A Small Change- Fundraising Blog

I just finished reading a pamphlet talking about fundraising as ministry, a rather unique idea. The Henri Nouwen Society created this booklet, The Spirituality of Fund-Raising. Visit their website if you are interested in receiving a free copy. There are some really original ideas about how to treat a donor and how to think about asking for money. The book stresses a solid personal relationship with donors in a way that goes beyond just a financial gift. I’m interested in what you think, let me know if you have read this pamphlet or plan on reading it.

I’m participating in the Non-Profit Blog Exchange Virtual Event. Frogloop is a non-profit communications and marketing blog for an organization called Care2. The organization exists to, “connect people with opportunities to make a difference.” Through a network of over 8 million they use community-building platforms such as MySpace or del.icio.us to raise awareness for a non-profit’s cause. If your organization participates in petitioning or social activism this is a great site to check out.

Do you have any great resources that you think other non-profit professionals would benefit from knowing about? Post a comment with a few of your recommendations.

Welcome back to an online interview with experts in the online fundraising industry. I am excited to see what the future of online giving looks like. Today each expert has the opportunity to talk about exactly why his or her business is unique. Please make sure to post additional questions, comments and feedback at the bottom of the post. And make sure that if you are interested in talking with any of these groups in more detail that you visit their website (or post a comment or email me and I can introduce you them).

How your service is different and what do you provide?

PaySimple:
At PaySimple, we have developed a fundraising system that is simple to use and offers non-profits the ability to collect payments and donations in person, by phone, or online, and via electronic check or credit card. PaySimple sets itself apart from other systems by providing clients with live support and training during every phase of setup. Non-profits don’t have to worry about not being tech-savvy-we do everything for them. Read more about how a Boy Scout Troop simplified their fundraiser at Fundraising Made Simple www.paysimple.com/articles/boyscouts.html.
-Eric Remer, CEO for PaySimple www.paysimple.com

Firstgiving:
Firstgiving enables any individual to raise funds for any non-profit of their choice by creating an online fundraising page. Individuals create pages for an event, in memory of some one or an occasion like a wedding, birthday, anniversary, etc. Individuals can email their page to friends or add a widget to their blog, social network or email footer.

Here’s what’s different about Firstgiving…it’s easy and affordable for any organization of any size:

• Any individual can create a fundraising page for NPO registered with the IRS. We use the Guidestar database to vet these organizations. Fundraisers can personalize their fundraising page. The process is simple.
• As of last week, any non-profit can get their own free Firstgiving start page (like this: www.firstgiving.com/npo/3179). This enables any charity to engage their supporters to raise funds for them.
• Funds get routed to the NPO monthly via check or weekly via electronic funds transfer.
• Individuals get an email module to email their page and import email addresses. They get a widget to put on a blog or social network. We offer a Facebook app so they can bring their page to their friends on Facebook.

-Mark Sutton CEO of Firstgiving www.firstgiving.com

DonorPerfect Fundraising Software:
DonorPerfect provides a range of online donation services that makes it easy for a non-profit to collect donations AND analyze them. One of our key differences is that all of the donations are stored in a central database, and automatic duplicate checks are performed to make sure you have a complete view of a donor’s history. This way, you can target these donors for future solicitations using our unique analytical and wealth screening reporting system, so that you can maximize your returns and raise more money.

Many services, such as Paypal, only process the donation and the non-profit is left to fend for themselves. Worse, there is usually no way to customize the form (Does the donor want to remain anonymous? Is the donation for a special event and we need to know their T-shirt size?). Furthermore, it’s also unlikely that the service will identify how or why the donation was given, making future solicitation efforts useless because you’re not able to ascertain the intent of the donation.

With DonorPerfect, you’re able to capture all of these important details, store them in an unduplicated database, and then target these very same donors for future solications - both online *and* offline.
-Jon Biedermann, Vice President of DonorPerfect Fundraising Software www.donorperfect.com

GiveStream:
GiveStream is unique in its approach. It gives the non-profits a free easy-to-use dedicated giving center to fundraise and communicate in a new way. GiveStream benefits are:

• It’s free to you and your supporters
• It has the potential to bring in thousands of dollars in contribution using the Shop, Search & Donate.
• It has a comparison product search engine.
• Besides contributing the supporter can also compare prices and find for him self the best deal.
• It’s private, no other non-profit to share the same center.
• It’s customizable, you can add contents and links (can be used as a primary website or as a subsidiary).
• You can easily send out email newsletters to communicate with your supporters using our Newsletter Creator.
• The downloadable toolbar (which features the non-profit logo) puts the organization directly onto the supporters’ web browser and makes it convenient for them to use GiveStream without having to enter any website.
• You get a cool Facebook application that your supporters can show on their profile.

