Best Practices for Online

Fundraising
Kate Millea and Adam Lemmon
Convio, Inc.

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

Best Practices for Online Fundraising
■ eCRM Overview

■ Online Communication

■ Your “Housefile”

■ Planning for Online Success

■ Recap

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

 eCRM Framework

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

Best Practices for Online Fundraising
■ eCRM Overview

■ Online Communication

■ Your “Housefile”

■ Planning for Online Success

■ Recap

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

Kinds of Communications
■ Scheduled Communications: timing is planned well in
advance

■ Timely Communications: timing is based upon

specific events or specific opportunities

■ Triggered Communications: timing is “triggered” by

an online interaction

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

 The Importance of Timeliness
■ Nonprofit organizations lose access to a stream
of new online constituents as time progresses

Source: Analysis of 3 major nonprofits

© 2009 Convio, Inc.
Example – Timely Communication
■ Uses “Letter from the
Desk of” format

■ Copy is short & to

the point

■ Timely information
that invites action –
leads to loyalty

■ Tell-A-Friend
prominent for viral
outreach
© 2009 Convio, Inc.
eNewsletter- Scheduled Communication
■ When KUT simply asked for email address, they got 5%. When they
switched the ask to receive eNewsletter, they captured 95% of email
addresses.

▶ Define your objectives.

▶ Modify all offline advertising, direct mail, event registrations with

a “hook” and an email ask.
 “Please provide your email address to receive the latest news on cancer research in
our monthly email newsletter.”

▶ Never ask for an email address without highlighting the

eNewsletter benefit.

© 2009 Convio, Inc. 8

eNewsletter Template Example
■ Personalized
■ Tell A Friend and Donate links
above the fold
■ Excerpt-style newsletter, with
monthly headline feature
■ Look remains consistent from
issue to issue
■ Headlines and features change
from month to month
■ Speaks to reader through clear
calls to action

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

Deconstructing the eNewsletter Template
■ Top-priority links & Branding
branding consistent
from month to month In this Issue
Personalization

First Headline
■ Headlines & graphics Donate Link
change, but general
Graphic & Lead
dimensions stay the Story Copy
same
Feature #1
Second Headline
■ Color scheme may Feature #2
change, but structure
Graphic & Second Feature #3
is consistent
Story Copy

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

eNewsletters – How are they read?
■ Recipients fully read only 19% of an
eNewsletter, often not scanning the entire
newsletter.
■ 35% of readers scanned only a small part of
the newsletter.
■ 67% of readers completely skipped
introductory text at the top of the newsletter.
■ Average amount of time readers spend on
an eNewsletter after opening it: 51 seconds
■ Notice the emphasis on reading the first two
words of the headlines.
■ RSS feeds do not work as a substitute for
an eNewsletter. Also, avoid referring to them
as “RSS feeds.” Use something more easily
understood, like “news feed.”

“2006 Email Marketing Snapshot”, David Daniels, Jupiter Research, 2006

Email Newsletters: Surviving Inbox Congestion. Jakob Nielsen.
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/newsletters.html. June, 2006.

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

Copy Writing: Online vs. Offline
Offline Online
Formal, polished tone Informal, conversational “voice”

Longer copy, builds a “case”, can be Short, to-the-point, uses “hooks” to

explanatory quickly grab attention, highly condensed

One-way Two-way

Solicitation-oriented Relationship-oriented

4-6 sentences/paragraph 1-2 sentences/paragraph

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

Best Practices for Online Fundraising
■ eCRM Overview

■ Online Communication

■ Your “Housefile”

■ Planning for Online Success

■ Recap

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

 Importance of Housefile
Example:

•Web Traffic = 5,000 Visitors/

Month

•Housefile= 10,000 email

addresses

•Open Rate = 20 %
•2,000 people might open the
email

•Click Through Rate = 5%

•500 people might click through
to your site to learn more

•Actions = 1%
•100 people might act on that
email

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

Best Practices for Online Fundraising
■ eCRM Overview

■ Online Communication

■ Your “Housefile”

■ Planning for Online Success

■ Recap

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

What’s your path to online success in 2009?

