How to Use Online Tools to Boost Charitable Donations | The Journey
Channel: GoDaddy
Date: 2020-01-15

How to Use Online Tools to Boost Charitable Donations. Check out more The Journey content at https://bit.ly/GDTheJourney.

✅Read about it here ➜ http://bit.ly/2LO1hsSGoDaddy

⏰TIMESTAMPS⏰
00:20 – The importance of taking donations online
02:07 – Example website tour
03:45 – How to get started
04:50 – How to tell your story effectively
07:00 – Make it easy to take donations
08:25 – WordPress plugins for donations

When it comes to attracting nonprofit donations, it doesn’t get much better than that. And while it might be difficult to replicate the success of the Ice Bucket Challenge, there are techniques you can employ to maximize donations, particularly online, where data shows our efforts to raise money are lagging behind.

Although digital channels like blogs, websites and social media have made it easier for a social champion like you to spread the word, if you don’t have a good grasp of your messaging and overall identity, you can just as easily lose their attention.

Here are our tips on how to use online tools to boost charitable donations.

1. Get better at telling your story.
The most important thing any nonprofit organization can do is tell its story in a way that compels others to support its cause. There’s simply no way to maximize fundraising without a story that resonates with your target audience — especially online, where the attention spans of potential donors are notoriously short. 

A good story will add an authentic touch to your website and lay a foundation for increased fundraising. Telling your story effectively starts with answering two basic questions, who is my target audience and what is it about my cause that matters to them?

2. Maximize the digital giving experience.
The internet is the most powerful venue for buying and selling ever created. You might not look at it this way, but you’re also in the business of selling online. Instead of selling clothes or shoes, your “product” might be helping the homeless or rehoming shelter pets. 

You are selling a cause for people to believe in and support. So why not capitalize on a tool where consumers are already spending money? Give your donors multiple online payment options, like Paypal or Venmo, to make the charitable donation process more convenient for them.

3. Create an online giving ecosystem.
You can start by taking a page from commercial businesses and thinking about your organization’s value proposition. Then consider how you’re sharing that with potential donors at each stage of contact with your organization. 

There are a few simple things you can do to encourage donations at each stage of online contact. Make sure there is an easy-to-find “DONATE NOW” button on every page of your website. Simplify your donation form to reduce the amount of data you collect (and speed up the donor experience). Suggest giving amounts as part of the donation form. Research shows this improves the average online gift size. Suggest a monthly gift tied to a specific campaign. For example: “$25 a month funds food for one homeless pet for 30 days.” Allow users to easily share a message about their donation on social media, such as: “I just gave $25 to the ACLU. Join me by matching my gift with your own.”

4. Promote your nonprofit to the digital market. 
The primary challenge when you promote your nonprofit is building and maintaining credibility and transparency. This is also the biggest challenge when promoting an online fundraiser, so the goal from the start should be to connect and communicate with potential supporters, and report on progress through a number of channels. 

Consider a mix of blog posts, video marketing, social media, email marketing and online reviews to keep your prospects and current stakeholders informed, engaged and active in your organization. 

Attracting nonprofit donations is only the first step. While different non-profits may pursue online donations for different reasons or may have different needs, for the most part, getting a website to manage donations is well worth the time and money.

We hope this post has inspired you to start cultivating real relationships with potential donors. The best time to solicit donations is right now — you might not get any money if you don’t start asking. Good luck, and happy giving!

The Journey is what everyday entrepreneurs, like you, need to follow in the pursuit of online success. Our experienced GoDaddy Guides are here to take you through all the steps, both big and small, that you encounter every day.

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