Forget Apps: Young Donors View Websites on Smartphones

The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently published an article confirming one of Fundraise.com’s core beliefs – “Forget Apps: Young Donors View Web Sites on Smartphones.”

To reach people in their 20s and early 30s, the most important thing nonprofits can do is to make sure their websites are easy to read on a mobile device and not overly cluttered, says a survey of more than 6,500 young people. 

About 65 percent of respondents said they liked to learn about a nonprofit through its website, compared with 55 percent who said they turned to social networks, e-mail newsletters (47 percent), print (18 percent), and face-to-face conversations (17 percent).

Other information young people want on a website:

• 43 percent said they look immediately for proof about the ways their donations make a difference.
• 41 percent seek volunteer opportunities.
• 41 percent look for an events calendar.
• 30 percent gravitate to videos and photos.

Going beyond the bare bones of the information presented, how your website looks matters, too, as young people also scrutinize the design.

“Even if you are a small, scrappy nonprofit, your website should look professional,” said one young person quoted anonymously in a report on the survey results. “I judge the character of the organization with its presence on the web.”

Many young people are looking at charity websites on their smartphones, which 77 percent of the survey participants said they own.

“The mobile device is becoming the entry point and the access point for people to find out about nonprofits,” says Derrick Feldmann, chief executive of Achieve.

Not surprisingly, the speed of Internet communications has led young people to expect “immediate and impulsive interactions” with organizations, according to the report.

Young people said they preferred mobile sites that included just the most important information they could act on and that made it easy to click an address or phone number to connect with the nonprofit.

“They said, ‘My way has shifted between sitting down and viewing information to standing,’” Feldmann says.

Mr. Feldmann says nonprofits should expand their thinking about how to use mobile devices beyond seeking text gifts and creating applications.

Focus-group members liked mobile apps but said they didn’t make sense for nonprofits because it’s possible to get information just as easily on a website, and the apps work only on specific devices, such as iPhones or Androids.

At Fundraise.com we feel exactly the same way – it’s why we moved to responsive technology this spring and why we focus so strongly on the tech that powers our platform and the front-end design that makes it look great. 

We’re looking to help organizations raise more money by making it as easy as possible for donors to give regardless of where they are or which device they prefer to consume web information. And we’d love to help you – shoot us an email at info@fundraise.com or give us a call at 857.445.4165.

• Tweet

Fundraise.com Congratulates The Green Mountain Wireless Open

Monday marked the 7^th Annual Green Mountain Wireless Open, started by Catherine Drouin in memory of her father, Wallace E. Andreson Jr., who lost his battle to cancer on March 23, 1999 and her Mother, Renee Andreson, who underwent treatment in February 2003 at Dana Farber Cancer Institute for stage IV throat cancer.  

The annual golf tournament benefits the Jimmy Fund, Dana Farber’s principal fundraising arm that supports the lifesaving work at DFCI. Dana-Farber is one of the top cancer hospitals in the nation, providing expert compassionate care to children and adults with cancer while advancing the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure, and prevention of cancer and related diseases. 

Catherine credits Dana Farber for saving her mother’s life. “She was at Stage IV throat cancer, and she was not in good health at all,” says Catherine. “We met with Dr. Marshall R. Posner who recommended a new cancer treatment program called inductive chemotherapy, a clinical trial. Although my Mom was not the best candidate for inductive chemotherapy, Dr. Posner fought for my Mom and convinced his colleagues to let her into the clinical trial… Thanks to Dana Farber’s research and Dr. Posner’s compassion, I am still enjoying my Mom who has been cancer free since September 2003.”

Dana-Farber is transforming scientific discoveries into innovative therapies for patients around the world and designing programs that promote public health, particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. 

Fundraise.com would like to congratulate Catherine and her golfers who raised over $38,000 for Dana Farber Cancer Institute – a 22% increase in dollars raised and a 50% increase in sponsorship dollars from last year!