Plan Build Launch

Campaign Calendar: Can Your Staff: Perform final QA:
what and when ■ Manipulate images? Test all web & email
■ Work with basic content
Editorial Calendar: HTML?
themes, content, ■ Be detail-oriented Get final approvals
timing (copy & visual)?
■ Go through Convio Launch!
Budget: Training?
training, staff,
content & materials

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

Planning – 2009 Top Three Priorities
■ Examples:
▶ Raise funds
▶ Grow our email list
▶ Increase awareness about our cause
▶ Recruit more advocates
▶ Recruit more volunteers
▶ Communicate more effectively
▶ Promote a major event
▶ Build richer profiles

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

Your 2009 Plan
Ready Set Go!
Top 3 Priorities Fundamentals Campaigns

1.

2.

3.

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

Create Your Plan Now!
Q1 2009 Q2 2009 Q3 2009 Q4 2009

J F M A M J J A S O N D

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

 2009 – Planning
Example:

Q1 2009 Q2 2009 Q3 2009 Q4 2009

Community | Consulting | Experience

Sustained Giving Housefile Building Fall Fundraising Year-End

Campaign Campaign Campaign Campaign

Best Practices: Best Practices: Best Practices: Best Practices:

Converting year-end Outreach tactics for Creating a compelling Maximizing
Donors to monthly givers finding new supporters ask for support year-end giving

Q&A: Tell-a-friend,
Q&A: Donation forms Q&A: Donation forms Q&A: Donation forms
eCards, viral marketing,
and fundraising appeals and fundraising appeals and fundraising appeals
and rewards programs

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

Campaigns: Spring/Fall Fundraising
Message #1: Message #2: Message #3:
Send 200 youth to We still have 115 We’re able to send
Yellowstone this youth who need your 178 youth – it’s not
summer support too late to give

© 2009 Convio, Inc. 21

 Campaigns: Spring/Fall Fundraising

*excludes donors *excludes donors

Audience: eAppeal –
Entire email Campaign kick- eAppeal Reminder Campaign Close –
off – Donating online is Success statement
file, minus
your optional Sent to broad fast and easy and a reminder that
audience there’s still time to
suppression donate
list

*received after *received during

Audience: donation completed week after donation
Individuals
who have Donation Thank you for
donated to Confirmation financial support –
AutoResponder – Call to Action: Tell
this campaign
includes tax receipt your friends about
information this campaign

After a constituent makes an online gift, they will be shifted to

the audience which receives thank you messages.

© 2009 Convio, Inc. 22

Best Practices for Online Fundraising
■ eCRM Overview

■ Online Communication

■ Your “Housefile”

■ Planning for Online Success

■ Recap

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

 eCRM Framework

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

Kinds of Communications
■ Scheduled Communications: timing is planned well in
advance

■ Timely Communications: timing is based upon

specific events or specific opportunities

■ Triggered Communications: timing is “triggered” by

an online interaction

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

What’s your path to online success in 2009?

Plan Build Launch

Campaign Calendar: Can Your Staff: Perform final QA:
what and when ■ Manipulate images? Test all web & email
■ Work with basic content
Editorial Calendar: HTML?
themes, content, ■ Be detail-oriented Get final approvals
timing (copy & visual)?
■ Go through Convio Launch!
Budget: Training?
training, staff,
content & materials

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

 Why Nonprofits Use Convio
1. Increase revenue
▶ Reach and acquire new donors and retain existing ones
▶ Increase giving frequency and average gift size from each donor
▶ Increase response rates to direct mail using an integrated approach
▶ Cultivate potential major donors and steward existing relationships

1. Lower costs and increase capacity

▶ Decrease marketing and communication costs by leveraging email
▶ Ease administration through online automation

1. Support their mission

▶ Raise awareness of their cause and organization (increase profile)
▶ Educate constituents through timely, informative, personalized content
▶ Make taking action easier and more rewarding for constituents
▶ Encouraging constituents to share their passion with friends

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

 How Those Benefits Are Created
■ Software
▶ Internet software with proven capabilities in:
 Fundraising
 eCommerce
 Events
 Email marketing
 Web site content management
▶ Provided through Software as a Service (SaaS) model

■ Services
▶ Ensure quick, successful implementation
▶ Address your unique needs, mission and timeframe

■ Expertise
▶ Provide best practices for success
▶ Create documentable results

© 2009 Convio, Inc.

 Contact Convio
On the Web:
www.convio.com

Share your email

Contact Kate or Adam:

kmillea@convio.com or alemmon@convio.com

© 2009 Convio, Inc.