What are the best practices in creating an online giving program? In this session you’ll learn what donors want most from a nonprofit’s website, and what fixable problems with websites commonly deter many online visitors from converting to donors. We’ll also cover the critical components of a successful email fundraising program.

1. Building a StrongOnline Giving ProgramUsing Email and Web Shirley Sexton Director, Interactive Marketing and Fundraising

3. Video Production

4. Interactive Marketing

5. www.see3.netShirley Sexton | See3 Communications 9/10/2009 2

7. Creating Your Online Strategy

8. Web site Usability

9. Email Marketing

10. Measuring Progress

11. Resources Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications 9/10/2009 3

12. Online Fundraising Growth 9/10/2009 4 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

13. Online giving bucks overall trend Overall charitable giving declined in 2008, the first drop since 1987.* Giving USA 2009: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2008. Online fundraising grew in 2008 (compared to 2007) in the range of 14-26% (dependent upon source *) *The Convio Online Marketing Nonprofit Benchmark Index Study *2009 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study 9/10/2009 5 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

15. Mega-trend to “go green”

16. Advent of social networking 7/24/09 6 Shirley Sexton | Management Information Exchange Fundraising Conference 9/10/2009 6 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

17. Creating Your Online Strategy 4/26/09 7 9/10/2009 7 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

19. Secure support from leadership

20. Prioritize objectives and audiences

21. Get commitment from stakeholders

22. Study your audience(s) needs, what do they want?

23. Invest in people and tools9/10/2009 8 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

24. Prioritizing online objectives 9/10/2009 9 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

25. Prioritizing online audiences Is there overlap for your audiences in what they want, and you want them to do? 9/10/2009 10 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

26. Web Site Usability for Donors 9/10/2009 11 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

27. Stop focusing on home page Treat every page like your front door. Only 25% of Web visitors enter sites via the home page.--Nielsen Norman Group, 2008 9/10/2009 12 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

29. Goals

30. Objectives

31. Examples of work and first person stories, especially video

32. How donations are used, specifics9/10/2009 13 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

34. Links (make them obvious)

35. Next steps/Instructions

36. Answers9/10/2009 14 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

38. Cluttered pages

39. Mistrust of 3rd-party payment pagesNielsen Norman Group Report: Donation Usability: Design Guidelines for Improving the Donation Process and the Usability of Essential Information on Charity and Non-Profit Websites 9/10/2009 15 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

40. Email Marketing 9/10/2009 16 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

42. Request email registration on every page

43. Collect email addresses (with permission) at events, offices9/10/2009 17 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

44. Email Marketing: Schedule Create calendar of email communications Monthly email newsletter Campaigns (respond to opportunities when your mission and national/world news intersect) Test frequency Industry standard is 3-10 per month 9/10/2009 18 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

45. Email Marketing: Design Key elements for response Subject line From field Call to action (link) Signature Light on graphics and formating 9/10/2009 19 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

46. Measuring Progress 9/10/2009 20 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

47. Measuring Progress 9/10/2009 21 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications Measure your key metrics before undergoing major changes. 2. Determine realistic intervals to measure (monthly, quarterly, annually) 3. Compare against industry benchmarks: eNonprofits Benchmark Study www.e-benchmarksstudy.com/

48. Measuring Progress: Web giving 9/10/2009 22 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications Online giving totals Average gift size # of gifts “Offline giving” impacts (major and planned gifts) The Wired Wealthy: Using the Internet to Connect with Your Middle and Major Donorshttp://nonprofit.about.com/od/onlinefundraising/a/wealthywired.htm

50. Open rate (14%)

51. click through rate (.6%)

52. response rate (.12%)

53. registration rate (3%)

54. list growth (17%)

55. list churn (19%)See eNonprofits Benchmark Study www.e-benchmarksstudy.com/

56. Web Resources 9/10/2009 24 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

57. Web marketing resources Jakob Nielsen’s Web usability research: www.useit.com Network for Good: A Fundraising Guide for the Overworked Nonprofit: www.fundraising123.org Search engine marketing tips: www.searchenginewatch.com 9/10/2009 25 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

58. Technology resources Idealware: Candid reviews and information about nonprofit software: www.idealware.org TechSoup: The technology place for nonprofits www.techsoup.com NTEN: Your Nonprofit technology community: www.nten.org 9/10/2009 26 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications

59. Contact Me Email: shirley@see3.net See3 blog: http://blog.see3.net LinkedIn: http://shirleysexton.com Facebook: http://profile.to/shirleysexton Twitter: http://twitter.com/webbarbie Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/webbarbie 9/10/2009 27 Shirley Sexton | See3 Communications