E-Philanthropy

To Mama With Love is a collaborative online art project that honors moms across the globe and raises funds to invest in remarkable women who are transforming our world.

To equip donors with the tools and information they need to be smart and impactful givers, Bridgespan Group has launched GiveSmart.org, an online resource for philanthropic giving.

The site is part of Bridgespan's larger Give Smart effort, which is funded in part by a three-year grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for developing and making available research and tools to enable philanthropists to improve the impact of their donations.

In Washington, subscribers to the online coupon site Groupon found a second offer next to Tuesday’s deal for a discounted health-club membership. They also had the opportunity to donate meals to families in need.

The promotion, which will run through Saturday, encourages Groupon’s customers in Washington to make a donation to the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region’s Neighbors in Need Fund, which helps local food banks.

The community foundation said it would match all donations through Groupon, which can be made in increments of $10, $25, or $50.

There’s a lingering misconception that direct mail and the Web are fundamentally at odds. It’s more accurate to say that they complement and influence each other, and can enhance campaign effectiveness when considered as part of a whole. Consider designing your direct mail with the following in mind:

BT is hoping to expand the online giving market via the launch of its Web fundraising offering MyDonate, a launch which sees it compete with established players JustGiving and Virgin Money Giving in the online sponsorship and fundraising arena.

BT nnounced that myDonate, a website which will enable fundraising sponsorship, regular and one-off gifts in the tradition of JustGiving, will funnel 100 per cent of donations to charities.

Driven largely by giving to international disasters, online fundraising grew 14 percent in 2010 after falling in 2009, a new report says. Excluding international online giving, which grew 163 percent, online fundraising grew 10 percent, says the 2011 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study by M+R Strategic Services and NTEN.

Based on data from 40 nonprofits, the report also says the response rate for fundraising e-mail fell 19 percent on average to 0.08 percent in 2010, while the response rate to advocacy e-mail fell 7 percent on average to 3.3 percent.

There are four major online communications tools that every fundraiser should take advantage of — event marketing, social-media marketing, e-mail marketing and online surveys — according to Erik Mintz, director of event marketing at nonprofit software provider Constant Contact.

To take advantage of this evolving popularity of responding online to direct-mail appeals, let’s look at some strategies that you can implement immediately that will make your mail more engaging and encourage your prospects, donors and members to give, join and renew on your website.

On Monday, fundraising technology provider Convio released its 2011 Online Nonprofit Benchmark Study. FundRaising Success spoke with Dennis McCarthy, vice president of strategy and business practice at Convio, and consultant Andy Prince about the key findings from the study and what they mean for fundraisers.

Convio today released the results of its annual Convio Online Marketing Nonprofit Benchmark Index™ Study. The results of the study indicate that online is the fastest growing fundraising channel for nonprofits. In 2010, Convio’s clients raised more than $1.3 billion online, up 40 percent from 2009. The study shows that online engagement continues to play a crucial role for nonprofits: online legislative advocates grew 20 percent, email files continued to grow at a median 22 percent across all sectors and gift sizes increased in 2010.