This presentation, done by Robert Evans of Evans Consulting Group, reviews the finer points of fundraising in the digital age that we currently live in. Learning how to stay current and cutting edge will help take a nonprofit's fundraising to the next level!

1. Nonprofits & Technology:
Fundraising in the Digital Age
Robert Evans
Founder & President
Evans Consulting Group, LLC
www.TheEvansConsultingGroup.com

2. Evans Consulting Group, LLC.
• Our team has more than 20 years of experience in…
– Creative Fundraising & Campaign Management
– Strategic Planning
– Leadership Development
– Nonprofit Business Planning
– Donor Research
• Advised more than 400 nonprofits
• Member firm of the Giving Institute
• Editorial Review Board of Giving USA
• Regular columnist for eJewishPhilanthropy.com
• National committee member for #GivingTuesday

3. Total Giving: 1972-2012
(in billions of dollars)

4. Corporations
$18.15
6%
Bequests
$23.41
7%
Foundations
$45.74
15%
Individuals
$228.93
72%
Total Giving =
$316.23 billion
How America Gives: 2012 Totals
Source of contributions by billion

5. Giving by Individuals: 1972-2012
(in billions of dollars)

6. Individual Giving as Percentage of DPI

7. Trends in the New Economy:
Evolving Expectations for Nonprofits
• Increased competition for charitable dollars
• Donors want to be personally engaged with their
philanthropy and see outcomes leading to impact
• Trends such as crowd-funding and micro-giving encourage
low-involvement giving
• Nonprofits must find ways to turn one-time givers into
multi-year donors and lifetime givers
• Total giving is up, but donor retention is down

8. Technology & Nonprofits
• Use of technology promotes clear and effective
communication
• Technology should help propel institutional
visibility
• Technology should strengthen brand messaging
• Use of social media allows for consistency with
other tools
Nonprofits generally lag behind when it comes to
adapting to new technology

9. Online Giving: Facts and Figures
• In 2013 online giving accounted for only 6.4% of all charitable giving
• Educational institutions have the largest online average gift size with
an average gift of $629
• Online average gift size has seasonality. The online average
gift size more than doubles in the month of December
• Online gifts tend to be smaller but larger gifts are starting to pop-up:
– In 2012, six organizations reported receiving gifts of at least
$100,000
– In the same year, the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer
Center reported a $1 million online gift

10. Fundraising and the Internet:
A Growing Trend
Source: Network for Good
• Online giving still represents less than 10% of total giving but is a
growing trend amongst donors
• While overall giving is growing - a 1.5% increase from 2011 to 2012 -
online giving has grown an astounding 14% over that same time

11. Fundraising and the Internet:
An Emerging Path
• A clear, branded message is key to online fundraising
• Peer-to-peer giving is a growing trend. Find your engaged donors and
“employ” them. Don’t be afraid to ask for more than money - get your
fans out there talking about your cause.
Source: Network for Good

12. Giving Tuesday is Going Viral!

13. Giving Tuesday is Going Viral!
During peak hours on December 3rd, 2013:
• A reach of over 2 billion individuals on Twitter
(a 338% increase from 2012) and over
300 million on Facebook
• #GivingTuesday was tweeted as much as 700
times per minute
• #GivingTuesday trended for over 10 hours
straight
• Over 7,000 #UNselfies were taken
The hashtag #GivingTuesday was used 269k times on December 3rd,
406k times in 7 days, and 514k times in 30 days.
An average of
11,208 tweets per hour & 186 per minute

14. Making a List and Checking it Twice
• In the digital age, your website is often the
face of your organization. Make sure your
site is up-to-date with these key components:
Gift acceptance policies should be posted
Your “Donor Bill of Rights” should be published
Proper website and donation page security is a must
Re-fresh content regularly
Obtain formal permission to use images
Highlight your Case for Giving
Show “real world” examples of where a donor’s money goes
Your organization must be registered in each state where
you solicit donations online

15. Financial Transparency:
Use Your Website More!
• When asked, donors all too frequently express concern
that the nonprofit is not financially transparent – even
when financial documents are made available
• Nonprofits have been very slow to use their website to
foster financial transparency
• Be proactive: add key financial information to your
website for donor review
– Post your Form 990 on your website
– Include a brief summary of your annual budget

16. Going Mobile
Smartphones and tablets account for about 25% of all Web traffic. Google
recently adjusted its mobile search algorithm to account for websites that
are tailored to mobile users.
• A mobile friendly site - a website that will function correctly
on a mobile device. It essentially looks like a tiny, scaled
down version of a website.
• A mobile website - a completely separate website that has
been specifically designed for usage on a mobile device –
you will often be redirected to m.yourwebsite.com. Mobile
websites are usually geared more towards the content that is
relevant to mobile users.
• A responsive website, also known as adaptive or responsive
design, is one that “responds” to the size of the viewing
device.
Nielsen reports that over two-thirds (67%) of mobile subscribers in the U.S. owned smartphones in
Q4 2013—and in December they spent 34 hours using apps and the mobile web on those devices.
Many of these people are visiting your website on their smartphones!
Make it a top priority for your organization to go mobile in 2014.

