Non-Profits Utilizing Digital Media In A Tough Economy

Online giving increased last year despite the economic downturn, according to a recently published report by relationship management software company Convio. Donors are still opening up their wallets to give to non-profits, but it is becoming more competitive and gifts are becoming smaller according to the report. How does your organization get a slice of the pie? We have long advocated the idea of “Small Yes Theory”. This system of relationship building is created by asking potential donors to complete small actions and by doing so they are building a stronger relationship with your organization. With each action the stakes and investment grows. The sequence could be as simple as asking a user to join you on Facebook. Then asking for an opinion on your latest blog. Progressing to a petition signing request and finishing with an appeal to donate to the cause. The latest Online Nonproit Benchmark Study gives some compelling reason for your non-profit to adhere to the “Small Yes Theory”. According to the study, click through rates for newsletter emails were double of that of fundraising appeals. For wildlife and conservation groups this was even more pronounced: Newsletter click-through rate average – 5.02%, Fundraising click-through rate average – 1.66%. The report also made a very strong correlation between those who advocate online and those who donate online. 7.33% of online activists also supported the same organization financially online. Conversely, 8.06% of online donors also took some type of advocacy action with the same organization. These are two compelling trends: (1) Donations are getting smaller even as more donors are giving and (2) Getting people active in advocacy actions makes them more likely to form a stronger relationship with an organization and thus more likely to donate. In response to these trends we are building a platform to help non-profits pull constituents into their community. The platform will give the user an effortless advocacy experience, creating more “yesses” and allowing more impact for your organization.