Tracking for Small Colleges
Having worked or volunteered in small development shops or even small research shops we know that we carry many hats. …
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Having worked or volunteered in small development shops or even small research shops we know that we carry many hats. …
There’s been talk recently about the value of donor profiles in our non-profit communications. Often we see them employed as …
Is Social Media right for your Nonprofit Organization? Guest post from John Chen.
Recent changes at ISPs and Gmail make it more important than ever that you segment your house file and pay attention to your subscribers’ behavior.
It’s not every day that we receive a gift from a small to midsize private foundation. When it occurs, it …
Recent studies suggest that good conversation is possible due to “neural coupling” between the speaker and listener, but are these effects possible online too?
Understanding the importance of a welcome series
Stewardship in any form is essential to the success of your fundraising goals. This is particularly important when dealing with …
While reviewing some new wireframes with a client the other day, we began to compare their own, nonprofit website with some other, commercial sites. In a way, commercial websites have it easy. Typically, they have tangible products or services to sell, making it really clear what they want users to do on the site (buy, buy, buy!).
Nonprofit websites don’t usually sell something tangible. Sure, you may have an eCommerce store or even a Virtual Gift store, but there is always a bigger message than just “buy, buy, buy” or even “donate, donate, donate”.
My client’s feedback on their new wireframe was something along the lines of, “When I visit a site like Convio.com, I immediately know what you want me to do. Here, it’s not as clear. What is it we want people to do on our site?” I responded that it’s more challenging for nonprofits because you’re trying to sell a relationship, which can be defined differently for each organization. For some organizations, a relationship may mean that users rely on your site as a source for news on a specific topic. For others, it may mean that they care about your cause and simply want to keep up with what you’re doing to make a difference. Sure, donating and possibly buying something should be part of that relationship, but not likely at first. It takes time to cultivate relationships and your website should provide something valuable for users and offer a positive experience so that they’ll ultimately value your organization.
Take some time to consider your online goals with respect to your relationship with a constituent. I can bet that your goals may include “increase donations” or “build our house file”. What are you offering in return? You’ve got to sell a relationship, so what does that look like for you?
I was talking to a friend who’s looking to start using the web and social media more effectively to reach …