The Jimmy Fund is the official charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Pan Mass Challenge, Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, and Variety Children’s Charity of New England. 

• Tweet

5 Tips for Successful Nonprofit Fundraising

As the quarter winds down and the planning turns up during summer, here are 5 tips to consider for successful nonprofit fundraising.   

Communicate Regularly: Communicating with your supporters through regular newsletters that highlight your organizations’ accomplishments, updates, new & ongoing campaigns and fiscal transparency will help bond supporters to your mission and build loyalty while keeping your cause at the forefront of their minds. Ask supporters for their newsletter frequency preference, but generally speaking, one to two carefully timed issues every 4-6 weeks is acceptable. While every newsletter can feature a “donate” button, not every newsletter should be a formal ask. Think about it, would you be excited to hear from a friend or colleague who asked you for something every time they wrote you an email? Probably not.  

Focus on Strengthening Your Community: The community you build around your organization is both the backbone and communal face of your nonprofit. It includes donors, volunteers, members, regular patrons, etc. They have become part of your community because your organization interests them. They have given of their time or their money because they want to see your organization prosper; it is crucial to genuinely engage with these people not only because of the strength in numbers they can bring to your organization, but also because they are great advocates for your cause in the community and can reach out to potential volunteers and donors to grow both bases. Take care of this important group and encourage & listen to the valuable feedback they amass.

Say Thank You: “Thank you” – two very simple words that go a very long way. Most all organizations associate a “thank you” with a donation or a tax-deductible receipt, but think about other ways to thank your tribe of supporters. Formal get-togethers like breakfasts and cocktail hours are great ideas, but thanks to technology today there are also plenty of inexpensive ways to show your appreciation – Facebook and Twitter are a great way to thank both groups and individuals for their time and energy. Post photos with volunteers tagged for their friends to see or tweet at individuals who went the extra mile. Showing appreciation for even the smallest acts furthers your mission and leaves a lasting, positive online impression.

Clean-up Your Website: Your website is the face of your organization online and many times, it will the first impressions your organization makes on a savvy potential donor. A nonprofit website can make or break a supporter’s perception of the organization and can impact whether or not they chose to support you. Review your existing site and ensure that the following vital components are integrated:  1) Your ‘Donate’ button is easy to find, functions properly and is on the first page; 2) Make the purpose, mission, and urgency of your organization obvious on the first page, with links to additional experiences and stories; 3) Make sure your website is clean, easy to navigate, and provides a positive user experience while telling your story; 4) Optimize your website for viewing on mobile devices. In 2011, more people spent time on their mobile device than on their PC and it is expected that by 2013, more consumers will access the web from a mobile device than a PC or laptop. (If you need help going mobile, Fundraise.com can be of assistance – our website is completely responsive for optimal mobile experience. Give us a call); 5) Allow supporters to sign up to receive regular newsletters about your organization – put the burden on yourselves to contact potential donors and keep them in the loop on happenings rather than hoping they’ll return to your site on their own. 

Move the Strategy Online: Obviously at Fundraise.com, many of our past blog posts have focused on the importance of Online Giving and Social Media due to the tremendous growth seen in these platforms and our involvement in the space. According to the latest Blackbaud Index, from July to November of 2011 online giving saw double-digit growth in percentages over 2010. Yet despite these results, there are still many nonprofits that are intimidated and overwhelmed by moving the strategy online. Completely understandable, and we are here to help.  Feel free to contact us directly via email at info@fundraise.com or on the phone at 857.445.4165.

• Tweet

4 in 10 Charities Claim No Fundraising Costs on Tax Forms

According to Scripps Howard News Service, thousands of charities do not accurately report to the Internal Revenue Service how they raise money.

Of the nearly 38,000 nonprofits that brought in at least $1 million in gifts, 41 percent reported to the IRS that they spent no money doing so. In total, those groups raised $116.7 billion. 

