What is the future of money? Quite honestly, the farthest I’ve ever
really gotten with the question is whether I’ll have any or not.
However, Fundly CEO
Dave Boyce was on a panel dedicated to this topic at the South by
Southwest Music Conference and Festival (SXSW) in Austin, TX on Monday
and the reality of technological innovation is mind blowing.
In an interview with AP Mobile and MTV host Abram Boise* , Dave
shared some of the topics that were presented to the panel. The future
of online payments and consumer transactions are ready and available for
use today and credit cards, wallets, and cash will soon be distant
memories. (I was going to add checks into that mix, but somehow they
seem to have already entered into the almost obsolete category.)
Basically, the future of money boils down to trust. A few years ago
when I first started to use eBay and make other online transactions, I
was terrified of cyber-hackers stealing my credit card information. Now I
have a habit of researching products online, looking for the best
deals, and without a second thought I put in my personal data to
purchase anything from clothing to furniture to vitamins.
Dave uses the great example of the trust that people put into
Facebook. Users post family pictures, events in their lives and share
information for all to see. Regardless of generation, Facebook users
from 12 to 100 years old have put their trust in the Facebook brand. Can
you imagine if you could purchase goods through a Facebook account?
Secondly, the Apple Corporation has also won the trust of its users.
This is one of the most tangible ways that transactions will be
effected. Picture going into Starbucks, pulling out your iPhone and
having the funds directly taken from your account without a bill or
credit card in sight. According to Dave, “the technology is ready; the
missing link is the trust.” Furthermore, the applications are available
to retailers with minimal investment.
Dave also brought up the valid point that you spend money on things
you want to be a part of your identity such as music, film and the
philanthropic causes that you care about. Why not share the charities
that touch your heart with your Facebook friends and challenge them to
give, too?
Also directed to non-profit fundraising,
Dave mentioned that the reason PayPal is not fulfilling their potential
is because it is a difficult platform for third party users and the
experience isn’t pleasant. “You either have to own the experience or own
the platform,” advises Dave. This is a great principle for charities to
apply to their own websites: is your site difficult to maneuver? Is it
too complicated for your donors to give?
The future of fundraising is
online, and the future of money concerning internet payments and mobile
transactions is closer than we realize. Are you ready?
* Watch the full interview: http://http://bit.ly/yueFXl
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
The Obama Fundraising Machine
In the early 1980’s when I was about 6 years old my dad ran for
County Supervisor. I remember wearing frilly dresses and going to
political parties. We ordered hundreds of bright blue and neon orange
signs that said “Leadership for the 80’s” and put them up in friends’
yards and on busy street corners. We canvassed neighborhoods knocking
on voter’s doors and had a phone call list a mile long with friends and
family members spreading the word. He lost that race and ten years later
we repeated the cycle when he ran for School Board (and unfortunately
lost that election, too.) He’s not planning to pursue any more of his
political ambitions; however, I’m still glad political fundraisingmethods have changed.
There was an article in The New York Times last week written by Jim Rutenberg and Jeff Zeleny which discussed how President Obama has created an almost corporate-like atmosphere as he pursues a second term as president. Like a well-oiled Silicon Valley techno-machine, his workers are busily scouting out past donors who gave in the beginning and are currently missing in action. “Mr. Obama’s re-election team is sifting through reams of data available through the Internet or fed to it by its hundreds of staff members on the ground in all 50 states, identifying past or potential supporters and donors and testing e-mail and Web-based messages that can entice them back into the fold” reports Rutenger and Zeleny.
President Obama, along with his Republican competitors, realizes that much of the campaigning to win the race will be done on the internet. “With the help of Web developers recruited from the private sector, [the campaign] has dedicated considerable hours creating technology that can make its Web site, barackobama.com, fit perfectly onto any screen, be it an iPhone, Blackberry or Droid — a seemingly small detail that campaign officials say can make a huge difference when it comes to enticing donors or volunteers to stay connected or click a ‘donate’ button” observes Rutenger and Zeleny.
Not by chance or trial and error, but through tangible reports, facts and figures is science being applied to the partnership of politics and social media. No longer are politicians from City Hall to the White House relying on knocking on doors to shake hands with the voters or passing out leaflets boasting of their past accomplishments and future goals. Today’s campaign trail is littered with crisp mailers, a path of Tweets and Facebook fodder to reach the masses and Fundly is proud to be a part of the future of political fundraising.
There was an article in The New York Times last week written by Jim Rutenberg and Jeff Zeleny which discussed how President Obama has created an almost corporate-like atmosphere as he pursues a second term as president. Like a well-oiled Silicon Valley techno-machine, his workers are busily scouting out past donors who gave in the beginning and are currently missing in action. “Mr. Obama’s re-election team is sifting through reams of data available through the Internet or fed to it by its hundreds of staff members on the ground in all 50 states, identifying past or potential supporters and donors and testing e-mail and Web-based messages that can entice them back into the fold” reports Rutenger and Zeleny.
President Obama, along with his Republican competitors, realizes that much of the campaigning to win the race will be done on the internet. “With the help of Web developers recruited from the private sector, [the campaign] has dedicated considerable hours creating technology that can make its Web site, barackobama.com, fit perfectly onto any screen, be it an iPhone, Blackberry or Droid — a seemingly small detail that campaign officials say can make a huge difference when it comes to enticing donors or volunteers to stay connected or click a ‘donate’ button” observes Rutenger and Zeleny.
Not by chance or trial and error, but through tangible reports, facts and figures is science being applied to the partnership of politics and social media. No longer are politicians from City Hall to the White House relying on knocking on doors to shake hands with the voters or passing out leaflets boasting of their past accomplishments and future goals. Today’s campaign trail is littered with crisp mailers, a path of Tweets and Facebook fodder to reach the masses and Fundly is proud to be a part of the future of political fundraising.
Balancing the Budget with Fundraising
Running a nonprofit can be a lot like watching a funnel drain: you
strive to get as many resources as you can from a variety of different
donors only to have it continually drained. With everything happening so
fast and the needs being so great, who has time to balance a budget,
implement a fundraising strategy and keep track of bookkeeping?!
A new report released Wednesday by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University found that mid-sized nonprofits with revenues ranging between $1 million and $5 million were lacking in financial knowledge and cash reserves. “While 76 percent of the respondents said that they were financially literate, only a third were correct when quizzed on their financial knowledge,” statesChicago Tribune reporter Corilyn Shropshire.
More than 500 nonprofit leaders were interviewed in this survey from causes ranging from education to human services to the arts. Those participating were asked questions involving bond prices and interest rates, investment risks and diversification of funds. Shropshire explains, “According to the study, financial literacy increased in conjunction with the organization’s budget. In other words, nearly 45 percent of nonprofits answered all three questions, compared to just over 26 percent of non-profits with budgets less than $5 million.”
A quarter of those surveyed said they had four to six months of reserves on hand while almost half of these mid-sized nonprofits had less than three months’ worth of operating expenses available for times when they spent more than they brought in. Furthermore, as demands are increasing on many nonprofits, they realize that breaking even is no longer the goal. Long term planning is a must to continue to meet the needs of their clientele.
One solution for these nonprofits is to establish a strong online fundraisingplatform. Connecting to donors and supporters through social media networks not only can bring in additional funding, but it is also a great way to connect with people who may have the financial expertise to help stay within the budget and create a long term financial plan. Fundly can help you reach present and potential supporters using the internet so you can get one step closer to reaching your goal: improving the lives of others.
A new report released Wednesday by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University found that mid-sized nonprofits with revenues ranging between $1 million and $5 million were lacking in financial knowledge and cash reserves. “While 76 percent of the respondents said that they were financially literate, only a third were correct when quizzed on their financial knowledge,” statesChicago Tribune reporter Corilyn Shropshire.
More than 500 nonprofit leaders were interviewed in this survey from causes ranging from education to human services to the arts. Those participating were asked questions involving bond prices and interest rates, investment risks and diversification of funds. Shropshire explains, “According to the study, financial literacy increased in conjunction with the organization’s budget. In other words, nearly 45 percent of nonprofits answered all three questions, compared to just over 26 percent of non-profits with budgets less than $5 million.”
A quarter of those surveyed said they had four to six months of reserves on hand while almost half of these mid-sized nonprofits had less than three months’ worth of operating expenses available for times when they spent more than they brought in. Furthermore, as demands are increasing on many nonprofits, they realize that breaking even is no longer the goal. Long term planning is a must to continue to meet the needs of their clientele.
One solution for these nonprofits is to establish a strong online fundraisingplatform. Connecting to donors and supporters through social media networks not only can bring in additional funding, but it is also a great way to connect with people who may have the financial expertise to help stay within the budget and create a long term financial plan. Fundly can help you reach present and potential supporters using the internet so you can get one step closer to reaching your goal: improving the lives of others.
Don’t Prevent Donations from Pouring In!
People generally want to help. There are over 1,130,000 charities and
foundations registered with the federal government in the United States
alone and individuals donated approximately $300 billion to these
charities last year. If there are all of these funds out there, why do
some nonprofits struggle to make ends meet? Are these organizations
contributing to their own financial detriment? What are they doing
wrong?
The first way to get the dollars rolling in is to get your name out there. It’s like the old saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind.” Public relations and fundraising go hand in hand; without a PR strategy in place, your bank account is going to suffer dearly. Is your name clearly on your building? Do you have a leadership representative mingling in local mixers and participating in town hall meetings? Are you resting on past laurels and not pursuing current media attention for present projects? Are you up-to-date with your social media campaigns?
The second way to prevent a loss donations is to let your supporters know what your needs are and what they can specifically do to help. For example, don’t just say, “We need money to add on to our building.” Be practical in your ask. “Can you give $50 towards our John Doe Memorial Building program so that we can reach our goal of $100,000 by May 1? Our afterschool program desperately desires to keep kids off the street and in a healthy environment. ” Present your needs as urgent, necessary and attainable; skip any one of these qualities and your donor will just move on by.
Are you making it too hard to give? Yesterday I was shopping online and pop-up appeared asking if I would take a survey. I had a few minutes and I liked the website, so I was ready to dedicate five minutes of my life to share my opinions. After two pages of extensive questions and a glitch when I tried to input one answer, I gave up and closed the window. I didn’t have the extra time or patience to deal with this malfunctioning website. So here’s the bottom line: how well does your website function? How many clicks does it take from spotting the “donate” button to seeing the receipt in the donor’s inbox?
The final way to appeal to your donors is to take advantage of all of your available resources. Online fundraising is the fastest growing way to garner funds. Do you have a Facebook account? Do you check and answer your e-mails regularly? As mentioned above, is your website easy to maneuver without long loading times or a maze of pages to navigate through? Have you looked into Fundly as an option to connect with your current and potential donors? Fundraising is ever changing and by not keeping up, you may be leaving donors behind.
The first way to get the dollars rolling in is to get your name out there. It’s like the old saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind.” Public relations and fundraising go hand in hand; without a PR strategy in place, your bank account is going to suffer dearly. Is your name clearly on your building? Do you have a leadership representative mingling in local mixers and participating in town hall meetings? Are you resting on past laurels and not pursuing current media attention for present projects? Are you up-to-date with your social media campaigns?
The second way to prevent a loss donations is to let your supporters know what your needs are and what they can specifically do to help. For example, don’t just say, “We need money to add on to our building.” Be practical in your ask. “Can you give $50 towards our John Doe Memorial Building program so that we can reach our goal of $100,000 by May 1? Our afterschool program desperately desires to keep kids off the street and in a healthy environment. ” Present your needs as urgent, necessary and attainable; skip any one of these qualities and your donor will just move on by.
Are you making it too hard to give? Yesterday I was shopping online and pop-up appeared asking if I would take a survey. I had a few minutes and I liked the website, so I was ready to dedicate five minutes of my life to share my opinions. After two pages of extensive questions and a glitch when I tried to input one answer, I gave up and closed the window. I didn’t have the extra time or patience to deal with this malfunctioning website. So here’s the bottom line: how well does your website function? How many clicks does it take from spotting the “donate” button to seeing the receipt in the donor’s inbox?
The final way to appeal to your donors is to take advantage of all of your available resources. Online fundraising is the fastest growing way to garner funds. Do you have a Facebook account? Do you check and answer your e-mails regularly? As mentioned above, is your website easy to maneuver without long loading times or a maze of pages to navigate through? Have you looked into Fundly as an option to connect with your current and potential donors? Fundraising is ever changing and by not keeping up, you may be leaving donors behind.
Is Your Nonprofit Standing Out on the Web of Media Clutter?
When is the last day that you can recall not flipping open your
laptop, pulling out your iPad or making a call on your cell phone?
The internet and Wifi technology have taken over our world and are as much a part of our lives as television and automobiles. If you’re not fully incorporating social media into your online fundraising plan, maybe some of these facts will inspire you. After all, this is where your donors are at. If you are using social media fundraising, how are you standing out in the crowd of everyday media?
The minds at mbaonline have created this great infographic which gives the perfect snapshot of what a day in the internet looks like. With such immense figures and incomprehensible traffic, it is mind blowing to consider the impact that current technology is having on our world.
So with all of these videos, e-mails, blog posts and social networking sites, how can your organization stand out? Here are a few things to consider:
At the core of fundraising is story telling. Every person, every cause has a story to tell which can grab the attention and heart of the person reading it. Effective story telling involves pictures that trigger an emotion, sincerity and a call to action from the reader. Different stories also appeal to a variety of donors; be sure to use a spectrum of examples about how your organization is making a difference by highlighting men, women, seniors, youth, etc.
The bigger the net, the more fish you catch. How big is your presence online? Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail are the obvious choices, but have you considered looking into Google Grants for free online advertising or LinkedIn to share fundraising ideas with other nonprofits? Do you have a Fundlyaccount to make managing online giving a breeze? Have you created a video to post on your website, Fundly site or YouTube to share your vision with a broader audience? There are a ton of tools out there to make your organization visible and to help you stay connected with your donors.
Finally, it’s important not to get overwhelmed by the influx of technology. The basis of every successful nonprofit is having a passion for your mission, an arsenal of people with a like mind, and providing accountability to your donors. Let social media work for you, not the other way around.
The internet and Wifi technology have taken over our world and are as much a part of our lives as television and automobiles. If you’re not fully incorporating social media into your online fundraising plan, maybe some of these facts will inspire you. After all, this is where your donors are at. If you are using social media fundraising, how are you standing out in the crowd of everyday media?
