Before you get started fundraising, you need to understand donors - why they do or do not give. Then using stories to connect and communicate - online and offline. Once that is in place, leveraging the cost effective, high learning, easy to spread nature of online to infuse your fundraising becomes easier.

2. gofundme.com/2am4q7kk
A story.

3. Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune

4. gofundme.com/2am4q7kk

5. It’s a new, (more) democratic, and
(still) early era of fundraising.

6. gofundme.com/2am4q7kk

8. Your website, and online
fundraising, isn’t just about
revenue.

9. Today, Housekeeping & Agenda
● Will send out slides
● Write things down. Write everything down.
○ Get 3 6 concrete things
● Contact
○ brady@shiftcharity.com, @bradyjosephson
● Agenda
○ Part I - Giving & Fundraising
○ Part II - Storytelling & Communications
○ Break
○ Part III - Digital & Online Fundraising
○ Part IV - Case Study & Examples
○ Part V - Interview & Discussion
○ Part VI - Q & A & Q & A

11. To fundraise, you have to
understand why people give. Or at
least try.

12. We are wired for giving.

14. Science Magazine

16. Happify

17. Happify

18. Giving gives us pleasure.
Giving makes us happy.
Giving helps us be healthy.

19. Don’t be afraid to ask people
to give! To fundraise.

20. Why do you give?

21. Framework
Copyright MECLABS, Courtesy of NextAfter

25. Your Value Proposition
+ Why People Give
- Why People Don’t Give
= Fundraising

26. Joseph Mixer
Why People Give
Internal
Personal or “I” Factors
● Acceptance, guilt reduction,
meaning/purpose, spirituality, survival
Social or “We” Factors
● Status, altruism, power, family,
interdependence
Negative or “They” Factors
● Frustration, fear/anxiety, complexity
External
Rewards
● Recognition, personal, social
Stimulations
● Human needs, personal request, vision,
efficiency/effectiveness, tax deductions
Situations
● Involvement, peer pressure, culture,
tradition, role identity, disposable income

27. Joseph Mixer
Why People Give
Internal
Personal or “I” Factors
● Acceptance, guilt reduction,
meaning/purpose, spirituality, survival
Social or “We” Factors
● Status, altruism, power, family,
interdependence
Negative or “They” Factors
● Frustration, fear/anxiety, complexity
External
Rewards
● Recognition, personal, social
Stimulations
● Human needs, personal request, vision,
efficiency/effectiveness, tax deductions
Situations
● Involvement, peer pressure, culture,
tradition, role identity, disposable income

28. Science of Giving: Experimental Approaches to the Study of Charity

29. Millennials.

30. Millennial Giving Characteristics
● Want to be more involved and included
● Want to use social influence and time
● Want to trust in the causes they support
● Want to give (time and money) with peers
● Want to see clear examples of how they are making a difference by giving (time
and money)
● Want to get something back for their giving (impact, access, prestige, etc.)
● Want to support more organizations, and friends, in smaller amounts

31. Millennial Giving Characteristics
● Want to be more involved and included
● Want to use social influence and time
● Want to trust in the causes they support
● Want to give (time and money) with peers
● Want to see clear examples of how they are making a difference by giving (time
and money)
● Want to get something back for their giving (impact, access, prestige, etc.)
● Want to support more organizations, and friends, in smaller amounts

32. Millennial Giving Characteristics
● Want to be more involved and included
● Want to use social influence and time
● Want to trust in the causes they support
● Want to give (time and money) with peers
● Want to see clear examples of how they are making a difference by giving (time
and money)
● Want to get something back for their giving (impact, access, prestige, etc.)
● Want to support more organizations, and friends, in smaller amounts

33. Why don’t you give?

34. Joseph Mixer
Why People Don’t Give
Personal Characteristics
● Personal preferences
● Contrary believes
Communication Problems
● Lack of information
● Ineffective communication
Organizational Image Problems
● Perceptions of poor
organizational behaviour
Reactions to Solicitations
● Manner of asking
● Solicitor
● Finances
● Situations
● Relations with prospect
● Timing

