February 8, 2017 |

SHOW YOUR NONPROFIT MORE ONLINE L❤VE

How would you like to double your online donations in just two months? Darian Rodriquez Heyman, the editor of “Nonprofit Management 101: A Field Guide for Social Sector Professionals,” shared powerful online success strategies gleaned from his conversations with 50 of America’s most accomplished nonprofit leaders during a recent DonorPerfect Expert Webinar — one of our most popular online presentations!

In recognition of Valentine’s Day, we want to show our blog followers some love, by giving all of you the gift of Darian’s significant expertise in transforming your digital fundraising campaigns to promote online giving.

Attract New Donors Across Generational Lines

Americans give more than $300 Billion to charities each year, and 10% of these gifts–a steadily growing percentage- are made online. “Both millennials and baby boomers are equally at ease with online giving,” Darian said, adding that ⅓ of these gifts are being made on iPhones and other mobile devices where “space is at a premium.” He advocates using the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) rule to make it easy for prospective supporters to come to your website, learn about your cause, and make a donation “in the fewest possible clicks.” Darian maintains that ⅓ of all people who are forced to click more than three times to make a donation will give up, and give elsewhere. He equated it to long lines in a store at check out that force people to abandon their shopping.

He advises organizations to offer 4 to 5 giving levels, and clearly indicate what program or service can be provided at each level. “People give through you because you meet needs,” Darian said, emphasizing that it is very important that millennials know the impact of their gift.

Updating your website to make it easier to donate online is definitely worth the investment. “ Every dollar you expend in website improvements yields $40 in online gifts,” Darian commented. Even a relatively simple design tweak can make big difference in online revenues. One nonprofit that Darian worked with received 30% more donations when they changed the color of their DONATE NOW button from gray to red. The secret is to constantly be testing different variables (color of button, size, location, messaging, etc.)

Recruit and Retain Monthly Supporters

The average one-time online gift is $82, while monthly donors average $22 each month, or $264 over the course of a year. Studies show that 87% of monthly donors will remain loyal to your nonprofit, providing a welcome and stable source of support! Darian suggests that organizations design their online donation pages to give monthly giving far more prominent placement than one-time gifts.

Turn Your Donors Into Fundraisers

Darian advises nonprofits to drive traffic to their Facebook page where donors can make a personal gift, then share their generosity with their friends and family, and encourage them to make gifts of their own. “There are currently two billion people on Facebook, making this social media site an excellent source for new donors,” Darian said, adding “the fastest growing group on Facebook is women, ages 45 and older, an attractive demographic group for fundraisers.” (Don’t have a monthly giving program, get our Monthly Giving Starter Kit to learn how).

Use These FREE Tools

Facebook offers nonprofits free online tools to help them mobilize, organize, raise community awareness, generate funds, and reduce costs. Learn more about how Facebook’s connects nonprofits with prospective supporters.

Like Facebook, Google also offers free tools to help nonprofits maximize their online presence and achieve fundraising success. Qualifying organizations receive $10,000 in in-kind text-based ads through the Google Grants program each month! These ads appear on Google search results pages, just below the ads of paid advertisers.

If you missed Darian’s webinar or would like to see it again, watch it here:

 Download the presentation slides to help you maximize your online giving revenues.

Image of Marketing Manager and author, Sam Goldenberg
Meet the author: Sam Goldenberg

Sam has been serving the nonprofit community since 2001. His writes primarily about fundraising, with a focus on print and digital marketing, donor management, and technology. The communications mediums have changed over the years, and fundraisers have to adapt, but the fundamentals of acquiring...

Learn more about Sam Goldenberg