The minds at mbaonline have created this great infographic which gives the perfect snapshot of what a day in the internet looks like. With such immense figures and incomprehensible traffic, it is mind blowing to consider the impact that current technology is having on our world.
So with all of these videos, e-mails, blog posts and social networking sites, how can your organization stand out? Here are a few things to consider:
At the core of fundraising is story telling. Every person, every cause has a story to tell which can grab the attention and heart of the person reading it. Effective story telling involves pictures that trigger an emotion, sincerity and a call to action from the reader. Different stories also appeal to a variety of donors; be sure to use a spectrum of examples about how your organization is making a difference by highlighting men, women, seniors, youth, etc.
The bigger the net, the more fish you catch. How big is your presence online? Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail are the obvious choices, but have you considered looking into Google Grants for free online advertising or LinkedIn to share fundraising ideas with other nonprofits? Do you have a Fundlyaccount to make managing online giving a breeze? Have you created a video to post on your website, Fundly site or YouTube to share your vision with a broader audience? There are a ton of tools out there to make your organization visible and to help you stay connected with your donors.
Finally, it’s important not to get overwhelmed by the influx of technology. The basis of every successful nonprofit is having a passion for your mission, an arsenal of people with a like mind, and providing accountability to your donors. Let social media work for you, not the other way around.
Laying the Foundation for Successful Fundraisers
There are a few truths that are undeniable in the philanthropic
world: First of all, you cannot run a nonprofit without fundraising.
Second only to a heart of compassion, money is the catalyst that drives a
charitable organization to accomplish social good. Next, if you always
do what you always did, you’re always going to get what you’ve always
got. Fundraising is about change. Finally, fundraising takes immense planning. Rarely does money come in by accident.
Now that we’ve established some basic ground rules, it’s important to keep in mind the basics to fundraising that can get lost in the shuffle over time. Here are some foundational steps in the fundraising process:
1) Create short term and long term goals – Don’t bite off more that you can chew. Every organization has visions of grandeur about having 50 or more employees, a building that spans a city block and a bank statement that has as many zero’s in it to rival Donald Trump’s. Can this dream be fulfilled over time?
Maybe. However, it’s important to have a pyramid of steps to accomplish on the way to the grand goal. Start off with establishing an office in a good location, a staff that is committed and manageable and a bank account that boasts of three months worth of expenses saved. If you aim too high, discouragement is bound to set in.
2) Count the cost – Before building a house, it is essential to research how much supplies, labor and time will be invested into the project. No one wants to live in a home without a roof or plumbing! The same goes into fundraising. Create the best fundraiser you can within the man power and budget that you have to dedicate to it. It is better have an event with plenty of food and fewer guests than to invite the masses for stale crackers and packaged cookies. Also, you don’t want to kill your staff and have them face burnout.
3) Delegate to those you trust – Just as King Arthur had his faithful Knights of the Round Table, so every leader needs a committee of competent advisors. When everyone does their part and does it well, then no one in particular is overly stressed. Find the best group of people to work with who have the same passion and dedication as you, and the fundraising process will go smoothly and efficiently.
4) Slow and steady wins the race – Relationships and a consistent flow of donations both take time to nurture and grow. Showing your organization to be reliable, trustworthy, significant and purposeful will definitely set the foundation for future partners and successful fundraisers.
5) Be willing to change with the times – Review your list of donors and see if there are gaps. Is most of your list made up of seniors? Create a social media campaign to reach the younger crowd. Fundly has a variety of ways to support an online fundraising campaign for your charity. Is your annual banquet declining in guests? Maybe a concert or food and wine tasting evening will bring in new donors. Just because you’ve always done it one way does not mean that that is the only way.
Now that we’ve established some basic ground rules, it’s important to keep in mind the basics to fundraising that can get lost in the shuffle over time. Here are some foundational steps in the fundraising process:
1) Create short term and long term goals – Don’t bite off more that you can chew. Every organization has visions of grandeur about having 50 or more employees, a building that spans a city block and a bank statement that has as many zero’s in it to rival Donald Trump’s. Can this dream be fulfilled over time?
Maybe. However, it’s important to have a pyramid of steps to accomplish on the way to the grand goal. Start off with establishing an office in a good location, a staff that is committed and manageable and a bank account that boasts of three months worth of expenses saved. If you aim too high, discouragement is bound to set in.
2) Count the cost – Before building a house, it is essential to research how much supplies, labor and time will be invested into the project. No one wants to live in a home without a roof or plumbing! The same goes into fundraising. Create the best fundraiser you can within the man power and budget that you have to dedicate to it. It is better have an event with plenty of food and fewer guests than to invite the masses for stale crackers and packaged cookies. Also, you don’t want to kill your staff and have them face burnout.
3) Delegate to those you trust – Just as King Arthur had his faithful Knights of the Round Table, so every leader needs a committee of competent advisors. When everyone does their part and does it well, then no one in particular is overly stressed. Find the best group of people to work with who have the same passion and dedication as you, and the fundraising process will go smoothly and efficiently.
4) Slow and steady wins the race – Relationships and a consistent flow of donations both take time to nurture and grow. Showing your organization to be reliable, trustworthy, significant and purposeful will definitely set the foundation for future partners and successful fundraisers.
5) Be willing to change with the times – Review your list of donors and see if there are gaps. Is most of your list made up of seniors? Create a social media campaign to reach the younger crowd. Fundly has a variety of ways to support an online fundraising campaign for your charity. Is your annual banquet declining in guests? Maybe a concert or food and wine tasting evening will bring in new donors. Just because you’ve always done it one way does not mean that that is the only way.
Do High Numbers of Facebook Fans Equal High Numbers of Voters?
The other day on TechPresident.com, Micah L. Sirfry discussed the
interesting argument on whether or not the media is inflating the impact
that social media is having on the upcoming presidential election.
From followers “liking” candidates on Facebook to online fundraising contributions, is the action on the web really influencing the race to the Oval Office? Does every person on Twitter equate to a ballot submitted on Election Day?
Sirfy states that, “Politics isn’t only about voting; it’s more deeply about organizing to get and keep power. And the evidence that social media is helping organized groups get more power–sometimes more than their raw numbers might get them at the ballot box–is staring us in the face.”
At Fundly, we would have to agree with Sirfy. At the end of the 2010 election cycle, 120 political customers were using Fundly to raise money and currently our numbers show 10 times that amount. The campaigns have ranged from local races to the presidential efforts of Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and a Newt Gingrich PAC. Candidates also successfully raised $71 million for the 2010 midterm elections.
Now let’s move beyond dollars. Sirfy brings up the interesting point that the nomination for the Republican presidential candidate is still up in the air in large part because of the role that social media is playing in creating factions among the conservative party. There are dozens of groups on Facebook that are backing the politician of their choice and there is even a social network that has more than 168,000 users who are largely beyond the control of any Republican organization.
In an ironic turn of the internet, not only is technology bringing more people of like-mindedness together, it is dividing the GOP. While the Republican Party is getting a ton of press for the Super PACs that are changing the landscape of political fundraising, an arsenal of small donors are also equipping the candidates with the funds to pursue the office of Commander in Chief. “On Fundly, a social fundraising site, the Rick Santorum page has nearly 3,000 donors who have built personal fundraising pages generating an average of about $80 each. By contrast, Romney has two donors who have created personal fundraising pages on the site, one of whom is his son Tagg” sites Sirfry.
So let’s get back to the original question at hand: do high numbers on Facebook equal high numbers of voters at the polls?
When so many people have invested their time, finances and opinions concerning the political scene, I can’t imagine them abandoning the cause at the apex of the battle.
From followers “liking” candidates on Facebook to online fundraising contributions, is the action on the web really influencing the race to the Oval Office? Does every person on Twitter equate to a ballot submitted on Election Day?
Sirfy states that, “Politics isn’t only about voting; it’s more deeply about organizing to get and keep power. And the evidence that social media is helping organized groups get more power–sometimes more than their raw numbers might get them at the ballot box–is staring us in the face.”
At Fundly, we would have to agree with Sirfy. At the end of the 2010 election cycle, 120 political customers were using Fundly to raise money and currently our numbers show 10 times that amount. The campaigns have ranged from local races to the presidential efforts of Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and a Newt Gingrich PAC. Candidates also successfully raised $71 million for the 2010 midterm elections.
Now let’s move beyond dollars. Sirfy brings up the interesting point that the nomination for the Republican presidential candidate is still up in the air in large part because of the role that social media is playing in creating factions among the conservative party. There are dozens of groups on Facebook that are backing the politician of their choice and there is even a social network that has more than 168,000 users who are largely beyond the control of any Republican organization.
In an ironic turn of the internet, not only is technology bringing more people of like-mindedness together, it is dividing the GOP. While the Republican Party is getting a ton of press for the Super PACs that are changing the landscape of political fundraising, an arsenal of small donors are also equipping the candidates with the funds to pursue the office of Commander in Chief. “On Fundly, a social fundraising site, the Rick Santorum page has nearly 3,000 donors who have built personal fundraising pages generating an average of about $80 each. By contrast, Romney has two donors who have created personal fundraising pages on the site, one of whom is his son Tagg” sites Sirfry.
So let’s get back to the original question at hand: do high numbers on Facebook equal high numbers of voters at the polls?
When so many people have invested their time, finances and opinions concerning the political scene, I can’t imagine them abandoning the cause at the apex of the battle.
Will Facebook, Twitter, and Fundly be the Fundraisers of the Future?
At Fundly, we know that the future of fundraising is
through online social media channels. Twitter has over 300 million
users and 1.6 billion search queries each day. Facebook boasts of having
more than 845 million users and more than half of those people log on
each day. Furthermore, this past year showed a 13% increase in online
giving which equals a 35-55% growth rate over the past year! With
numbers like these, which are only increasing over time, it just goes to
show that online social networking and fundraising are here to stay.
While we continue to encourage nonprofits and political candidates to take full advantage of their online fundraising potential, it’s nice to know that we’re not alone in our optimism using this strategy for garnering donations. Mike Cassidy wrote in the Mercury News this past weekend an interesting article entitled, “Will Facebook, Twitter, Fundly and the like be the fundraisers of the future?” (Can we answer an astounding “YES!” to that question?)
Cassidy proposes that, “as we move into the meat of the 2012 election season, think of the accelerating convergence of social networking and campaign fundraising as the anti-Super PAC movement.
“Super PAC money rolls into campaign coffers in the form of six-zero checks signed by supporters who possess unfathomable means and political interests that they’ll spend tens of millions to protect. The social network money, on the other hand, comes from no-name nobodies, kicking in $20 or $50 or maybe $200 at a time, in part because one of their Facebook friends did the same.”
Cassidy also highlights the point that social networks such as Facebook and Twitter are allowing those who normally wouldn’t contribute to political campaigns to now actively participate. This is reaching a younger demographic and getting more people involved in the political process.
Fundly has definitely seen the popularity of online giving grow over the past couple of years. At the end of the 2010 election cycle, 120 political customers were using Fundly to raise money. Now the number is 10 times that. The campaigns range from local races to the presidential efforts of Republicans Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and a Newt Gingrich PAC. Candidates also successfully raised $71 million for the 2010 midterm elections, including $23 million for Fundly money leader Meg Whitman, who ran for the office of Governor of California.
Online fundraising is the wave of the future, and we are excited that the word is getting out. We have helped thousands of nonprofits, schools, individual causes and candidates and we would love to help your organization, too!
While we continue to encourage nonprofits and political candidates to take full advantage of their online fundraising potential, it’s nice to know that we’re not alone in our optimism using this strategy for garnering donations. Mike Cassidy wrote in the Mercury News this past weekend an interesting article entitled, “Will Facebook, Twitter, Fundly and the like be the fundraisers of the future?” (Can we answer an astounding “YES!” to that question?)
Cassidy proposes that, “as we move into the meat of the 2012 election season, think of the accelerating convergence of social networking and campaign fundraising as the anti-Super PAC movement.
“Super PAC money rolls into campaign coffers in the form of six-zero checks signed by supporters who possess unfathomable means and political interests that they’ll spend tens of millions to protect. The social network money, on the other hand, comes from no-name nobodies, kicking in $20 or $50 or maybe $200 at a time, in part because one of their Facebook friends did the same.”
Cassidy also highlights the point that social networks such as Facebook and Twitter are allowing those who normally wouldn’t contribute to political campaigns to now actively participate. This is reaching a younger demographic and getting more people involved in the political process.
Fundly has definitely seen the popularity of online giving grow over the past couple of years. At the end of the 2010 election cycle, 120 political customers were using Fundly to raise money. Now the number is 10 times that. The campaigns range from local races to the presidential efforts of Republicans Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and a Newt Gingrich PAC. Candidates also successfully raised $71 million for the 2010 midterm elections, including $23 million for Fundly money leader Meg Whitman, who ran for the office of Governor of California.
Online fundraising is the wave of the future, and we are excited that the word is getting out. We have helped thousands of nonprofits, schools, individual causes and candidates and we would love to help your organization, too!
Cookie Dough Fundraising – Chew it up and spit it out!
Lounging on the couch after a long day at work, I get a 9-1-1 text
from my nephew, Matt , telling me that I owe him a $45 check. He is
promoting a high school fundraising campaign
for his football team to fund new equipment, uniforms and gas for the
bus. To meet his assigned goal he needs me to buy four 2-lb. tubs of
cookie dough. Immediately! Because the money is due tomorrow and it’s
9pm and he has homework to do.
Oh, and I can’t tell his Mom about our 11th hour communication because she’s been yelling at him for two weeks to get the stuff sold. So, he told her he already turned everything in.
I’ve got some problems:
1. I don’t want eight pounds of cookie dough in my house (my husband’s ticker has to keep marching the beat for three more years until the stock options vest, not to mention it is almost swim suit season)!
2. Wedging several tubs of cookie dough into my freezer will be difficult. It’s already stuffed with the cookie crack the Girl Scouts are pushing—4 boxes of Thin Mints (from my niece), 4 boxes of Samoas (another niece), 3 boxes of Tagalongs (from the neighbor girl) and 1 box of Do-Si-Dos (from my co-workers daughter).
3. Matt wants me to write a check. Location of checkbook? No clue!
Who uses checks anymore? I do all of my bill paying/banking online.
After handing over half my life savings to the Girl Scouts via my checkbook, I tossed it somewhere…
There has to be a better way to fundraise!
