If you’re a nonprofit organization or a political campaign, you almost certainly need to raise money. Most of us don’t have a wealthy donor waiting in the wings to swoop in at a time of need! High-dollar individual fundraising and direct mail still work for many organizations, but most nonprofits and campaigns have at least tried to turn to online fundraising. The typical goal: to bring in a stream of income from people giving relatively small amounts repeatedly and through digital channels.
But online fundraising isn’t easy, and most of us run into serious frustrations along the way. Fortunately, we can learn from each others’ successes and failures, which is the thinking behind an Online Fundraising 101 published on Campaigns and Elections today.
The piece is an excerpt from my digital campaigning guide/ebook, “How to Use the Internet to Win in 2016,” and it’s essentially the entire online fundraising chapter (Chapter 9) reprinted as a standalone piece. Plus, it’s free! Learn more about:
- Basic principles of online fundraising
- Why email is still the “killer app” for generating online donations
- Tips for effective email fundraising campaigns
- The importance of data, analytics and testing
- Social media fundraising
- Peer-to-peer programs
Good stuff! Other chapters in the book discuss list-building, online advertising, technology infrastructure and the other pieces that make digital fundraising possible, but this excerpt focuses entirely on the mechanics of raising money online day to day. Check it out, spread the word, and look for another ebook excerpt coming soon.