6. 7 Keys to Online Fundraising
1. Target the right audience
2. Target the right message
3. Target the right moment
4. Set up your “Goal Box”
5. Set up your “Time Box”
6. Set up your “Gift Box”
7. Set up your “Press Box”
7. #1 Target the Right Audience
• Key in on demographics
• Understand the pyramid
• Know the source of every donor
• Think cross-channel
• Look for potential not gratification
• Always strive to get above the noise.
8. Key #1 continued – Donor Pyramid
• Contributors: “The Core” –
This group demands the most
attention and respect.
Donor
• Advocates: “Ground Troops” –
the people we call on to
sacrifice and take action.
Advocate
• Subscribers: “The Field” –
focus here on conversion to Subscriber
higher levels.
• Visitors: “Virtual Targets” –
Website visitors. Visitor
• Potential Targets: “The rest” –
Who would potentially
support your org?. Target
10. Key #1 continued… Who is a donor?
• Online Donors • Converting to Donors
– Average Age: 55 – Email, Email and Email
– Average Donation $60 – Multiple channels
– Average # donations: 1.87 – No. days before donation:
– Average # donations x2: 3.3 109
– Average time between – Personality-driven emails
donations 100 days (endorsements)
– Campaign value of a donor: – Auto-responders
$108 – “Ready the buckets”
11. #2 Target the Right Message
• What have they heard before?
• How did they find your message?
• Make the context obvious.
• Compel them to respond.
• Make the action clear and simple.
• Target the old brain.
• Always strive to get above the noise.
12. #3 Target the Right Moment
• Be “journey-specific.”
• Why would they respond now?
• Match the message to the moment.
• Do you know when they open their emails?
• Fewer asks, more time spent in preparation.
• Always strive to get above the noise.
13. #4 The Goal Box
• Broadcast your goal internally.
• Broadcast your goal publically.
(Maybe).
• Be sure you can measure.
• Be sure you do measure.
• Think long term success, short term viability.
• Always strive to get above the noise.
14. #5 The Time Box
• Put a time limit on your call to action.
• An obvious deadline or manufactured?
• Help them visualize the deadline.
• Why would they care about your deadline?
• Be a good steward of their time.
• Always strive to get above the noise.
15. #6 The Gift Box
• What’s in it for them?
• Sweeten the pot.
• Overcome hesitation.
• Offer premiums
• Make them feel special
• Make them feel part of a force
• Always strive to get above the noise.
16. #7 The Press Box
• Check your score.
• Measure your success in real terms.
• Compare your results.
• Broadcast internally.
• Broadcast globally.
• Crow, and crow some more.
• Always strive to get above the noise.
18. Tactics
• Ad Management – Set a monthly budget to determine best audiences and raise lists
of supporters
• Prospecting / List Building – Petitions, news-driven momentum
• Email Management – Set a calendar of scheduled asks, newsletters, create auto-
responders
• Donor Cultivation – Set levels of immediate contact (e.g. alert campaign to call
donors who give over $500)
• Social Networks – Set budget for advertising and create innovative campaigns
• Outreach – Host numerous blogger, donor and supporter calls
• Website development & maintenance – Target website launch as a major milestone
• SWAT effort – Launch overnight campaigns on earned media moments
• Viral Videos - Schedule monthly video launches, event recordings
