Convio, a provider of CRM software for nonprofits, has released a study that shows nine in 10 nonprofits, irregardless of their size, find that the greatest barrier to success online is a lack of money, staff or online expertise.
The report says that groups with less than $20 million in revenue typically employ up to three staff who focus on online programs. Nonprofits with revenue of $100 million or more average seven full-time staff who work on online efforts.
Most nonprofits are much smaller than these two categories, and are lucky to have someone who can give even part of his or her time to online fundraising. Are those organizations discouraged by this report? I hope not.
I don't doubt for an instant that online fundraising does need resources, including some staff time. But I also think that nonprofits should not lose sight of the basics in online fundraising.
Yes, Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking channels grab a lot of attention, but the fundamentals of online fundraising have to do with:
- developing an attractive website
- taking contributions through a credit-card processing system
- putting the "donate" button in a place where donors can find it easily
- explaining clearly on your website how a donor's money is spent...for what and for whom...how it works
- building an opt-in email list by capturing supporters' email addresses and using it to send regular updates on your nonprofit's work
- including your website's URL on every piece of printed material that you send/give to your supporters/donors/volunteers/media.
Those items are the bread and butter of online fundraising. Get them right first. Once those items are in place and really work, it is not costly or time-consuming to maintain them.
Get the basics right, and then start moving these other techniques into place. Educate yourself about them (there are plenty of online resources to tap), get involved (yes, start twittering), open your doors to young volunteers and staff for whom social networking is natural, and let them teach you (are old rules and habits slowing this process down?). But don't despair because you don't have several paid staff to work on social media right now.
Related:
- What Online Donors Want to See on Your Website
- Two Nonprofits That Make It Easy to Donate Online
- Credit Card Processing Options for Nonprofit Organizations
- Online Fundraising: A Startup Guide
Have I forgotten something? Let me know what you think in the comments.
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