Two nights later, my niece Shannon sends me a message via Facebook. Her high school is raising money to replace all the windows in the school building…here we go again! I post a rant on Facebook about my frustration with school fundraising. I don’t need, nor do I want any more candy bars, cookies, candles, gift wrap, or holiday cards. I support education, I support sports programs, I support music and art. I don’t support repeated requests to buy a bunch of junk and junk food. I am sick and tired of ordering new checks just to pay for all this stuff. Besides, how much of the overall sales go back to the school programs?
My zealous pound of keyboard keys is interrupted by additional messages from my niece. Her school is using a social fundraising platform. I had never heard of using one, so I assumed I’d now be adding an order of party supplies to all my other junk. Shannon explains that by fundraising online and using social media networks to fundraise and all dollars donated go to the actual campaign. She gives me a link to their fundraising page, but tells me I’ll soon get an email with a link to view the online campaign. Through the link I’ll be able to make a donation using my credit card!!! The really cool thing is, I can share the campaign with my Facebook and LinkedIn contacts and encourage them to donate too. And, because this is 10x easier, they will.
I get a final message from Shannon in caps, “THE WINDOWS AT MY SCHOOL ARE GROSS—I’M EITHER SHIVERING COLD OR BOILING HOT. I’M PRETTY SURE IT’S THEIR FAULT MY GPA WENT DOWN LAST SEMESTER! SAVE MY GRADES—DONATE A LOT!
No checks, no cookie dough, no problem!
Better come up with a new business plan Otis Spunkmeyer, your days are numbered! Why? Because online fundraising for a cause is so much easier and was much more successful for all of us involved!
Oh, and I can’t tell his Mom about our 11th hour communication because she’s been yelling at him for two weeks to get the stuff sold. So, he told her he already turned everything in.
I’ve got some problems:
1. I don’t want eight pounds of cookie dough in my house (my husband’s ticker has to keep marching the beat for three more years until the stock options vest, not to mention it is almost swim suit season)!
2. Wedging several tubs of cookie dough into my freezer will be difficult. It’s already stuffed with the cookie crack the Girl Scouts are pushing—4 boxes of Thin Mints (from my niece), 4 boxes of Samoas (another niece), 3 boxes of Tagalongs (from the neighbor girl) and 1 box of Do-Si-Dos (from my co-workers daughter).
3. Matt wants me to write a check. Location of checkbook? No clue!
Who uses checks anymore? I do all of my bill paying/banking online.
After handing over half my life savings to the Girl Scouts via my checkbook, I tossed it somewhere…
There has to be a better way to fundraise!
Two nights later, my niece Shannon sends me a message via Facebook. Her high school is raising money to replace all the windows in the school building…here we go again! I post a rant on Facebook about my frustration with school fundraising. I don’t need, nor do I want any more candy bars, cookies, candles, gift wrap, or holiday cards. I support education, I support sports programs, I support music and art. I don’t support repeated requests to buy a bunch of junk and junk food. I am sick and tired of ordering new checks just to pay for all this stuff. Besides, how much of the overall sales go back to the school programs?
My zealous pound of keyboard keys is interrupted by additional messages from my niece. Her school is using a social fundraising platform. I had never heard of using one, so I assumed I’d now be adding an order of party supplies to all my other junk. Shannon explains that by fundraising online and using social media networks to fundraise and all dollars donated go to the actual campaign. She gives me a link to their fundraising page, but tells me I’ll soon get an email with a link to view the online campaign. Through the link I’ll be able to make a donation using my credit card!!! The really cool thing is, I can share the campaign with my Facebook and LinkedIn contacts and encourage them to donate too. And, because this is 10x easier, they will.
I get a final message from Shannon in caps, “THE WINDOWS AT MY SCHOOL ARE GROSS—I’M EITHER SHIVERING COLD OR BOILING HOT. I’M PRETTY SURE IT’S THEIR FAULT MY GPA WENT DOWN LAST SEMESTER! SAVE MY GRADES—DONATE A LOT!
No checks, no cookie dough, no problem!
Better come up with a new business plan Otis Spunkmeyer, your days are numbered! Why? Because online fundraising for a cause is so much easier and was much more successful for all of us involved!
Online Fundraising is the Future of Fundraising for Causes
In the modern times, many things can be done via the internet. Doing things online is fast, easy and convenient. Online fundraising is something that is growing in popularity. Yes, it is very possible to raise money online.
After filing with the proper organizations, anyone can set up a website to solicit donations for whatever cause it may be for. Online fundraising provides a much broader demographic for promotions, and increases the likelihood of donations. In addition, there is no need to spend money to set up events for the purpose of fundraising, nor will there be a need for seeking donations on foot.
Before starting the actual fundraising, several preparations must be done. First off, the means of fundraising must be legalized. This can be done by contacting the state of the location of the fundraising organization to find about any requirements for fundraising. After legalizing everything, it is time to promote your cause.
Since the fundraising will be done on the Internet, using the Internet to promote is the best idea. You can utilize social networking sites to get out the word for your organization.
Since social networking sites are so widespread, generating interest in your cause can be as simple as setting up a Facebook page. Creating a website is also a good idea. The website should have an attractive design, but also be easy to read and navigate. In addition, there should be a “donate now” button on the website. It need not be large and distracting, but it should be conspicuous to the visitor of the website.
While promoting for online fundraising, it is important to not be too rigorous. You do not want to become a spammer and send unsolicited emails. In order to raise money online, it is also a good idea to do promotions elsewhere as well. Handing out business cards and flyers, or even placing an ad in a publication are great additions. Also, you should decide how you will receive donations on your website. There are several options. You can use another company to collect the donations, or you can set up your website to be able to do credit card transactions. Another website can do this for you as well.
In addition to taking donations online, you can use your website to get donations in other forms. Supporters should have the option to donate online or through other means, such as by mail. The website should also promote the cause for the fundraising. Visitors should know exactly why they are donating. However, it is not always necessary to do everything independently. Several websites allow users to set up accounts solely for fundraising. People seeking to donate, as well as people seeking donations themselves visit such websites. This is a great method for those who have a small project to raise money for.
By using a third party fundraising websites, you will not be responsible for collecting donations or creating an entire fundraising campaign. Using the internet for online fundraising is much more convenient than traditional fundraisers in that it greatly simplifies the act of getting donations. Soon, it may even replace traditional fundraisers altogether.
After filing with the proper organizations, anyone can set up a website to solicit donations for whatever cause it may be for. Online fundraising provides a much broader demographic for promotions, and increases the likelihood of donations. In addition, there is no need to spend money to set up events for the purpose of fundraising, nor will there be a need for seeking donations on foot.
Before starting the actual fundraising, several preparations must be done. First off, the means of fundraising must be legalized. This can be done by contacting the state of the location of the fundraising organization to find about any requirements for fundraising. After legalizing everything, it is time to promote your cause.
Since the fundraising will be done on the Internet, using the Internet to promote is the best idea. You can utilize social networking sites to get out the word for your organization.
Since social networking sites are so widespread, generating interest in your cause can be as simple as setting up a Facebook page. Creating a website is also a good idea. The website should have an attractive design, but also be easy to read and navigate. In addition, there should be a “donate now” button on the website. It need not be large and distracting, but it should be conspicuous to the visitor of the website.
While promoting for online fundraising, it is important to not be too rigorous. You do not want to become a spammer and send unsolicited emails. In order to raise money online, it is also a good idea to do promotions elsewhere as well. Handing out business cards and flyers, or even placing an ad in a publication are great additions. Also, you should decide how you will receive donations on your website. There are several options. You can use another company to collect the donations, or you can set up your website to be able to do credit card transactions. Another website can do this for you as well.
In addition to taking donations online, you can use your website to get donations in other forms. Supporters should have the option to donate online or through other means, such as by mail. The website should also promote the cause for the fundraising. Visitors should know exactly why they are donating. However, it is not always necessary to do everything independently. Several websites allow users to set up accounts solely for fundraising. People seeking to donate, as well as people seeking donations themselves visit such websites. This is a great method for those who have a small project to raise money for.
By using a third party fundraising websites, you will not be responsible for collecting donations or creating an entire fundraising campaign. Using the internet for online fundraising is much more convenient than traditional fundraisers in that it greatly simplifies the act of getting donations. Soon, it may even replace traditional fundraisers altogether.
Customer Analytics to Project Donor Giving
I think one of the biggest hurdles that nonprofits have to scale is
the jump from making one-time donors into consistent supporters. They’ve
heard your message, they want to help your cause, but what prevents
them from making further contributions?
This is the focus of one study being conducted by the Red Cross in collaboration with Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative (WCAI) and six teams of researchers from around the country including analytics experts from Baylor University, the University of Pittsburgh and the IBM Watson Research Center.
The catalyst for this study is the dilemma that the Red Cross shares with most charities: during a disaster people are more than ready to give a one-time gift. However, the financial need of most nonprofits extends far beyond high profiled natural disasters or tragic incidents.
Andrew Watt, CEO of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, states that, “Giving rates still have a long way to go before we reach pre-recession levels, and it all begins with reducing the number of lapsed donors… This is one of the biggest challenges charities face — losing nearly 60 percent of donors every year and relying too heavily on new donors. It’s much less expensive to retain and inspire existing donors than it is to find new donors, so charities should focus on stewarding their current donors and reducing losses there.”
Customer analytics is nothing new to the for-profit world: companies track credit card purchases, prescriptions written by doctors and prevalent topics on internet search engines. With this study, the WCAI hopes to track donor giving on a more individual level.
So far they have found that nonprofits use available data to support projects that they are already doing rather than deal with the process of changing their dynamics for a better outcome. Peter Fader, a Wharton marketing professor and co-director of WCAI, comments that, “There are a lot of companies that would call themselves ‘data-driven’ that are using this in a passive way… People are afraid to trust data too much. They often trust their gut more.”
Online fundraising is a great way to track giving, stay in communication with donors and to nurture a relationship with existing supporters. “Customer analytics” just seems like a fancy term for determining who your supporters are and what motivates them to give. That is nothing new to the nonprofit world and neither is the answer: building relationships. Whether it’s through social media or a line in the mail, letting your donors know they are appreciated and needed will keep them coming back.
This is the focus of one study being conducted by the Red Cross in collaboration with Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative (WCAI) and six teams of researchers from around the country including analytics experts from Baylor University, the University of Pittsburgh and the IBM Watson Research Center.
The catalyst for this study is the dilemma that the Red Cross shares with most charities: during a disaster people are more than ready to give a one-time gift. However, the financial need of most nonprofits extends far beyond high profiled natural disasters or tragic incidents.
Andrew Watt, CEO of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, states that, “Giving rates still have a long way to go before we reach pre-recession levels, and it all begins with reducing the number of lapsed donors… This is one of the biggest challenges charities face — losing nearly 60 percent of donors every year and relying too heavily on new donors. It’s much less expensive to retain and inspire existing donors than it is to find new donors, so charities should focus on stewarding their current donors and reducing losses there.”
Customer analytics is nothing new to the for-profit world: companies track credit card purchases, prescriptions written by doctors and prevalent topics on internet search engines. With this study, the WCAI hopes to track donor giving on a more individual level.
So far they have found that nonprofits use available data to support projects that they are already doing rather than deal with the process of changing their dynamics for a better outcome. Peter Fader, a Wharton marketing professor and co-director of WCAI, comments that, “There are a lot of companies that would call themselves ‘data-driven’ that are using this in a passive way… People are afraid to trust data too much. They often trust their gut more.”
Online fundraising is a great way to track giving, stay in communication with donors and to nurture a relationship with existing supporters. “Customer analytics” just seems like a fancy term for determining who your supporters are and what motivates them to give. That is nothing new to the nonprofit world and neither is the answer: building relationships. Whether it’s through social media or a line in the mail, letting your donors know they are appreciated and needed will keep them coming back.
Nonprofits Continue to Aid Victims of Natural Disasters
With Monday being President’s Day, we thought we’d carry the theme
for one more post. Fashions, technology and industry may change, but the
need to help one’s fellow man does not. Nonprofits and government
programs will continue to exist until the basic needs of food, education
and shelter are met. There will continue to be programs that were and
are of particular interest to our presidents that continue to thrive as
important issues today.
Somehow it seems like more natural disasters are hitting our world; every few months images of despair and destruction are flashed upon the television screen. Obviously these forces of nature are hardly new, and presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt and George H.W. Bush had to face the repercussions of earthquakes that hit the San Francisco Bay Area during their terms in office.
Add to that countless hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts and blizzards, and I’d account that just about every president has had to compensate to address various disaster assistance resources provided by the government. In recent history, from Japan to New Orleans to Haiti, thousands have had to start over as they rebuild their homes and their lives. Independent nonprofits have also made an impact for these individuals and communities who have needed help to travel down this difficult path of reconstruction.
Nonprofits have the incredible task of providing aid to clients while maintaining a current fundraising strategy. A good example of online fundraising success is a recent disaster relief campaign on the Fundly platform that has raised $82,379 of their $125,000 goal. For every 100 donations that were given, 3,878 impressions were made to the cause’s Facebook page within a 24-hour period. This flow of web traffic brought a 15% increase in their donation yield during that period of time. This is the power of social fundraising.
Most importantly, through this site they have been able to serve hot meals, first aid kits and shelter to countless people. Fundly is proud to partner with incredible causes like these as their online fundraising platform and looks forward to aiding more organizations to achieve this success!
Somehow it seems like more natural disasters are hitting our world; every few months images of despair and destruction are flashed upon the television screen. Obviously these forces of nature are hardly new, and presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt and George H.W. Bush had to face the repercussions of earthquakes that hit the San Francisco Bay Area during their terms in office.
Add to that countless hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts and blizzards, and I’d account that just about every president has had to compensate to address various disaster assistance resources provided by the government. In recent history, from Japan to New Orleans to Haiti, thousands have had to start over as they rebuild their homes and their lives. Independent nonprofits have also made an impact for these individuals and communities who have needed help to travel down this difficult path of reconstruction.
Nonprofits have the incredible task of providing aid to clients while maintaining a current fundraising strategy. A good example of online fundraising success is a recent disaster relief campaign on the Fundly platform that has raised $82,379 of their $125,000 goal. For every 100 donations that were given, 3,878 impressions were made to the cause’s Facebook page within a 24-hour period. This flow of web traffic brought a 15% increase in their donation yield during that period of time. This is the power of social fundraising.
Most importantly, through this site they have been able to serve hot meals, first aid kits and shelter to countless people. Fundly is proud to partner with incredible causes like these as their online fundraising platform and looks forward to aiding more organizations to achieve this success!
