Richard Dietz, Founder, Nonprofit R+D

1. Fundraising Best Practices
in the Digital Age
Richard Dietz Richard@NonprofitRD.com 1 of 55

2. Richard Dietz
Richard has spent the last 20 years working both in and with a wide
variety of nonprofit, political, and government organizations, as well as
technology companies focused on the nonprofit sector, including Sage
Nonprofit, Convio and KIMBIA.
Richard holds a M.S.W. from the University of California at Berkeley as
well as a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA.
Fundraising Best Practices 2 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

3. Nonprofit R+D is dedicated to helping emerging and
growing nonprofits fully utilize technology and the web to
support their missions through training, best practices, and
support.
Our definition of success is simple – we teach you how to use technology
to effectively further your organization’s mission and then you do it.
We want to work ourselves out of a job!
Think of it as the “teach a man to fish” model applied to technology use
by nonprofit organizations.
www.NonprofitRD.com
Fundraising Best Practices 3 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

4. Agenda
1. Soap Box
2. Overview
3. Fundraising Strategies
1. Storytelling
2. Multi-channel
3. Email Marketing
4. Video
5. Mobile
Fundraising Best Practices 4 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

5. Our Goals Today
• Get you thinking about some new ways to improve your
online fundraising efforts.
• Get you to take action and test out some new ideas ASAP
• No campaign is ever perfect or “ready”
• Only way to improve is to get something out there and test
• Pick one or two ideas and add them to your campaigns.
Fundraising Best Practices 5 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

6. Soap Box
Fundraising Best Practices 6 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

7. Don’t Panic
There is help out there
Fundraising Best Practices 7 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

8. What you talkin’ about Willis?
SaaS, CRM, CMS
ROI, API,
wysiwyg
Open-Source
Fundraising Platform
Blah, Blah, Blah
Fundraising Best Practices 8 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

9. Experts have all the answers…
No, not really
There are “best practices,” but you must test in your
organization
Testing is the key,
• Much easier to do online
• If it works, do more.
• If not, try something else.
Fundraising Best Practices 9 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

10. The Latest and Greatest…
Many folks like to focus on the latest and greatest
tools and techniques (Shiny Object Syndrome)
At Nonprofit R+D, we first focus on the basics and
building a solid foundation
It may not be as cool or exciting initially
• But you will raise more money in the long run
Fundraising Best Practices 10 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

11. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslows_hierarchy_of_needs
Fundraising Best Practices 11 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

12. Online Hierarchy of Needs
Fundraising Best Practices 12 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

13. “I already know this…”
We all have enough information right now to raise more money
online.
The key is what have you DONE with the information.
Just take one or two things from the presentation today and
Take Action
Fundraising Best Practices 13 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

14. Off Soap Box
Fundraising Best Practices 14 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

15. Overview of
Online Fundraising
Fundraising Best Practices 15 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

16. What is Online Fundraising?
Online Fundraising is NOT a Donate Button
We see Online Fundraising as:
a coordinated, multi-faceted process of
soliciting donations using online tools,
including but not limited to websites, email,
SEO, video, social media, mobile, etc.
Fundraising Best Practices 16 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

17. Why Online Fundraising?
• Online giving is the fastest growing channel and is growing fastest for small
organizations
• 75%+ of donations are still coming from individuals
• 65% said they will make an online gift this year
» Young donors (86%), 35 – 64 year old (68%), Over 65 year old (53%)
• Direct mail donors – 29% made their gift online
• 93% of Millennials gave to nonprofits in 2010
– 21% gave $1,000 or more
• 26% who gave via mail said they were going to give LESS this way in 2011
• 69% prefer electronic over print communication
www.cygresearch.com/download www.onlinegivingstudy.org
www.millennialdonors.com
Fundraising Best Practices 17 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

18. Online Fundraising
Strategies
Fundraising Best Practices 18 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

19. Some Next Level Strategies
We still recommend focusing on the basics first, but
after that you can experiment with these:
1. Storytelling
2. Integrating Channels
3. Email Marketing
4. Video
5. Mobile
Fundraising Best Practices 19 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

20. 1. Storytelling
Fundraising Best Practices 20 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

21. Why Storytelling
Stories are compelling.. Donation pages are not
People give to People (animals too)
• Individual stories are more effective
• Late night infomercials
• Childhood Hunger vs. four-year old Marie
http://www.austinfoodbank.org/hunger-is-unacceptable/
Fundraising Best Practices 21 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

22. Why Storytelling
Emotion >> Rationality
• Dan Ariely – Predictably Irrational
• Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action (The Why)
• Buy based on emotion / Rationalize it later with facts
• Focus on emotion first,
• then give them the reasons why it was a good decision
What donors want to hear about:
• Organizational Impact (80%)
• Success Stories (74%)
• More details about the organization (71%)
• Info on financial accountability (43%)
Community Philanthropy 2.0 survey
Fundraising Best Practices 22 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