35. Donor Funnel

36. People Searching to Donate

37. People Searching Kim Kardashian

38. People don’t wake up in the
morning and think “I’m going to
give some money away today”.
Unfortunately.

39. Why People Don’t Give
1. Identifiable victim
2. Sense of fairness
3. Parochialism
4. Money
5. Diffusion of responsibility
6. Futility

40. Why People Don’t Give
1. Identifiable victim
2. Sense of fairness
3. Parochialism
4. Money
5. Diffusion of responsibility
6. Futility

41. Experiment/Quiz Time.

42. Option A
Your $70 donation today will support water and health
related projects around the world to help those who need
it most.

43. Option B
Your $70 donation today will provide clean water for 2
people for life living in the remote village of Sasiga in
Ethiopia.

44. Science of Giving: Experimental Approaches to the Study of Charity

45. Science of Giving: Experimental Approaches to the Study of Charity

46. Experiment/Quiz Time.

47. Option A - Regular
Our goal in this campaign is to raise money for the
projects. Implementing each project costs $20,000. Your
tax-deductible gift makes a difference.

48. Option B - Seed
Our goal in this campaign is to raise money for the
projects. Implementing each project costs $20,000. Your
tax-deductible gift makes a difference.
A private donor who believes in the importance of the
project has given this campaign seed money in the
amount of $10,000.

49. Option C - Match
Our goal in this campaign is to raise money for the
projects. Implementing each project costs $20,000. Your
tax-deductible gift makes a difference.
A private donor who believes in the importance of the
project has given this campaign a matching grant in the
amount of $10,000. The matching grant will match every
dollar given by donors like you with a dollar, up to a total
of $20,000

50. Option D - No Overhead
Our goal in this campaign is to raise money for the
projects. Implementing each project costs $20,000. Your
tax-deductible gift makes a difference.
A private donor who believes in the importance of the
project has given this campaign a grant in the amount of
$10,000 to cover all the overhead costs associated with
raising the needed donations…

51. Science Magazine

53. Science Magazine

54. Rob Marquardt /FLICKR

55. Does anyone here give monthly?

56. Some research.

57. Science of Giving: Experimental Approaches to the Study of Charity

58. Science of Giving: Experimental Approaches to the Study of Charity

59. Science of Giving: Experimental Approaches to the Study of Charity

60. Science of Giving: Experimental Approaches to the Study of Charity

61. Giving every month is great for
people who give.

62. Network for Good

64. People who give every month is
great for you.

67. Communications is the biggest
driver of donor retention.

69. So...

70. Framework
Copyright MECLABS, Courtesy of NextAfter

72. Giving & Fundraising Recap
● Giving is good and we are wired for it
● The reasons why people give are complex, convoluted, and vary
● There are many reasons people don’t do it - namely futility and no opportunity
● Fundraising is about having the good of giving outweigh the (perceived) bad
● Framing the cause in tangible ways is hugely important
● Incentives aren’t the reason to give but help people give now
● Overhead is crap
● Good fundraising is focused on Lifetime Value (LTV)
● Donor retention and monthly giving key drives in LTV

74. Does anyone know what a
pomelo is?

76. Curse of Knowledge.

77. Experiment/Quiz Time.

78. Option A
Let me tell you about a young boy who dreams of becoming a doctor. A dream
that was taken away from him when a classmate punched him in the face
causing a traumatic cataract. He lost sight in one eye. A $150 donation today
can restore his sight and with it his dream.

79. Option B
This is Hery Moreno from Madagascar. He’s 10 years old and dreams of
becoming a doctor. A dream that was taken away from him when a classmate
punched him in the face causing a traumatic cataract. He lost sight in one eye.
A $150 donation today can restore Hery’s sight and with it his dream.