Online Fundraising Makes Fundraisers Easy for Everyone
Today we are talking about something rather relevant in development
of modern society, one that lives in the hardest possible conditions.
And that would be fundraising, but in this article we are going to
discuss online fundraising, that should significantly change traditional
fundraising.
Before we discuss our main topic, online fundraising I will first explain a little about fundraising in general.
Fundraising or fund raising (also development) is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies (see also crowd funding). Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gather money for non-profit organizations, it is sometimes used to refer to the identification and solicitation of investors or other sources of capital for for-profit enterprises.
Traditionally, fundraising consisted mostly of asking for donations on the street or at people’s doors, and this is experiencing very strong growth in the form of face-to-face fundraising. But new forms of fundraising such as online fundraising have emerged in recent years, that are far much better than mentioned traditional fundraising techniques, in many different ways.
Now you understand the concept of fundraising, we shall turn to our main topic, which is online fundraising.
Online fundraising is a way to gather funds or other necessary tools for various occasions. Nowadays famine in Africa is recognized as a huge problem and many online fundraisers are for that certain purpose. Except for that people raise money online for causes such as research in some health disorders, gathering money to build a health facility, fundraising to keep some projects or websites alive (like wikimedia foundation whose main goal was to raise 16 million dollars to keep wikipedia.org online, or wikileaks.com that need around five hundred thousand dollars to keep their project alive), or simple asking for donations as a sign of gratitude for someone’s work.
The last one is the most common cause actually. Everyone who has a relatively successful website adds a Donate button to their site to get some more profit of their site. Researches have also shown that those kinds of donations bring more money than the actual advertisements. Imagine that a site has 100 000 (satisfied) visitors a day, and every tenth of them donates a single dollar to that website, we are talking about 10 000 pure easy profit! But enough about that, let’s discuss whether or not online fundraising is better than regular face-to-face fundraisers.
This is how regular fundraiser works. Event starter calls number of people (depending on the financial needs and reputation) that are somewhat wealthy to parties, concerts, dinners, balls and similar. Those invited people have to pay for entrance, pay for stuff they are going to consume and later on if they really have a lot of money, donate some to the cause. In the end when all is over event starters have to use gathered money to pay for expenses and they give the rest (or at least they should if they are not thieves) to a cause.
This is where online fundraising beats regular fundraising. Nowadays you literally have no expenses to start a cause and ask for money (donations). And the number of people that could donate is not limited by space or time. Online fundraisers give donators freedom to donate how much they want/can, whenever they want. Only possible expense is site upkeep (paying few dollars a month to have a space online).
But now when there are sites like facebook with almost a billion users, and twitter around 200 million, that allow you to create accounts or groups for free, there are literally no expenses. Every single cent fundraisers get is possible to give to the cause. That’s a win-win situation, donators can be sure all of their money is going to those who need it and those who need it get the most money.
Thanks for taking time to read this and I hope you now understand why I think online fundraising is far more effective than traditional one.
Before we discuss our main topic, online fundraising I will first explain a little about fundraising in general.
Fundraising or fund raising (also development) is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies (see also crowd funding). Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gather money for non-profit organizations, it is sometimes used to refer to the identification and solicitation of investors or other sources of capital for for-profit enterprises.
Traditionally, fundraising consisted mostly of asking for donations on the street or at people’s doors, and this is experiencing very strong growth in the form of face-to-face fundraising. But new forms of fundraising such as online fundraising have emerged in recent years, that are far much better than mentioned traditional fundraising techniques, in many different ways.
Now you understand the concept of fundraising, we shall turn to our main topic, which is online fundraising.
Online fundraising is a way to gather funds or other necessary tools for various occasions. Nowadays famine in Africa is recognized as a huge problem and many online fundraisers are for that certain purpose. Except for that people raise money online for causes such as research in some health disorders, gathering money to build a health facility, fundraising to keep some projects or websites alive (like wikimedia foundation whose main goal was to raise 16 million dollars to keep wikipedia.org online, or wikileaks.com that need around five hundred thousand dollars to keep their project alive), or simple asking for donations as a sign of gratitude for someone’s work.
The last one is the most common cause actually. Everyone who has a relatively successful website adds a Donate button to their site to get some more profit of their site. Researches have also shown that those kinds of donations bring more money than the actual advertisements. Imagine that a site has 100 000 (satisfied) visitors a day, and every tenth of them donates a single dollar to that website, we are talking about 10 000 pure easy profit! But enough about that, let’s discuss whether or not online fundraising is better than regular face-to-face fundraisers.
This is how regular fundraiser works. Event starter calls number of people (depending on the financial needs and reputation) that are somewhat wealthy to parties, concerts, dinners, balls and similar. Those invited people have to pay for entrance, pay for stuff they are going to consume and later on if they really have a lot of money, donate some to the cause. In the end when all is over event starters have to use gathered money to pay for expenses and they give the rest (or at least they should if they are not thieves) to a cause.
This is where online fundraising beats regular fundraising. Nowadays you literally have no expenses to start a cause and ask for money (donations). And the number of people that could donate is not limited by space or time. Online fundraisers give donators freedom to donate how much they want/can, whenever they want. Only possible expense is site upkeep (paying few dollars a month to have a space online).
But now when there are sites like facebook with almost a billion users, and twitter around 200 million, that allow you to create accounts or groups for free, there are literally no expenses. Every single cent fundraisers get is possible to give to the cause. That’s a win-win situation, donators can be sure all of their money is going to those who need it and those who need it get the most money.
Thanks for taking time to read this and I hope you now understand why I think online fundraising is far more effective than traditional one.
Fundraising Online: Meeting Your Donors Where They’re At
A couple of weeks ago I went to my niece’s birthday party and had an
interesting conversation with her grandfather. He was planning on
attending a Crab Feed that I was organizing at our church and we were
discussing the amount of money that came in last year verses the amount
of guests who attended. He thought the giving rather low and I thought
it was adequate for the level of guests that attended. In non-profit fundraising, different causes attract a certain group of people and you have to meet them where they’re at.
So far on my resume I’ve been a teacher then I entered the nonprofit world working at a homeless shelter, church and symphony. I’ve learned that in each of these fields, fundraising and the donors they attract are just as vast as the categories themselves.
Education Fundraising
Education fundraising attracts generous grandparents and family members who are usually hit up once or twice a year with jog-a-thon sponsorships, cookie dough sales and catalogs with overpriced candles and wrapping paper. These fundraisers tend to be fairly successful as prizes of cheap toys and gadgets are dangled before the eyes of sticky fingered, wide-eyed children; and what doting grandma or uncle can say “no” to little Susie when she says “Would you like to buy something to help my school?” (Currently I’ve consumed three out of five Girl Scout cookie boxes in two weeks with this approach and have two tubs of cookie dough from another niece stocked in my freezer… too bad the treats don’t come with “sucker” stickers for my forehead.)
Now I’m not saying to toss these ideas away, but my sister came up with a great idea to avoid overpaying for unwanted clutter and calories: she asks what percentage of the item actually goes to the school and then she gives a certain amount to compensate. For example, my niece sells wreaths to go to winter camp every year. It costs about $25 for a small wreath but regardless of the size, $5 goes into her account. I’d rather give her $10 and forego tossing the wreath in the trash when it dies. With Fundly she could even start her own website, e-mail friends and family members with her sales pitch and then give them the option to help with a purchase or direct donation.
School fundraisers are a great way for students to compete for and earn what their school needs, but a Fundly site would also be an ideal way to earn dollars year round. It would be perfect for a library building program, acquiring new playground equipment or buying updated textbooks. Friends and family members could get a letter or e-mail from the student and when they log on, they can see how close the school is to approaching their goal. No extra calories, no overpriced clutter, no juggling checks and cash in flimsy envelopes and all the money goes to the cause and not unwanted products.
Humanitarian Fundraising
This is one of my personal favorite areas of fundraising: homeless shelters, food banks and recovery programs. With the economy in its current state, more and more people are reaching out for help and the generosity of our communities is incredible as they are stepping up to help their fellow man. Sometimes I think that this is also one of the easier areas of fundraising because of the compassion factor: who isn’t moved by a picture of a family huddled in the cold or a before and after picture of a man caught in the grips of despair then miraculously transformed into finding hope and a future?
When I worked at a shelter, I had the privilege of being the Special Events Coordinator and I organized golf tournaments, annual banquets, Christmas gift giveaways and school supply drives. While most of our funding came through monthly direct mail campaigns, the connection with the volunteers and banquet guests kept the dollars rolling in. Currently they are incorporating more online fundraising options such as evites, e-mail campaigns and e-newsletters. I remember the budget for thousands of mailers was outrageous and I can’t imagine the savings that the internet is bringing. (However, I must also add that about 20% of the donors were elderly who prefer the traditional mailers and return envelopes. Compartmentalize your donors and focus on what works for each age group and giving level.)
Church Fundraisers
I’ve been at the same church since I was 13 years old and in those 23 years since, I think I’ve helped out and participated in just about every type of ministry with events ranging from car washes to banquets to craft fairs to building programs. From the perspectives of a child, teen, adult and parent, I’ve seen more than my share of fundraising opportunities.
Now with the church going crowd, there’s an easy side and a difficult side to garnering funds. First of all, there are moral and spiritual obligations to give… that’s the “easy” part. The difficult part is that these donors are already contributing and in a church environment they are continually asked to give more: the opportunities include tithing, missions, maybe a building program or special family in need. Then there are outside ministries such as crisis centers, inner city outreaches or clothing drives that tap into the same church-going crowd. (Now this is where this post started: the grandfather I was talking to couldn’t comprehend why people weren’t being more generous. My argument was that the guests that were attending our event were already generous and this was just an additional cause to support.)
In churches, I think that social media is a greatly underused resource. The church is already an established community and Facebook is just a visual extension of that family. When I opened my Facebook account, within two weeks I had 86 friends and 90% are from church!
So far I’ve started fundraising websites for a golf tournament and have two pending with a recovery ministry and outreach to veterans. Fundly is great for these projects because while the funding will be funneled through the church, each ministry can have its separate site to post future events, how close they are to their financial goals and they can share their mission with the friends on Facebook. Also, the cost is minimal so the funds go directly to the task at hand with little to no time, man power and effort invested.
Fundraising for the Arts
When I started working at a symphony, the dichotomy of fundraising really hit me. I was used to the homeless shelter food donations, creating something out of nothing and an entirely different clientele. Then at this creative office an expanse of Juilliard graduates, prodigies, business moguls and wealthy retired philanthropists paraded through the doors. I worked in the development department and helped with events such as food and wine tastings, concerts in private homes and an annual grand ball. Just as the causes had completely different goals, so did the donors who contributed.
While many of these supporters aided both the arts and humanitarian causes, the acknowledgement and expectations that they required from the nonprofits they contributed to were entirely different. The motivation seemed to range between moral obligations to social prestige. Petitioning for funds also required a new thought process: to attract the wealthier donors’ attention, it took a refined touch of wining and dining accompanied by bells and whistles. They had seen it all and heard it all and usually earned their money through fine business acumen; if anything less was presented, the ask was left on the table.
While relationships are the basis for any size gift, the bigger asks and more powerful donors require more in depth one-on-one attention and nurturing. However, incorporating social media is a great way to open the door to any donor. Showing a sample artists’ work, advertising events and ticket sales and petitioning funds for future projects are all perfect things to display on a fundraising page. By using Fundly, donors can also have their giving posted on Facebook to encourage their friends to join their efforts.
With every cause there are a variety of donors that come with it. Furthermore, within your donors it is important to categorize giving levels, the most effective ways of communication and the best angles to get them involved. From direct mail campaigns to online giving, the most valuable way to reach your donors is by knowing who they are.
So far on my resume I’ve been a teacher then I entered the nonprofit world working at a homeless shelter, church and symphony. I’ve learned that in each of these fields, fundraising and the donors they attract are just as vast as the categories themselves.
Education Fundraising
Education fundraising attracts generous grandparents and family members who are usually hit up once or twice a year with jog-a-thon sponsorships, cookie dough sales and catalogs with overpriced candles and wrapping paper. These fundraisers tend to be fairly successful as prizes of cheap toys and gadgets are dangled before the eyes of sticky fingered, wide-eyed children; and what doting grandma or uncle can say “no” to little Susie when she says “Would you like to buy something to help my school?” (Currently I’ve consumed three out of five Girl Scout cookie boxes in two weeks with this approach and have two tubs of cookie dough from another niece stocked in my freezer… too bad the treats don’t come with “sucker” stickers for my forehead.)
Now I’m not saying to toss these ideas away, but my sister came up with a great idea to avoid overpaying for unwanted clutter and calories: she asks what percentage of the item actually goes to the school and then she gives a certain amount to compensate. For example, my niece sells wreaths to go to winter camp every year. It costs about $25 for a small wreath but regardless of the size, $5 goes into her account. I’d rather give her $10 and forego tossing the wreath in the trash when it dies. With Fundly she could even start her own website, e-mail friends and family members with her sales pitch and then give them the option to help with a purchase or direct donation.
School fundraisers are a great way for students to compete for and earn what their school needs, but a Fundly site would also be an ideal way to earn dollars year round. It would be perfect for a library building program, acquiring new playground equipment or buying updated textbooks. Friends and family members could get a letter or e-mail from the student and when they log on, they can see how close the school is to approaching their goal. No extra calories, no overpriced clutter, no juggling checks and cash in flimsy envelopes and all the money goes to the cause and not unwanted products.
Humanitarian Fundraising
This is one of my personal favorite areas of fundraising: homeless shelters, food banks and recovery programs. With the economy in its current state, more and more people are reaching out for help and the generosity of our communities is incredible as they are stepping up to help their fellow man. Sometimes I think that this is also one of the easier areas of fundraising because of the compassion factor: who isn’t moved by a picture of a family huddled in the cold or a before and after picture of a man caught in the grips of despair then miraculously transformed into finding hope and a future?
When I worked at a shelter, I had the privilege of being the Special Events Coordinator and I organized golf tournaments, annual banquets, Christmas gift giveaways and school supply drives. While most of our funding came through monthly direct mail campaigns, the connection with the volunteers and banquet guests kept the dollars rolling in. Currently they are incorporating more online fundraising options such as evites, e-mail campaigns and e-newsletters. I remember the budget for thousands of mailers was outrageous and I can’t imagine the savings that the internet is bringing. (However, I must also add that about 20% of the donors were elderly who prefer the traditional mailers and return envelopes. Compartmentalize your donors and focus on what works for each age group and giving level.)