23. Storytelling
Inspire supporters with passion
• Always write your own content
• You know your org the best and the passion will come out
Create emails and campaigns with “stories” in mind
• Individual stories
• Across emails.. The Cliffhanger
• Multichannel
Fundraising Best Practices 23 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

24. 2. Integrate Channels
(Multi-channel Marketing)
Fundraising Best Practices 24 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

25. Multichannel Marketing
Marketing simultaneously across multiple channels – print,
web, tv, radio, phone, mobile, events, etc.
2012 eNonprofit Benchmark Study
• Multichannel fundraising increased quantity of online donations by
19% (http://www.e-benchmarksstudy.com/)
Fundraising Best Practices 25 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

26. Multichannel Marketing
Keys for Multichannel Marketing
• Online should enhance and compliment your offline (& vice versa)
• Don’t think of them as separate items
• Coordinate both into a cohesive “conversation”
• Integrate the story across your channels
• Keep the conversation going in their head
• Multi-Part as well
• Ask supporters for their preference
Fundraising Best Practices 26 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

27. Offline Better?
Blackbaud 2011 Multichannel Fundraising Report
• Online acquired donors more valuable..
• IF they are converted to offline donors
• Online donors tend to be “one-hit wonders”
• https://www.blackbaud.com/2011MultichannelGivingReport
Can that really be true?
• Data from 28 large orgs and had well developed direct mail
• How does the org treat online donors?
• Same time and effort online as offline?
• Kivi Leroux Miller – Great article talking more about this
http://buff.ly/PbpfIn
Fundraising Best Practices 27 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

28. Event Fundraising
The 890% Difference
• Event fundraising vs. Online donation forms
• Another way to engage and stand out
• In-person meets increase sense of community and connection
• Great way to get businesses on board
• More likely to “sponsor” events (Win – Win)
• Tie events into other campaigns and the story
Fundraising Best Practices 28 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

29. 3. Email Marketing
Fundraising Best Practices 29 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

30. Email is Still #1
Many new “tools”
in the press
Email still takes
the prize
Fundraising Best Practices 30 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

31. Email Marketing
Email is still the most effective method
• 69% prefer electronic over print communication
• 2011 Cygnus Donor Survey
Email fits perfectly into Storytelling
Relatively inexpensive
Start capturing emails now!
• Grab them everywhere you can…. But don’t spam
Fundraising Best Practices 31 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

32. E-Newsletters Don’t Work
Monthly newsletters no longer work
• Lost in the inbox
• Too much content
• Its about great engaging content
• Need to tell stories
What Supporters want to hear about
• Organizational Impact (80%)
• Success Stories (74%)
• More details about the organization (71%)
• Info on financial accountability (43%)
Community Philanthropy 2.0 survey
Fundraising Best Practices 32 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

33. Email Best Practices
Relevant and enticing subject lines
• Literacy eNews – January 2011, OR 5 tips to create a life long reader
Easy to digest
• Scanability
• Table of contents, highlight key info, headings, shorter length
• Readability
• Dark text on light background, clear links
• Text focused – Images can be an issue
Single Call to Action in every email
• Only one action per email (hard to do, but powerful)
• Donate, volunteer, register, watch video, etc.
• Jam study
Fundraising Best Practices 33 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

34. Frequency
Don’t fear the unsubscribe
• Probably not going to be supporters anyways
• May not happen anyways – Case study
More frequent “asks”
• Not always for money – build a relationship
• Other small favors and actions
Fundraising Best Practices 34 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

35. Follow Up / Thank You
Easiest way to build follow up – saying “Thank You”
The Power of Thank You
• Most folks don’t get thanked enough
• Makes both sides feel good (Maslow)
• Remember the emotional connection
Say “Thanks” right away (auto-generated email)
• Additional calls-to-action
• What can they do from here?
• Interest and support are high right now
Fundraising Best Practices 35 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

36. Thank You Strategies
Thank them throughout the year
• Great reason to email, You will stand out
Thank you updates
• Highlight individual / Success stories if possible
• Let them know it could not have happened without them
• Still work to do – soft ask
Thank you Call to Action
• Thanks with a request for favor
Feed the Funnel
• Make them part of the fundraising campaign
Fundraising Best Practices 36 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

37. Thank You Example
Generic: Personal:
Thanks to you, Marie and her family will
Thank you for your generous have something to eat every night this
donation to support XYZ year.
Nonprofit.
Your gift has helped Marie, and many
We greatly appreciate your more children like her, focus on learning
support of our organization and instead of hunger while in school.
our mission.
We look forward to sharing more of the
successes you have helped to build in
our newsletter.
Fundraising Best Practices 37 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

38. 4. Video
Fundraising Best Practices 38 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

39. Why Online Video?
More affordable and easier than ever
• Flipcam or phone / YouTube
More Effective
• Wharton School of Business study showed marketing with video to
be 600% more effective than print alone
• Videos shared 12x more than links and text posts combined
(facebook)
YouTube
• #2 search engine (maybe #1)
• Over 3 billion views per day
• People love to watch videos
Fundraising Best Practices 39 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