Robert Ottenhoff, head of GuideStar, was quoted in on Philanthropy.com as saying, “It is ridiculous to think an organization could raise significant amounts of money without spending money to do it.” GuideStar provided data for the investigation.

Many charity leaders say they are under pressure from donors to minimize overhead costs, which include fundraising. However, several organizations said they will re-evaluate how they report those costs in the wake of the study, which examined charities’ most recently available informational tax returns.

Nonprofit organizations often find themselves in challenging situations much different than for-profit businesses; yet many times their end goal is extremely similar – earn money in an effective and efficient manner. 

At Fundraise.com our goal is to help both small and large organizations raise more money while spending less money to achieve success. Yes, there are definitely costs associated with fundraising, but Fundraise.com aims to keep both human and technology costs to a minimum by including design, emails, analytics, reporting, event tools, CRM/donor management, processing and tech support into our fee. 

If your organization is looking to revamp the way you raise funds, we would love to chat with you about how we can help. Email info@fundraise.com or call us at 857.445.4165. 

• Tweet

Featured Fundraiser: Fourth Presbyterian Church

Fourth Presbyterian Church is located in a low-income section of South Boston that provides many different benefits to the surrounding community.  Some of these include: community arts ministry, free summer day program, tutoring ministries, recovery efforts, among many other programs and initiatives.

Fundraise.com spoke with Pastor Burns Stanfield of Fourth Presbyterian over email to find out more about how they got started and what keeps the church thriving.

How did the church get its start?   

Our church was  founded in 1870,  and it had a restart of sorts in the early 1990s after a period of decline

What motivates you in your fundraising efforts?    

we know the church makes a huge difference in this community of South Boston.  It is a beacon of hope!

What is your favorite part of working with Fourth Presbyterian?

The wild and wonderful mix of people.

Who benefits from your fundraising efforts?       

The families that make use of our programs. Things like:

· Supplying 300 neighborhood families with monthly groceries
· Teaching English to new arrivals from Albania, China, Vietnam and Latin America
· Offering music, art, film and magic classes to neighborhood children
· Providing robust theater programs for children, teen and now even adults

What advice do you have for aspiring fundraisers?     

Love the cause.

What goals are you trying to reach by fundraising?      

Strengthen, deepen and broaden our witness.

For more on Fourth Presbyterian Church, please visit: online church fundraising

• Tweet

Featured Fundraiser: Boston Center for the Arts

                   (Photo courtesy of Craig Bailey/Perspective Photo)

The Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) is a non-profit performance and visual arts organization that encourages and supports working artists to create, perform, and even provide space for them to exhibit their works.  By connecting these artists and the beautiful work they are creating, they are forging a connection with the community in hopes to bring in new audiences for the arts.  For more than 40 years now, the BCA has been a meeting point of the surrounding South End of Boston and the emerging artists that occupy the area.

Fundraise.com spoke with Angela from the BCA over email to find out more about how they got started and what keeps them going.

How did the BCA get its start?

In a time when a building a day was being torn down in the South End, arts supporters had a vision. They took that vision to an auction and acquired the existing Cyclorama, Artist Studios Building (once named the Tremont Estates Building) as well as a privately owned small theatre over Emerson College to create an arts center. 

The vision was to create a home for artists and the community. Like the Latin Quarter of the 1890s, they saw a bohemian neighborhood with cultural and artistic diversity among the resident artists and community patrons.

Over 40 years later, the BCA is still a home for working artists to create, perform and exhibit.

What motivates you in your fundraising efforts?

Boston is thriving with innovative artists who need a place to exhibit their works and we strive to make that possible within our community. Being a part of an organization that sees innovation daily encourages us to seek funding to support local artists.

What is your favorite part of working with the BCA?