Church Fundraisers
I’ve been at the same church since I was 13 years old and in those 23 years since, I think I’ve helped out and participated in just about every type of ministry with events ranging from car washes to banquets to craft fairs to building programs. From the perspectives of a child, teen, adult and parent, I’ve seen more than my share of fundraising opportunities.
Now with the church going crowd, there’s an easy side and a difficult side to garnering funds. First of all, there are moral and spiritual obligations to give… that’s the “easy” part. The difficult part is that these donors are already contributing and in a church environment they are continually asked to give more: the opportunities include tithing, missions, maybe a building program or special family in need. Then there are outside ministries such as crisis centers, inner city outreaches or clothing drives that tap into the same church-going crowd. (Now this is where this post started: the grandfather I was talking to couldn’t comprehend why people weren’t being more generous. My argument was that the guests that were attending our event were already generous and this was just an additional cause to support.)
In churches, I think that social media is a greatly underused resource. The church is already an established community and Facebook is just a visual extension of that family. When I opened my Facebook account, within two weeks I had 86 friends and 90% are from church!
So far I’ve started fundraising websites for a golf tournament and have two pending with a recovery ministry and outreach to veterans. Fundly is great for these projects because while the funding will be funneled through the church, each ministry can have its separate site to post future events, how close they are to their financial goals and they can share their mission with the friends on Facebook. Also, the cost is minimal so the funds go directly to the task at hand with little to no time, man power and effort invested.
Fundraising for the Arts
When I started working at a symphony, the dichotomy of fundraising really hit me. I was used to the homeless shelter food donations, creating something out of nothing and an entirely different clientele. Then at this creative office an expanse of Juilliard graduates, prodigies, business moguls and wealthy retired philanthropists paraded through the doors. I worked in the development department and helped with events such as food and wine tastings, concerts in private homes and an annual grand ball. Just as the causes had completely different goals, so did the donors who contributed.
While many of these supporters aided both the arts and humanitarian causes, the acknowledgement and expectations that they required from the nonprofits they contributed to were entirely different. The motivation seemed to range between moral obligations to social prestige. Petitioning for funds also required a new thought process: to attract the wealthier donors’ attention, it took a refined touch of wining and dining accompanied by bells and whistles. They had seen it all and heard it all and usually earned their money through fine business acumen; if anything less was presented, the ask was left on the table.
While relationships are the basis for any size gift, the bigger asks and more powerful donors require more in depth one-on-one attention and nurturing. However, incorporating social media is a great way to open the door to any donor. Showing a sample artists’ work, advertising events and ticket sales and petitioning funds for future projects are all perfect things to display on a fundraising page. By using Fundly, donors can also have their giving posted on Facebook to encourage their friends to join their efforts.
With every cause there are a variety of donors that come with it. Furthermore, within your donors it is important to categorize giving levels, the most effective ways of communication and the best angles to get them involved. From direct mail campaigns to online giving, the most valuable way to reach your donors is by knowing who they are.
5 Reasons to Invest Time Into Online Fundraising
It seems like many non-profits are stuck between a rock and a hard
place right now: the needs are greater than ever while incoming donation
levels are decreasing or at a stand still. With the funds you do have,
should you meet the needs of your clientele or gamble with new
development strategies? Here are five reasons why online fundraising is not a gamble:
1) Free Platfoms – Facebook, Twitter and emails literally don’t cost a dime! In the time it takes to compose an update, post a Tweet, or write a letter, you could reach thousands of donors. While direct mail is certainly beneficial to older supporters, it can be costly when you take in to account the price of production, postage, and assembly.
2) Expand Your Audience – I can honestly say that the majority of my friends under 40 years old have Facebook accounts. I think that one of the biggest mistakes that nonprofits make is not appealing or nurturing the next generation of supporters.
3) It Doesn’t Take a Techie – With all of the new technology out there, it can be intimidating to enter the world of keywords, SEOs and Tweetables. One thing that I’m really impressed with concerning these new platforms is how user friendly they are. Get on the website, sign up, spend an hour playing with the system and you’ll quickly become a pro. There are also great tutorials on YouTube that can walk you through the process. At Fundly, we also have a team that strives to make an online giving website quick, easy and accessible for both nonprofit and donor use.
4) Expanded Opportunities – Building the bridge to create a simbiotic relationship is key to garnering and expanding donor support; you need hands and finances to achieve your goal and your supporters receive affirmation that they are needed and making a difference. Social media only strengthens this bond through opening more outlets of communication such as updates, calls to action, and success stories.
5) It Just Keeps Growing – Currently Twitter has over 300 million users and 1.6 billion search queries each day. Facebook boasts of having more than 845 million users and more than half of those people log on each day. This is a huge market with unlimited potential! Furthermore, this past year showed a 13% increase in online giving which equals a 35-55% growth rate over the past year. Fundly can help you utilize social media in your arsenal of marketing strategies by connecting your organization to potential donors and making the process of giving social.
1) Free Platfoms – Facebook, Twitter and emails literally don’t cost a dime! In the time it takes to compose an update, post a Tweet, or write a letter, you could reach thousands of donors. While direct mail is certainly beneficial to older supporters, it can be costly when you take in to account the price of production, postage, and assembly.
2) Expand Your Audience – I can honestly say that the majority of my friends under 40 years old have Facebook accounts. I think that one of the biggest mistakes that nonprofits make is not appealing or nurturing the next generation of supporters.
3) It Doesn’t Take a Techie – With all of the new technology out there, it can be intimidating to enter the world of keywords, SEOs and Tweetables. One thing that I’m really impressed with concerning these new platforms is how user friendly they are. Get on the website, sign up, spend an hour playing with the system and you’ll quickly become a pro. There are also great tutorials on YouTube that can walk you through the process. At Fundly, we also have a team that strives to make an online giving website quick, easy and accessible for both nonprofit and donor use.
4) Expanded Opportunities – Building the bridge to create a simbiotic relationship is key to garnering and expanding donor support; you need hands and finances to achieve your goal and your supporters receive affirmation that they are needed and making a difference. Social media only strengthens this bond through opening more outlets of communication such as updates, calls to action, and success stories.
5) It Just Keeps Growing – Currently Twitter has over 300 million users and 1.6 billion search queries each day. Facebook boasts of having more than 845 million users and more than half of those people log on each day. This is a huge market with unlimited potential! Furthermore, this past year showed a 13% increase in online giving which equals a 35-55% growth rate over the past year. Fundly can help you utilize social media in your arsenal of marketing strategies by connecting your organization to potential donors and making the process of giving social.
3 Big Fat Reasons to be Fundraising on Fundly
Every nonprofit has three basic needs to fill in order to survive:
know-how, resources, and passion. Finding the right people and tools to
fill these gaps is essential, especially when it comes to the task of
fundraising.
Online fundraising is a concept that has developed over the past years, however, the concept of “social fundraising” is fairly new. Social media networks are a great set of tools anyone can take advantage of…
and they’re free. Leveraging social media to expand online fundraising efforts with Fundly provides you with a platform to use social media effectively and gather your resources and passion behind your cause, so that you can reach your goals.
Here are 3 big fat reasons to use Fundly to drive your online fundraising potential:
1) Fundly makes fundraising online simple, effective and fun!!! No, seriously… Starting a
campaign page on Fundly is easy, and until you’re actually raising
money, it’s free. Since it only a takes a few minutes, there’s no
reason you can’t have a little fun and check it out! Your fundraising
page is ready to share from the moment you sign-up. Fundly’s
user-friendly interface makes it quick to customize your page by
adding video and photos, choosing your fundraising goal and giving
levels, and writing a description about your cause… And it’s exciting to
see the final result!
The experience is even more engaging for your donors and gives them a chance to be recognized. It only takes a minute for your donors to contribute to your cause by a click of the ‘Donate’ button and give with ease with Fundly. Once they’ve donated, there are several ways for them to engage and feel like they are a part of the overall effort.
2) Donors turn into fundraisers. When
a stranger asks for money, it’s easy and probable for people to answer
“no, thanks.” When a friend asks for money, there is a foundation and
level of trust in the relationship which usually produces a positive
response like, “sure, I’d love to!” This is the basic idea of social
fundraising and Fundly helps your organization reap the benefits in two
ways. First, when a donor contributes to your cause through Fundly,
their giving action can be posted to their Facebook and Twitter profiles
to share with their network of friends, family, and colleagues. Now,
not only are they bringing attention to your cause, but sending a call
to action to their entire social network. The average person has well
over 100 friends on Facebook and now you have over 100 potential donors.
Secondly, your donors also have the option to launch their own
fundraising page under your campaign and set their own goals. This
empowers them to fundraise for the cause and they’re now motivated to
achieve their own goal, adding to your donation yield. Your givers are
now your gatherers!
3) Online donation yields can increase by as much as 52% on Fundly!
Regardless of the cause or size of your organization, current
statistics prove that online giving is increasing ever year. Launching a
campaign on Fundly could increase your donation revenue by as much as
52%, as proven by a case study campaign on Fundly. Also, according to a
recent study released by M+R Strategic Services and the Nonprofit
Technology Network (NTEN) entitled the “eNonprofit Benchmarks Study”,
they have found that from 2010 to 2011 online giving increased 20
percent. That is a tremendous amount of growth and fundraising revenue.
Furthermore, the average one-time online gift was $62 and the average
monthly gift was $20. These dollars quickly add up! And Fundly is
confident that as social media networks grow and continue to build into
the routine of our daily lives, nonprofits will see online giving
potential increase even more in the next year.
In all, online fundraising is here to stay. Fundly has taken out what has made it time consuming and complicated so you can do what you do best: run your nonprofit and strengthen support for your cause.
Online fundraising is a concept that has developed over the past years, however, the concept of “social fundraising” is fairly new. Social media networks are a great set of tools anyone can take advantage of…
and they’re free. Leveraging social media to expand online fundraising efforts with Fundly provides you with a platform to use social media effectively and gather your resources and passion behind your cause, so that you can reach your goals.
Here are 3 big fat reasons to use Fundly to drive your online fundraising potential:
1) Fundly makes fundraising online simple, effective and fun!!! No, seriously… Starting a
campaign page on Fundly is easy, and until you’re actually raising
money, it’s free. Since it only a takes a few minutes, there’s no
reason you can’t have a little fun and check it out! Your fundraising
page is ready to share from the moment you sign-up. Fundly’s
user-friendly interface makes it quick to customize your page by
adding video and photos, choosing your fundraising goal and giving
levels, and writing a description about your cause… And it’s exciting to
see the final result!The experience is even more engaging for your donors and gives them a chance to be recognized. It only takes a minute for your donors to contribute to your cause by a click of the ‘Donate’ button and give with ease with Fundly. Once they’ve donated, there are several ways for them to engage and feel like they are a part of the overall effort.
2) Donors turn into fundraisers. When
a stranger asks for money, it’s easy and probable for people to answer
“no, thanks.” When a friend asks for money, there is a foundation and
level of trust in the relationship which usually produces a positive
response like, “sure, I’d love to!” This is the basic idea of social
fundraising and Fundly helps your organization reap the benefits in two
ways. First, when a donor contributes to your cause through Fundly,
their giving action can be posted to their Facebook and Twitter profiles
to share with their network of friends, family, and colleagues. Now,
not only are they bringing attention to your cause, but sending a call
to action to their entire social network. The average person has well
over 100 friends on Facebook and now you have over 100 potential donors.
Secondly, your donors also have the option to launch their own
fundraising page under your campaign and set their own goals. This
empowers them to fundraise for the cause and they’re now motivated to
achieve their own goal, adding to your donation yield. Your givers are
now your gatherers!3) Online donation yields can increase by as much as 52% on Fundly!
Regardless of the cause or size of your organization, current
statistics prove that online giving is increasing ever year. Launching a
campaign on Fundly could increase your donation revenue by as much as
52%, as proven by a case study campaign on Fundly. Also, according to a
recent study released by M+R Strategic Services and the Nonprofit
Technology Network (NTEN) entitled the “eNonprofit Benchmarks Study”,
they have found that from 2010 to 2011 online giving increased 20
percent. That is a tremendous amount of growth and fundraising revenue.
Furthermore, the average one-time online gift was $62 and the average
monthly gift was $20. These dollars quickly add up! And Fundly is
confident that as social media networks grow and continue to build into
the routine of our daily lives, nonprofits will see online giving
potential increase even more in the next year.In all, online fundraising is here to stay. Fundly has taken out what has made it time consuming and complicated so you can do what you do best: run your nonprofit and strengthen support for your cause.
Online Fundraising Gives a Vote of Confidence to Political Campaigns
It’s impossible to watch the news these days and not see a report
about the upcoming 2012 Presidential Election. Regardless of your
candidate of choice or party affiliation, you have to admit the
contenders are giving it all they’ve got to win the office at hand.
From kissing babies to Google ads, this election is an interesting
blend of old and new fundraising tactics.
While television debates, benefit dinners, and rallies are tried and true methods of gaining voter approval, what has truly sparked my interest is how these candidates are connecting with people that can now have their voices heard using social media. By the end of this election, the unchartered waters of online political fundraising will be vastly explored by these electoral pioneers.
In a recent report published by Fundly, we found that online political fundraising is being utilized like never before. We have had three of the presidential hopefuls as clients, plus one thousand other political figures petitioning for various offices. Due to our political clientele on both party lines, we are able to accumulate facts and figures pertaining to online fundraising in a way that has not been possible in previous years. As such, we have found that by the end of January 2012 political online fundraising had increased 53 percent as compared to the previous year. Furthermore, we saw that the daily social fundraising volume in January exceeded December’s average volume by more than 350 percent.
There is a good question that arises amid all of the controversies surrounding the use of PAC’s: will even more focus be placed on social media fundraising as candidates strive to gain public approval? The time, energy and finances invested into procuring funds can be vastly diminished with the launch of a simple Facebook page, some daily tweets on Twitter and taking a few minutes to start a campaign donation page on Fundly.
So why should you use Fundly as part of your campaign strategy? When a stranger asks for money, it’s easy and probable for people to answer “no, thanks.” When a friend asks for money, there is a foundation and level of trust in the relationship which usually produces a positive response like, “sure, I’d love to!” Friends are also more open to supporting a candidate and hearing their positions when recommended by a friend.
