04
Dec
2008
We live in a world that moves much faster than it did just five years ago. Long gone are the days of dial-up AOL. Today, we’ve got search engines, blogs, social networking and constant e-mail communication. You may be surprised then to learn that in 2007 only one in 10 people who gave to charity did so online. (Source: American Express Charitable Gift Survey). Shocked? We were.
Joanne Fritz from About.com, says in a recent article that lack of online giving is due to the simple fact that Americans do not know about online giving options. According to the American Express study, 28% of people who gave offline said they couldn’t locate a donation website, didn’t know that they could make a gift online, or didn’t think of it.
Your job as an organization is to offer donors a convenient, easy-to-find tool for online giving—and then market, market, market.
3 Easy Steps to Make Online Giving Count:
- Install a giving tool on your website. We recommend Web Connex- an user friendly program that offers powerful reporting, donor management, and affordable pay as you go pricing.
- Create a profile on Razoo.com. While giving through your website is our first suggestion, Razoo is the next best thing for nonprofits desiring an online giving presence, but for whatever reason cannot do so on their website. Razoo is a free way to collect donations, and gain exposure from donors all over the country.
- Spread the word. Once you have the capability to accept online donations, it’s time to market. In every communication with donors you should include your website address and the ability to accept online donations. You may also want to consider a postcard mailing to you donor base, an advertisement on your e-mail footer, inclusion in your e-newsletters and a large button on your website’s homepage.
Nonprofits should understand that most online donations tend to be smaller than average (less than $100) but online donors also tend to be younger. By offering an online giving option, organizations can attract a new set of donors.
To learn how 3Fold can help you set up and/or market your online giving, contact us today!
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Martine Truett | July 2, 2011 at 9:16 pm
At this time it looks like Movable Type is the preferred blogging platform out there right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you’re using on your blog?
Lesley Miller | July 5, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Hi Martine. Actually, we use WordPress. Everyone has their differing opinions as to the preferred blogging platform. It really depends on your goals and audience, but we think WordPress has a lot of functionality for business and great SEO capabilities too.