80. Science of Giving: Experimental Approaches to the Study of Charity

81. Why People Don’t Give
1. Identifiable victim
2. Sense of fairness
3. Parochialism
4. Money
5. Diffusion of responsibility
6. Futility

84. Stories Spread. Stories Stick.
What Spreads
• Social Currency
• Triggers
• Emotion
• Public
• Practical Value
• Stories
What Sticks
• Simple
• Unexpectedness
• Credibility
• Concreteness
• Emotion
• Stories

85. Stories Spread. Stories Stick.
What Spreads
• Social Currency
• Triggers
• Emotion
• Public
• Practical Value
• Stories
What Sticks
• Simple
• Unexpectedness
• Credibility
• Concreteness
• Emotion
• Stories

86. We are wired for story.

87. We participate in stories and we fill
in the gaps.

88. Driven by Emotion
What Spreads
• Social Currency
• Triggers
• Emotion
• Public
• Practical Value
• Stories
What Sticks
• Simple
• Unexpectedness
• Credibility
• Concreteness
• Emotion
• Stories

89. Dr. Paul Zak

92. A story without distress requires no
intervention.

93. A story without empathy is just
depressing.

94. A few story frameworks.

95. You are not
the hero of the story.

97. Pixar Framework
Once upon a time…
Every day…
One day…
Because of that…
Because of that…
Until Finally…
Daniel Pink’s To Sell Is Human

98. Nemo
Disney

99. Charity water
charity: water

100. Narrative Framework
Hatch for Good

101. Stories are trojan horses.

102. A few story formats.

103. Story Formats
1. Genesis
2. Future
3. Beneficiary
4. Staff
5. Donor/Supporter

104. Story Formats
1. Genesis
2. Future
3. Beneficiary
4. Staff
5. Donor/Supporter

105. Story Formats
1. Genesis
2. Future
3. Beneficiary
4. Staff
5. Donor/Supporter

106. Story Formats
1. Genesis
2. Future
3. Beneficiary
4. Staff
5. Donor/Supporter

107. Story Formats
1. Genesis
2. Future
3. Beneficiary
4. Staff
5. Donor/Supporter

108. Story Formats
1. Genesis
2. Future
3. Beneficiary
4. Staff
5. Donor/Supporter

109. So...

110. Storytelling & Communications Recap
● The Curse of Knowledge is a massive hurdle to overcome but stories can help
● Stories of one person allow us to connect better with them
● Stories spread and stories stick
● We are wired for story and participate in them
● Good (fundraising) stories involve distress (cortisol) and empathy (oxytocin)
● You are not the hero of the story
● Think of the Pixar and Narrative frameworks for your stories
● Stories can carry your values and beliefs for you - like trojan horses
● Future and Beneficiary stories are most often told in fundraising

115. Traffic x Average Gift x Conversion = Revenue
Courtesy of NextAfter. Used with permission.

116. Impact Of Improvement In Each Area
Courtesy of NextAfter. Used with permission.

117. Three steps in online fundraising.

118. Aware Engaged Action
Attention Motivation Friction
Traffic Average Gift Conversion
Offer Qualify Decision
Fundraising & Online Fundraising Flows

