Online Donor Experience

We all need new donors. Many of the traditional ways, direct mail or peer to peer fund raising are showing limitations in finding long-term, committed donors.

What are the quick ways to engage prospective donors to understand and be committed to our mission? Online becomes a primary consideration. Depending on your size, you have hundreds, thousands or millions coming to your website every month. How easy is it to engage with us? Are there many ways? Is it simple? Is it engaging?

Creating a journey path for several scenarios in advance, and then executing it can help. Is it something like go from the site to a Facebook page and Like it. Engage with them to get them to share. Encourage those who share to give. What is the path they are likely to follow?

Here are some key ideas:

1. Know your audience – What are typical donors interested in?
2. Share your messages quickly – Time and attention spans, online, are limited.
3. Make your message easy to consume – Communicate real stories without jargon.
4. Ask them to date before you ask them to marry – Don’t ask for a donation too soon.

Ask them on a date before you ask them to marry you. Don’t blow your chances of getting a donation by asking too soon. Provide opportunities to donate, but don’t force the issue until they’ve interacted with your organization for a little while and shown real interest in your mission.The key is to keep them thinking about you after the interaction, get them to tell their friends about their experience, and entice them to come back for more. Save the dinner, movie, and walk on the beach for after they’re committed to you.

via Want to Boost New Donor Acquisition Online? Try Speed-Dating, Not Dinner and A Movie | npENGAGE.