But the challenge is that year on year it becomes an ever more costly process to deliver the volume of people needed to come through with a donation. The metrics of this model are becoming increasingly difficult, and acquisition costs are going up.
The solution, he says, is to borrow the concept from marketing guru Seth Godin that suggests flipping the funnel and turning it into a supporter megaphone where one supporter at the end of the funnel connects with all of her friends and contacts.
Miller said social media makes this possible, and that's why it's so exciting. But before thinking about which technology you'll use, start by developing an understanding of who you seek to engage on Web 2.0. Start to consider this area of fundraising by thinking in a supporter-focused way. Who do you want to engage with? How and why do they use the Internet?
There's a wealth of information online to help answer this question. One source he suggested looking to is Forrester's Social Technographics Ladder, which is a profile of online consumers based on the level that they have adopted social media. It breaks online consumers into these six categories:
- Creators: These individuals publish Web pages, publish or maintain blogs, and upload video to sites like YouTube.
- Critics: These people comment on blogs and post ratings and reviews.
- Collectors: Use RSS and tag Web pages
- Joiners: Use social-networking sites
- Spectators: Read blogs and customer reviews, watch peer-generated video, and listen to podcasts.
- Inactives: Do none of the above-mentioned activities.
Miller suggested organizations use Forrester's free tool to determine the social technographics profile of their donors, being sure to look at an age split, as age is a key determinant of online adoption.
Miller also suggested using the social technographics questions in your own supporter surveys and keeping an eye out for free research reports available online, e.g., Universal McCann's Social Media Tracker, Razorfish's "Digital Mom" report, the e-Nonprofit Benchmarks Study and Givinginadigitalworld.org.
Web 2.0, Miller said, is all about people in self-selected communities online and offline, rather than individuals at the end of a mailings-based communication. He said it's all about community fundraising 2.0 — taking all we know about community fundraising and adding what we're learning about Web 2.0.
There are three components to achieving community fundraising 2.0:
1. Audience. Identify your current and potential online community fundraisers.
Miller suggested doing this using much the same approach as for traditional community fundraising. Get out there and start listening online. Get to know the sites that the people who match your donor profile might be on.
International Fundraising eConference Roundup: Empowering Networked Communities
But the challenge is that year on year it becomes an ever more costly process to deliver the volume of people needed to come through with a donation. The metrics of this model are becoming increasingly difficult, and acquisition costs are going up.
The solution, he says, is to borrow the concept from marketing guru Seth Godin that suggests flipping the funnel and turning it into a supporter megaphone where one supporter at the end of the funnel connects with all of her friends and contacts.
Miller said social media makes this possible, and that's why it's so exciting. But before thinking about which technology you'll use, start by developing an understanding of who you seek to engage on Web 2.0. Start to consider this area of fundraising by thinking in a supporter-focused way. Who do you want to engage with? How and why do they use the Internet?
There's a wealth of information online to help answer this question. One source he suggested looking to is Forrester's Social Technographics Ladder, which is a profile of online consumers based on the level that they have adopted social media. It breaks online consumers into these six categories:
Miller suggested organizations use Forrester's free tool to determine the social technographics profile of their donors, being sure to look at an age split, as age is a key determinant of online adoption.
Miller also suggested using the social technographics questions in your own supporter surveys and keeping an eye out for free research reports available online, e.g., Universal McCann's Social Media Tracker, Razorfish's "Digital Mom" report, the e-Nonprofit Benchmarks Study and Givinginadigitalworld.org.
Web 2.0, Miller said, is all about people in self-selected communities online and offline, rather than individuals at the end of a mailings-based communication. He said it's all about community fundraising 2.0 — taking all we know about community fundraising and adding what we're learning about Web 2.0.
There are three components to achieving community fundraising 2.0:
1. Audience. Identify your current and potential online community fundraisers.
Miller suggested doing this using much the same approach as for traditional community fundraising. Get out there and start listening online. Get to know the sites that the people who match your donor profile might be on.