-Michael Ben-Nes, Director of Marketing from GiveStream.com www.givestream.com

Click and Pledge:
There’s a reason Click & Pledge has grown to over 7,000 customers: we provide the best value in the NP segment….world class software, security, ease-of-use, custom for NPOs…only pay for what you need and what you use. You can pay one of the big providers $1,000+ or pay us $50 for

• a payment system,
• a donor management system and
• a web content management system

When you invest in traditional software, the vendors are in charge…you must continually purchase upgrades, maintenance, training etc. With Click & Pledge, it’s on-demand, live software that you only pay for on a transaction basis. All support, upgrades, security and so forth is incumbent upon us to provide. True Software as a Service.
-Jim Barney VP, Marketing & Sales of Click and Pledge www.ClickandPledge.com

EchoDonations:
The service provided by my organization is different in that it is currently the only online donating service that allows the donor to receive Lifetime Cash Rewards^TM for donations as small as $25.

Here’s how it works: You make a donation to your favorite charity through echoDonations.org^TM. All donations, large and small, are combined in an online charitable mutual fund, which is invested and monitored for performance in the market. As the charitable mutual fund builds investment return, annual Lifetime Cash Rewards^TM are distributed to donors and charities while building an endowment for the charity.

The benefit to nonprofits is exponential by way of the annual cash received and through the increased donor loyalty gained from receiving their rewards.

There are two choices for donors on what to do with the interest earned: Give & Get Back^TM or Give & Grow^TM.

• Give & Get Back^TM - With this option, the interest is split between you (or your beneficiary) and your charity. Each of you gets a yearly check for the interest, and when you die, your charity gets your original donation. Use this option to get Lifetime Cash Rewards^TM.
• Give & Grow^TM - With this option, the charity gets half the interest in a yearly check. The other half is reinvested in the charitable mutual fund. When you die, the charity gets the original donation plus all the compound interest it has earned.

-Michelle Matthews, Social Media & Marketing Strategist from EchoDonations www.EchoDonations.org

Don’t forget to check out each expert’s website. Please comment with questions or other feedback. Check out other questions this week:

• Introduction to Online Fundraising: Interview Part 1
• Different Online Fundraising Strategies: Interview, Part 2
• Creating an Online Fundraising Plan: Interview, Part 3
• A Look Into the Online Future: Interview, Part 4

Welcome back to an online interview with experts in the online fundraising industry. I hope you found yesterdays post on creating an online fundraising plan helpful. Please make sure to post additional questions, comments and feedback at the bottom of the post. Today’s question:

What does the future of online giving look like?

PaySimple:
According to www.electronicpayments.org, charitable or non-profit businesses utilizing electronic payments have a 98 percent fulfillment rate, which is 50 percent higher than organizations using mail-based processes. Online giving is now more affordable and “acceptable” for non-profits than ever before. Many electronic payment providers offer discounts to non-profits. The growth of electronic payments provides an avenue for non-profits to gain donors and grow revenue.
-Eric Remer, CEO for PaySimple www.paysimple.com

Firstgiving:
Online giving won’t just happen on your site, it will be distributed. Your supporters will fundraise for you by creating fundraising pages or widgets and engaging their friends to support your cause. This results from the participative nature of the internet and can be a bit scary for non-profits as it will mean relinquishing some ‘control’ (or the illusion of control!). The trade-off will be that your supporters will accomplish incredible things for you. Here’s an example of a blogger who decided to raise funds for an organization she cares about and selected: www.firstgiving.com/menuforhope4
-Mark Sutton CEO of Firstgiving www.firstgiving.com

Donor Perfect Fundraising Software:
Online giving, while growing at a faster pace (30% or more), still represents only about 5-6% of all fundraising. The bulk of the giving public, who are older and therefore have more disposable income, as well as the very wealthy, will continue to give ‘off-line’. However, this very same segment is the fastest growing segment of Internet users and as newer, younger donors replace them, online fundraising will continue to grow at a relative fast pace but will never replace more traditional types of fundraising for many, many years.
-Jon Biedermann, Vice President of DonorPerfect Fundraising Software www.donorperfect.com

