28 Ideas for Digital Fundraising Success, Part 2 (11-20)

[Editor's note: This is part 2 of a three-part series on the session "Rapid Fire: Tips and Trends on Web, Tech and Social Media" at Fund Raising Day in New York. Click here for part 1.]

Here are ideas 11-20 that Liz Murphy, president of RedEngine Digital; Lane Brooks, COO of Food and Water Watch; Ann Crowley, membership and online strategy at Human Rights Campaign; and Harry Lynch, CEO of SankyNet, shared in their session at Fund Raising Day in New York last month.

11. A picture is worth $$
A picture on the donate button itself can increase contributions. It makes the call to action even more prominent.

12. Don't accept the status quo
Test, retest, track and analyze everything. A theory is just a theory until you test it. You should continually re-evaluate long-standing programs and track your metrics. Optimization is the key, and the only true way to stay optimized is to test constantly. Even testing things as small as the color of the "Donate Now" button or all caps vs. no caps can impact response.

13. Use Facebook to thank donors and supporters
Post a public thank-you online to promote donor recognition and encourage other giving at the same time. A public Facebook thank-you message saw 40 percent more "shares" for one organization than its average Facebook post, and overall page engagement increased 34 percent after the post.

14. Make your campaign relevant
Create campaign hooks that help donors relate the campaign to their lives. One way to do that is to relate your campaign to current events or news. Leveraging current news as much as possible can keep your organization top of mind.

15. Juggling takes two hands (that work together)
Close coordination between online and direct mail pays off. Keep in mind timing, theme and copy to make sure the message remains consistent.

16. Integration is vital
Donors now reside in a multichannel world, which means there is a lot of channel crossover. Mail donors have e-mail addresses, and social-media users can be reached by phone. So it's crucial to launch a full-scale campaign. Think beyond e-mail, and incorporate a fully integrated campaign using all the tools at your disposal: social media, text message, website, lightbox ads, blog posts, press releases, direct mail and telemarketing.

17. Target Facebook ads to your own 'likes'
Covenant House used targeted Facebook ads to promote a matching-gift offer. By doing that, it resulted in $12.08 for the organization for every $1 it spent while also increased overall donor engagement.

18. Avoid these website design (or redesign) no-nos

• Relying completely on market research and personas to redesign your site (or not).
• Having only one link on a page to important content.
• Putting headlines and links on your site graphics.
• Your mother can't tell you the purpose of your site in four seconds.
• Using a lot of Javascript and Flash.
• Not worrying about changing URLs for the new site.

19. Who's making the ask?
It's important to establish a relationship between the donor and the asker. It's always important to vary who the ask is coming from, testing to see what works best.

20. Mobile is on the rise
Mobile Internet access grew 28 percent in the past year, and mobile device adoption continues to rise. Thus, fundraisers must optimize all e-mails and webpages for mobile access. Find new ways to integrate mobile usage — for examples, offer a text notification network or use mobile in action/advocacy campaigns.