E-Philanthropy

Fundraising today is a mixed bag where results for some organizations are down, others are holding steady, and still others are at record highs. And falling acquisition rates seem to be the norm almost across the board.

Still, most major organizations are resisting cuts in fundraising, and many top nonprofits are stepping up efforts online — all sound reactions to these shaky economic times, said Mal Warwick, founder and chairman of direct-response fundraising firm Mal Warwick Associates, in his session "Fighting the Recession With Online Tools" last week at the first International Fundraising eConference May 12 to 14, which was held completely online.

DURHAM, May 15, 2009, Triangle Business Journal — Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are among the nation’s leaders when it comes to generating donations online, and that could position them for even more gifts down the road.

May 15, 2009, The Philadelphia Inquirer — Living Beyond Breast Cancer has won supporters for one of its biggest fund-raisers with e-mail blasts, brochures, and personal calls to big donors.

Washington, D.C., May 14, 2009 — The 2009 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study released May 14th found that among 32 leading nonprofit organizations, online fundraising grew by 26% in 2008 over 2007, but that the average gift size has decreased by 21%.

The communications landscape is changing every day and, as it does, more and more nonprofits are realizing that they need to create a presence for their brands where potential supporters are. Today, many of those places are Web 2.0 hideouts like social-networking sites and blogs.

In the Campbell & Co.-sponsored webinar, "Philanthropy 2.0," in March, presenters Leslie Gryce Sturino, director of marketing for Campbell & Co., and Brian Kish, assistant vice president for advancement at Salve Regina University and an annual-giving consultant with Campbell & Co., discussed the Web 2.0 and social-networking tools available to nonprofits and how fundraisers can use them to engage potential supporters.

“What is a sneezer?,” you may ask. I’m borrowing the term from Malcolm Gladwell in his fantastic book, “The Tipping Point.” If you haven’t read this yet, please do; it will help you become a great digital fundraiser. Basically, a sneezer is someone who is particularly contagious. Epidemiologists who study the spread of disease through any population note that some people are more infectious than others. Much more infectious! In the context of this article, imagine that the sneezer is an online fundraiser for your cause who is particularly good at bringing in lots of online donations.

May 10, 2009, The New York Times — The opportunities for nonprofit groups to win money through contests are proliferating, adding yet another weapon to charities’ fund-raising arsenal.

Barack Obama's primary and presidential campaigns challenged and changed online fundraising, becoming the envy of many in the nonprofit sector.

In a session at the Franklin Forum, sponsored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Philadelphia Chapter in Philadelphia in late April, Justin Ehrenwerth, who served as Philadelphia coordinator for Obama for America, gave attendees an overview of the campaign's fundraising and volunteer strategies. He also shared advice on how nonprofits can implement similar ideas in their programs.

Sure, raising money online is a bit more 
complicated than renting a mailing list and testing various packages on the names to see what works and what doesn’t. For starters, in the spam-challenged online world, you need donors’ permission to continue communicating with them. And to be sure, your organization can raise serious cash online without sending a single e-mail, particularly during December when many donors seek you out. Heck, you can even raise a few dollars (but only a few) on Facebook these days.
But eliminate all the jargon and the steady 
stream of innovative ideas, and you’ll find that acquiring donors online boils down to five key steps.

Justin Ehrenwerth, Philadelphia coordinator for Obama for America, discusses his session at the Franklin Forum in Philadelphia in late April, which shared tips on harnessing the power of small-scale donors, grassroots volunteer efforts, technology and communicating with constituents.