Combine peer-to-peer communication with smart content marketing and you have a recipe for success.

1. Online and Social Media Strategies
to make 2014 better than 2013
July 24, 2013
Presented by:
Justin J. Ware
Bentz Whaley Flessner
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2. This webinar is interactive!
Send your questions in via the Q and A feature on
this Live Meeting software OR tweet them in using
the hashtag #BWFwebinar
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3. “I just heard about this new cause on Facebook…”
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4. Peer power ...especially online.
Source: Nielsen, April 2012
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5. Online–the method most donors under
age 65 make their first gift to a nonprofit
Distribution of New Donors by Age
within Origin Channel
2010 Medians
30%
27%
25%
24%
25%
23%
22%
22%
20%
14%
15%
12%
11%
9%
10%
5%
4%
3%
1%
0%
0%
18–24
25–34
35–44
Joined Online
45–54
55–64
65–74
75+
Joined by Mail
Source: Blackbaud.
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6. Ambassadors acquire new donors.
Source: BWF survey.
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7. The key—leveraging “online ambassadors”
Online Ambassador Def: Influential Internet
users—specifically social media users—with an
affinity for your organization’s mission who have
a high likelihood of enlisting the support of
others through their online activity.
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8. When you leverage online ambassadors, you…
§ Increase fundraising online and offline.
§ Major gift program and annual fund can be
positively affected.
§ Acquire new donors.
§ Increase awareness of mission and opportunities
for philanthropic support—create “buzz” around
giving to your organization.
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9. Dual Channel Donors
Online donors = donors
with higher capacities
to give
43%
Average income >
$100,000
Average income <
$100,000
57%
Online-Only Donors
Offline-Only Donors
38%
25%
Average income >
$100,000
62%
Average income >
$100,000
Average income <
$100,000
Average income <
$100,000
75%
Source: 2012 Convio Study
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10. Online donors give more over their
lifetimes…
Source: Blackbaud
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11. Online donors give larger gifts on average.
Source: Blackbaud
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12. During today’s BWF webinar, we will…
1. Look at examples of successful online
fundraising campaigns.
2. Talk about the components of an effective
online ambassador program.
3. Talk about stewardship and the need for a
content strategy.
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13. UMassGives … a lot
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14. UMass Amherst – UMassGives
§ Acquire new donors.
§ Special focus on student giving.
§ Increase culture of philanthropy in support of
UMass Amherst.
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15. Online ambassadors rallied
§ UMass development pros identified roughly
250 potential online ambassadors.
§ Of the 250, roughly 150 agreed to join the cause.
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16. Online ambassadors rallied
§ UMass sent emails to ambassadors throughout
the campaign, asking for their help in promoting
UMassGives.
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17. Online ambassadors rallied
§ Emails had news about the campaign, plus
suggested updates that ambassadors could
easily copy and paste to share with their
networks…
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18. Ambassadors were active and created a
great deal of “buzz” about UMassGives
online and via social networks…
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19. Great content and social media
conversation management throughout
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20. Before the campaign…
UMass’ new ambassadors were welcomed in to the
program through a brief orientation program…
…ambassadors are like any other volunteer—they
need training!
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21. UMassGave
§ 1,588 donors gave $84,000 over the 36-hour
campaign.
§ 1,056 new donors added to the UMass Amherst
database.
§ During the same time last year (May 1–8, 2012)
online donors gave:
§ 65 gifts
§ $8,097
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22. The Online Campaign—Florida State
University’s “Great Give”
36-hour online-only
giving campaign.
§ Raised $286,000
(Goal was $161,000).
§ 1,100 donors—380 had
never given to FSU before.
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23. Why it worked…
A strong social media push…
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24. Why it worked…
…emails with suggested social media updates to
their online ambassadors.
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25. Out of the many, came a few big gifts…
…from major gift prospects.
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26. The FSU Great BIG Give
During FSU’s Great Give, one donor gave $100,000.
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27. Remember, online donors…
§ Have higher household incomes than donors who
give via mail.
§ Give much larger gifts than donors who give through
mail ($62 to $32 average gift size respectively).
§ Have higher lifetime values than donors acquired
via mail.
V.
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28. The Online Affluent
According to a
recent Fidelity
Investment survey…
§ 85 percent of all
millionaires use some
form of social media.
§ Nearly three-quarters
of that 85 percent are
on Facebook.
§ Median age of those
surveyed—56.
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29. Bentz Whaley Flessner
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30. Components of an online ambassador program.
1. Identification of potential online ambassadors.
2. Engagement of potential ambassadors to ask for
their participation in the program.
3. Stewardship of participating and potential future
ambassadors.
4. Leveraging ambassadors to achieve fundraising
and awareness-building success through peer-topeer communication.
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31. Ambassadors need something to share…
…and that something is CONTENT!
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32. Good content helps…
…tell your
organization’s story
and communicate the
impact of
philanthropy.
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33. Good content helps…
…more people learn about your organization and
mission, because content gets shared online…
…and social media is the #1 way digitally active
people learn of a new cause.
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34. Content spreads mission awareness
Piedmont Atlanta’s live-tweeted and Instagrammed
kidney transplant procedure.
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35. Content spreads mission awareness…
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36. Good content helps you…
…provide better stewardship for supporters who
connect with your org online in any way (email,
social media, e-newslettters, etc).
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37. Stewardship is…
…good content that communicates the impact of a gift.
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38. Stewardship is…
…an easy, reaffirming online giving process.
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39. Stewardship is…
…validation and recognition of the donor’s efforts
…especially the efforts of online ambassadors.
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40. Recognition through content…
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41. 3 things you can do now to boost giving
next year and beyond…
1. Develop an online ambassador program.
2. Improve infrastructure for:
a) Ease of giving.
b) Mobile responsiveness.
c) Leveraging the ambassador program.
3. Invest in a content strategy and personnel to
manage that content and the conversation that
surrounds it.
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42. Follow us:
• Facebook: Facebook.com/BentzWhaleyFlessner
• Twitter: @BWF_social or @JustinJWare
• Email: jware@bwf.com
• YouTube: YouTube.com/BentzWhaleyFlessner
116939:JJW:jub.
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