Today’s link roundup includes advice regarding a variety of internet strategies for nonprofits:

Integrating Your Web Site and Database for Greater Donor Engagement by Robin Fisk, FundraisingSuccess

Are you new to blogging? Read this simple primer. by Sandra Sims, Cause Blogger

Online Outreach on a Budget – the January Nonprofit Blog Carnival, issueLab’s Footnotes

15 Nonprofit Social Media Stocking Stuffers and Resolutions by Pamela Grow, Pamela’s Grantwriting Blog

Posterous.com: Email Blogging for NonProfits by Rebecca, Wild Apricot Blog

Ensuring Your E-Newsletters are Read – Not Dead – On Arrival by Kivi Leroux Miller, Network for Good

Extreme Website Makeover: From Ick to Slick! by Katya, Non-Profit Marketing Blog

A lot of non-profits have online donation pages but complain that they still receive very few donations.  Why?  There are several reasons that could explain the lack of online giving ranging from low traffic to a poorly designed website.

In essence, to be effective your entire online communication strategy must be built around increasing donations, which has implications regarding how your website is designed and what information you offer.

Below are five keys to online fundraising success.  While some of them sound intuitive, a recent study of non-profit websites found that a surprising number of them do not meet these criteria.  Potential donors were left feeling frustrated and discouraged from donating.

To keep that from happening to your potential donors, take another look at your site:

1.  Does your website clearly outline who you are, what your mission is, and who you serve?

The key here is that the answers to these three questions must be readily available.  You shouldn’t have to dig for them, they should be apparent on the front page of the website.  Site visitors often stay just 1-2 minutes, and want quick answers.

Less than half of all non-profit sites studied in a Non-Profit Donation Usability Survey clearly answered these questions on their homepages, and difficulty navigating a site and finding information was the number one reported “donation killer”.  If you need to tweak your site, try to keep your text short and succinct, and use photos to help communicate who your target audience is.  Make your impact tangible so visitors can connect immediately with what you do.

2.  Does your site appeal to visitors on an emotional level?

Studies have demonstrated that statistics and rational arguments don’t drive online donations– stories of real people do.  Visitors need to be able to connect with real people on an emotional level, through a story that highlights their shared values.  Donors like to see faces and profiles of the people they will be helping, and they need to know that their donation (no matter how small) will really make a difference.  If you’re not sure what the emotional connection is that drives your cause, talk to some of your current donors.  Then communicate that “selling point” through stories of the real people you serve.

3.  Does your site explain how you will use donated money?

The Donation Usability Survey of non-profit websites found that only 1 of 23 sites surveyed actually explained what they would do with donations on their home page.  And many non-profits don’t even explain what they will do with donations on or leading to their donation page.  The more transparent and specific you can be about where donations go, the more confidence you will inspire in your donors.

For example if you can cost out your services (”for every $20 donation we receive, one child in X country will receive a year’s worth of school supplies”) you make your impact tangible and your donor knows that they’re making a real difference in someone’s life.  That is both compelling and rewarding.

4.  Make online giving quick, easy, and secure.

The more time it takes to make a donation, the more discouraged potential donors can become.  Make sure your online giving process is quick (don’t add in unnecessary survey questions for example), and consider adding security features (like McAfee or VeriSign) so donors can feel safe giving out their personal information.

5.  Reach out.

You can follow all of the previous steps impeccably, but if your site traffic is low then your pool of potential donors will be insignificant.  So how to attract new visitors and donors?

You can increase your traffic through online marketing and communication strategies such as e-newsletters with links back to your site, viral campaigns, social networking, directories, strategic online partnerships, online press releases, using well-indexed content management systems, or even paid advertising.  And just reworking your site to make sure it is fully search engine optimized can substantially increase your traffic.

Yesterday I was pleased to present a seminar in Dallas at OEG Fundraising Conference all about Online Fundraising.  Originally there was to be another presenter for this nearly two hour time block, but he dropped out last minute.  So it was all me. This was fine as I’d prepared a presentation that was a general overview all about online fundraising.

Having a great website that promotes two-way communication with potential and current supporters is an essential foundation for raising funds.  These days the public expects to be able to find information about your charity online.  Even when you rely on traditional fundraising methods such as direct mail, if a prospective donor is not too familiar with your group, they are very likely to go online to find information before writing a check.

I showed several websites during the session as examples: (If you’d like to skip directly to the page with all of the online tools, visit the directory online fundraising page.)

The SPCA of Texas site passes the 3 second test with flying colors.  At first glance it is very obvious that this is a website that is all about pets! Attendees at the conference noticed the “Help Sadie” feature right away.  The fact that it’s the only headline with a red background is not just a coincidence.  The color draws your eye to that spot. The donate button and breaking news sections also stand out because of color, size and placement.

So just at first glace you know that this is a charity (donate today) that helps pets (like Sadie) and is very active in the community (frequently updated news stories).  It was also very easy to find contact information through the drop down menus in the purple horizontal navigation bar.  Contact information is also located on the left and at the bottom of the page.  Why is it in three places?  Because this is one of the most important pieces of information for site visitors and you want it to be easy for visitors to find.

Heroes for Children is an example of a charity that has both a traditional website and a blog.  (What is a blog?) While there really should be a link to the blog in the yellow navigation bar of the main homepage, for now there is just a link to the blog site near the bottom of the page. They use the free service provided by Blogger to write news items, featured events, and spotlight the volunteers, children and families they work with.

The webdesigner created the website and template for the blog.  So they are similar in color and style. Then anyone, the directors or volunteers that are approved by the organization to do so, can easily add new items through their Blogger login.  The latest entry is automatically added to the top of the list.  A new page is automatically generated as well.  No special technical skills required!

The ONE Campaign has a very active blog that is in addition to their website.  They have multiple authors whose names appear at the top of the entries.  They report on news related to fighting poverty in the United States and around the world.

Photos and videos also play an important part of making the cause real to people who read the site.  Showing ONE events and volunteers demonstrates the strength and credibility of the campaign.  Readers can write comments (two-way communication) related to the stories featured on the site.  (ONE campaign site administrators can remove or moderate comments as needed.)  Visitors are also invited to participate by hosting a ONE banner on their own website or blog, and by joining their group on Facebook.

On the right hand side of the page you can see the RSS feeds, which will notify you by email or through an RSS reader anytime a new post is added.  (That nifty orange button is the universal symbol for RSS feeds.  Click it and see what happens!)

For More Information

These are just a few examples of how charitable organizations are getting their information out to the world through their own website, inviting participation with visitors and building relationships with supporters online.  Thanks again to all of the attendees at yesterday’s seminar for their insightful questions and comments.  I came away with some new ideas from you too!

If you’d like to get the free Step by Step Fundraising Monthly Newsletter you can sign up here.  Links to all of the sites we discussed in class, plus quite a few others are located in the directory on the online fundraising page.  If you have any other specific questions or suggestions feel free to let me know.