Tips for Harnessing Web 2.0 Potential

All in all, the presenters said the best 2.0 Web sites:

• Serve as community hubs, giving members, alumni, donors and other supporters reasons to visit often.
• Work toward communications objectives in conjunction with other media, e.g., mail, e-mail, ads, social-network sites.
• Are tailored to audiences.
• Are not too busy or cluttered, but still manage to communicate important information about your mission and values that are important to donors.

Kish noted some organizations that are doing 2.0 well, including:

• PETA, which offers subsites like PetaPrime, a more sedate site for mature supporters; Peta2, an edgier site for the younger set; and the lighthearted PetaKids;
• Indiana State University's March On: Campaign for Indiana State, which uses interactive video to engage supporters;
• The United Way's Live United campaign, which features a call to action on multiple levels (volunteer, donate, advocate), has strong branding and uses multiple 2.0 tools; and
• the Roundabout Theatre Company's Campaign for Studio 54, where donors are able to click on a seat they'd like to endow in the new theater, see the view for that seat and purchase it.

For organizations interested in incorporating 2.0 tools, Sturino and Kish recommended:

1. Setting fundraising, stewardship, membership and/or community-building objectives.
2. Defining audiences.
3. Keeping brand and messaging consistent across traditional and new media.
4. Communicating clear policies (public blog policy, employee social-networking and blogging policies, etc.)
5. Measuring progress. Web 2.0 metrics to measure include unique visitors to the site, page visits, new e-mail list opt-ins, e-mail clickthroughs and blog participation.
6. Staying flexible and adjusting strategies based on metrics.

In closing, the presenters stressed that the new tools should not replace the old. Rather, organizations should integrate use of all the tools at their disposal, using traditional media to drive new media, and vice versa.