GiveStream:
I wish I knew, I do hope that increase of collaboration with supporters, governments & companies will raise the efficiency of non-profits and by that the world will become a better place. I think the Internet is a great tool to achieve exactly that.
-Michael Ben-Nes, Director of Marketing from GiveStream.com www.givestream.com

Click and Pledge:
Huge growth. The web is the center of the universe….it’s the first and last place people go to gain knowledge or act. It must be used to operate efficiently, effectively and keep costs low. In any instance, when technology is applied….new pricing models, costs, etc. emerge.
-Jim Barney VP, Marketing & Sales of Click and Pledge www.ClickandPledge.com

EchoDonations:
In my opinion, online giving will soon be the way nearly all donations are made. It makes sense, in our digitalized world, that giving should be made as easy as possible. For instance, why deal with paperwork when online records can be kept in a huge database, worrying no one but a machine?
-Michelle Matthews, Social Media & Marketing Strategist from EchoDonations www.EchoDonations.org

Do you have any predictions of your own? What do you think online fundraising will look like in the future? Leave a comment and let me know. Check out other questions this week:

• Introduction to Online Fundraising: Interview Part 1
• Different Online Fundraising Strategies: Interview, Part 2
• Creating an Online Fundraising Plan: Interview, Part 3
• A Menu of Fundraising Experts: Interview, Part 5

Welcome back to an online interview with experts in the online fundraising industry. Please make sure to post additional questions, comments and feedback at the bottom of the post. Onto today’s question:

What should the online fundraising plan look like? What are some key components to a good plan?

PaySimple:
A good online fundraising plan would include recurring giving, online giving, and check conversion. Recurring giving enables non-profits to set up automatic schedules that debit the donor’s checking or credit card on a set schedule that they specify. Online giving provides non-profits the ability to take a donation twenty-four hours a day via direct payment from a donor’s checking account or credit card. Check conversion allows the non-profit to still accept paper checks and convert them into e-checks-without taking a trip to the bank. After setting up the e-giving system, the non-profit should market their new ability and address concerns with online giving, including security, unfamiliar technology, and traditional values. Utilize resources like www.electronicpayments.org and even your gateway provider for free marketing materials to help donors see the benefits of egiving.
-Eric Remer, CEO for PaySimple www.paysimple.com

Firstgiving:
The plan should start with a statement of what the organization is looking to accomplish online ex: more donations, convenient option for making donations, expand database, get supporters to fundraise, etc. Next the organization should determine which websites or services best fit their objectives, budget and in-house expertise. It should include having a website, ability to take donations online and communicate with supporters. The communication strategy for supporters is important. It will include email and should also consider social media sites such as MySpace or facebook as methods for attracting supporters and communicating with them.
-Mark Sutton CEO of Firstgiving www.firstgiving.com

Donor Perfect Fundraising Software:
Again, though it starts with facilitating donations on line, it’s much more than that. You need to have good marketing tools, such as a good database (like DonorPerfect), direct mail and email distribution. You need to direct everyone to the right place on your web site and make it easy and convenient for people to not only give, but also register for events, sign up to be a volunteer, or purchase items. You need to make it easy for constituents to reach out to their friends, family, and co-workers to facilitate giving (viral fundraising) and form an online community of donors that will further expand and enrich your mission.
-Jon Biedermann, Vice President of DonorPerfect Fundraising Software www.donorperfect.com

GiveStream:
I assume it changes from one non-profit to another but the basic should include calling supporters to participate and delegation. Don’t do it all by yourself, if you have a good idea let other help you achieve the non-profit goals. It is also important to accelerate slowly, don’t open a forum before you have enough supporters to participate. You don’t want it to become a ghost forum, that’s even worse then being without forum. Another factor is the easy of use. Evaluate the products available at the market and choose those that are easy to operate, and its even better if you can find them under the same roof.
-Michael Ben-Nes, Director of Marketing from GiveStream.com www.givestream.com

EchoDonations:
The plan should involve no paperwork, online record keeping, and a very small processing fee (under 6%). There should be detailed instructions in how the donations are processed, and where the money goes directly. Graphics are very important in anything done online as well.
-Michelle Matthews, Social Media & Marketing Strategist from EchoDonations www.EchoDonations.org

Does your organization have an online giving plan? Are you thinking about creating a plan? Leave a comment and let me know. Check out other questions this week:

• Introduction to Online Fundraising: Interview Part 1
• Different Online Fundraising Strategies: Interview, Part 2
• A Look Into the Online Future: Interview, Part 4
• A Menu of Fundraising Experts: Interview, Part 5

Welcome back to an online interview with experts in the online fundraising industry. I hope you enjoyed yesterday’s introduction to your experts. Please make sure to post additional questions, comments and feedback at the bottom of the post. Now onto today’s question:

What are some different strategies and models for fundraising online?

