Learn how to help your nonprofit improve its digital fundraising practices and better understand the latest digital fundraising tools.

1. Digital Fundraising Tools & Trends 2018
March 27, 2018

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4. •
•
Acclivity
Adobe
•
•
ClickTime
Closerware
• Alpha Software •
• Atlas Business Solutions •
• Atomic Training
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Comodo
Connect2Give
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• Guide By Cell
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• InFocus
•
•
Informz
InterConnection
• Intuit
• JourneyEd
• Litmos
• Little Green Light
• Mailshell
• Microsoft
• Mobile Beacon
• NetSuite
• Nielsen
• NonProfitEasy
• O&O Software
• OneNFP
• PayAnywhere
• PC Rebuilders &
Recyclers
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• PhilanTech
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• ReadyTalk
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• Sage Software
• Shopify
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Registration
• Skillsoft
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• Society for Nonprofit
Organizations
• Sparrow Mobile
• Symantec
• Tableau
• TechBridge
• Tech Impact
• Teespring
• Telosa
• Tint
• Ultralingua
• Western Digital
• Zoner

5. Presenters
Assisting with chat:
LaCheka Phillips,TechSoup
Michael Stein
Digital Marketing & Fundraising
Professional
Sima Thakkar
Online Learning Producer,
TechSoup

6. DIGITAL FUNDRAISING
TOOLS & TRENDS
FOR 2018
Webinar ~ March 27, 2018
Presented by Michael Stein

7. Today’s presenter:
Michael Stein
Digital strategist to
nonprofits nationwide
7
Page 7

8. Digital Fundraising is
about using all the digital
channels at your disposal
in an integrated way to
reach your audiences (&
their friends & family) with
the goal of sparking
engagement & growing
your giving opportunities.
8 Page 8
Ploughshares Fund email, Dec 2013.
www.ploughshares.org
Corporate Accountability International
email, Dec 2016.
www.corporateaccountability.org

9. Your Digital Channels for Fundraising
• Email list/messaging
• Website visitors
• Social platforms (Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram)
• Video (YouTube, Vimeo)
• Facebook Live
• Text messaging
• Personal fundraising campaign
• Digital advertising (Facebook,
Google search ads)
9 Page 9
SETI Institute email, Nov 2017.
www.seti.org

10. Digital Fundraising Tools
& Trends for 2018
1. Make your website donor-ready
2. Improve your donation pages
3. Choose the right donor platform
4. Email fundraising campaigns
5. Promote monthly giving
6. Personal fundraising campaigns
7. Social media fundraising
8. Digital advertising to reach donors
10 Page 10

11. 1. Make Your Website Donor-Ready
- Make donate button
prominent in site
navigation
- Promote fundraising
campaigns on
homepage (top,
carousel)
- Anticipate multi-
channel traffic
- Consider screen sizes
(mobile devices)
11 Page 11
East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy website
www.workingeastbay.org

12. 1. Trends in Donor-Ready Website
- Use pop-up lightboxes during fundraising
campaigns
- On homepage & top 20 pages
- Only show to new visitors
12 Page 12
Corporate Accountability
International website, 2017.
www.corporateaccountability.org
SETI Institute website, Dec 2017.
www.seti.org

13. 1. Make Your Website Donor-Ready
- Middle East
Children’s
Alliance
website
lightbox
- Year-end
campaign
13 Page 13
Middle East Children’s Alliance website, Dec 2017.
www.mecaforpeace.org

14. Mobile Usage Trends
- 21% of online donations were
made on a mobile device in
2017 (M+R Study)
- All your donation pages
need to be mobile responsive
- All your email messages
need to be mobile responsive
- Track mobile traffic on your
website (20% is tipping point)
14 Page 14

15. 2. Improve Your Donation Pages
- Average fundraising
page completion rates:
17% (M+R 2017
Benchmarks Study)
- Use clear headlines,
value proposition &
images
- Messaging should match
emails & social media
- Good photos move the
needle
15 Page 15
Mercy for Animals website, Mar 2018.
www.mercyforanimals.org

