10 Secrets to Acquire Donors Online via Digital Technology

With the mirror site, you can A/B test easily and look at results. When testing site optimization:

• Start with a "quick and dirty" usability test to find the biggest opportunities.
• If the site requires it, provide site redesign or refresh.
• Perform ongoing A/B site testing, which has a huge revenue impact.

4. Use search engine marketing to spike giving
Why are search engines important? Search engines are often the first place online users go to start the information-gathering/decision-making process. Google makes it easy to search a charity, and often supporters will use their search engines over clicking on hyperlinks.

"If you're not playing the game in search engine marketing, you're losing a lot of money," Jones said. "You've got to get involved in bidding on specific keywords in your market that relate directly, sometimes indirectly, to your charity."

Focus on those keywords.

Jones also said you should use both paid search and organic search.

5. Don't ignore display advertising
Display advertising helps you target prospects, Jones said, which can lead to retargeting and remarketing efforts. Once a cookie is embedded on people's device, you can intensely focus advertising efforts.

Many donors don't give the first time they search for you, Jones has found. It takes time to decide, which is why retargeting is so critical.

6. You must use retargeting
Here's how retargeting works:

Jones says it's wise to start retargeting within 12 days of a visit, usually starting around day 4. After two weeks, response rates go down pretty dramatically for retargeting.

With retargeting efforts, you can track the following:

7. Use social media
Social media is uniquely suited for nonprofit if deployed correctly, particularly local organizations. It's still more about brand and relationships than driving revenue, but it's all connected … and as the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge showed, there is a potential for fundraising.