119. Offer Qualify Decision

121. A (Quick) Story.

122. Traffic = Revenue

123. Traffic = More Than (Just) Revenue

124. We live in a search world.

125. We live in a search world.
Source: Internet Live Stats

126. We live in a (weird) search world.
Source: College Humor

127. We live in a (weird) search world.
Source: College Humor

128. We live in a (weird) search world.
Source: College Humor

129. We live in a (weird) search world where Google is
King.
Source: Statista

130. Search - Paid & Organic - Drive Traffic

131. SEO = Earned.
PPC = Bought.

132. PPC Strategy

133. SEO Alone

136. Ads Go To Desired & Relevant Landing Page

137. nonprofitsupply.co

140. Traffic is great. Repeat traffic is better.

141. Focus on getting emails as the start of
the relationship.

142. Make It Easy to Find and Sign Up

143. Try to Communicate Value

144. Have a Dedicated Email Signup Page

145. Consider Pop Ups

146. Welcome new sign ups. Quickly.

147. Emails need to relevant, offer value, and reduce
friction/anxiety.

148. Subject lines are hugely important!

149. Keep it simple and focused on one action.

150. Design Test

151. Point to focused landing pages.

152. Framework
Copyright MECLABS, Courtesy of NextAfter

157. Have a post donation thank you page.

158. Integrate your current offline
strategies.

159. Direct Mail

160. Online

161. But with pages. Not PDFs.

162. Digital Newsletter

163. Use Goals - Time and Monetary

164. Use Goals - Time and Monetary

165. What about social...

166. People Have and Want to Use their Influence

167. Help People Use Their Influence

168. Peer to Peer & Crowdfunding

169. Peer to Peer & Crowdfunding Tips

170. Donor Testimonials & Social Influence

171. Natalie and First United social.

172. So...

173. Digital & Online Fundraising Recap
● Attention (Traffic) x Motivation (Average Gift) x Friction (Conversion Rate) =
Revenue
● Through social, email, ads, etc. you make ‘offers’ that point to your website for
people to ‘qualify’ the offer before making a ‘decision’
● Getting traffic to your website is half the battle and not easy (but a Google Ad
Grant can help)
● Focusing on securing emails as a starting action and then welcoming and
sending (frequent and quality) emails is key
● Point people to focused pages where they can take action
● Integrate your offline online by translating - not just PDFs

175. Tools & Resources
● MailChimp
● WordPress
● Stripe
● Hootsuite
● Google Ad Grant
● CanadaHelps
● Chimp
● FundRazr
● NextAfter
● Classy
● Network for Good
● CanadaHelps
● CauseVox
● Future Fundraising Now
● Recharity.ca
● Made to Stick
● Winning the Story Wars

176. Online Fundraising Checklist
❏ Test your own site
❏ Find and sign up for email
❏ Find and make a donation
❏ Host a donate page on your own site (even if that page links out)
❏ Chimp or CanadaHelps can work if you don’t (and are a charity)
❏ FundRazr can work if you aren’t a charity
❏ Have a custom welcome email after email sign up
❏ MailChimp can do this
❏ Try to thank people within 3 days of a gift
❏ Get your Google Ad Grant
❏ First need to register with TechSoup Canada
❏ Have thank-you pages after key actions
❏ Donate
❏ Email sign up
❏ Form complete

178. The Results
Metric
Nov 2014 -
Sep 2015
Nov 2015 -
Sep 2016 Change
Traffic 21,430 31,978 49.22%
Conversion Rate 1.81% 1.46% -19.17%
Donations 388 468 20.62%
Average Gift $128.46 $176.76 37.60%
Revenue $49,843.28 $82,724.31 65.97%

179. What We Did
● New website (focused on emails and donations)
● Built goals and tracking (eCommerce)
● More focused pages
● Newsletter page & digital strategy
● Google Ad Grant
● Focus more on emails (getting, welcoming, sending)
● More tangible asks and ask amounts
● Deeper integration with offline
● Stories of ONE person

180. Some examples.

181. New Website

182. New Website

183. Built Goals and Tracking

184. Built Goals and Tracking

185. More Focused Pages

186. Newsletter Page & Digital Strategy

187. Google Ad Grant

188. Learn from Search

189. Learn from Ads

190. Focused Landing Page Based on Ads & Search

191. Emails - Getting

192. Emails - Welcoming

193. Emails - Sending

194. More Tangible Asks & Ask Amounts

195. Integration

196. Integration

197. Stories of One Person

198. Lessons Learned Along the Way
● All organizations’ donors are different
● All donors are different
● Getting content (photos, stories, etc.) can be difficult
● Even with ‘cheap’ and ‘free’ digital, holistic and long-term strategies are best
● Important to hear from donors - early and often
● Managing, hosting, building, etc. technology is crazy (and expensive)
● Learn (aka borrow/steal) from others who are doing it well
● Start where you can, build from there
● Track what you can, build from there