16. 2. Improve Your Donation Pages
- Middle East
Children’s
Alliance
- Use clear
headline, value
proposition,
image
16 Page 16
Middle East Children’s Alliance
website donation page, Dec 2017.
www.mecaforpeace.org

17. 2. Improve Your Donation Pages
- Defenders of
Wildlife
- Challenge
match
promotion
17 Page 17
Defenders of Wildlife website, Dec 2016.
www.defenders.org

18. 2. Trends with Donation Pages
- Simpler donation pages:
remove fields, remove
header & footer
- Monthly giving as default
- Adding PayPal
- Embedded videos
- Mobile responsive
- Multi-step
- Abandoned shopping cart
recovery
- Gift tracking by channel
18 Page 18
Mercy for Animals website donation page,
www.mercyforanimals.org

19. - What worked year-over-year?
- Revenue, donors, average gift
- Monthly donor recruitment
- Performance by audience
segment
- Traffic to donation pages
- Donation page conversion rate
- Track revenue from social
media
Digital Fundraising Analytics
19 Page 19

20. 3. Choose the Right Donor Platform
- More choices than ever
- Simple email tools (MailChimp,
Emma, Constant Contact)
- Simple donation tools:
Network for Good
- Understand your needs
- Consider mobile
- Project your growth
- What’s your budget?
- Read the reviews
- Get demos & referrals 20 Page 20

21. 3. Choose the Right Donor Platform
21 Page 21
- A Consumers Guide
to Low-Cost Donor
Management
Systems, Feb 2017.
Idealware.org
- Report targeted at
small to medium-
sized nonprofits
- 32+ platforms

22. 3. Choose the Right Donor Platform
22 Page 22
- The Nonprofit Guide
to Online
Engagement
Tools, Fall 2017,
FireflyPartners.com
- Report targeted at
medium to large
nonprofits
- 7 platforms

23. 3. Trends in Donor Platforms
- Many options to fit needs at
all org size & budget
- Prices have gone down
- Improved mobile tools
- Improved tool integration
- Credit card management
- Social media integration
23 Page 23

24. 4. Email Fundraising Campaigns
• Email accounted for 26% of all
online revenue in 2017 and grew
15% over 2016
• Email fundraising open rate: 13%
• Email fundraising response rate:
0.05%. It takes 2,000 emails to
generate a single donation
• Average one-time gift from email
appeal: $87
24 Page 24(M+R 2017 Benchmarks Study)
SETI Institute email,
Nov 2017. www.seti.org

25. 4. Email Fundraising Campaigns
- Series of
messages
- Create
campaign
themes
- Visual design
template
- Increase
urgency
25 Page 25
Ploughshares Fund email, Dec 2013.
www.ploughshares.org

26. 4. Email Fundraising Campaigns
Page 26

27. 4. Trends in Email Fundraising
a) Mobile
responsive
templates
b) Graphic-rich
emails
c) Countdown
clocks
d) Email list
growth
27 Page 27
Ploughshares Fund emails, 2013-16.
www.ploughshares.org

28. 4. Trends in Email Fundraising
a) Mobile
responsive
templates
b) Graphic-
rich emails
c) Countdown
clocks
d) Email list
growth
28 Page 28
Corporate Accountability email, 2017.
www.corporateaccountability.org

29. 4. Trends in Email Fundraising
a) Mobile
responsive
templates
b) Graphic-rich
emails
c) Countdown
clocks
d) Email list
growth
29 Page 29
Democratic National Committee
email, Oct 2017.
Corporate Accountability email,
Dec 2016.

