The NonProfit Times - July 15, 2008 - (Page 5)

EXCLUSIVE NPT RESEARCH they can look. There’s more connectivity, people have more friends online.” In addition to more people saying they went to a nonprofit’s site, more people also said they visited independent rating organizations, up from 11 percent to 24 percent; online discussion groups, from 3 percent to 10 percent, and blogs, from 2 percent to 8 percent. Although 60 percent of the youngest demographic surfed toward the organization’s Web site (as compared to 28 percent in 2005), some of the biggest jumps among other sources people went to were blogs, especially for youngsters. Only 3 percent of those 18-24 said they went to blogs three years ago, compared to 20 percent in this year’s study. For other age demographics, blogs rarely registered in double digits, if even more than a few percentage points, but still rose. Even among those 25-34, 11 percent said they go to blogs and that was still up from 4 percent in 2005. By income, blogs registered some of the biggest percentage increases, though and taking action by giving immediately,” she said. Surveys also indicate that major donors are going online to vet charities. “Increasingly, donors are using these online tools for sure,” Ross said.“It’s all in line with what you expect to see happening.” Maybe some people are a little bit more suspicious when they get online solicitations, fearing potential phishing scams, Allen said. “What we’re definitely seeing is people using it [the Internet] more,” he said, adding that one of the primary uses of the Internet is research. Both Allen and Christ are unconvinced of just how many people claim to have visited rating organizations’ Web sites. Suggesting that they’re probably overreported, Christ said,“It’s too much work, their sites are too confusing. I downplay the importance of those sites, but not completely.”The survey, however, does emphasize the role of the Web in general, and to some extent those other sources, like blogs, increasing even its small percentages from three years ago. In focus groups by Donordigital, Allen said certain people say they visit Charity Navigator or the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, but that anecdotal data just simply doesn’t jive with the hard data. Allen offered an example: if a large organization sent a million pieces, and 10 percent of them were opened by recipients, based on the survey results, that would mean 24,000 people visited ratings Web sites. He just hasn’t seen such high figures come out of their focus groups, and only a “tiny fraction” of people getting direct mail likely visit those sites. “The macro-message is more individuals want to do research before giving to a charity,” Bhagat said, and they know how to look up a nonprofit, whether that’s through a rating site or an Internet search. For the most part, people know where they’re going, he said, as search engine marketing finds that the most common words that result in a clickthrough are an organization’s name. For instance, when people search for Operation Smile, they rarely type in “cleft lips,” but instead type the organization’s name. “Consumers are attuned to the fact that the Web is a research mechanism and they want to do this added level of diligence before making contribution,” Bhagat said. Christ emphasized the importance of a nonprofit’s Web site to support its direct mail package. “The Web didn’t generate those gifts on its own. It merely collected them,” Christ said. Passing the plate in church isn’t what generates gifts, he theorized, but “ask any pastor, he’ll tell you it’s the sermon. The organist will tell you different. Even the usher will tell you it’s the passing of plate.” INTEGRATING WEB & DIRECT MAIL “A big chunk of people getting this package -- prospects especially I guess -will go to your site to check you out,” Christ said. He suggests including a link in your direct mail package and building part of your Web site to support a particular mailing; a place on your site that answers basic questions, where nonprofits also could post their financial information.“Try to resolve all the issues there so people can see the benefit of giving right there on the spot,” he said. Ross suggested reinforcing the direct mail pieces with similar language and images on your Web site. Some integrated marking appeals include an email appeal to the same people about to receive a direct mail package, sending them to a landing page that more closely resembles the direct mail and the email appeal they just received, she said. Sometimes nonprofits’Web sites see increased traffic after a mailing, Allen said, while in other cases organizations also can trace a particular package by putting certain coding or including a Web address specific to that mailing. He estimates that for every 10 people who donated through the Web site after receiving a direct mail package, as many as 100 people probably came to look at the site. “The Web site can be pretty important because a lot of donors do go to your Web site to check you out,” Allen said. He suggested including an image of the mailing, a graphic or words so people who get the mailing and visit your Web site find something that relates to what they received in the mail. NPT “The Web didn’t generate those gifts on its own. It merely collected them.” — Rick Christ they generally jumped from very small to small numbers, in some cases tripling, for instance, from 2 percent to 7 percent for three different income categories. Among those earning $25,000 to $35,000, blogs didn’t even register three years ago, but today 11 percent said they visit blogs. The use of forums and blogs is still quite low as a channel and while traditional donors are in these forums, they are far less significant than a nonprofit’s own Web site, said Convio’s Bhagat. Only a subset of donors are active in social media today and while that’s growing, he said it’s not nearly as important as the core Web site yet. WEB-INDUCED TRANSPARENCY “The big theme here is the Internet brings transparency,” said Holly Ross, executive director of Portland, Ore.-based NTEN, a membership organization for nonprofit technology professionals. “Donors can access anytime, day or night, so this is an opportunity to be as transparent as possible and start to develop trust with a donor from the very beginning by having all the information accessible and up front on your Web site,” she said. Ross said the survey results confirm some of the things seen in other recent surveys, including donations from having a good, transparent Web site. “Those are increasing so you have to assume that people are going online when they hear about a charity, looking it up, Today my operation is running while I’m running a major donor event Today a distance of hundreds of miles doesn’t separate me from my organization’s day-to-day tasks. Why? Because I use Fundraiser 360° from Dynamic Data Concepts. Utilizing built-in business intelligence, Fundraiser 360° lets you schedule your reports to run even while you’re away. You can also set up alerts to be sent to you via email or text message so no matter where you are, you’re always connected. It’s that simple! Introducing Fundraiser 360°, the newest software solution from Dynamic Data Concepts. Based on ﬁfteen years of experience and feedback from thousands of users across the globe, Fundraiser 360° is the complete fundraising software solution for nonproﬁt organizations. To see how simple software can be, call us today at 800-890-3962 or visit us online at dynamicdataconcepts.com Donor Management | Membership | Events | Memorials | Web Solutions JULY 15, 2008 THE NONPROFIT TIMES www.nptimes.com 5 http://www.dynamicdataconcepts.com http://www.dynamicdataconcepts.com http://www.nptimes.com

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The NonProfit Times - July 15, 2008 Web Triggers Direct Mail Response Limited 'Face' Time Building Vs. Blowing Up Contents 'Mark'ed Man Who Are They? Making The Case Predictive Modeling Business Briefs Awards Calendar NPT Jobs Resource Directory

The NonProfit Times - July 15, 2008

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