Online Advocacy and Fundraising: Are You Doing Everything You Can? Mark Davis, Blackbaud Cassandra Koenen, Web Manager IFAW

Why is Online Advocacy Important to Fundraisers? Online advocacy is important to many nonprofits for more than its ability to influence policy Online advocacy is a critical tool for identifying and engaging new subscribers, and keeping existing subscribers motivated. Organizations with combined online advocacy and fundraising combined raised 200% more online than organizations without advocacy(1) (1)Source: The eNonprofit Benchmarks Study, 2006, M&R Strategies

Why is Online Advocacy Important to Fundraisers?

Online advocacy is important to many nonprofits for more than its ability to influence policy

Online advocacy is a critical tool for identifying and engaging new subscribers, and keeping existing subscribers motivated.

Organizations with combined online advocacy and fundraising combined raised 200% more online than organizations without advocacy(1)

Is Advocacy Still Relevant? 6-Month Doubling of Sphere Action Items Obama’s Organization Other High Profile Campaigns

Is Advocacy Still Relevant?

6-Month Doubling of Sphere Action Items

Obama’s Organization

Other High Profile Campaigns

Who are Active Online Advocacy Orgs? Larger e-mail lists Larger online communications budgets Higher volume of advocacy e-mail messages Source: The eNonprofit Benchmarks Study, 2006, M&R Strategies

Who are Active Online Advocacy Orgs?

Larger e-mail lists

Larger online communications budgets

Higher volume of advocacy e-mail messages

How Do Advocacy Emails Compare? 2007 Email Response Rates Source: The eNonprofit Benchmarks Study, 2008, M&R Strategies

How Do Advocacy Emails Compare?

2007 Email Response Rates

Who is Acting? 60% of Advocates… Aren’t ‘Super Activists’ Account for 42% Actions Source: The eNonprofit Benchmarks Study, 2008, M&R Strategies

Who is Acting?

60% of Advocates… Aren’t

‘Super Activists’ Account for 42% Actions

Who to Target? ‘Super Activists’ are Most Likely to Support Use Wealth Screening Tools to Identify Potential Major Donors

Who to Target?

‘Super Activists’ are Most Likely to Support

Use Wealth Screening Tools to Identify Potential Major Donors

How to Promote Your Advocacy? Use Campaigns to Recruit New Advocates Use New Media to Promote Campaigns

How to Promote Your Advocacy?

Use Campaigns to Recruit New Advocates

Use New Media to Promote Campaigns

Use Campaigns to Recruit New Advocates New Supporter Acquisition

Use Campaigns to Recruit New Advocates

New Supporter Acquisition

Use New Media to Promote Campaigns Lessons Learned from Obama

Use New Media to Promote Campaigns

Lessons Learned from Obama

Use New Media to Promote Campaigns Map Mash-up Provides Interactivity

Use New Media to Promote Campaigns

Map Mash-up Provides Interactivity

Special Notes on Use of New Media Convert MySpace and Facebook users to Email as Quickly as Possible Use social networking sites to promote your action alerts Limited success (so far) with direct fundraising Use widgets for supporters to use on other sites Don’t let your content slip out of date Integrate with overall communications strategy.

Special Notes on Use of New Media

Convert MySpace and Facebook users to Email as Quickly as Possible

Use social networking sites to promote your action alerts

Limited success (so far) with direct fundraising

Use widgets for supporters to use on other sites

Don’t let your content slip out of date

Integrate with overall communications strategy.

How to Communicate to Advocates? Use Welcome Series to Convert Donors Target Appeals based on Advocacy Interest Tie Appeals to Real World Events

How to Communicate to Advocates?

Use Welcome Series to Convert Donors

Target Appeals based on Advocacy Interest

Tie Appeals to Real World Events

Use Welcome Series to Convert Donors Automated Email Communications

Use Welcome Series to Convert Donors

Automated Email Communications

Target Appeals based on Advocacy Interest Tie Donation to Specific Action

Target Appeals based on Advocacy Interest

Tie Donation to Specific Action

Tie Appeals to Real World Events Use Friends Asking Friends®

Tie Appeals to Real World Events

Use Friends Asking Friends®

How to Ensure Success? Integrate Advocacy and Fundraising Experience Converge Organizational Interests

How to Ensure Success?

