The realities of Internet fundraising
10:39, 22 February 2010
.. Posted in techculture and tech to help.. Link
A lot of nonprofits are looking at the huge amounts raised through the Internet and text messaging for Haiti and thinking, "Great! We'll do the same and reap big benefits!" Sadly, they won't. People didn't give to help Haiti simply because they could do so via the Internet or their cell phones; they gave because there was a dire, urgent situation that they were hearing about on the radio, television, Facebook, at work, at home -- everywhere. Couple this sense of extreme urgency and compassion with easy-to-donate tools, and you see money being donated at a rate never before seen.
People have completely different reasons for donating to nonprofit theaters, art museums, a homeless shelter, the Girl Scouts, etc., as opposed to some urgent national situation like Haiti, and the likelihood of your organization getting every local radio station in your area, every local television station and every one of your volunteers talking about your organization on the same day, all encouraging people to donate is, well, nil. In addition, dire pleas for funding from nonprofit organizations work only once (repeated donate-or-we-close-our-doors requests turn off donors, as they give the impression that your organization doesn't know how to manage funds appropriately).
Are there things any nonprofit can learn from donations to Haiti? Certainly:
- It should be immediately apparent how to give to your organization for anyone visiting any page of your organization's web site, and what donations pay for.
- Updates on your blog and social networking sites about the impact your organization is having, the results you are achieving, upcoming public events, etc., are much more enticing to potential donors than "Please send us money" messages.
- Radio and television PSAs, news stories and feature stories are effective; people are listening to the radio or watching TV while also at a computer with Internet access. If they hear something great about your organization on the radio or TV while they are online, they may be moved to go to your web site and donate.
Recently, NetSquared asked for lessons learned and favorite tips regarding online fundraising. The result is a long list of realistic tips regarding using the Internet to fundraise, in stark contrast to some of the breathless promises many bloggers have made regarding social networks and fundraising. Online fundraising takes a lot of time and investment and requires follow-through, just like traditional fundraising. Why am I not surprised?
