28 Ideas for Digital Fundraising Success, Part 3 (21-28)

[Editor's note: This is the third and final part of a three-part series on the session "Rapid Fire: Tips and Trends on Web, Tech and Social Media" at Fund Raising Day in New York. Click here for part 1 and here for part 2.]

Here are ideas 21-28 that Liz Murphy, president of RedEngine Digital; Lane Brooks, COO of Food and Water Watch; Ann Crowley, membership and online strategy at Human Rights Campaign; and Harry Lynch, CEO of SankyNet, shared in their session at Fund Raising Day in New York last month.

21. Are QR codes obsolete?
A couple years ago, it seemed like QR codes were popping up everywhere. However, they haven't really taken off as expected. Still, QR codes are able to provide gateways between different campaign materials and channels.

22. Heed these search engine optimization tips

• For new campaign content, ask an SEO expert for formatting and guidelines for URLs, titles and tags.
• Do keyword research using Google keyword tool, Google News, Twitter hashtags, competitive research, etc.
• Use a unique title tag for every page and form — 12 words or 75-85 characters long.
• Don't ignore meta description tags, which is what your audience sees/reads when a search result appears. Use marketing copy with a call to action — 12-24 words.
• More readable, non-graphic copy on a page is better, with a minimum of 150 words per page.

23. Don't always take no for an answer, especially at end-of-year
At the end of the year, it seems you can't ask too often. Increase the pace of your digital communications from weekly to twice a week to daily, etic.

24. Ask supporters what they want
Survey your membership. What better way to find out what your donors want than asking them directly? Find out information to guide program choices and messaging, and discover demographics to target your messages.