30. 4. Trends in Email List Growth
30 Page 30
- Organic list growth
(website, social, events)
- Email signup on website
(pop-up lightboxes)
- Converting social media
followers (offers, quizzes)
- Petitions & advocacy
campaigns
- Paid list growth
- Acquiring emails from
Direct Mail

31. - Fastest growing giving
segment: 23% growth (13%
growth for one-time giving)
- Monthly giving = 16% of all
online revenue in 2016
- Low giving level ($23 avg)
- Increases lifetime donor
value & engagement
- Audience: Recent donors,
frequent donors, multi-
channel donors
5. Promote Monthly Giving
31 Page 31
Corporate Accountability
International website, 2017.
www.corporateaccountability.org
(M+R 2017 Benchmarks Study)

32. 5. Promote Monthly Giving
- Promote on
donation page
- Promote in
email appeals
- “A monthly gift
does even
more to help
hungry kids”
32 Page 32
No Kid Hungry website, Mar 2018
www.nokidhungry.org

33. 5. Promote Monthly Giving
- Sempervirens
Fund
- “Redwood Ranger”
campaign
- Gift for new
signups
- Goal of 50 signups
- Local foundation
match
33 Page 33
Sempervirens Fund email.
www.sempervirens.org

34. 1. Month-long
campaigns
2. Very low gift levels
3. Target lapsed
donors
4. Upgrade existing
monthly donors
5. Credit card
management
5. Trends in Monthly Giving
34 Page 34
SETI Institute email, Mar 2017. www.seti.org

35. 1. Month-long
campaigns
2. Very low gift levels
3. Target lapsed
donors
4. Upgrade existing
monthly donors
5. Better credit card
management
5. Trends in Monthly Giving
35 Page 35
Corporate Accountability email, Mar 2017.
www.corporateaccountability.org

36. 6. Personal Fundraising Campaigns
- Personal donation
pages
- Good strategy for
orgs with smaller
email lists
- Work with grassroots
volunteers to reach
out to friends, family,
co-workers, social
media
- Many platform options
36 Page 36
Best Buddies Challenge website, Mar 2018.
www.bestbuddieschallenge.org

37. 6. Personal Fundraising Campaigns
37 Page 37
The Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Technology
Landscape: An Introductory Guide for
Nonprofits, 2017 www.cathexispartners.com

38. 6. Trends in Personal
Fundraising Campaigns
38 Page 38
- Volunteer team of
cheerleaders
- Tie in campaign with
real-world fundraising
event
- Facebook Live
- Welcome series for
new donors
- Upgrading donors

39. 7. Social Media Fundraising
- Multi-channel content &
messaging strategy
- Slow growth as a direct
fundraising channel
- Measure impact w/
analytics
- Boost your posts
- Paid advertising to
widen your reach
39 Page 39

40. 7. Trends in Social Media Fundraising
- Facebook.com/Fundraisers
- Facebook Birthday campaigns
- Boost your content to reach
followers
- Facebook Live
- Use advertising to widen your
reach (“Look Alike Audiences”
on Facebook)
- Upload emails to Facebook to
create “custom campaigns” to
reach your donors
40 Page 40

41. 8. Trends in Digital Advertising
- Out of the 133 participants in
our M+R Study, 100 reported
that they spent money on
digital ads in 2016.
- Retarget your website visitors
with ads on Facebook and
Google
- Retarget your donation page
“abandons”
- Use Google Ads with either
Google Ad Grants or Paid
Google Ads to promote active
fundraising campaigns
41 Page 41
(M+R 2017 Benchmarks Study)

42. In Closing…
42 Page 42
1. Integrate channels
2. Create campaigns
3. Improve mobile experience
4. Improve donation pages
5. Promote monthly giving
6. Increase activity on social
media

43. • A Consumers Guide to Low-Cost Donor
Management Systems, Feb 2017. Idealware.org.
• The Nonprofit Guide to Online Engagement
Tools, Fall 2017. FireflyPartners.com.
• M+R 2017 Benchmark Study. 2018 edition
coming in April. mrbenchmarks.com.
• The Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Technology
Landscape: An Introductory Guide for
Nonprofits, 2017. CathexisPartners.com
• Landscape of Digital Marketing Tools for
Nonprofits, Nov 2017. Idealware.org
Further Reading
43 Page 43

44. CONTACT MICHAEL STEIN
- Follow Michael on Twitter
@mstein63
- Contact Michael via email at
mstein63@gmail.com
- Michael writes regularly on
fundraising for the
TechSoup.org Blog
44 Page 44

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