Going Beyond the Donate Button

The “Donate” button, for all too many organizations, is the Alpha and Omega — the beginning and end — of their online fundraising efforts. But such an unimaginative view leaves thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, of dollars worth of potential donations lying on the table.

Since online fundraising became an option, nonprofits have raised hundreds of millions of dollars through new media tools and technologies. And research constantly suggests that online donations and donors are increasing by the month.

Median dollars raised online grew 27 percent between 2005 and 2006. The average amount raised jumped 40 percent from 2003 to 2005, with the number of online donors doubling during the last three years.

In one recent online benchmark study, M+R Strategic Services reviewers Karen Matheson, Eve Fox and Michael Ward stated, “One point is perfectly clear: The Internet is the place for nonprofits to invest!”

The secret to successful online fundraising is the integration of technology and narrative. Technology simply serves to deliver your compelling stories in a variety of formats, from your Web site to video and audio to mobile phones. Despite all the latest technological advances, the old fundraising axiom still holds true: “People give to people.”

So what’s wrong with the “Donate” button? Nothing … and everything.

Consider your own experience of browsing a “competitor’s” site — or even your own organization’s site. Sometimes you can’t even find the “Donate” button, and when you do, it is, at best, an incredibly passive ask. It does nothing to find or motivate potential donors; it just sits there waiting for supporters to find it.

Clicking on the “Donate” button more often than not precedes an unpleasant online experience that tries the patience and perseverance of even the most dedicated contributor. It takes you to a page where you are instructed to wade through a long list of donation options or to click — yet again — to download a form that you must print out, then fill in by hand, stuff into an envelope and then find a 41 cent (or Forever) stamp to mail it. (I have had this experience first hand with several well-known membership organizations!)

At least good, old direct mail has your name and address printed on your form, and the envelope typically has the postage already paid!

How does an experience like that build or grow a relationship with a valued constituent?

For that is what online fundraising is about: building relationships with potential donors. Online technologies and tools provide an enormous range of opportunities — with varying points of entry — to recruit donors, identify their personal interests, make targeted pitches that will engage them and cause them to respond on your behalf, while continuing to cultivate and steward them for ongoing financial support.

Your online strategy needs to fit your organization’s goals, target audience and budget. But every nonprofit organization, no matter how large or small, should incorporate online fundraising into its overall fundraising strategy. You can always do something (other than that “Donate” button), even if it’s a simple e-mail strategy.

E-mail is the heart and soul of a solid online fundraising strategy. Survey after survey has shown that e-mailing is the one thing that almost every person who uses the Internet (90 percent and higher) can do … and does with the greatest frequency, topping Web surfing, participation in social networks, games and other forms of online entertainment.

E-mail allows you to reach out to current and potential supporters in a personal way. But don’t stop there … a recent survey of 2,379 nonprofit supporters conducted by Harris Interactive in collaboration with Mindshare found that 14 percent of those polled prefer to receive information from friends, 12 percent prefer to receive information from family, (people giving to people), with only 10 percent preferring e-mails from the organization. So maybe it isn’t the most important online fundraising method — but it is certainly the most widely used.

These findings are a big heads-up to organizations that rely solely on e-appeals and e-newsletters to reach their online fundraising goals. They need to begin thinking of how they can engage donors through more interactive strategies rather than just push marketing.

Your Web site has essentially three goals: To inform, recruit and raise funds. So give your online fundraising about one-third of the space. Make your “Donate” button easy to find, but don’t stop there. Tell personal stories about your organization’s needs, its progress and its successes — and then incorporate a pitch for a donation. Back to the Harris/Mindshare survey: 18 percent of nonprofit supporters prefer searching an organization’s Web site themselves before taking an action. Another reason to get your Web site storefront in order!

Integrate online with offline — sounds like common sense, but many nonprofits still work in silos with a division of labor for online, other direct-response vehicles, communications and IT. Find a common ground and make the most of your internal resources by incorporating brand, themes and messaging of your offline fundraising and communication materials in all of your fundraising programs.

Finally, make everything easy. People have so many options today, online and offline, and so many tasks to juggle. Invariably, they choose the path of least resistance. Don’t defeat your purpose by putting obstacles between you and your supporters and potential contributors.

When you send an e-mail asking for a donation, include a link that will take them directly to the donation form or micro landing page. Do not go to your homepage. Do not take them to a program page.

If they want to give you money, let them do it with ease and efficiency!

If you ask them to donate online on your Web site homepage, link that page directly to a form that allows them to make the donation. And, be sure to keep the donation page simple and easy to navigate!

Even though more and more people are becoming comfortable with making online donations, their fear of someone undesirable getting their personal information is very real. Be sure to include the options for a downloadable donation form and, if your budget allows, give a phone number where folks can call to contribute.

Make it easy for your supporters to recruit others. Use new technologies that build communities in support of your organization. In your e-mails, encourage your recipients to forward it to their family, friends and co-workers. Remember the survey? Incorporate search engine optimization and, if you have the resources, search engine marketing into your ongoing acquisition plans. Also, participate in existing social networks and blogs — go to where your potential donors are rather than trying to get them to always come to you.

So, go ahead with that “Donate” button. But make it just one part of a larger, more successful online fundraising strategy.

M. Sue Woodward is director of fundraising services at Mindshare Interactive Campaigns. www.mindshare.net