Since the 2008 elections, the Republican Party has been revisiting its image with an eye toward appealing to young people and independents. As part of that process, it recently relaunched ?GOP.com, with a new design, updated content, a social-networking component and social-media integration. Fire up your Web browser and check it out — I'll wait.
Web Design
Lynn Edmonds, president, L.W. Robbins Associates
Loyal donors are being conservative but holding on. Since the spring, we have seen a slight increase in giving in some audiences but not all. And in certain cases, we have been able to reactivate lapsed donors by decreasing the gift asks.
For many of you the upcoming holiday season will be the busiest time of the year for donations, and an increasing portion of those donations are arriving via your Web site. As a result, more of you are paying attention to your online donation pages. If you’re like many of our clients, all kinds of people are providing input, opinion and even demands about what your online donation pages should look like: "Center this." "Add that image." "Add this video." "Make it look more like that other charity’s donation page." Any of this sound familiar?
Charleston, S.C., November 13, 2009 — Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB), the leading global provider of software and related services designed specifically for nonprofit organizations, today announced the release of Blackbaud Sphere Grow™. This new “Grow” version of the company’s popular web-based emarketing and event fundraising solution, Blackbaud Sphere, provides nonprofits an affordable turn-key solution with a guided implementation and ongoing consulting services.
Southfield, MI, November 11, 2009 — Vreebit.com has just announced the launch of its “Leaping For” program, transforming its popular networking and communications website into a powerful fundraising platform for nonprofit organizations. Michigan-based Vreebit.com is known for integrating social networking and professional collaboration tools with a virtual currency system, and this technology is at the core of its new efforts to help Vreebit users benefit nonprofit causes. With the release of its Leaping For program, Vreebit.com matches the rewards its users already receive for their site activities with real donations to the nonprofit partner of their choice.
November 10, 2009 — The Humane Society of the United States launched a new Web site Tuesday. The newly designed site leverages the power of video and stories to engage supporters in the organization’s work to protect animals.
Philadelphia, PA, November 11, 2009 — customedialabs, an interactive media agency, today announces the launch of a new online home for the “first house that love built,” the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House.
In the Sage webinar "Web Wise: Creating a Donor-centric Web site," Daniel Gonzalez, Web manager for Sage Nonprofit Solutions, went over tips to help nonprofits understand donor needs, set objectives for their Web sites, create donor-centric content, eliminate obstacles and distractions from the main objective of their sites, and set and track key performance indicators.
November 3, 2009, BBC — The web portal, entitled Hope Plus, aims to offer online tools to enable social projects such as building schools and fighting pollution.
BALTIMORE, November 3, 2009 — Social Solutions, the leading provider of performance management software for human services, and the Urban Institute a nonpartisan policy research organization are teaming up to create the Outcomes and Effective Practices Portal, the first comprehensive online resource to equip nonprofits with the information and measurement tools needed to enhance performance.