And while I know it’s extremely weird to have made this leap in connection, it struck me that this analogy also translates, less spiritually, but nonetheless applicably, to the online fundraising programs of nonprofit organizations. You start out by getting in the car (you launch a website). Then you take off toward whatever destination represents your strategic plan. But along the way, you get off course. Others in the car (internal organizational voices) steer you astray. You get off course. The objectives aren’t met.

Not to take this navigation analogy too far, but let’s consider for a minute that nearly 70% of total online donations and actions online tend to originate from an organization’s homepage. Without clear navigation, direct calls to action and messaging that speaks directly to your actual and intended audiences, your organization will encounter major challenges in significantly increasing memberships and donations with acquisition efforts. is7 recommends evaluating and enhancing your organization’s homepage to capitalize on your current traffic. This process will be based on in depth analysis of current traffic, user behaviors, and review of online donation forms.

Launching a site that will never need to be touched again is like searching for the end of a rainbow. Refining your web strategy is an ongoing journey that requires paying close attention to how your users are navigating around and interacting with your site, where they are taking action, and determining what areas can be enhanced to produce greater conversions.

Information architecture combined with adherence to proven usability principles and response-focused design can lift response by 100% or more within 30 days.

The case study of HOPE International’s Site Architecture and Redesign is a perfect example that illustrates this point.

Don’t leave your site visitors roaming around your website, waiting for the annoying voice to tell them to “recalculate”. Provide clear navigational choices and solid information architecture to ensure that the signs are clear for your site visitors, steering them into the destination of engaging with your organization at just the right points of entry.

My /firstpayment experience

I signed up to sponsor a child through Compassion International at a conference last weekend, and yesterday made it official by sending in my first payment. I had my check book out reluctantly. “Reluctantly” because I was hoping for an online option. Even with the Business Reply postage prepaid envelope, I still prefer taking care of everything through a website.

Then as I was about to write out the check, I noticed a small url at the bottom of the page. I’m guessing most people wouldn’t see it. But I went ahead and went to http://compassion.com/firstpayment.

Usability score: B+

I was able to complete my transaction quickly, but ran into a small issue in that I could not sign up for a monthly EFT checking account transfer. Other details of the process I wanted to note are…

A+: Landing page gets right down to business

Obviously you don’t go to this url to browse around, so Compassion made it very easy to get started. I just had to enter my sponsor child’s name, number, and source code. All of this info was on the blue sheet in my packet, which I would have had to include with my check if I mailed in my first payment.

A+: Landing page examples were helpful

The landing page had helpful examples in text and image formats for each of the “user-foreign” terms that would be new and potentially confusing to a first time sponsor like myself: Child Name, Child Number, Source Code.

B-: Landing page form fields format a bit off

The form has 3 text boxes for Child Number, which didn’t match the printed data on blue Acceptance Form sheet where it is printed all together (no spaces). To make matters a bit worse, after I type the first 2 characters (e.g.: “KE”) into the first box, I could not type anymore into the first text box even though I can see more room to the right of the “E” in that textbox.

I would recommend either printing the child number with spaces on the blue Acceptance Form sheet, just like the example below the 3 text boxes.

If that is not an option with their printer, they could change the web form by adding some javascript that automatically moves the cursor to the next text box where I am supposed to type the first 3 digits of the Child Number. This javascript niceness would need to be repeated to move the cursor to the third box for the last 4 digits in the Child Number. This would allow me to type the 9 character Child Number without having to be confused by the 3 text boxes.

B-: Step 2 page confirms child’s number but uses a generic logo for his photo

Since the main motivating factor of child sponsorship is putting a face with the need, when a user visually verifies the child’s data they entered in Step 1 of the process, the child’s photo should always be part of the top of the form — instead of generic Compassion logo.

A+: Able to complete the data entry task on one page

Kudos to Compassion for presenting an user interface where I can enter all the rest of the info (name, monthly commitment, payment info) all on one page. Also, the form is attractively and intuitively laid out on the page.

C: No EFT option

Under method of payment, there is only one option: by credit card. I wish there would be a way to set up a Electronic Funds Transaction (EFT) monthly payment. The reason for this is because if I use a credit card, each month part of my donation goes to transaction fees. But, if I set up an EFT monthly debit from a checking account, there is only a one time set up fee. Over the course of 1-2 or even 5-10 years this is a better use of the funds that are sent each month.

A: Comments box

I was given the option to send a comment with my transaction. I like that. So, I commented on the lack of an EFT option and that I’d like to move to EFT giving in the future. Hopefully they will contact me to set that up before next month.

A+: Thank you page had a “thank you” video from the kids

I know this sounds quite cheesy, but after committing to sponsor a child each month for the foreseeable future, it was a really nice touch to see and hear children from all over the world saying, “thank you” and “I love you, sponsor.” A really nice touch was the mistakes and “out-takes” being part of the video. In a way that only children can do, the “out-takes” keep the video from becoming too polished and appear manufactured, even though that is exactly what a “thank you” video really is, right? Overall, I found myself feeling really glad that I had just signed up for this.

