Download ppt - Best Practices in Online Fundraising: Maximizing your Springtime Event

Online fundraising made easy

Welcome to Firstgiving’s Webinar

• The webinar will begin shortly

• Please be sure you are able to hear audio– Call: (605) 772-3434– Access code: 237-954-175


Presented by: Kurt Steiner, Firstgiving Liz Dorsett, Scleroderma Foundation

Best Practices in Online Fundraising:

Maximizing your Springtime Event


Agenda

• Person-to-person online fundraising

• Scleroderma case study

• Firstgiving and spring events

• Demonstration

• Firstgiving Account types


About Firstgiving

• Who we are- A leading provider of online

fundraising tools

• Some history- Established in 1999 in London and

expanded to the US in 2003

• Our mission- Make possible for anyone,

anywhere, to raise money for important causes

Since 1999, we have raised over $300 million for over 5,000 nonprofits worldwide!


What is Person-to-Person Fundraising?

Your Nonprofit

Supporters/ Fundraisers Donors

Donors

- People making personalized appeals for causes that are important to them

- Giving your supporters the ability to leverage their social network to make a difference


Example Fundraising Page

• They work to put a face to your organization• They eliminate the “fear of asking” for people

who don’t like asking for money in person.• Gives donors a convenient option to give by

using their credit card• Automatically generates donation receipt,

which may be used for tax purposes.

Progress thermometer

Personal appeal

Donations and comments


Donors Give to Their Friends and Leave a Comment

“Good luck with your recovery, I admire you more than you know!!!”

“Glad to help! H.S. classmate of your dad.”

“I am so proud of you!”

“Better late than never”

“I Gave More Than Martha, Thus I Care More....”

“You are an inspiration”


Best Practice 1: Appeal to Your Whole Community

Family and close friends

Other friends and coworkers

Acquaintancesfrom the past or far away

Online community


Please Welcome Guest Speaker, Liz Dorsett

Communications Manager,

Scleroderma Foundation


$0$100,000

$200,000

$300,000$400,000

$500,000$600,000

$700,000

$800,000$900,000

Before After

Before Firstgiving• Walks raised $521,419

After Firstgiving• Following year $819,600


0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Year 2 Year 3

In year 2, 58 fundraisers raised an average of $445 online

In year 3, 109 fundraisers averaged $689 online

Case Study : Tri State Chapter


Best Practice 2:

Put information about Firstgiving everywhere:

• “Save the date” card

• Email newsletter

• All walk materials

• Your website


Best Practice 3:

• Show thought leaders (board members, dev. director) how to make fundraising pages

• Lead by example and set up your own fundraising page

• Encourage walk committee and staff members to follow suit


Why Firstgiving?– Cost effective– Easy-to-use for employees, fundraisers and donors– Efficient online registration process– Fundraisers love personalizing fundraising pages and

say it makes raising money much easier!– Easy team integration to help motivate fundraisers to

increase their fundraising efforts– Friendly and knowledgeable Firstgiving support team– MORE MONEY RAISED!


Fewer admin headaches and greater donor reach means MORE MONEY RAISED!


More Best Practices:

Thank you, Liz!


Best Practice 4: Use Social Media

Blogs and social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook): With over 100 million

MySpace accounts and over 62 million Facebook accounts, Social Media

presents an easy and popular way to reach people all over the world.

• People tap into a wider range of relationships

– 33% of Firstgiving donations are from out-of-state

• Tip: Remind your supporters to use Social Media sites as another way to collect more donations to their fundraising pages

– Oftentimes, fundraisers collect donations without even having to ask!


Firstgiving on Facebook

Your users place their fundraising efforts directly on their profile, thus tapping into

a vast online community.


Fundraisers may add a You Tube video and personal Flickr pictures to

their fundraising page.


Firstgiving and Spring Events:Streamline the process online!

• Reduce mass mailings and pledge forms: simply direct your supporters to your Premium Start Page

– From there, they register for your event and create their own fundraising page

– Participants answer custom questions, such as t-shirt size, or anything else you need to know

• Fundraising pages expire 2 months after the event, which means people can still donate after the event is over.

– In fact, approximately 10% of donations come in the day of the event or in the weeks following—these are often donations you would not have received otherwise!

– Best Practice 4:

Ask your participants to send out an email

after the event to thank those who have donated

and nudge those who haven’t


Demo: Firstgiving Experience


Premium Start Page

Organization and/or event description

Total raised online

Easy call to action for

fundraisers

Your banner

Top Teams

Top Fundraisers

Nonprofit Resource

Center

Up to 3 custom Images


Cost

• Creating a fundraising page and making a donation are free

• We deduct a 7.35% transaction fee from donations

• Credit card processing charges are included in this fee


Firstgiving Nonprofit Accounts

Nonprofit Account

• Cost: Free• Start Page• Unlimited fundraising

pages• Online reports: fundraiser

and donor contact details

Premium Nonprofit Account

• Cost: $300/annually• Branded Start Page

– Branded fundraising pages with your logos and banner

• Includes:– Event registration– Event reports – Team functionality


Premium Start Page:www.firstgiving.com/sonh

Start Page:www.firstgiving.com/npo/3179

Example Start Pages


Interested in learning more?– Visit our website – Sign up for a nonprofit account today

• www.firstgiving.com/signup – Email [email protected]

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