Facebook,” and non-profit organizations who haven’t figured out how to use Facebook to talk AND listen to their supporters, donors, and volunteers will be starting on that project very soon. Click here to read a few interesting statistics about online giving via social media vehicles.

You might want to re-think your online giving plan if your strategy is “wait-and-see”. If you want to “get the lay of the than land,” I suggest circling back and reading my posts from July 25 – August 2 about ePhilanthropy (see links at top of this post). I ended that blog series with a post titled “ePhilanthropy: Mission Possible” that provided a few small steps for getting started.

Let me end with these cautionary words: online giving and the internet will NOT overtake traditional fundraising strategies and tactics such as face-to-face solicitation, direct mail, special events, grantwriting, etc. ePhilanthropy and all of its tactics are just more tools that you need to add to your resource development toolbox if you want your non-profit agency to thrive in the 21st Century.

So, please don’t run out there and invest tons of money and hours in ePhilanthropy in 2012 and expect that you’ve solved all of your revenue issues. However, please stop procrastinating and get to work on engaging your existing and future donors online.

This trend is starting to look like an out-of-control freight train, and you want to make sure you are on board and not standing in its way.

Does your agency have a written ePhilanthropy plan? If so, what does it look like? If not, what are your plans for tackling this emerging trend?

Here’s to your health!

Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.com
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
http://twitter.com/#!/eanderson847
http://www.facebook.com/eanderson847
http://www.linkedin.com/in/erikanderson847

The Twelve Days of Resource Development: Days 7, 8 and 9

Fundraising

The countdown is on and people are on the look-out for an older gentleman fitting the description of “a jolly older individual dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot . . . his clothes all tarnished with ashes and soot“.  In an effort to align this blog with the spirit of the season, I thought it might be fun to focus on the following holiday inspired question: “What would be the twelve days of resource development if such a song was written?”

On Monday, we kicked things off with Days 1, 2 and 3. On Tuesday, we looked at Days 4, 5, and 6 with two great reader suggestions from Barb Allen and Susan Rudd . . .  and as I did on Monday I asked readers to weigh-in with what they thought Days 7, 8 and 9 should be.

I want to thank Ann Rosenfield, CFRE, who is a Twitter follower who goes by @GratiaCaritas for weighing in with her suggestion on what the seventh day of resource development should be. However, before unveiling Ann’s suggestion, let’s recap the last few days:

  • On the first day of resource development, my favorite donor gave to me . . . a signed pledge with a large increase over last year’s gift level.
  • On the second day of resource development, my favorite group of fundraising volunteers gave to me . . . a commitment to work pledge cards and help put together our special events.
  • On the third day of resource development, my favorite resource development committee gave to me . . . three key written plans spelling out success in 2012 (e.g. resource development plan, prospect cultivation plan, and a donor stewardship plan.
  • On the fourth day of resource development, my most engaged and best donors gave to me . . . four fun cultivation parties that helped open the door to a warm group of new (and generous) prospects. (Barb Allen’s suggestion)
  • On the fifth day of resource development, the kids at the Boys & Girls Club gave to me . . . five truck-loads of holiday goodies and hand-decorated ornaments that will be given to some of the Club’s best donors.  (Susan Rudd’s suggestion)
  • On the sixth day of resource development, my major gifts program gave to me . . . six program staff employees who helped the resource development staff and major gifts volunteers put together a “menu of opportunities” (thus signifying elimination of organizational silos and a healthy partnership between the resource development and program departments)

Here is what Ann (aka @GratiaCaritas) tweeted about the seventh day of resource development:

@eanderson847 On the 7th day of resource development, my prospect researcher gave to me – 7 new donor prospects with 7 figure gift capacity.

Again . . . thanks Ann! I love that suggestion.

Since no one else jumped in with their thoughts, I am once again left to be creative with days 8 and 9 . . . so here goes nothing:

  • On the eighth day of resource development, the board development gave to me . . . eight new board volunteers who have an amazing understanding of resource development, lots of experience with fundraising, and ideas they are dying to share that will re-shape the organization’s RD Plan to reflect “The New Norm” of our economy.
  • On the ninth day of resource development, resource development thought leaders gave to me inspiration to practice . . . the 9-keys to inspiring and managing your board towards fundraising success (which are 1. Planning, 2. Setting Expectations, 3. Training, 4. Organization, 5. Well run and important meetings, 6. Accountability, 7. Urgency, 8. Celebration & Recognition, and 9. Mission-focus)

OK . . . there are only three days left in this exercise. Let’s try to “finish strong” . . . I would like to see at least three more people weigh-in with ideas on what the tenth, eleventh, and twelve days of resource development should be. Please use the comment box below to share your suggestion. You can also drop me a note on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

Here’s to your health!

Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.com
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
http://twitter.com/#!/eanderson847
http://www.facebook.com/eanderson847
http://www.linkedin.com/in/erikanderson847

Online giving: Evolve or else?!?

Fundraising

Welcome to Wednesday of individual giving week where we’re looking at different individual giving strategies as a way to replace dwindling pools of government funding. We’re using characters from the movie “Finding Nemo” to look at various individual giving strategies. Monday’s post was all about “Crush the Turtle” and the thrill seeking mentality of special event fundraising. Yesterday’s post focused on direct mail. Today, we’re looking at ePhilanthropy through the eyes of “Dory” (the regal tang fish whose voice you recognize as Ellen DeGeneres):

“Give it up old man, you can’t fight evolution, I was built for speed!”

There is currently a debate raging in fundraising circles between traditionalists and futurists.

