Online Fundraising

Want to Guarantee Fundraising Success? Dive These 5 Fundamentals
February 10, 2016 at 11:26 am

In 2016, there are five fundamental skills nonprofits must master to guarantee success in an overcrowded marketplace. Some of these skills will seem familiar, but the way you employ them may need to be tweaked in order for you to survive and thrive in our digitally revolutionized society. Other skills may be things you’ve thought about or dabbled in, but haven’t really committed to with serious intent and dedicated resources....

How to Get Site Visitors to Commit to Their Donations
February 10, 2016 at 10:58 am

When potential donors hit your website, the design should lead them easily to and through the donation process. Your main goal is to make the giving experience straightforward and boost the commitment level of someone who is thinking of donating. At the most basic level, you should have a button on your website that takes…

Everything Nonprofits Need to Know About YouTube Donation Cards
February 9, 2016 at 10:35 am

In early 2016, YouTube rolled out a new feature to content creators who host their videos on the YouTube platform. Now, users can harness their content for the good of U.S.-based nonprofit organizations. Here’s everything you need to know about YouTube Donation Cards: What are YouTube Donation Cards? A donation card essentially is a link…

How to Double Online Giving in Six Months
February 8, 2016 at 11:50 am

More and more nonprofit donations take place in today’s digital landscape, but how can causes ensure their online storefronts are not only open for business, but optimized? As I explored this critical issue in my new book, "Nonprofit Fundraising 101," I interviewed Roderick Campbell, CEO of nonprofit fundraising platform CommitChange. He shared a few takeaways…

How to Turn $10,000 of Free Google Advertising Into Online Donations Every Month
February 3, 2016 at 10:24 am

If a nonprofit only has resources to execute one online marketing activity, it should be Google Ad Grants for nonprofits. The biggest missed opportunity in online marketing for so many great nonprofits is taking full advantage of this program. Through Google Ad Grants, approved 501(c)3’s can receive $10,000 in free Google Ad spend every single…

4 Tips for Making the Perfect Online Ask to Your Donors
February 2, 2016 at 11:17 am

If you go to a public place, whether it’s a coffee shop, bus station or university campus, you’ll notice that nearly everyone is on their cellphones, laptops or tablets. People constantly are connected to each other through the many accessible avenues on the Internet. Nonprofits are no exception! In fact, three of the top four…

YouTube’s New Donation Cards Help Video Creators Raise Money for Charities
February 1, 2016 at 11:19 am

YouTube just made it a lot easier for its users in the U.S. to use its videos to drive donations to nonprofit organizations. With the new donation cards, video creators can now choose from more than 1.8 million IRS-validated 501(c)3 nonprofits and send direct donations to them right from the video creators' videos. Nonprofits could already…

The Nonprofit Website Tweak You'd Be Crazy Not to Try
February 1, 2016 at 11:07 am

Ah, the age-old debate: Should we feature a pop-up ask on our nonprofit website or not? I have a problem with this question though. I don’t think it’s the right question to ask. It’s not whether or not you should have a pop-up ask; it’s what should you be asking for?...

3 Inexpensive Ways to Increase Online Fundraising
January 29, 2016 at 9:55 am

Joan Garry and I work on a lot of digital projects together, and we’ve definitely seen a big improvement among nonprofits. Thankfully, the quality and sophistication of nonprofit websites, social media, email marketing and so on have improved over the years. By now, the basic playbook used by most nonprofits for online donations is pretty…