Today, we are going to cover several aspects of technology as it pertains to fundraising. In the past, we’ve struggled to simplify this enough to be able to cover it all in one session. Now, we feel like we’ve been able to effectively summarize all of these separate avenues of technology but most importantly paint the picture of how all of these tools can come together and work for you, regardless of shape or size.
Economy a hot button now and it seems to be sort of the underlying theme in most presentations these days. Forcing organizations to change the ways of thinking and operating In our experience, a lot of gloom and doom, but we are already starting to see that organizations that are forging ahead and continuing to invest in their mission are beginning to emerge Open the floor for opinions on how the economy has affected overall giving
Studies show that people are still giving – although they might be changing the WAY they give, which you need to be aware of and understand how to interact and follow-up We’ve also seen a significant increase in Online Donations. Not sure how much that is connected to the economy but people are more inclined than ever to find out about you and support your mission online To audience: Have you stopped giving? Have you changed the way you give?
How can we apply these ideas and concepts that have been around for years into technology?? That’s what we’ll explore today. segue ----To audience: Where is the first place you go to find information about any topic?
If you build it, will they come? Having a website is first priority Key steps to building/maintaining a successful website
To audience: Has anyone heard of Google Analytics? eTapestry web services inserts this into every page we build & suggests that our customers use this info
Social Media by definition More than anything, it’s the use of technology for the real-time sharing of information among millions of people!! Connecting People and RECONNECTING people Growth of Twitter – we’ve talked about it for years!
This table outlines the concept and transition well. Where have we come in 10 years? It used to be a one-way electronic “brochure” of information. Now, it’s engaging people, influencing action, etc.
Perception of Social Media has changed – everyone is using it! You cannot ignore the potential outreach (Google is #1) (Yahoo #2)
Provides a strong avenue for your organization to broadcast testimonials and describe how you are serving the community
Viral Effect Video can elicit emotion Testimonials
Phenomenon To audience: Who HASN’T heard of Susan Boyle?
Catholic Relief Services
A week later, they changed the Subject Line (gave sense of urgency) Added hotspot text (taking end-user back to online giving page) Added emotional video appeal (Only a link to the video – on Youtube) Raised $112K
Continuously changing content of the letter Multi-channel communications (Facebook – “keep an eye out for our e-mail”)
Difference between Personal Page & Organizational/Cause Page
Katie’s last slide is a segue right into mine… ecommerce and social media (tips for connecting with donors)
Use customer as testimonial (if they are using eCom)
Change the page by where you go for the seminar.
Information flows into database seamlessly & in real-time Future gifts, contacts, and reminders can start to be tracked immediately. Can function as a virtual terminal onsite during events (School on Wheels story)
Story Idea: Riley or Make-a-wish radio-a-thons
Coming back to the viral concept
To audience: Does anyone sell items/tickets on your website?
Jay’s major giving at Butler story.
Does your organization track relationships in your “database” now?
segue: H
Besides social media platforms, communications in general have seen a HUGE transition. Donors still expect to be communicated with. The obvious answer for most seems to be E-mail.
To add a little more insight into today’s typical supporter… We’ve seen a lot of changes in habits
A lot of groups we talk to are still in the infant stages of collecting e-mail addresses and taking advantage
This is why your E-mail list MUST be connected to a database. Otherwise, the segmentation opportunity is not there
To audience: Has anyone here ever tested a mass e-mail on your PDA’s or handheld devices?
Something tangible – a plan of attack you can take home and use
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