Futurists argue that giving trends all point to donors giving via your website, email, social media, text messaging, and e-video campaigns.

Traditionalists sound more like Jeff Brooks who said in his recent blog post titled “The case against innovation“:

“When you get bored with letters and change everything so it’s cool and innovative, you force people to spend energy and time figuring out your new conventions.  That’s energy and time they don’t have, or don’t care to spend on such a stupid task.  No matter how cool you’ve made it, you’ve put a wall around whatever you’re trying to communicate.  You might think it’s a very low, easy-to-climb wall — but it’s still a wall, and that means fewer people are going to get your message.”

I personally find middle ground between these two camps:

  • Online giving increased by more than 30-percent in 2010 compared to 2009.
  • It is estimated that approximately 7-percent of all charitable giving was secured online in 2010.
  • Average size gift statistics for online giving is starting to look remarkably similar to direct mail data.
  • The trend arrow over the last decade is unmistakable.

(Note: A special thanks to Blackbaud and their analytics division for keeping an eye on these trends. You can find a Blackbaud widget that links to similar kinds of information at the bottom of my website.)

The reality is that it can be somewhat expensive for many non-profits to get into individual giving strategies involving technology. However, the good news is that they don’t need to live on the “bleeding edge of technology”. Agency can and should start to take small steps towards the future. For example, even small organizations can add a “donate now” button to their webpage, set-up a Facebook and Twitter account, and start experimenting with both listening to donors and nudging them toward online giving opportunities.

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. I recently read somewhere (I honestly can’t remember where or I would cite the source), that there is likely lots and lots of “cross pollution” between different individual giving strategies. Here are a few examples to illustrate this point:

  • A donor gets a letter in the mail and they are inclined to make a contribution. However, they see your agency’s website address embedded in the letter and go online to make that donation out of convenience.
  • A donor is solicited using a face-to-face solicitation strategy. They sign the pledge card. When the pledge reminder arrives, they go online to pay their pledge because it might be more convenient.
  • A donor receives an email (doesn’t matter if it is for solicitation or stewardship purposes). They then receive a visit by a fundraising volunteer who asks them to make a pledge. They sign the pledge card because it is convenient rather than dig through their cluttered email inbox for that donation link.

Everything is getting more and more interconnected. For this reason, I am all for investing a little time and money in ePhilanthropy because the decision isn’t about which tool to use with individuals. The decision involves which tools to use in concert with each other.

Don’t go crazy by focusing exclusively on lots and lots of new technology. Start small. And by all means, don’t use technology to replace your existing solicitation tools (e.g. mail, pledge cards, fundraising volunteers, etc).

Remember, the more tools you have in your toolbox to connect with individuals the more likely it will be that you are able to engage what is clearly the largest slice of the charitable giving pie chart — INDIVIDUAL DONORS.

What is your organization doing right now in the arena of ePhilanthropy? Website? Email? Text? Electronic video? Social media? Do you have a written ePhilanthropy plan in place that delineates which online tools you’re using and which tools are used for cultivation vs solicitation vs stewardship? Please take one minute to share using the comment box below a nugget about where you’re at because we can all learn from each other.

Here’s to your health!

Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.com
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
http://twitter.com/#!/eanderson847
http://www.facebook.com/eanderson847
http://www.linkedin.com/in/erikanderson847

Lessons from an e-video that will make you cry

Fundraising

So, my good friend Marissa sent me this tweet a few days ago:

@eanderson847 Check out this video showing what can be done with just  $1. Microphilanthropy at it’s finest. youtu.be/9DXL9vIUbWg

Please grab a tissue and click the link. The YouTube video is about 10-minutes long, but I promise you that it is well worth your investment in time.

As I watched the e-video, lots of different thoughts raced through my head including:

  • This video demonstrates the intense power of stewardship.
  • The producers remind us that while major gift donors are incredibly important to our non-profit agencies, we need to remember that charitable contributions that aren’t so major need to be treated as transformational. Why? Because they are!
  • The video’s point of view is that philanthropy, regardless of how small, is powerful. Not just for the person who receives it, but also for the person who gives it.
  • This video reminded me that there are differences between “fundraising” and “resource development” and “philanthropy”.  In my mind, “fundraising” is the act of soliciting a donor for a charitable contribution. “Resource development” speaks to the overall process — prospect identification & evaluation, introduction, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and the continuous feedback loop moving forward. “Philanthropy” is the love of humanity and goes beyond just giving money and includes volunteerism, mentoring, emergency response, etc.
  • This video points to an often overlooked trend called “microphilanthropy” that all non-profit professionals need to be aware. We need to understand this trend first and then analyze what it means. Is this growing trend something that can affect non-profit resource development and donor trends? Sure it can! . . . How? . . . I’m not sure, but it warrants our attention and time. Click here to check out an interesting blog calling itself the “1DollarClub.org” to read more.
  • This video also smacked me across the face and was a reminder about another emerging trend — non-profits are using the internet, social media, and e-videos to steward donors in an increasingly digital world where more and more people just don’t have time for traditional stewardship activities and tactics. ePhilanthropy is here to stay and it is evolving every day!!!

Wow! Thank you, Marissa (by the way, she is the blogger at One World One Plate and I think everyone who loves food should go check out her work).

After viewing the e-video, did you have any thoughts that struck you like a lightning bolt? Is your non-profit organization using online videos as part of its resource development plans and efforts? If so, how? Please use the comment box below and share your revelation. We can all learn from each other.

Here’s to your health!

Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.com
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
http://twitter.com/#!/eanderson847
http://www.facebook.com/eanderson847
http://www.linkedin.com/in/erikanderson847