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June 12, 2009
How to Attract Big Gifts Online
Fund raisers stand a better chance of getting gifts of $1,000 or more online by marrying online direct-marketing techniques with more personal face-to-face communications traditionally used to seek large donations from individuals.
That’s the message that Mikaela King and Nancy Withbroe deliver in a new background paper published by CDR Fundraising Group, a Bowie, Md., consulting firm.
Ms. King and Ms. Withbroe advise charities to try new ways of communicating online with donors who make larger-than-normal gifts. Among their tips:
Ask for large gifts online. But “don’t just ask for large gifts,” the authors write. “Include ‘price points that show how you will use larger gifts. … What outcomes could you achieve for your constituents with $1,000? $5,000?
Provide program reports at least monthly. “Show them pictures of your organization in action,” they write, “or better yet, send them a link to a video of work they funded happening on the ground.”
Ask for testimonials. Post testimonials from donors and foundations about the organization’s work online. “Include their pictures and tell their stories, just as you might about a program recipient,” the authors advise.
Give high-dollar donors access to online ‘insider’ information. “Send them a link to a video from the CEO or board chair giving a preview of a new program,” they write, “or a virtual ‘hard hat’ tour of a facility under construction.”
(You can learn more about trends in online fund raising from The Chronicle’s annual survey.)
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…. like a link to a web cam of the construction site or an interview with the constructin site supervisor. Or, perhaps Skype in a donor with a student.
— Sue Jun 19, 01:09 AM #