1. (Thanks to Lauren Miller of Blue State Digital for some of this great content) Online Fundraising

2. What We’ll Cover Who’s Online and What Are They Doing? What It Takes To Raise $ Online Internal Organization Step-By-Step Guide Case Study

3. Who’s Online? Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project April 2009 Survey

4. What Are They Doing? Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project April 2009 Survey

5. What It Takes To Raise $ Online A great story Some good luck A clean website Supporters who can help carry your message A solid theory of change

6. Internal Organization Field/Organizing Communications Fundraising Online Presence

7. Internal Organization Online fundraising is about money, but also about intense internal cooperation Coordinate fundraising across channels – new media, phone banks, field, direct mail Communications and field – Can provide great stories to highlight for fundraising – Assist with list-building and fundraising asks

8. Step-By-Step Guide 1.Build your email list 2.Know your list 3.Tell your story 4.Make your ask 5.Maximize your website 6.Track & engage 7.Additional fundraising methods

9. 1. Build Your Email List Collect email addresses through: – Petitions – Pledges – Donations – Tell a friend – Social networking sites – Offline activities Partner with organizations who have a similar mission and goals to do an email swap

10. 2. Know Your List Where did the people on your list come from? Why did they join? What are they expecting? Did they sign-up based on a particular petition or cause? Segment your list: – Interests – Donors v. non-donors – Recent donors v. lapsed donors – New donors v. reoccurring donors

11. 3. Tell Your Story Invite a conversation with your supporters Use voices and personalities from your organization Be creative – and use both email and web Share what’s happening out in the field Ask supporters for their input and FOLLOW UP

12. 4. Make Your Ask It's not just about donating – it’s about empowering and providing a way to take action Set goals and deadlines Plan around key milestones Use personal stories as often as possible Take advantage of breaking news

13. 4. Make Your Ask Be transparent. Tell your supporters what you want to do, what it’s going to cost, and what change will result from their donation Start with a small ask (e.g., $10 or $25) After people donate, slightly increase the amount in the next ask (e.g., $50 or $75)

14. 5. Maximize Your Website Make it as easy as possible to – Donate – Signup for email Engage and empower your supporters Share personal stories throughout your site

15. 5. Maximize Your Website Content on your site should match the content in your email campaign

16. 5. Donation Page Make it as easy as possible for supporters to donate Don’t stand in the way! Thank supporters after they donate Use a targeted landing page to encourage donors to share with friends

17. 6. Track & Engage Monitor your initiatives and track the progress Segment your list and conduct A/B testing Keep the conversation going – provide updates/ action items Expect a drop-off rate with email addresses and donors Continue to build and refine your list

18. 6. Track & Engage: A/B Testing Gives a better picture of what does/doesn’t work so you can maximize future asks Things to test (one at a time) – Subject line – Sender – Phrasing of the ask – Small graphic – Length of email – Placement of donation link

19. 6. Track & Engage: Metrics Different types of metrics to look at: – Open rate – Click-through rate – Average donation – Number of donations – Increase in donation amount – Forward to a friend

20. 7. Additional Fundraising Methods Splash page (home page takeover) Name the fundraising campaign Feature personal stories Text-to-donate campaigns Match two donors and introduce them to each other Dollar for dollar matching Recurring donations

21. Case Study: Oxfam Background Info: November, 2008, the economy was terrible and Oxfam’s appeal was generating 50% of last year’s total, even though the audience had grown by 50% Instead of continuing their standard end of the year appeal, they decided to focus on a single problem: 100 million more people went hungry in 2008, and they gave it a name: the Global Hunger Epidemic

22. Case Study: Oxfam A/B email test: (A) referred to and (B) did not refer to the financial crisis as a challenge in their work. Email B outperformed A, so they didn’t mention the crisis in their appeals Set a public goal of raising $2m online by Dec 31. Promoted it in email and web copy, along with a thermometer graphic Created a short video and included it on landing pages

23. Case Study: Oxfam Added two appeals to schedule without sending more messages by replacing an e-newsletter and a yearly giving appeal Included a hint of guilt-inducing language in last email of the year Added a home page takeover during December (only displayed once per visitor using cookies)

24. Case Study: Oxfam Results – Increased end-of-year giving by almost $200,000 over 2007 – Brought in over 3,500 more donations – Exceeded their goals Case Study courtesy of M+R Strategic Services http://www.mrss.com/oxfam-eoy-2008-fundraising.pdf

25. Contact Info New Organizing Institute (202) 558-5585 info@neworganizing.com www.neworganizing.com www.twitter.com/neworganizing