17. Giving Mobile
“Greater emphasis on
strategy, organizational
alignment and process
design will be applicable
to all nonprofits, large or
small. Essentially, being
more sophisticated and
savvy when it comes to
supporter engagement
won't be just a ‘nice to
have' — it will be a
necessity.”
Vinay Bhagat, CSO for Convio
•Dana-Farber Cancer Institute – 19% of the $13.6-million
the cancer center raised online last year came from mobile
sources. In 2011, mobile donations accounted for just 9%
of its total online contributions.
•Marine Toys for Tots Foundation says 21% of its online
giving in 2012 came from mobile devices—an increase of
75% over the previous year.
•Mobile users for the health campaign, Movember,
accounted for 26% of their Web traffic and gave about 5%
of the $131.1-million raised globally during its 2012
campaign.
In a study where 135 large charities were surveyed
about their mobile fundraising efforts, 43% said they
have made no efforts to make it easier for donors to
contribute on smartphones or tablets. Those that are
making the investment are seeing significant returns.

18. Key Questions to Ask Before
Using Online Fundraising
• What is the primary goal? Secondary goal?
• What is success and how will you measure it?
• Who will be creating and managing the content?

19. Google Doesn’t Know Everything
• In researching prospective donors, Googling
names will only get you so far.
• Sophisticated software exists that culls from
public sources to paint a picture of an individual’s
giving habits, including information on past
giving, gift capacity and charitable interests.
• Together, the internet and new software have
taken some of the guesswork out of donor
research and cultivation.

20. Wealth Screening:
Revolutionize “The Ask”
With wealth screening software you can:
• Easily identify your best major and planned gift prospects
• Attract and retain wealthy donors with improved
donor service
• Maximize gifts by asking for the right amount
at the right time
• Determine the wealth potential of your
entire database
• Set reasonable campaign goals
• Free up staff resources for person-to-person fundraising

21. Crowdfunding
• Stunning visuals are key. Engage potential backers with images, videos and design.
Create a short 2-3 minute shareable promotional video to romanticize your project.
• Set a realistic monetary goal.
• Have money already committed – crowdfunding can be psychological. People want
to see that others are already involved.
• Develop a strong social media and marketing campaign – crowdfunding is about your
relationships, your community, your outreach and storytelling.
• Make sure your rewards fit the donation – provide appropriate “gifts” that will
further entice backers to get involved.
Examples: Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, CrowdTilt, Go Fund Me

22. Ticketing Sites:
The Next Era of Event Fundraising
• Costs: free events vs. paid
• Benefit? Information and access!
• Examples: TicketLeap, EventBrite, MeetUp
• Do donors know where the money goes?
• Ticketing sites take a percentage of each ticket sale or a
flat-fee per ticket, plus processing costs

23. Why Do Nonprofits
Use Social Media?
• Social media can be used to:
– Promote your cause, mission & vision
– Recruit volunteers
– Create “buzz” for a special event
– Sell tickets for special events
– Support your other communications
– Raise money for specific projects
• Social media policy
– What is appropriate?
– Picking the right channels

24. Social Media: Know Your Audience

25. Nonprofits on Facebook:
Messaging & Visibility
• Facebook has launched a Nonprofit Resource Center which includes educational materials,
tutorials and a downloadable non-profit guide geared toward raising awareness and funds for
causes specifically through the social network.
• Best used for broadcasting and feedback, not fundraising, with some exceptions:
- Seattle Children’s Hospital has created personal Facebook pages for current and former
patients where they can raise money for the hospital
• Donors now see the Facebook page as a “second website”
• No Facebook page = damaged credibility

26. Twitter Essentials
Don’t Overcomplicate @dontovercomplicate 11m
Be real, be human, be honest
Tweet in the Moment @tweetinthemoment 19m
Be current and don’t be afraid to live tweet at your events
Twitter is especially suited to
nonprofits because it allows your
organization the freedom to
spotlight a broad range of issues
and newsworthy items that
relate to your cause.
Be Strategic @bestrategic 23m
Follow and schmooze with influencers in your sector
Be Supportive @besupportive 37m
Follow like-minded users and engage with them
Use Hashtags @usehashtags 45m
Join in relevant conversations & trending topics by using a #
Be Gracious @begracious 1h
Respond. Reply. Retweet. Follow back.

27. Final Thoughts
Engaging with stakeholders online is
increasingly important for
nonprofits, but should be
approached thoughtfully and
strategically.

28. Required Reading
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy:
Philanthropy.com
• The Giving Institute:
GivingUSAReports.org

29. For More Information:
Website: www.TheEvansConsultingGroup.com
Bob’s email: revans@TheEvansConsultingGroup.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EvansConsultGrp
Twitter: @EvansConsultGrp