Many nonprofits are feeling the impact of the financial crisis — in particular those reliant on corporate gifts. Others are bracing themselves for challenging conditions. In difficult economic times, it can be a natural reaction to stop all new investments. Yet, building strong constituent relationships and acquiring new donors to replenish losses is more important than ever.
Nonprofits must adopt a strategic approach to their fundraising investments, cutting less efficient areas and investing where gains can be realized. The traditional fundraising model has been in decline for some time. The financial crisis and competition for donor dollars has heightened the imperative to change models today, re-allocating investment from waning traditional fundraising approaches to new approaches that incorporate the online channel.
JupiterResearch
Many people who make charitable donations this holiday season will do so with the click of a mouse. A recently released survey, conducted by JupiterResearch, shows that more than half of U.S. residents plan to donate to their favorite charities this holiday season via the Internet. Convio, the Austin, Texas-based provider of on-demand CRM software and services for nonprofits that commissioned the survey, estimates U.S. online giving to reach more than $3 billion during the 2008 holiday season. That means nonprofits need to make sure their efforts to attract supporters via their Web sites and other electronic communication mediums are inspiring and
While a recent study by the Direct Marketing Association’s Email Experience Council found online retailers do a great job of honoring unsubscribe requests quickly, it also found they could improve their opt-out processes, such as by providing subscribers with alternatives to opting out or at least lowering the barriers to doing so. The study — EEC’s first Retail Email Unsubscribe Benchmark Study — examines the opt-out practices of 94 of the largest online retailers tracked via RetailEmail.Blogspot, EEC’s blog that tracks the e-mail marketing campaigns of e-tailers. Chad White, the author of the study and EEC’s director of retail insights, and editor-at-large and