Our favorite part about working at the BCA is all the excitement that happens on campus. From dance workshops to visual art exhibitions to film competitions, we have it all in one location. Each year, more than 200,000 people visit the BCA. Located in Boston’s South End and occupying an historic city block bordered by Tremont Street, Clarendon Street, Warren Avenue and Berkeley Street, the BCA is a resource to Greater Boston providing a creative “home” for artists, a welcoming arts destination for audiences, and an art connection for individuals of all ages. 

Who benefits from your fundraising efforts?

“The dance residency at the BCA allowed us time, space, consistency and support… some of the most important factors needed to create high quality art,” said Courtney Peix, a recent dance resident at the BCA. Her company, Contrapose Dance presented their recent piece groundwork at the BCA in February 2012. Our fundraising efforts support working artists like Courtney to create, perform and exhibit across our campus.

What advice do you have for aspiring fundraisers?

Fundraising is rooted in relationships. For aspiring fundraisers, it is important to build relationships with people within your community and with funders that have a vested interest in your core mission. 

What goals are you trying to reach by fundraising?

The BCA’s mission is to support working artists in the creation, performance and exhibition of new works. Through fundraising, we hope to continue this support by providing a platform and community for working artists in Boston.

Do you have any additional notes or stories about your cause you would like to share?

You would be amazed at all that happens on the BCA campus in the South End. Behind many brick buildings emerging, established and seasoned artists are creating new works. From dance residency choreographers leading a troupe of local, regional and national dancers to a curator finding multi-disciplinary artists for an exhibition. The BCA is a campus filled with visual arts, performance and community!

For more about the Boston Center for the Arts please visit: Online Arts Fundraising

             (Photo courtesy of Silvia Lopez Chavez, BCA Studio Artist)

• Tweet

Start Clearly Communicating Values: Attract More Positive Attention, More Passionate Donors & A Better Bottom-Line

Values are the principles a nonprofit organization or cause stands for, defends, and follows, no matter what the consequences. However, many nonprofits fall short when attempting to clearly communicate their values both internally with their team and externally with potential supporters. 

When an organization fails to communicate values, opportunities to gain traction through more involvement with people or more dollars donated can be missed. 

Here are 4 suggestions to help get you on the right path to communication: 

Communicate Authenticity. Many groups state the values they aspire to, not the ones that are part of everyday practice. Strive to communicate the list of values that everyone would say describe the organization and the people behind it, today.

Building a list of values or refreshing the existing ones together as a group can be a great team building experience. 

Communicate Usefulness. Nonprofits commonly make lists of values to share, but often neglect to include anything that really counts as a value.

For example, when a nonprofit says it puts its “focus on donors,” they’re talking about a strategy, not a value. Strategies don’t help much when it’s time to set priorities or make difficult compromises.  

Find ways to ensure that strategies and performance objectives are built on your true values but that you’re not substituting values for strategies.

Communicate Universality. Even when a nonprofit’s values are authentic and useful, many team members are unaware of them. They don’t hear organization heads talk about values. They don’t see values discussed in communications with members, donors, or others, and they aren’t asked to think about values as they design or evaluate programs.

Organizations need to make sure their values are visible, and they need and to realize that no value statement will make a difference unless it becomes embedded in the group’s culture.

Communicate Priority. A warning sign that an organization is not values-based is when it offers the public a list of eight to 10 “values,” or even more. Because values are supposed to show what a nonprofit cares most deeply about, it is realistic to have three to five of them, and the organization’s leaders should be able to rank them in importance.

Many organizations have not had the difficult discussions about what they really stand for, yet this is an essential conversation; and one that will make attracting new members, supporters, and donors a much more mapped road. 

• Tweet

AFP Advises Professional Fundraisers to Look 2-5 Years Ahead; We Agree

Recently The Chronicle of Philanthropy posted a video on their website featuring Andrew Watt, president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, in which he explains that the high turnover rate among professional fundraisers is the result of short-term thinking. 

According to research by Penelope Burk, President of Cygnus Applied Research, the average development professional remains at his or her job for 16 months before they are lured away by higher salaries. However, the direct and indirect costs of finding a replacement: $127,650.