40. Online video and social media
Joined at the Hip
• Online video IS social media
• The Big 3 – Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
• YouTube – Channel, subscribers, friends, comments
Video gives you something to talk about
Google loves it
• In fact they own it
• Video ranks much faster than written content
Fundraising Best Practices 40 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

41. Emotional Connection
Its all about the story
• Individual stories more effective
• Personal connection
• Emotion = Action
• Emotion >> Rationality
Video can do this easier than
other mediums
• Reading vs. watching/listening
Fundraising Best Practices 41 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

42. Online Video Basics
Need Sound Fundamentals FIRST
• Online Hierarchy of Needs
KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid
• Keep it Short – under 2 min. for most
• Keep it Simple – one main topic
What are you hoping to accomplish with video?
• Leads, build email list, awareness?
Who should be the “voice”?
• Individual, multiple, staff interest
Fundraising Best Practices 42 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

43. Ideas for Projects
Testimonials / Client Stories
“The Interview”
Video Tour of Office / Staff
Seminars / Trainings
How To / Tips
35 million searches each month on YouTube for “how to” videos
Video Annual Reports
Music Video / Promo
Holiday Messages
Fundraising Best Practices 43 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

44. What to do with video
Incorporate into your current marketing
• Website, Newsletter, Flyers, email signature
Blog, tweet, facebook
• Reason to post, Most clicked on posts
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Videos rank very quickly (Google loves em’)
• Keyword optimization - Great source of backlinks
Email Marketing
• Very high click-through rates
Video Donation Page
• Show video right on the donation page – Keep the emotion
Fundraising Best Practices 44 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

45. 5. Mobile
Fundraising Best Practices 45 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

46. What is mobile marketing
Wikipedia.com
• marketing on or with a mobile device.
Mobile Marketing Association (MMA)
• “a set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and
engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner
through any mobile device or network.”
MMA Glossary –
http://mmaglobal.com/wiki/mma-glossary
Fundraising Best Practices 46 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

47. Where to start?
Our suggested order
• Based on ease of implementation and bang for buck
Beginner / Intermediate Advanced
• Mobile website • Mobile giving
• Mobile email • SMS / Text
• QR codes • Text2Give
•Mobile Apps
Remember the Online Hierarchy – build on the base
Fundraising Best Practices 47 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

48. Mobile websites
The web is changing – its now multi-device
• PC, laptop, netbook, tablet, smartphone, eReader, etc.
• The New Multi-screen World – Google / Ipsos
• http://buff.ly/TvM36T
More purchases moving online
• 83% PC, 63% tablet, 31% phone
• Expect similar trends in mobile fundraising as we are seeing in online
fundraising
Fundraising Best Practices 48 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

49. The right time
When is the right time to create your mobile site?
• Convio’s Guide to Mobile Web says do it when mobile traffic hits 5%
• Looking to engage younger donors
• Your content management system makes it easy
• Doing a redesign or update
Reminder: Focus on fundamentals first
• Don’t chase shiny objects
• Get your foundation in place first
Fundraising Best Practices 49 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

50. How to get your site mobile ready
First question - Hire someone or Do-it-yourself?
What type of site do you currently have?
• CMS – most have easy to use plugins to get mobile ready
• Static HTML – build a separate site, or upgrade to a CMS
Mobile website Services
• Free and paid services
• Help you create a mobile friendly site without any code
Fundraising Best Practices 50 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

51. Mobile website services
http://www.howtogomo.com – Google’s mobile information site
www.google.com/sites/help/intl/en/mobile-landing-pages/mlpb.html
http://www.dudamobile.com – free and paid plans
http://www.onbile.com/ - Free and paid plans
http://mofuse.com/plans/ - Paid
Your webhost may offer a built-in solution
Search Google for others
* We have not used these services, but have heard positive reviews. We use
Wordpress and plugin currently.
Fundraising Best Practices 51 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

52. Example – Nonprofit R+D
Nonprofit R+D currently at 2% mobile traffic
Starting to track and experiment
Fundraising Best Practices 52 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

53. Mobile email
82% of smartphone users check and send email
• What happens if they click to your site?
• This is another reason you need a mobile website
Mobile email templates
• Most providers now offer these
• Easy to use and set up
Strongly linked to your mobile site
• No sense in doing mobile email if your site is not ready for them
Fundraising Best Practices 53 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

54. Action Steps
Start where you are
Select a few strategies or ideas and test
Take action, collect results, evaluate results
Take another action
Fundraising Best Practices 54 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age

55. Q&A
Download the slides:
www.NonprofitRD.com
Contact Info:
Richard Dietz
Richard@NonprofitRD.com
Visit our booth for more info on our
webinars and training programs
Fundraising Best Practices 55 of 55
www.NonprofitRD.com in the Digital Age