Evaluating Online Donation Service Providers

 

There are many preparations to be made this time of year -- from year end fundraising for your nonprofit, to Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holiday plans. It has been even busier than usual for my husband Troy and I this year, preparing for the arrival of Micah Wesley (our first!).

He decided to come into this world a couple weeks sooner than expected, arriving at 5:47 AM on Tuesday November 24th. We are all doing well - a little sleep deprived but nothing unusual. Now I know for sure what people say is true, there really are no words to describe the experience of caring for this new little life we've been blessed with.

As the full time editor of this website I've been preparing for this so that I can take some time away. (Like pre-writing most of this newsletter several weeks ago!) There will be some other changes coming in the next few months as well. You'll notice that most of the articles will be from other authors besides myself. In fact, if you'd like to submit an article for consideration for publication see the guidelines here.

I'll sign off now, as my computer time is limited, but not before wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season. :)

 

Last Chance Fundraising for 2009

So how are you progressing in your year-end fundraising drives? There's just one month left for your supporters to make a donation to count for the 2009 calendar year.

Awhile back I posted a roundup of articles to help with your annual fund drive or end-of-year fundraising.

Also check out the mistakes to avoid that Gail Perry offers in her article: Top 10 Ways to Screw up Your Year-End Fundraising Campaign.

Online giving is predicted to be bigger than ever this year for those last minute donations before New Years. Are you ready?

Successful online fundraising begins with a solid foundation. First, you need a strong web design that clearly communicates your message and creates a sense of trust.

Secondly, make it easy for web visitors to find where to donate on your site. Use a professional, secure online transaction service so donors will know that it's safe to donate online.

The following articles will help you with these two online fundraising essentials:

  

(by Elizabeth Beachy) 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.

There are many companies eager to help you with the task of online donations, from standard credit card processors to those specializing in nonprofits.

So how do you decide which provider is right for you? In this article you'll find seven factors for you to consider when choosing an online donation service provider.

Keep reading