Watch the video below:

Let me know what you think of it as an initial “thank you” response to someone’s generosity.

Does your organization need some help?

Contact is7 now to learn more about best practices in fundraising usability and how a better website UI can increase your online donations.

One of the biggest reasons I hear for non twitter users is, “I don’t get it”

There’s a misconception that twitter is just a more frequent Facebook status update, which some may use it as such but it is so much more than that. I have compiled a list of twitter terms that will help a twitter newbie gain a better understanding of what twitter is and how it works.

• A tweet is a post to twitter.  It can only be 140 characters (including spaces). You will type this into the box at the top of the screen that says what’s happening? (There is a character counter at the top of the screen that lets you know how many characters you have left to use)
• A timeline is a series of tweets displayed on a Twitter page. When you refresh the page new tweets will appear at the top and the older tweets will scroll to the bottom. The timeline you will see on your homepage is that of the people you are following.
• Follow. A large part of twitter is that you can follow certain people/organizations/blogs, etc that you find interesting.  By following these people you elect to see the tweets they post in their timelines which will appear in your twitter feed.
• Following. Just as you will follow people that you find interesting, others will follow you if they wish to see your tweets. (You can put a protection on your account and that will allow you to choose who can follow you)

At the top you will see “following” and “followers” When you click on following you will see all of the people you are currently following. You follow people and they in turn follow you if they find you interesting and wish to see your tweets. When you click on following you can see who all is currently following you.

• @replies. @replies are very important for communicating with people in the twitterverse. In order to reply to someone or refer to someone put a @ symbol in front of their twitter username. (On your twitter homepage there is a @yourusername link and when clicked on will show you all messages directed at you)
• RT. An important part of twitter is sharing. That is where the RT (retweet) comes in. The RT is a way to share other people’s tweets with your followers.
• Hashtags. The hashtag is used to track tweets that are related to a certain topic. So if you want to be a part of a conversation or find out who is talking about a certain topic you are interested in you can add a hashtag for that topic (example: #mobilemarketing #nonprofits) and you can also search for a certain hashtag by typing it into the search box.
• URL Shorteners. Since a tweet can only be 140 characters URL shorteners are great for sharing links. These URL shortening services will take a URL and condense it so that it will fit within your 140 character limit. (Some of these services allow you to track your links so you can see how many clicks a link is getting)
  • Example services:
  • http://bit.ly/
  • http://tinyurl.com/

These basics should get you started but the best thing to do is explore the site, read up on twitter best practices, and decide how you want to use twitter and how you can get the most out of it. Need help getting started? Contact us to see how we can help you get your social media marketing efforts off the ground.

• $350,000 raised in 2008
• $2,000,000 raised in 2009
• $35,000,000 raised by the Red Cross for Haiti in 2010 alone

The kind of growth we’re seeing here isn’t linear. It is exponential and by large orders of magnitude. The take away here is that mobile fundraising is rocketing forward in terms of total dollars being raised and will soon be on par with other channels.

Ok, so hopefully with those stats alone your interest is peaked. If you are interested in getting a mobile marketing program off the ground here are a few things you need to know:

Don’t use the Red Cross as your mobile marketing model.
Although the Red Cross is a good indication of what is possible, the massive influx of donations was actually driven by wide scale mass media promotion via every major TV station and almost every popular social media channel. It would be nice if every campaign you ran had that kind of coverage but the odds of that are very low… We sat down with the company who ran the Red Cross’s mobile program and the lucrative deals struck with cell phone companies to funnel money from on file bills is simply not available to other organizations. Or rather you could with huge percentages taken out.

Do include mobile giving options across all of your marketing materials.
With the minimal space requirements needed for mobile giving programs, it makes sense that the plug should be included across all of your fundraising channels and content streams. Place the call to action in your emails, on your homepage and even your direct mail programs. Most importantly, make sure you offer mobile giving at any live events.

Focus on compelling content streams.
Ultimately, the goal is to develop a double opt in list of people wanting content from your organization. If people give you that trust, capitalize on it by offering quality content. This means that your mobile messaging program absolutely cannot consist of only requests for donations. No one wants their phone spammed but many people do want to know the latest information on causes they care about. Be that source of content.

Keep in touch.
Your mobile program must have a regular content schedule (like all of your other channels). If your plan is to send 1 message out every 3 months, you will quickly find that people have forgotten that they opted in and your churn rate will skyrocket. As with everything in donor management, you are trying to build a relationship.

Plan for scale.
In our research, we’ve found that building your list and setting up the program initially is actually a low to fair cost when compared to email programs or web development. Even mobile applications can be developed at reasonable costs despite the fact that it is a cutting edge medium. The transmission costs once you get rolling however can be tricky. Some vendors we reviewed charged a nominal $.03 per message which is competitive. However, multiplying that out over a large list can make distribution costs rise. Plan ahead so you are not crippled by your own success.