Integrate Advocacy and Fundraising Experience

Converge Organizational Interests

Integrate Advocacy and Fundraising Online Membership Tools

Integrate Advocacy and Fundraising

Online Membership Tools

Integrate Advocacy and Fundraising Event Fundraising

Integrate Advocacy and Fundraising

Event Fundraising

Converge Organizational Interests Crossing the Fundraising-Advocacy Divide

Converge Organizational Interests

Crossing the Fundraising-Advocacy Divide

Summary Advocacy is a Great Acquisition Tool Implement a Cultivation Strategy, i.e., “Ladder of Engagement” Need Single CRM for Fundraising and Advocacy Data

Summary

Advocacy is a Great Acquisition Tool

Implement a Cultivation Strategy, i.e., “Ladder of Engagement”

Need Single CRM for Fundraising and Advocacy Data

Case Study: IFAW Stop Whaling Campaign Presented by: Cassandra Koenen

IFAW Stop Whaling Campaign A campaign to mobilize the public to call for an immediate end to Japan’s Commerical Whaling. Goals: - Recruit new users into IFAW’s existing online community - Generate 10,000s of new messages to the government of Japan Provide a range of engaging, meaningful activities for new and old users Increase donations from Whale Supporters Campaign Components: - Launch a Stop Whaling blog - Posting campaign videos to Youtube.com - Campaign Page on MySpace and Facebook Activate a mobile campaign - User-generated photo submission using Flickr groups

IFAW Stop Whaling Campaign

A campaign to mobilize the public to call for an immediate end to Japan’s Commerical Whaling.

Goals:

- Recruit new users into IFAW’s existing online community

- Generate 10,000s of new messages to the government of Japan

Provide a range of engaging, meaningful activities for new and old users

Increase donations from Whale Supporters

Campaign Components:

- Launch a Stop Whaling blog

- Posting campaign videos to Youtube.com

- Campaign Page on MySpace and Facebook

Activate a mobile campaign

- User-generated photo submission using Flickr groups

So what Web 2.0 elements did we use to build our campaign….. Popular Social Networking Sites Facebook and MySpace

Worked to create a mobile activist list

Used YouTube to Get the Message Out

Created Opportunities for Supporters to Engage and Create Content

Looked for new ways to disseminate the information and keep the campaign fresh – IFAW launched the Stop Whaling Blog and Podcasts – all are available through RSS Feeds

The final step in building a campaign that would utilize some of the best and social networking tools available was to create a site that would bring all the aspects together Drive the social networking sites Highlight the Blog Feature latest Youtube video

Results Number of New Constituents: 10,000 Number of Advocates: 60,000 Conversion Rate: Doubled from previous year Number of Mobile Sign-ups: 350

Results

Number of New Constituents: 10,000

Number of Advocates: 60,000

Conversion Rate: Doubled from previous year

Number of Mobile Sign-ups: 350

What Role Does Email Still Play Total Emails Sent: Series of 4 pieces a combination of fundraising asks and advocacy Email Segments: Segment by recencey and frequency – donor versus non-donor Open rates: Depending on type of ask – can be anywhere from 13 – 27% - but don’t focus as much on open rates as conversion Conversions: 59% of those that opened the email clicked on a link 60% of those that clicked a link took an action = 35% of those that opened an email took an action

What Role Does Email Still Play

Total Emails Sent:

Series of 4 pieces a combination of fundraising asks and advocacy

Email Segments:

Segment by recencey and frequency – donor versus non-donor

Open rates:

Depending on type of ask – can be anywhere from 13 – 27% - but don’t focus as much on open rates as conversion

Conversions:

59% of those that opened the email clicked on a link 60% of those that clicked a link took an action = 35% of those that opened an email took an action

Did we achieve our goals Recruit new users into IFAW’s existing online community Generate 10,000s of new messages to the government of Japan Provide a range of engaging, meaningful activities for users Increase donations from Whale Supporters 85% increase in recruitment over previous year 48% increase in actions generated over previous year Sign petition, send a letter, sign up for mobile alerts, read and comment on the blog, watch video 27% increase in income over previous year campaign

Did we achieve our goals

Recruit new users into IFAW’s existing online community

Generate 10,000s of new messages to the government of Japan

Provide a range of engaging, meaningful activities for users

Increase donations from Whale Supporters

What Next For the New Activists

What Next For the New Activists

The Power of Integration Action postcards from Direct Mail supporters Petitions from tabling and grassroots events Online action letters Petition on Facebook Petition on Care2 Results almost 100,000 actions delivered!

The Power of Integration

Action postcards from Direct Mail supporters

Petitions from tabling and grassroots events

Online action letters

Petition on Facebook

Petition on Care2

Results almost 100,000 actions delivered!