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Fundraising
and the Internet:
An Introductory Tour
February 5,
2000
Smithsonian Institution
Washington DC
E-Mail |Prospect Research |
Web-Centric Fundraising
UPDATE:
CLICK2SCAM? A few resources on fraud
Win Big Bucks in Cyberspace!
- The Red Cross raised $1.2MM
Jan-June 99 -- 9000-plus gifts
- MoveOn.org has received $13MM
in pledges and pledges for 776,485 hours of volunteer work
- John McCain raised more than $700,000 online in the first two days after
winning the New Hampshire primary
- Online petitions and other advocacy e-mail circulate through individuals'
personal networks
- The online community is now more than 73 million (Aug 99) and
growing exponentially
- Online giving lags online buying -- See
Craver, Mathews, Smith report on socially engaged users
E-mail: the real "killer app"
- With colleagues and constituencies -- to work with individuals and
small groups
- With colleagues and constituencies -- share ideas and information
on listservs
- Broadcast e-mail -- "e-newsletters" and "click to give"
- The power of "word of mouse"
The cyber-snoop: Using the Internet for prospect research
- Some URLs (includes some general fund-raising
resources)
- Strategy:
- find the most useful research sites for your organization
- Use the 80/20 rule -- don't let your reseachers get bogged down
- Be pleased with info on 50% of your prospects
Web-centric Fundraising
- Reasons people visit a web site:
- push vs. pull
- Some "pulls" -- cause, content, service, entertainment
- Other "pulls" to bring subsequent traffic: involvement devices
(online courses, chat, book clubs, private passworded sections)
- Some "pushes" -- "word of mouse" referrals, banner ads, a "channel"
service, offering free e-mail, free screensavers, printing URL
on all printed material, actively seeking out cross-linkages in
your organization or some natural partners
- Components of a good nonprofit web site
- Provides an online library about your cause
- Makes compelling statement of your case
- Offers abundant opportunities for involvement
- Recognizes donors and volunteers
- For examples of sites and further
analysis, see also
- Reaping the harvest of your web site
- Collecting e-mail addresses
- Online gifts and pledges
- Some of the nuts and bolts: HTML, server space, other issues
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