Start now.
Chances are that in your specific area of fundraising, many of your competitors have not embraced this new tool. Capitalize on this fact by getting ahead of the curve. Kick off even a small program, do some tests and figure out what works the move ahead. If you spend all year deciding you will miss the boat.

The short and sweet conclusions is that people are ready to interact with organizations via mobile and explosive growth is occurring with mobile fundraising. is7 has been analyzing the market trends, researching vendors and developing strategies for mobile fundraising geared to NPO’s of all sizes. If you’d like more information or are interested in us consulting with you on your mobile initiatives please contact us.

This hour long forum was densely packed with valuable information that we have spread over three blog posts. Here are the take away points from the middle of the presentation:

1.) Offering check-only payment for donations reduces giving.

• Older donors write checks less frequently
• The world is moving away from using checks to pay bills and make donations
• Donors want payment options. In addition to the direct mail reply device, be sure to include online giving options in your appeal
• Younger donors write no checks, or at the most, one or two checks a month for their rent and car payments

2.) Online giving for most direct mail donors starts with the direct mail appeal.

• The best approach to online giving for direct mail donors starts with a unified multichannel direct response offer included in the familiar direct mail appeal
• When direct mail and online messages, themes and offers are not aligned it may reduce income and confuse the donor
• REMEMBER: Donors have one relationship with your organization, not separate offline and an online relationships
• Review your communications schedule to ensure that your direct mail and online appeals are in sync and both offer an online donation option
• It is crucial that your online and direct mail messages are always consistent

Donors with a high propensity to give online can be located using outside data.

• Households can be matched with known “digital neighborhoods,” online banking, credit card use, online catalog buying behavior and many other indicators
• Models have now been perfected with other nonprofit organizations that allow donor households to be ranked in the likelihood that they will give online
• Households who rank high on these scores are the best candidates to target for online giving

3.) When direct mail donors begin giving online their giving increases from 35% to 50% per year.

• Online donations are typically higher average gifts than direct mail donations and thus an increase in donor value
• In many cases when the organization does not offer online giving the donor has been suppressed because they have already given online to other organizations and prefer the instant communication that comes with giving online
• Donors who give to both direct mail and online campaigns have the highest value—in one organization the annual value of the “both” donors was $1600 a year
• Many direct mail donors move to online monthly auto debit donors. As a result, their donor value increases

4.) Online donors are the most likely donors to sign up for monthly auto debit giving.

• Monthly auto debit giving is the most promising avenue of increasing regular stewardship
• It is already becoming the backbone of donor support from younger donors in some organizations
• Promoting monthly auto debit donations is the next logical step to increasing consistent donations

In conclusion, offering multichannel giving options can:

• Increase your organization’s donor income for every donor that begins to give online
• Produce an increase from 35% to 50% when donors begin to actively give online
• Bring back lapsed donors and increase donor retention
• Result in larger average donations, because online donors typically give larger gifts, give more often and easily make the transition into monthly auto debit donors

Download the full slide show presentation.

If this article peaked your interest in strengthening your multichannel marketing efforts with online integration please contact us today for more info. Or catch us on Twitter – @is7interactive to see additional great content about nonprofit marketing.

This hour long forum was densely packed with valuable information, so we’re spreading it out over 3 posts to make it easier to digest. Here are the scan-able take away points from the beginning of the presentation:

Key Point: Donors don’t live in a single channel of communication. Neither should your fundraising.

Lessons from Other Industries

• Catalog: Research reveals that more than 1/3 of consumers prefer to respond to print promotions online
• Check Printing: Some consumers actually put all of their bills on their credit card because it is convenient and it earns miles or reward points
• Direct Response Television: Infomercials on TV now expect more than 50% of buyers to order online

So, what can nonprofit organizations learn from the commercial world’s experiences?

• Offering check-only payment for donations reduces giving.
• Online giving for most direct mail donors starts with the direct mail appeal.
• When direct mail donors begin giving online their giving increases from 35% to 50% per year.
• Online donors are the most likely donors to sign up for monthly auto debit giving.

Mutlichannel Giving

Offering multichannel giving options can:

• Increase your organization’s donor income for every donor that begins to give online
• Produce an increase from 35% to 50% when donors begin to actively give online
• Bring back lapsed donors and increase donor retention
• Result in larger average donations, because online donors typically give larger gifts, give more often and easily make the transition into monthly auto debit donors

We’re slicing out key sections from the conference’s video feed of the presentation. Stay tuned for part 2 with more insights as well as multimedia content from this conference, including the ability to download the full slide presentation.

If this article peaked your interest in strengthening your multichannel marketing efforts with online integration please contact us today for more info. Or catch us on Twitter – @is7interactive to see additional great content about nonprofit marketing.