The WOW! of online fundraising!

http://www.uncoverthecure.org/index.html

https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/donate.aspx?EventID=36192&LangPref=en-CA

http://www.winnerswalkofhope.ca/index_national.htm

http://www.louiseporter.ca/

https://www.greatlakes.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=942

Here are a few examples of where organizations are fundraising online. What do you like about each? What don't you like? When I ask this question the reply is usually more focussed around the look and feel to the site and not how it functions or whether it will assist you in raising more money. The 5 most important areas you want to look at when you are choosing an online fundraising solution are:

1) Peer-to-Peer
Think of yourself receiving an email. Let's say you receive an email from an organization you barely know or who you have never heard from and then a second email from your best friend. Which email are you more likely to open first? If both asked you to support a cause, which would you be more inclined to support? Peer-to-peer and viral fundraising solutions increase donations because friends give to friends and not always to organizations they don't know.

2) Time
I constantly here from fundraiser's that they wish they had more time to be out asking for money. Your fundraising solution needs to be doing this for you in terms of getting your "ask" out to a much wider audience without using any more of your time. This allows you to focus more time on things such as your major giving program and stewarding your generous donors. Online solutions should also automate the process of processing payments, receipting, and acknowledging new donors. The best solutions prevent you from having to worry about moving the data into your donor database and do some clean-up of data along the way.

3) Customize
Branding is critical. Your giving pages need to have a similar look to your other web presence. They need to WOW your website visitors to encourage them to spread the word and get your message out. Good online solutions allow you to quickly and easily make these customizations yourself without having any technical skill.

4) Reporting
In todays highly competitive fundraising market, you need to have real time click of the button accurate reporting that tells you exactly what is happening or not happening. You need to be able to access this reporting where ever you are. This allows you to better manage your campaign and make adjustments when needed.

5) Cost
I often here from organizations that some of the fundraising solutions on the market are too expensive. I agree. It is important to note that there should be more focus placed on return on investment rather than just the up front cost. A solution that allows you to raise a lot more money may be worth spending a little more on.

I encourage you to look at the annual issue of Advancing Philanthropy from AFP to see all the online fundraising solutions available to you. They compare all the functionality of each solution nicely. I recommend you speak to users of the solutions you are looking at moving forward with and request detailed domonstrations of the software and their support.

Have a fantastic day! Happy fundraising!!!