This is the basic idea of social fundraising and Fundly helps your campaign reap the benefits. When a donor contributes to your candidate through Fundly, that action can be posted to their Facebook and Twitter profiles to share with their network of friends, family, and colleagues. Not only are they bringing attention to your campaign, but a call of support to their entire social network. The average person has well over 100 friends on Facebook and now you have over 100 potential donors.
While the focus of political fundraising has mainly been on the presidential race, what we are learning from this election can be applied to campaigns for smaller offices, such as mayor, school board advisor, and the like. With Fundly, it’s easy for candidates to set up a website, gather supporter information, and start collecting donations. Regardless of the political position, the methods of fundraising are the same; it’s just a different scale.
While television debates, benefit dinners, and rallies are tried and true methods of gaining voter approval, what has truly sparked my interest is how these candidates are connecting with people that can now have their voices heard using social media. By the end of this election, the unchartered waters of online political fundraising will be vastly explored by these electoral pioneers.
In a recent report published by Fundly, we found that online political fundraising is being utilized like never before. We have had three of the presidential hopefuls as clients, plus one thousand other political figures petitioning for various offices. Due to our political clientele on both party lines, we are able to accumulate facts and figures pertaining to online fundraising in a way that has not been possible in previous years. As such, we have found that by the end of January 2012 political online fundraising had increased 53 percent as compared to the previous year. Furthermore, we saw that the daily social fundraising volume in January exceeded December’s average volume by more than 350 percent.
There is a good question that arises amid all of the controversies surrounding the use of PAC’s: will even more focus be placed on social media fundraising as candidates strive to gain public approval? The time, energy and finances invested into procuring funds can be vastly diminished with the launch of a simple Facebook page, some daily tweets on Twitter and taking a few minutes to start a campaign donation page on Fundly.
So why should you use Fundly as part of your campaign strategy? When a stranger asks for money, it’s easy and probable for people to answer “no, thanks.” When a friend asks for money, there is a foundation and level of trust in the relationship which usually produces a positive response like, “sure, I’d love to!” Friends are also more open to supporting a candidate and hearing their positions when recommended by a friend.
This is the basic idea of social fundraising and Fundly helps your campaign reap the benefits. When a donor contributes to your candidate through Fundly, that action can be posted to their Facebook and Twitter profiles to share with their network of friends, family, and colleagues. Not only are they bringing attention to your campaign, but a call of support to their entire social network. The average person has well over 100 friends on Facebook and now you have over 100 potential donors.
While the focus of political fundraising has mainly been on the presidential race, what we are learning from this election can be applied to campaigns for smaller offices, such as mayor, school board advisor, and the like. With Fundly, it’s easy for candidates to set up a website, gather supporter information, and start collecting donations. Regardless of the political position, the methods of fundraising are the same; it’s just a different scale.
Fundraising for Nonprofits on Facebook Provides More Than Just Dollars
When I think of fundraising,
the first thing that comes to mind is a donation check. I’m sure many
donors also have this image in their mind, but fundraising can be so
much more! Just as the saying goes, “Ask and you shall receive,” think
about what you are asking from your donors on Facebook and your other
social media sites. Are you limiting yourself to just financial
contributions?
Here some non-monetary asks that we have made: golf participants, volunteers for the day of the tournament, corporate sponsorships, and business donations for the raffle that will be held at the banquet after the tournament. We also made a separate section where people can directly work with the nonprofit by volunteering as camp counselors, provide prayer support for this ministry, donate craft items for the campers, or volunteer at registration.
Updating and recruiting golfers has been much easier through this site, too. With each post that the committee chairman puts on the Fundly webpage, the golfers that he is friends with can be reminded of discounts, deadlines and new course features that have been added to the tournament. He can also post how many spaces are left and promote the mission of the cause.
In a sad turn of events, one of the golfers who had participated several times in this event passed away a couple of weeks ago. We knew he loved to golf and wanted to help the children in this organization, so we also have started receiving donations in memory of this incredible man and will send his family a list of family and friends who contributed a gift in remembrance.
While every organization could certainly benefit from monetary contributions, it’s important to remember that social media networks are not limited to just one type of donation. With Fundly, there are a variety of ways to get your supporters to join as partners to your cause. What will you ask for today?
If you want to raise money on Facebook for your cause, you can start your own Facebook fundraising campaign today with Fundly!
The PAC Powerhouse of Political Campaign Fundraising
As I think back to the Constitution and the original form of our
government in its essence of democratic purity, I can’t help but wonder
what our forefathers would think of the current electoral process.
Would they be aghast at the immense amount of cash raised and spent? Would they be flabbergasted at political fundraising mixed with the advancement of technology? How would they feel about Super PACs? However, I also ponder if these questions are fair to pose in an apples-to-oranges comparison. In a world in which powdered wigs, wooden teeth and only male voters existed, do the same principles apply?
In a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, it was found that 69% of voters believe that PACs should be banned. Furthermore, 78% of independent voters believe that they should be eliminated. Do PACs really deserve such a bad rap?
Restore Our Future, the super PAC supporting former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, has already spent nearly $34 million in early presidential primary states on his behalf. Winning Our Future, a super PAC associated with former House speaker Newt Gingrich, has already gone through $16 million. President Obama is also gaining momentum using a PAC; Priorities USA Action is in effect and is run by two former White House aides.
The Washington Post reports that, “All told, super PACs have raised more than $130 million and spent $75 million in the 2012 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Given that the 2012 election isn’t for another eight months or so and that super PACs focused on House races have already begun to crop up, it’s easy to see that number cresting $500 million or even nearing $1 billion before the election is over.
What does the future hold for political fundraising? Online fundraising through sites like Fundly are at an all time high and the candidates are spending time, money and strategic planning on optimizing social networking. We’ll just have to wait and see how technology and major donor giving influences the outcome of the presidential election in November.
Would they be aghast at the immense amount of cash raised and spent? Would they be flabbergasted at political fundraising mixed with the advancement of technology? How would they feel about Super PACs? However, I also ponder if these questions are fair to pose in an apples-to-oranges comparison. In a world in which powdered wigs, wooden teeth and only male voters existed, do the same principles apply?
In a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, it was found that 69% of voters believe that PACs should be banned. Furthermore, 78% of independent voters believe that they should be eliminated. Do PACs really deserve such a bad rap?
Restore Our Future, the super PAC supporting former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, has already spent nearly $34 million in early presidential primary states on his behalf. Winning Our Future, a super PAC associated with former House speaker Newt Gingrich, has already gone through $16 million. President Obama is also gaining momentum using a PAC; Priorities USA Action is in effect and is run by two former White House aides.
The Washington Post reports that, “All told, super PACs have raised more than $130 million and spent $75 million in the 2012 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Given that the 2012 election isn’t for another eight months or so and that super PACs focused on House races have already begun to crop up, it’s easy to see that number cresting $500 million or even nearing $1 billion before the election is over.
What does the future hold for political fundraising? Online fundraising through sites like Fundly are at an all time high and the candidates are spending time, money and strategic planning on optimizing social networking. We’ll just have to wait and see how technology and major donor giving influences the outcome of the presidential election in November.
Branding Your Nonprofit in the Age of Social Media
If you interviewed a panel of consumers, undoubtedly most would be
able to identify Nike by its swoosh, Disney by its three circles forming
Mickey Mouse’s head and Microsoft Windows by its four-colored waving
flag. Branding and marketing go hand-in-hand; not just in the
marketplace but also for non-profit fundraising.
Rahim Kanani, contributor to Forbes Magazine, had an informative interview with Nathalie Kylander, adjunct lecturer in public policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a research fellow at Harvard’s Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations. Kylander, along with Hauser Center Faculty Director Christopher Stone, are authors of an in-depth research study on the role of brand in the nonprofit sector. With more than a decade of nonprofit branding research to her credit, Kylander brings some useful insight to the subject.
First of all, why is branding so important to a nonprofit organization? Kylander explains that, “traditionally, brand was essentially viewed as a communication and fundraising tool, but we found that a new paradigm was emerging where brand was increasingly being considered in a strategic way, fundamentally anchored in the mission and values of an organization and critical at every step in the theory of change of an organization.
“We also found that the role that brand played internally was as critical to many of the organizations we interviewed, as the external role of the brand. Internally, a strong brand drives cohesion and helps an organization build the capacity and skills to implement its social mission. Externally a strong brand results in trust among its many constituents, be they donors, beneficiaries, partners, or otherwise, which enables the organization to have greater impact. However, what makes a brand strong is the close alignment between internal brand identity and external brand image, what we call brand Integrity.”
Can your donors easily identify your brand? Does your logo fully symbolize your cause? When constituents see your organization, what values and goals do they associate with it? “A brand is a psychological construct held in the minds of all brand audiences, a promise, a short-cut for decision making if you will. Strong brands in both sectors enable organizations to build trust, gain resources, and establish partnerships and access” explains Kylander.
A strong brand is needed especially when using social media networks for online fundraising. With Twitter’s shorthand and Facebook’s overwhelming traffic, a reliable brand makes the difference between a glance at your comments and a click on the “donate” button. Let Fundly help you create afree fundraising website today that can expand your social media fundraising and promote your organization’s brand!
Rahim Kanani, contributor to Forbes Magazine, had an informative interview with Nathalie Kylander, adjunct lecturer in public policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a research fellow at Harvard’s Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations. Kylander, along with Hauser Center Faculty Director Christopher Stone, are authors of an in-depth research study on the role of brand in the nonprofit sector. With more than a decade of nonprofit branding research to her credit, Kylander brings some useful insight to the subject.
First of all, why is branding so important to a nonprofit organization? Kylander explains that, “traditionally, brand was essentially viewed as a communication and fundraising tool, but we found that a new paradigm was emerging where brand was increasingly being considered in a strategic way, fundamentally anchored in the mission and values of an organization and critical at every step in the theory of change of an organization.
“We also found that the role that brand played internally was as critical to many of the organizations we interviewed, as the external role of the brand. Internally, a strong brand drives cohesion and helps an organization build the capacity and skills to implement its social mission. Externally a strong brand results in trust among its many constituents, be they donors, beneficiaries, partners, or otherwise, which enables the organization to have greater impact. However, what makes a brand strong is the close alignment between internal brand identity and external brand image, what we call brand Integrity.”
Can your donors easily identify your brand? Does your logo fully symbolize your cause? When constituents see your organization, what values and goals do they associate with it? “A brand is a psychological construct held in the minds of all brand audiences, a promise, a short-cut for decision making if you will. Strong brands in both sectors enable organizations to build trust, gain resources, and establish partnerships and access” explains Kylander.
A strong brand is needed especially when using social media networks for online fundraising. With Twitter’s shorthand and Facebook’s overwhelming traffic, a reliable brand makes the difference between a glance at your comments and a click on the “donate” button. Let Fundly help you create afree fundraising website today that can expand your social media fundraising and promote your organization’s brand!
Fundly Helps Bicyclists With a Cause
Would you venture to take a bicycle trip across your city? How about
across the state? Would you travel across the country to promote your
cause? What do online fundraising and traveling by bike have in common?
These are some interesting questions that Alaskan Brian Lyke and Michigan resident Nicole Gaunt have raised with their mission to travel from California to Maine with the hopes of bringing more attention to Free Hugs, a grass-roots program which promotes human empathy and connection in urban environments.
Lyke explains that, “Cities are scary, alienating places. Free Hugs tries to solve that problem. Throwing your arms around a smiling stranger feels good, and is a quick way to meet people. We picked this program to carry with us across the country because we need to bring that sense of community along with us. We hope that sharing that community across America will have a ripple effect, encouraging service and inspiring action against apathy and antipathy.”
Lyke and Gaunt came up with this unique and exciting journey while they were on a 40 mile bike ride in Alaska. They both have offers for summer jobs across the country and decided that a road trip was too expensive, a plane trip was too fast, and a bike trip would be the perfect way to experience an adventure while bringing attention to a worthy cause.
Along with grant writing and bargain shopping, Lyke and Gaunt have turned to online fundraising and have almost reached their $2,000 financial goal through using Fundly. “I found out about this website when my activist friend sent me a fundraising appeal. It was much better than the appeals she usually sent… Making an account on the website was easy, the fees were reasonable, and the platform robust. When the donations started pouring in, I was won over.
“I’ve worked in community organizing for five years. Fundraising is hard. It takes a lot of time, thought, talking, and follow-up that can be hard to juggle with life, work, and planning logistics on a 100 day expedition. Fundly’s suite of features made a well-run fundraising campaign happen for our little adventure,” states Lyke. So far this team has raised $1,936 of their $2,000 goal and started their journey on February 1.
To check out their webpage or donate, please go to: http://fundly.com/akfreehugs and you can follow them onhttp://akfreehugs.tumblr.com/ as they update their blog regularly. We with these adventurists a safe and successful journey!
These are some interesting questions that Alaskan Brian Lyke and Michigan resident Nicole Gaunt have raised with their mission to travel from California to Maine with the hopes of bringing more attention to Free Hugs, a grass-roots program which promotes human empathy and connection in urban environments.
Lyke explains that, “Cities are scary, alienating places. Free Hugs tries to solve that problem. Throwing your arms around a smiling stranger feels good, and is a quick way to meet people. We picked this program to carry with us across the country because we need to bring that sense of community along with us. We hope that sharing that community across America will have a ripple effect, encouraging service and inspiring action against apathy and antipathy.”
Lyke and Gaunt came up with this unique and exciting journey while they were on a 40 mile bike ride in Alaska. They both have offers for summer jobs across the country and decided that a road trip was too expensive, a plane trip was too fast, and a bike trip would be the perfect way to experience an adventure while bringing attention to a worthy cause.
Along with grant writing and bargain shopping, Lyke and Gaunt have turned to online fundraising and have almost reached their $2,000 financial goal through using Fundly. “I found out about this website when my activist friend sent me a fundraising appeal. It was much better than the appeals she usually sent… Making an account on the website was easy, the fees were reasonable, and the platform robust. When the donations started pouring in, I was won over.
“I’ve worked in community organizing for five years. Fundraising is hard. It takes a lot of time, thought, talking, and follow-up that can be hard to juggle with life, work, and planning logistics on a 100 day expedition. Fundly’s suite of features made a well-run fundraising campaign happen for our little adventure,” states Lyke. So far this team has raised $1,936 of their $2,000 goal and started their journey on February 1.
To check out their webpage or donate, please go to: http://fundly.com/akfreehugs and you can follow them onhttp://akfreehugs.tumblr.com/ as they update their blog regularly. We with these adventurists a safe and successful journey!