PaySimple:
Key strategies for non-profit organizations trying to raise money through the web include:

• Set up automatic recurring donations. This way, donors don’t have to contribute large sums, but small amounts on a regular basis. Plus, there is no burden of remembering to mail or drop off an envelope.
• Provide members and donors the option of egiving, or contributing online with a credit card or electronic check. Many fundraising solutions provide a securely hosted payment page, so the organization does not even need a website.
• Rather than holding a fundraiser in a brick and mortar shop, offer customers a way to take part online. It saves time from handling paper checks, cuts down on volunteer time, and is also more secure. No account numbers or card numbers floating around-everything is stored securely within the system.

-Eric Remer, CEO for PaySimple www.paysimple.com

Firstgiving:
One of the most rapidly growing strategies for fundraising online is engaging your supporters to raise funds on behalf of your organization. The nature of the internet is changing significantly. User participation and user generated content have evolved as the essence of the web. Empowering individuals to support you online is a powerful strategy for furthering your cause. You will find that individuals will use their social networks, blogs, web sites, email lists to advocate and fundraise for your organization.
-Mark Sutton CEO of Firstgiving www.firstgiving.com

Donor Perfect Fundraising Software:
There are many different strategies to fundraise effectively online. However, there is one strategy that never works, and that’s slapping a “Donate Now” button on your web-site to attract donations. Unfortunately, even we have clients that take only this initial step, and wonder why they only receive 4 or 5 donations per month.

Successful online fundraising requires real work that rivals any traditional campaign effort. It requires staff resources that many non profits do not have or cannot access. It requires a dedication from the top down, and should be referenced in every single piece of paper that leaves the building. It’s a long term investment that works in conjunction with other types of fundraising, such as special events, capital campaigns, direct mail, etc.
-Jon Biedermann, Vice President of DonorPerfect Fundraising Software www.donorperfect.com

GiveStream:
For starters I believe fundraising is about the message and the non-profit’s ability to reach out to those that have a passion for the same goals. To achieve this, non-profits need to reach out. I like to divide the reach out strategies to 3 groups.

• Single-dimensional spread out. This includes the standard, conservative methods where the supporters are passive. Some of the tools are: websites, newsletters.
• Bi-dimensional spread out. This includes tools where the supporters have the power to reply or open a new topic. Some of the tools are: Forum, mailing-list or blog.
• Multi-dimensional spread out. Here supporters have the greatest power and can spread the word autonomously in the name of the non-profit using tools such as: social networks and widgets.

Any organization that wants to fundraise / advocate online should pick wisely from this list of possible tools, there is no reason to open a blog if you don’t have the time to post or engage any social network if you don’t have a person who swims comfortably in these waters.
-Michael Ben-Nes, Director of Marketing from GiveStream.com www.givestream.com

Click and Pledge:
We see a big move to cell phones/mobile technology; we see micropayments becoming practical; significant reductions in the price of online fundraising technology with Software as a Service applications and open source software.
-Jim Barney VP, Marketing & Sales of Click and Pledge www.ClickandPledge.com

EchoDonations:
Online fundraising can be tricky. The internet is incredibly expansive, making it difficult to discover valuable contacts and share information in an efficient manner. Making use of all the social media developments is a good approach to the situation, but it takes a lot of time and effort to keep up. There is blogging, social bookmarking, press releases, email, etc. for available use by everyone. The only problem is that SO many people can use these tools, that they become completely invaluable unless they are used correctly and efficiently.
-Michelle Matthews, Social Media & Marketing Strategist from EchoDonations www.EchoDonations.org

Do you have a special strategy not mentioned above that you’ve found successful in online fundraising? Has your organization been successful in online giving? Please leave a comment with your feedback or advice below. Check out other questions this week:

• Introduction to Online Fundraising: Interview Part 1
• Creating an Online Fundraising Plan: Interview, Part 3
• A Look Into the Online Future: Interview, Part 4
• A Menu of Fundraising Experts: Interview, Part 5