Blackbaud

Blackbaud recently conducted an assessment in an effort to help nonprofit organizations evaluate their current Internet marketing efforts. In this second look at the results, we’ll delve into the “Visit Value” section. With more than 500 respondents, the questions in this section focused on a Web site’s “sticky” properties — if it feels fresh and trustworthy, and offers information and experiences that make a return visit likely. Here is a look at how nonprofits are using, or not using, these principles: Is your Web site content updated at least monthly? Responses: Yes 67%; No 33% If your site content is not updated frequently,

Nonprofits face increasing competition for support every day. Fortunately, the Internet offers unparalleled opportunities to better differentiate your organization, increase involvement and operate more efficiently. By leveraging the Internet to market your organization, you can build stronger relationships with your constituents — including donors, members, volunteers and employees — to better support your mission both now and in the future.

The nonprofit sector relies on public trust. Without ethical standards and a way to convey accountability to donors, that trust will degrade and support suffer. Accountability is the way an organization conveys its ethical standards for fundraising to donors, how it shows donors the measurable results from their gifts. In the whitepaper, Accountability Matters: Without the Public Trust, Nonprofits Wouldn’t Exist, Liz Marenakos discusses the need for nonprofit accountability, beginning by listing the three components of accountability: financial and regulatory compliance, stewardship, and donor trust. Marenakos is product line manager for Blackbaud’s financial management and data analysis solutions. According to Marenakos, because of the breadth of

A nonprofit organization’s Web site might not be the point of transaction for six-figure donations, but it can serve as a powerful tool in cultivating major gifts. An effective Web strategy can help build relationships with major donors by identifying prospects, capturing information and providing a high-touch, 24/7 communication channel. It offers a great way to have more frequent, less invasive (and less expensive) interactions that empower donors by putting them in the driver’s seat. The key is to align your organization’s Internet strategy with your offline major- giving program and the specific needs of your major-donor prospects. Major gifts and major

Nonprofit organizations are facing more competition for support every day. Many are turning to the Internet to better differentiate their organizations, increase fundraising and operate more efficiently. By leveraging their Web sites, organizations will have the opportunity to build stronger relationships with their constituent communities — including donors, members, volunteers and employees — to support their missions today and in the future.

Prospect research is most effective when you have the information you need when you need it. Sounds obvious, right? But it implies that an organization knows what information it really needs. The type of information needed depends on the prospect’s stage in the solicitation cycle. There are three stages within the solicitation cycle: the identification stage; the cultivation stage and the solicitation stage. 1. Identification of capable prospects is among the most important responsibilities of prospect research. At the identification stage, you only need to have clear evidence of major-gift capacity — expensive property or significant stock holdings, for instance. It is not

Do you need to raise public awareness in order to serve your organization’s mission? Do you need to maintain public funding for your organization? Do you protect or fight for social issues important to your organization?

In its white paper “RFM: A Formula for Greater Direct Mail Success,” Charleston, S.C.-based nonprofit software services provider Blackbaud posits that by using a database of donors’ giving histories to do RFM analysis, organizations can increase gifts and reduce costs.

Blackbaud recommends the following tips for nonprofits interested in setting up RFM measurement.

Everyone in an organization’s annual-fund program has the potential to give a planned gift. It’s up to organizations to build an information base and marketing strategy that can identify these donors. This according to Lawrence Henze, managing director of Blackbaud Analytics, who addresses the topic in a whitepaper titled, “Making Planned Giving Work for You.” Five tips Henze recommends to reach out to planned-giving prospects are: 1) Keep your message simple. Messaging should be clear and concise and should focus on one type of planned gift at a time, Henze writes, as bequest prospects are different from annuities prospects, and so forth. He also

Relationships with your constituents are built on respect, trust and communication — qualities realized when you demonstrate that your organization is worthy of supporters’ time, energy and money. As nonprofits embrace the Internet’s power, e-mail is emerging as an increasingly important communication tool. Nonprofits that learn the communication preferences of their donors and prospects will have the advantage when competing with similar organizations for donations.