Holiday Fundraisers: Ideas You’ll Love
The greeting card industry has done us a great
service: they have created a holiday for every month to make sure we
have something grand to celebrate. Be it Valentine’s Day with its
saccharin sappiness or Halloween and its sugar-high loaded spooky
splendor, nonprofits are sure to find some way to capitalize on these fundraising opportunities. Here are a few ways to make the most of these special days.
2) Banquet Time – I know I focus on banquets a lot, but this is a perfect way to gather a bunch of donors together and with a holiday, the theme is already built in. On a night like Valentine’s Day
many people are already going to drop a pretty penny on a special night out; why not create an evening of dinner and dancing to support your cause?
3) Client Focused Events – Most people tend to get super sentimental about any holidays. It seems to bring up elementary school construction paper projects and a sense of nostalgia that brings forth a generous spirit. Tap into this opportunity by creating a special project that brings donor volunteers and maybe your charity’s clientele together. An informal party, craft project, concert, or play would make the day memorable and cause your supporters to become more emotionally invested in your mission.
4) Perfect Time to Show Appreciation – E-cards are free and can show appreciation for your donors while wishing them a happy holiday. It is important to stay in contact with donors and this is a perfect time to say thank you. For Valentine’s Day you can say “We love our donors!” or on St. Patrick’s Day you can write “We’re lucky to have you.” Cheesy? Probably. Does it get the job done? You bet.
We all know that Thanksgiving and Christmas are the biggest giving seasons of the year, but every month seems to have a day of celebration. Why not use that as an online fundraising strategy? You can easily post your events, thank yous and campaigns on your website or in Facebook posts and reach a multitude of supporters. Get into the spirit of the season!
Woman Uses Fundly and Facebook to Help Fulfill Stranger’s Last Wish
With this being Social Media Week, it’s essential to know how to use
Facebook to fully unleash your online fundraising potential. Here is a
great example of the power of Facebook:
While talking to a friend one day, a young woman named Crystal Mills learned of a man named Dustin Hughes, a husband and father who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Feeling the overwhelming need to help, Mills decided connected with Hughes on Facebook. Using Fundly and Facebook, Mills has now achieved her goal to help.
On June 24, 2011 Hughes was rushed to the emergency room where it was discovered that he had a brain tumor; it turned out to be stage 4 Glioblastoma Multiforme, an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer. Hughes states, “In the blink of an eye, my world changed forever.”
With a burden to help Hughes and his family, Mills contacted him via Facebook and asked what top items are on his “bucket list.” Hughes replied that his biggest dream was to take his boys to Disneyland one last time.
Amazingly, in just a few months Mills’ goal of raising $10,000 for this incredible cause has been met and exceeded! Currently, $10,135 has been raised on fundly.com/operationhughestroop with the generous contributions of 110 donors and supporters. Mills shares that, “The money WILL officially be sending these boys to Disneyland, but that’s not all. Dustin had also shared a wish that he thought would be the hardest to accomplish, which is to start a charity for glioblastoma multiforme cancer, the cancer that he is winning the fight against, and help others do the same. We are going to make this happen.”
So what made this online campaign so successful and how can you apply it to your nonprofit fundraising? Well, first of all I can’t help but think that Mills is a stay-at-home mom with no marketing skills or a staff to strategize with. She was sincere, heartfelt and genuine.
Secondly, the pictures on her website are beautiful and portray a message that hits to the heart of the matter. Thirdly, this cause has mass appeal to anyone who has a family; it’s not too specific so as to alienate donors. Finally, she used social media tools brilliantly. She posted on Facebook, there were several YouTube videos to upload and the message spread like wildfire. If Mills can run a successful fundraising campaign using Fundly, just think what you can do!
Tomorrow’s blog will focus on Twitter and how to incorporate this tool into your online fundraising plan. The more ways you can connect with your donors, the better!
In this series:
Happy Social Media Week – http://bit.ly/yKlkNr
While talking to a friend one day, a young woman named Crystal Mills learned of a man named Dustin Hughes, a husband and father who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Feeling the overwhelming need to help, Mills decided connected with Hughes on Facebook. Using Fundly and Facebook, Mills has now achieved her goal to help.
On June 24, 2011 Hughes was rushed to the emergency room where it was discovered that he had a brain tumor; it turned out to be stage 4 Glioblastoma Multiforme, an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer. Hughes states, “In the blink of an eye, my world changed forever.”
With a burden to help Hughes and his family, Mills contacted him via Facebook and asked what top items are on his “bucket list.” Hughes replied that his biggest dream was to take his boys to Disneyland one last time.
Amazingly, in just a few months Mills’ goal of raising $10,000 for this incredible cause has been met and exceeded! Currently, $10,135 has been raised on fundly.com/operationhughestroop with the generous contributions of 110 donors and supporters. Mills shares that, “The money WILL officially be sending these boys to Disneyland, but that’s not all. Dustin had also shared a wish that he thought would be the hardest to accomplish, which is to start a charity for glioblastoma multiforme cancer, the cancer that he is winning the fight against, and help others do the same. We are going to make this happen.”
So what made this online campaign so successful and how can you apply it to your nonprofit fundraising? Well, first of all I can’t help but think that Mills is a stay-at-home mom with no marketing skills or a staff to strategize with. She was sincere, heartfelt and genuine.
Secondly, the pictures on her website are beautiful and portray a message that hits to the heart of the matter. Thirdly, this cause has mass appeal to anyone who has a family; it’s not too specific so as to alienate donors. Finally, she used social media tools brilliantly. She posted on Facebook, there were several YouTube videos to upload and the message spread like wildfire. If Mills can run a successful fundraising campaign using Fundly, just think what you can do!
Tomorrow’s blog will focus on Twitter and how to incorporate this tool into your online fundraising plan. The more ways you can connect with your donors, the better!
In this series:
Happy Social Media Week – http://bit.ly/yKlkNr
Woman Uses Fundly and Facebook to Help Fulfill Stranger’s Last Wish –http://bit.ly/wluGiv
Twitter vs. Facebook: To Tweet or Not to Tweet – http://bit.ly/ADdqwn
Implementing an Online Fundraising Plan for Beginners – http://bit.ly/x5BymH
Starting Your Own Blog – http://bit.ly/yxR2kG
Fundly Political Index Shows Continued Online Fundraising Growth
Fundly is
proud to announce that we have published the first ever index that
measures the social fundraising activity across the social web during
the 2012 campaign cycle. The candidates are consistently and creatively
using social media to gain supporters and dollars and we are excited to
be a part of this historical event concerning technology in partnership
with the electoral process.
With this in mind, many candidates are actively making social media part of their campaign strategy and Fundly is proud to be a part of this democratic process. Currently we have three presidential hopefuls as clients plus one thousand other political figures petitioning for various offices. Due to our political clientele on both party lines, we are able to accumulate facts and figures pertaining to online fundraising in a way that has not been possible in previous years. As such, we have found that by the end of January 2012 political online fundraising had increased 53 percent as compared to the previous year. Furthermore, we saw that the daily social fundraising volume in January exceeding December’s average volume by more than 350 percent.
“Social fundraising has become a driving force in political fundraising, as candidates ranging from President to town commissioner use social media in unprecedented ways to organize and activate their bases to help generate awareness, money and votes,” said Fundly CEO Dave Boyce.
As cliché as this may sound, the future of fundraising is now. From politicians to nonprofits, from school athletic departments to individuals helping terminal patients, online fundraising has incredible momentum that seems to be increasing with time and success rates.
Branding Your Nonprofit in the Age of Social Media
If you interviewed a panel of consumers, undoubtedly most would be
able to identify Nike by its swoosh, Disney by its three circles forming
Mickey Mouse’s head and Microsoft Windows by its four-colored waving
flag. Branding and marketing go hand-in-hand; not just in the
marketplace but also for non-profit fundraising.
Rahim Kanani, contributor to Forbes Magazine, had an informative interview with Nathalie Kylander, adjunct lecturer in public policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a research fellow at Harvard’s Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations. Kylander, along with Hauser Center Faculty Director Christopher Stone, are authors of an in-depth research study on the role of brand in the nonprofit sector. With more than a decade of nonprofit branding research to her credit, Kylander brings some useful insight to the subject.
First of all, why is branding so important to a nonprofit organization? Kylander explains that, “traditionally, brand was essentially viewed as a communication and fundraising tool, but we found that a new paradigm was emerging where brand was increasingly being considered in a strategic way, fundamentally anchored in the mission and values of an organization and critical at every step in the theory of change of an organization.
“We also found that the role that brand played internally was as critical to many of the organizations we interviewed, as the external role of the brand. Internally, a strong brand drives cohesion and helps an organization build the capacity and skills to implement its social mission. Externally a strong brand results in trust among its many constituents, be they donors, beneficiaries, partners, or otherwise, which enables the organization to have greater impact. However, what makes a brand strong is the close alignment between internal brand identity and external brand image, what we call brand Integrity.”
Can your donors easily identify your brand? Does your logo fully symbolize your cause? When constituents see your organization, what values and goals do they associate with it? “A brand is a psychological construct held in the minds of all brand audiences, a promise, a short-cut for decision making if you will. Strong brands in both sectors enable organizations to build trust, gain resources, and establish partnerships and access” explains Kylander.
A strong brand is needed especially when using social media networks for online fundraising. With Twitter’s shorthand and Facebook’s overwhelming traffic, a reliable brand makes the difference between a glance at your comments and a click on the “donate” button. Let Fundly help you create afree fundraising website today that can expand your social media fundraising and promote your organization’s brand!
Rahim Kanani, contributor to Forbes Magazine, had an informative interview with Nathalie Kylander, adjunct lecturer in public policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a research fellow at Harvard’s Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations. Kylander, along with Hauser Center Faculty Director Christopher Stone, are authors of an in-depth research study on the role of brand in the nonprofit sector. With more than a decade of nonprofit branding research to her credit, Kylander brings some useful insight to the subject.
First of all, why is branding so important to a nonprofit organization? Kylander explains that, “traditionally, brand was essentially viewed as a communication and fundraising tool, but we found that a new paradigm was emerging where brand was increasingly being considered in a strategic way, fundamentally anchored in the mission and values of an organization and critical at every step in the theory of change of an organization.
“We also found that the role that brand played internally was as critical to many of the organizations we interviewed, as the external role of the brand. Internally, a strong brand drives cohesion and helps an organization build the capacity and skills to implement its social mission. Externally a strong brand results in trust among its many constituents, be they donors, beneficiaries, partners, or otherwise, which enables the organization to have greater impact. However, what makes a brand strong is the close alignment between internal brand identity and external brand image, what we call brand Integrity.”
Can your donors easily identify your brand? Does your logo fully symbolize your cause? When constituents see your organization, what values and goals do they associate with it? “A brand is a psychological construct held in the minds of all brand audiences, a promise, a short-cut for decision making if you will. Strong brands in both sectors enable organizations to build trust, gain resources, and establish partnerships and access” explains Kylander.
A strong brand is needed especially when using social media networks for online fundraising. With Twitter’s shorthand and Facebook’s overwhelming traffic, a reliable brand makes the difference between a glance at your comments and a click on the “donate” button. Let Fundly help you create afree fundraising website today that can expand your social media fundraising and promote your organization’s brand!
Implementing an Online Fundraising Plan for Beginners
In this fourth blog pertaining to Social Media Week, let’s start at
the very beginning of how to actually use social media for those who are
either new to the nonprofit world or unfamiliar with the basics of
social media. This week we’ve discussed the purpose and differences of
Twitter and Facebook, but here are some practical ways to slowly
incorporate them into your development department’s strategy for fundraising.
1) Get your website up and running – Facebook and Twitter are great ways to contact donors but if you have nowhere to lead them, it almost defeats the purpose. There are great website templates that you can find on the internet that average about $20 per month for a basic account, or you can set up a donation page onFundly. Last night I created a Fundly page for my brother-in-law’s charity event and it literally took me about 25 minutes. You can share your mission, contact information and collect donations in a matter of minutes.
2) Set up Facebook and Twitter accounts – You can’t contact donors via these internet applications if you don’t have an account. Fill in the required information and spend about half an hour playing around with the different fields and features. Also, check out YouTube for video tutorials on how to use these online tools. If millions of people can do it, you can too! It just takes some time and basic computer skills to figure out the online social scene.
3) Set up a calendar – I live by my calendar and a to-do list. If I don’t organize my life on paper, I feel frazzled and overwhelmed. Once you get your online accounts set up, set aside a time and schedule or assign this task to someone on your team to keep up with creating updates and posts for your online donor list. Maybe every Wednesday you can create a post on Facebook to let your supporters know what project you are working on. Possibly send out an e-newsletter on the first Monday of the month with a success story or urgent need. On Twitter you can report on a great article you read pertaining to your cause or state how much money you raised at a fundraiser. Create a plan and then stick with it!
4) Reply to your donors – Social media is a two way street; you can post all you want, but donors will comment and ask questions. Be sure someone in your organization replies. Of course you don’t have to comment on everyone’s message, but filter through your account and reply when necessary.
5) Expanding your online presence – Once you have Facebook, Twitter and e-mail mastered, you may want to check out LinkedIn to connect with other professionals. There are a bunch of great groups focused on nonprofits and the forums are perfect if you have questions or need ideas.
So those are some of the basics to using social media resources. Tune in tomorrow for our final installment of Social Media Week posts: Starting Your Own Blog.
In this series:
Happy Social Media Week – http://bit.ly/yKlkNr
1) Get your website up and running – Facebook and Twitter are great ways to contact donors but if you have nowhere to lead them, it almost defeats the purpose. There are great website templates that you can find on the internet that average about $20 per month for a basic account, or you can set up a donation page onFundly. Last night I created a Fundly page for my brother-in-law’s charity event and it literally took me about 25 minutes. You can share your mission, contact information and collect donations in a matter of minutes.
2) Set up Facebook and Twitter accounts – You can’t contact donors via these internet applications if you don’t have an account. Fill in the required information and spend about half an hour playing around with the different fields and features. Also, check out YouTube for video tutorials on how to use these online tools. If millions of people can do it, you can too! It just takes some time and basic computer skills to figure out the online social scene.
3) Set up a calendar – I live by my calendar and a to-do list. If I don’t organize my life on paper, I feel frazzled and overwhelmed. Once you get your online accounts set up, set aside a time and schedule or assign this task to someone on your team to keep up with creating updates and posts for your online donor list. Maybe every Wednesday you can create a post on Facebook to let your supporters know what project you are working on. Possibly send out an e-newsletter on the first Monday of the month with a success story or urgent need. On Twitter you can report on a great article you read pertaining to your cause or state how much money you raised at a fundraiser. Create a plan and then stick with it!
