If You Are Online, You Need To Be Doing Online Fundraising!

By: Sarah Osman, Consultant

Online fundraising is another wonderful way to reach out to your community. It should be considered an essential component of your online presence. In other words, if you are online, you need to be doing online fundraising. This is in-line with the concept of always providing a remittance envelope in all of your mailings.

Online fundraising gives you another way to reach out to new audiences and potential benefactors. By keeping your mailings and e-newsletters and online presence in sync, you will reach a broader pool of prospects.
So what exactly does online fundraising involve? Here are some basic starting points and tips.

Add a “Donate” page to your website. This should include an entire webpage with a list of the different ways benefactors can support your organization. Do you have different levels of giving? Are there different funds to which to give? List all of these on your “Donate Now” page. This page should be easy to scan read, meaning keep it simple. Make sure you provide all your contact information, including a physical mailing address, for donors to send a check.

Include a “Donate Now” link on every webpage of your website. (Actually, including a “Donate Now” link at the end of your e-mail signature is a great idea too!) This link should navigate straight to a donation page where donors enter their contact information and credit card information. Not your generic “Donate” page! 

Have a “Donate Now” button on your “Donate” page. The keyword here is “button”. More online donors will respond to an attractive, colorful button than just a link.  Use an Online Donation Vender with recurring gifts. It’s important to choose a vendor that will allow you to set up recurring donations. Recurring donations help create a reliable and consistent source of income. Typically, donors that sign up for recurring gifts will give for years.

Never forget that online fundraising, just like any fundraising, is about building relationships with your current benefactors, potential benefactors and others. These are all ways to begin your online fundraising efforts. But you will need to combine your online fundraising efforts with your other campaigns (direct mail, e-newsletters, events, etc.) and continue to change it and evolve with the ever changing online trends.