In her presentation at the Association of Fundraising Professionals conference in Vancouver, Ms. Burk said findings from a survey she conducted of 1,700 fundraisers and 8,000 nonprofit chief executives, suggest that it would cost just $46,650 to keep a good fundraiser happy by providing better salaries and other benefits, such as additional vacation time.

Demand for good fundraisers is so high that it is vastly outstripping the supply, Ms. Burk said. Most good fundraisers are on the job just three to six months before they get recruited for a new role.

“Only one out of three fundraisers experience even a day without a job,” Ms. Burk said.

However, Andrew Watt urges fundraisers to take the long view on their careers, citing the fact that it takes more time in a job to master the skills professional fundraisers need. He encourages professional fundraisers to consider staying in their position for longer for personal development reasons, and not just a shiny new salary. 

We hope they agree. 

In the interim, Fundraise.com has built tools to help grow the overall picture of the nonprofit and the skills of the individuals in the development office. Highly focused on the social aspects of the fundraising business, we have made our process as easy as possible to ensure multiple members of the fundraising team are able to use the system without laborious training and so organizations don’t skip a beat when a prized fundraiser moves on to a new job. 

For organizations looking to retain their talent, Penelope Burk offers the following suggestions:

Promote internal talent. Adopt a succession plan and train employees to rise to the next level in the organization. “Your best hire already works for you,” Ms. Burk said.

Set aside training opportunities. Cutting money for professional development, as many organizations did during the economic downturn, will probably affect fundraisers’ performance. “The training budget is the one thing you should never allow to be cut,” she says.

Help ease workers’ schedules. According to Ms. Burk’s study, fundraisers most want help balancing the pressure of career and family duties. About 52 percent of fundraisers said they want the option to work from home, 51 percent want flexible hours, and 42 percent want additional vacation time.

• Tweet

Featured Fundraiser: Lexington Center

Lexington Center is a private, non-profit organization based in Upstate New York and serves those with developmental and learning disabilities, autism, mental illness, cerebral palsy, physical disabilities, epilepsy and/or traumatic brain injuries.  The thoughtful and dedicated people that make up the organization provide a creative and nurturing environment for those they serve.  Whether they are creating beautiful works of art or supporting their own rock band, Flame, Lexington Center has been helping its community for almost 60 years now! 

Fundraise.com spoke with Tim from Lexington Center over email to find out more about how they got started and what keeps them going.

How did the Lexington Center get its start? 

Over 50 years ago a group of parents who had children with disabilities created a place where their children could go to learn, live and succeed.  

What motivates you in your fundraising efforts? 

Accomplishing a goal that for everyone else seems impossible in the beginning.  

What is your favorite part of working with the Lexington Center? 

Seeing the positive effect the fruits of our fundraising has for the people we support and their families. 

Who benefits from your fundraising efforts? 

Everyone from the community benefits from our fundraising.  Our current campaign is to create a community art center where people we support and everyone from the community can create works of art, cook masterful meals and make beautiful music.  This center will bring people together of all ages and backgrounds - where they can express themselves and connect with fellow artists, chefs and musicians.          

What advice do you have for aspiring fundraisers? 

Be organized, have a clear attainable goal, get as much volunteer help as possible, promote your cause in a way that captures people’s hearts and inspires them to act.   

What goals are you trying to reach by fundraising? 

We typically fundraise for specific campaigns - like a custom tour bus for our rock band Flame (the world renowned musical group of people with disabilities) or for a new Arts Center that will include a recording studio for Flame and the community.    

Do you have any additional notes or stories about your cause you would like to share? 

One of the best ways to change public perceptions about people with developmental disabilities is awareness and community inclusion - fundraising is a great way for the community to connect with your program and take ownership of your mission.  

For more information about Lexington Center please visit: Online Disability Fundraising

• Tweet