This month, donors to Brown University’s annual fund will receive e-mail appeals seeking gifts of $10,000 to $75,000.
The university is one of many nonprofit institutions that has started seeking big gifts online, not just the small sums that have long been the hallmark of Internet fund raising.
In fact, at least 66 of the 183 big organizations that participated in The Chronicle’s annual online-giving survey said they are focusing on ways to court generous donors through the Internet.
To help organizations learn how to solicit donations via the Internet, The Chronicle will hold an online discussion tomorrow at noon Eastern time.
Our guests will be:
- Jeff Regen, vice president of online marketing and communications for Defenders of Wildlife, an environmental charity in Washington. Defenders of Wildlife receives more than 40 percent of its first-time gifts of $1,000 or more online.
- Betsey Fortlouis, senior director of member communications for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in New York, which has been expanding its online major-gifts campaign.
- Jeff Patrick, president of Common Knowledge, a San Francisco consulting company that helps charities conduct online fund-raising campaigns.
The discussion is open to everyone, not just Chronicle subscribers.
People who ask questions in advance have a better chance of receiving answers during the online discussion.