4) Reply to your donors – Social media is a two way street; you can post all you want, but donors will comment and ask questions. Be sure someone in your organization replies. Of course you don’t have to comment on everyone’s message, but filter through your account and reply when necessary.
5) Expanding your online presence – Once you have Facebook, Twitter and e-mail mastered, you may want to check out LinkedIn to connect with other professionals. There are a bunch of great groups focused on nonprofits and the forums are perfect if you have questions or need ideas.
So those are some of the basics to using social media resources. Tune in tomorrow for our final installment of Social Media Week posts: Starting Your Own Blog.
In this series:
Happy Social Media Week – http://bit.ly/yKlkNr
Woman Uses Fundly and Facebook to Help Fulfill Stranger’s Last Wish –http://bit.ly/wluGiv
Twitter vs. Facebook: To Tweet or Not to Tweet – http://bit.ly/ADdqwn
Implementing an Online Fundraising Plan for Beginners – http://bit.ly/x5BymH
Starting Your Own Blog – http://bit.ly/yxR2kG
Starting Your Own Blog
In this final installment of Social Media Week posts, I would be
remiss to not touch on the topic of the blogging world. From personal to
professional blogs, I’ve been sharing my opinions for about two years
now and have found this part of the technical arena to be something that
I love. Here are some things I’ve learned:
1) Find Your Focus – Before you start a blog determine what you want your subject matter to be. Obviously as a nonprofit your topics will probably orbit around your cause and mission statement, so keep that in mind when you write. Avoid random political opinions, anything that might isolate your supporters or any negativity that would turn someone off. This is a great platform to share your heart and readers will keep coming back if they know that they’ll find something thought-provoking and informative.
2) Keep it Real and Relaxed – Unlike reports, news articles, and board minutes, blogs are meant to be conversational. Keep it relatable and avoid sounding like a textbook. If your readers are primarily donors, share stories of how your charity is making a difference or honestly share a difficulty that your organization is facing. You may also want to discuss a measure coming up on a ballot that directly affects your cause (without sounding too controversial or preachy). This is a great way to build relationships with your donors because they can truly see the reality of your cause on a regular basis.
3) Finding Content – Sometimes it can be tough to write on the same topic day after day but you just need to know where to look. I love Google Alerts; you can type in keywords that are the core of your topic and everyday Google will send you e-mails with lists of articles pertaining to your subject matter. Also try typing in keywords into any search engine; it’s amazing how many newsletters and websites are devoted to specific topics of interest. As a nonprofit, the Chronicle of Philanthropy and Mashable have great updates on the philanthropic world.
4) Creating a Blog – I’ve used WordPress for almost a year and a half and they have a great site if you want to create a blog. It’s free, easy to use and I’ve never come into a problem with it. It also shows you stats on how many people are reading your blogs, which posts are the most popular and it helps to sort out real comments from spam. If you’re considering starting a blog, this is the perfect launching pad.
Blogs are a great way to connect to donors and supporters by sharing updates, special needs, client success stories and plans of action. Through this form of social media you can expand on thoughts that would be limited on Facebook and Twitter or costly via direct mail. Blogs also are a great strategy to tie your donors in to future fundraising campaigns; instead of making the occasional ask you’re inviting them into your organization’s world one blog at a time.
In this series:
Happy Social Media Week – http://bit.ly/yKlkNr
1) Find Your Focus – Before you start a blog determine what you want your subject matter to be. Obviously as a nonprofit your topics will probably orbit around your cause and mission statement, so keep that in mind when you write. Avoid random political opinions, anything that might isolate your supporters or any negativity that would turn someone off. This is a great platform to share your heart and readers will keep coming back if they know that they’ll find something thought-provoking and informative.
2) Keep it Real and Relaxed – Unlike reports, news articles, and board minutes, blogs are meant to be conversational. Keep it relatable and avoid sounding like a textbook. If your readers are primarily donors, share stories of how your charity is making a difference or honestly share a difficulty that your organization is facing. You may also want to discuss a measure coming up on a ballot that directly affects your cause (without sounding too controversial or preachy). This is a great way to build relationships with your donors because they can truly see the reality of your cause on a regular basis.
3) Finding Content – Sometimes it can be tough to write on the same topic day after day but you just need to know where to look. I love Google Alerts; you can type in keywords that are the core of your topic and everyday Google will send you e-mails with lists of articles pertaining to your subject matter. Also try typing in keywords into any search engine; it’s amazing how many newsletters and websites are devoted to specific topics of interest. As a nonprofit, the Chronicle of Philanthropy and Mashable have great updates on the philanthropic world.
4) Creating a Blog – I’ve used WordPress for almost a year and a half and they have a great site if you want to create a blog. It’s free, easy to use and I’ve never come into a problem with it. It also shows you stats on how many people are reading your blogs, which posts are the most popular and it helps to sort out real comments from spam. If you’re considering starting a blog, this is the perfect launching pad.
Blogs are a great way to connect to donors and supporters by sharing updates, special needs, client success stories and plans of action. Through this form of social media you can expand on thoughts that would be limited on Facebook and Twitter or costly via direct mail. Blogs also are a great strategy to tie your donors in to future fundraising campaigns; instead of making the occasional ask you’re inviting them into your organization’s world one blog at a time.
In this series:
Happy Social Media Week – http://bit.ly/yKlkNr
Woman Uses Fundly and Facebook to Help Fulfill Stranger’s Last Wish –http://bit.ly/wluGiv
Twitter vs. Facebook: To Tweet or Not to Tweet – http://bit.ly/ADdqwn
Implementing an Online Fundraising Plan for Beginners – http://bit.ly/x5BymH
Starting Your Own Blog – http://bit.ly/yxR2kG
President’s Day: A History of Philanthropy
With today being President’s Day and it being an election year, it
seems only appropriate to look back at the history of presidential
philanthropy throughout our nation’s rich history. This has not been the
first time our country has faced an economic downturn, nor are the
topics of inequality and health care new to our textbooks. Here is a
look back at some causes that have been near and dear to our Commanders
in Chief and by looking back, we’ll be able to assess the future.
Abraham Lincoln was forced with the issue of keeping a nation united amidst the chaos and tragedy of the Civil War. With racial conflicts as a central issue causing such dissention, he had the monumental task of changing the status quo to redeem the lives of thousands of slaves. Skip ahead one hundred years to the presidential term of John F. Kennedy and the racial riots of the 1960’s. The birth of the NAACP, March on Washington and leadership styles of Martin Luther King, Jr. clearly set the stage for modern nonprofits and their ability to garner a strong foundation of committed supporters.
Franklin D. Roosevelt had a mess to clean up as he entered office with the Great Depression influencing much of America and impacting the world. With the stock market debilitating the U.S. economy, international trade decreasing by 50%, unemployment reaching an unfathomable 25% and farms and factories shutting down in mass numbers, many people relied on the charitable acts of neighbors and government programs. I find it interesting that many of the issues from this time are still present today: How much government intervention is too much? Is there a common thread between the crash on Wall Street and the collapse of the current housing market?
Now here’s a crazy thought: Can you imagine how social media would have been used on these past causes? Imagine a cyber Underground Railroad and the texts that could have saved hundreds of lives. What about the Tweets that would have been posted during the King’s “I Have a Dream” speech? What kind of online fundraising campaigns would have been started during the Great Depression? How many people could have found jobs using Craigslist and Monster.com?
Fortunately we are not in the time of “what ifs,” but we can use these incredible online resources now. We can accomplish what no other generation could before us. If we could combine the passion and determination of the past with the potential of today, what kind of tomorrow will we see?
Abraham Lincoln was forced with the issue of keeping a nation united amidst the chaos and tragedy of the Civil War. With racial conflicts as a central issue causing such dissention, he had the monumental task of changing the status quo to redeem the lives of thousands of slaves. Skip ahead one hundred years to the presidential term of John F. Kennedy and the racial riots of the 1960’s. The birth of the NAACP, March on Washington and leadership styles of Martin Luther King, Jr. clearly set the stage for modern nonprofits and their ability to garner a strong foundation of committed supporters.
Franklin D. Roosevelt had a mess to clean up as he entered office with the Great Depression influencing much of America and impacting the world. With the stock market debilitating the U.S. economy, international trade decreasing by 50%, unemployment reaching an unfathomable 25% and farms and factories shutting down in mass numbers, many people relied on the charitable acts of neighbors and government programs. I find it interesting that many of the issues from this time are still present today: How much government intervention is too much? Is there a common thread between the crash on Wall Street and the collapse of the current housing market?
Now here’s a crazy thought: Can you imagine how social media would have been used on these past causes? Imagine a cyber Underground Railroad and the texts that could have saved hundreds of lives. What about the Tweets that would have been posted during the King’s “I Have a Dream” speech? What kind of online fundraising campaigns would have been started during the Great Depression? How many people could have found jobs using Craigslist and Monster.com?
Fortunately we are not in the time of “what ifs,” but we can use these incredible online resources now. We can accomplish what no other generation could before us. If we could combine the passion and determination of the past with the potential of today, what kind of tomorrow will we see?
Top 5 Fundraising Mistakes to Avoid
We’ve all done them or seen them done. The big “oops” that makes us
cringe or has us scrambling to do damage control. With online
fundraising, I’m not sure if these embarrassing incidents happen more or
less.
Anyway, here are some mistakes you should definitely avoid:
1) Direct Mail Campaign No-no’s – Mail merges make life so much easier but one wrong click of the keys and your whole spreadsheet could be off. Make sure that your donor’s names, addresses and giving amounts are correct but also keep in mind that addressing a letter to “Dear Friend” is just as unsuccessful as using the wrong name. Also, do what you can to avoid signature stamps or scanning in a signature. That is just way too impersonal, especially when someone has taken the time to donate to your organization.
2) Pestering Your Donors – Are you running too many campaigns at once and asking too much from your donors? Are you filling their mailbox and Inbox with countless updates? Are you asking a $10 donor to jump to being a $50 donor? Create a calendar for your organization and spread out your updates, events, campaigns and e-mails so departments aren’t overlapping.
3) Not Delivering On What You Promised – From buying cookies to investing in a building program, if a supporter commits to handing over their dollars they want to see a return. Follow up on how your campaign is going and if you didn’t raise enough and have to bail on your goal, be honest about it. Your word is your greatest asset to gaining donor trust and their dedication to your organization.
4) Build Relationships – Sending out a mass of mailers or asking for money in front of a grocery store never brings in very good results (unless you are the Salvation Army and have a red bell and history of 100 years behind you.) People tend to be motivated by their hearts and emotions causing formal letters and door-to-door solicitations to be unfruitful. Use photos, first names, and anything else that brings the human touch and a bridge of relationship into the mix. Invest into donors and they will invest into you.
5) Keeping Up With the Times – Echoing the last point, the old ways of fundraising involve a lot of time and money without stellar results. Online fundraising through social media can make life so much easier for any development team. Communication, ease of donating and seeing pictures and videos of your mission tie your supporters into your cause. Since the investment is also low, you can experiment with your fundraising strategies and campaigns to reach new goals.
First of all, we tend to communicate with donors more
online than with traditional methods increasing our chances to misfire.
However, with technological advancements and management being more
meticulous and cautious these days, there may be more thought put into
doing a project right.
1) Direct Mail Campaign No-no’s – Mail merges make life so much easier but one wrong click of the keys and your whole spreadsheet could be off. Make sure that your donor’s names, addresses and giving amounts are correct but also keep in mind that addressing a letter to “Dear Friend” is just as unsuccessful as using the wrong name. Also, do what you can to avoid signature stamps or scanning in a signature. That is just way too impersonal, especially when someone has taken the time to donate to your organization.
2) Pestering Your Donors – Are you running too many campaigns at once and asking too much from your donors? Are you filling their mailbox and Inbox with countless updates? Are you asking a $10 donor to jump to being a $50 donor? Create a calendar for your organization and spread out your updates, events, campaigns and e-mails so departments aren’t overlapping.
3) Not Delivering On What You Promised – From buying cookies to investing in a building program, if a supporter commits to handing over their dollars they want to see a return. Follow up on how your campaign is going and if you didn’t raise enough and have to bail on your goal, be honest about it. Your word is your greatest asset to gaining donor trust and their dedication to your organization.
4) Build Relationships – Sending out a mass of mailers or asking for money in front of a grocery store never brings in very good results (unless you are the Salvation Army and have a red bell and history of 100 years behind you.) People tend to be motivated by their hearts and emotions causing formal letters and door-to-door solicitations to be unfruitful. Use photos, first names, and anything else that brings the human touch and a bridge of relationship into the mix. Invest into donors and they will invest into you.
5) Keeping Up With the Times – Echoing the last point, the old ways of fundraising involve a lot of time and money without stellar results. Online fundraising through social media can make life so much easier for any development team. Communication, ease of donating and seeing pictures and videos of your mission tie your supporters into your cause. Since the investment is also low, you can experiment with your fundraising strategies and campaigns to reach new goals.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Facebook Catalyst for Bridging Political Interests
We all have opinions about the big issues and most of
us don’t mind sharing them. How would you like to have your thoughts on
important political topics posted on a billboard in New York’s Times
Square? You just may have your chance!
The motivation behind this idea was brilliant: the purpose was to create interest and start discussions with people who are not engaged in politics with those who are. Combine this with executive vice president and chief technology officer at R/GA John Mayo-Smith’s idea that “we’re at the intersection of social media and branded event advertising” and you’ve got an impressive link between social awareness and marketing strategies. Furthermore, “Facts don’t spread. Emotions do spread,” said Paul Adams, a brand experience manager at Facebook, in a presentation before the group. “We need to think about what an interaction looks like in that environment,” he said, referring to Times Square.
This is a perfect instance where non-profits can follow the example of the for-profit world. This strategy could get people involved in national and global issues and emotionally invested. Getting people to stop and think about a cause and then getting them to engage with others is the first main hurdle that any non-profit tries to scale. Add to the mix the millions of people on Facebook, and this could spread like wild fire.
Fundraising via social media is by far the most effective and efficient way to further a cause, and this is one extreme example of how to reach millions of people to take notice. While probably less than 99% of charities have the resources to rent space on a Times Square billboard, most can invest a little time and effort into connecting with their supporters online.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)