Presentation tailored for small to medium sized non-profits who are looking to develop online fundraising through their website or web presence.

1. Online fundraising: harnessing technology to build and maintain relationships Planning an Effective Online Presence Carolyn Shelby, United Way of Metropolitan Chicago

2. Have a Plan You can’t get there if you don’t first decide where you need to go.

3. Vision and Goals Who is your target audience? What kinds of information do you want them to have? What kinds of information do they want? What actions do you want them to perform? How will they find you? How will you reach out to them?

4. Vision and Goals Who is your target audience? What kinds of information do you wantthem to have? What kinds of information do they want? What actions do you want them to perform? How will they find you? How will you reach out to them? KEYWORDS& INFO ARCHITECTURE MARKETINGPLAN & CALLTO ACTION

5. Assess Your Situation A realistic assessment of your technology assets, in-house skills and budget (for 3-5 yrs) enables educated decisions regarding: What kind of web hosting you can afford How much maintenance/development can be done in-house What the budget is for hiring outside tech assistance What kind of software you can build your site on What skill sets will be required by future employees (or contractors or volunteers)

6. Other Considerations Promotion needs to be part of the plan, too. Make sure you consider how you will integrate the following into your overall strategy: Organic Search Traffic (SEO) Blogging for exposure and rankings Make sure you understand how links work. Social Media Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MeetUp, etc. Search Marketing (PPC, banner advertising) Email Marketing

7. Points to Note Don’t fall into the “If it’s free, it’s for me” mindset. Just because you have a Cold Fusion expert today doesn’t mean you’ll have him/her forever. Plan for succession. Will you be able to afford to replace your current genius? Will you be able to even find someone to replace your current genius? Not everyone who offers to help has your best interests at heart. Many decisions can be revisited and revised, but some decisions are permanent. Know which are which.

8. Stick to the Plan Armed with your Vision & Goals and Tech Assessment, you can make informed decisions about: Domain name Software (content management system) Web hosting, software purchases, computer hardware needs Salary requirements and/or budgets

9. Dangers of Deviating (from the plan) Website doesn’t “do what it’s supposed to” Online presence lacks purpose and direction Website is redeveloped over and over Organic search traffic (the free kind) suffers or dies because redevelopment destroys existing domain or site authority. Website/blog is abandoned It becomes an unmaintainable Frankenstein thatno one has time or desire to deal with.

10. Have a “Plan Manager” At all times, there should be at least one person who is 100% on top of managing the online presence and making sure the organization is sticking to the plan. Keep domain name registrations current Make sure hosting payments stay current Ensure software upgrades and patches are applied in a timely fashion Periodically make adjustments to the Plan when necessary

11. Regarding Your Plan The plan is not the Ten Commandments It’s not carved in stone and unchanging for all eternity. It’s more like the Constitution… It can be revised and amended, but only with a great deal of thought, consideration and effort. All decisions should be judged by how well the fit in with, or do not adhere to, the strategies and goals detailed in the plan.

12. Finally… All of your promotion efforts should enhance or strengthen your main website – it’s the only online real estate you truly “own” Be aware of the value of your online assets Strength of website/value of links Email list members identities Community/forum members identities