about envision online media. - agitator | donorvoice · 2017-02-01 · about envision online media....

About Envision Online Media.Since 1999, Envision has created more than 500 websites for small- and medium-sized organisations, including hundreds of charities and non-profits. We live right where web technology and marketing come together. Our professional team is passionate about search engine optimization and design, as well as web development, which allows us to provide a truly holistic web service for our clients.www.envisiononline.ca

About Good Works. Good Works is dedicated to the amazing potential that exists among donors, the causes they care most about, and the charities they choose to advance those causes. We’re storytellers who know better than anyone how to use your story to raise more money, by connecting with your donors’ hearts and souls. Whether through traditional direct response, legacy marketing, online fundraising or case statement development, we’ll tell your stories in a way that will make your donors love you.www.goodworksco.ca

WEBSITE BENCHMARKS FOR CANADIAN CHARITIES 2

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2014

And almost half of you don’t have a web strategy in place. Are you okay with these statistics?

WEBSITE BENCHMARKS FOR CANADIAN CHARITIES

Probably not. And you’ve probably heard stats like this before. You maybe even quote them. You also probably have no idea where they came from or if they’re accurate. Like a weird Facebook meme or that email chain letter your grandma forwards you, statistics on charity websites are often as sketchy as the websites themselves. The most recent survey on What Canadian Donors Want, commissioned by the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy – Canada, offers a slightly more reliable source of information. The poll of 1,003 Canadians suggests that websites are the most common way people find information about the charities they support.

• 41% of people go to your website before making their first gift

• 31% of people are using search engines to find more information about you

• 36% of people rely on word of mouth – asking friends, family, & co-workers about you

The survey suggests that your website and search engines are the new word of mouth. That’s great news for the digital realm, but are you ready?Do you even know where to start?

ABOUT 90% OF YOUR MAJOR DONORS ARE VISITING YOUR WEBSITE BEFORE MAKING THEIR FIRST GIFT.


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START HERE The State of the Canadian Web Nation

Nearly a year ago, we decided we simply couldn’t work with unreliable or incomplete statistics, and that you shouldn’t have to either. So we decided to poll Canadian charities to get a better sense of what the state of the web nation actually is. This isn’t as easy as throwing a few questions out to the digital ether. We wanted to ensure we were asking the right questions so we would get the kind of answers that would provide the best information for those of us working in the sector. THE GOAL WAS SIMPLE: DETERMINE BASELINES AND BENCHMARKS FOR CANADIAN CHARITY WEBSITES. No more sketchy stats. We want to know how well Canadian charities are employing best practices on their websites, and how they can do better. We want a definitive source for up-to-date information about the role of digital at a non-profit. And we want to make sure that

everyone in the sector can access this information so charities can see how they measure up against these best practices and other charities.

IN THIS REPORT, YOU’LL GET• The big picture of the state of digital

benchmarks in Canada • The accurate and up-to-date data you

need to create a kick ass web strategy • The analysis of why it matters –

to management, to fundraisers, and to IT professionals

AFTER YOU READ THIS REPORT, YOU’LL BE ABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS LIKE • Why do we need a web strategy? • How often should we plan to update

our website?• What does the perfect donation

page look like? • How does my charity measure up

to sector benchmarks? • What role should our website play in

growing our fundraising program?


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About a year ago, Good Workers Fraser Green and Holly Wagg, alongside their technology partner Todd Jamieson, started speaking together at conferences about charity websites. Their first collaboration was to pull together 20 tips to help your charity raise more money online.

HOW WE DID ITAs they sat together in the planning stages, they came to a neat realization. Each team member wore a different hat to the table, and each had different ideas about what the key points were. You might even say there were battles. This, of course, is not unlike what happens in your charity when decisions about your website need to be made. In these discussions, three voices tend to emerge: a leadership voice, a tactical voice, and technical voice. Your Executive Director, your fundraiser or communications person, and your IT person. This realization played a critical role in how we approached this survey, and how we interpreted the data.

The State of the Canadian Web Nation survey was launched on January 14, 2014 and closed on February 19, 2014. In a few short weeks, over 593 of you started the online survey, and most of you made it the entire way through. Once we cleaned up the data, we had 516 complete responses to explore, analyze and interpret.The data provides a clear, holistic picture of the State of the Canadian Web Nation. But what this data means to those voices around your planning table will be different. We wanted to give you the most concise and clear analysis possible. But we also wanted to ensure that each voice was represented, with an easy to use resource to underscore why this matters to you.

Throughout the analysis, you will see highlights of key points from a leadership perspective, a fundraising perspective, and a technology perspective. Our hope is that this approach invites a holistic read, while ensuring the information most relevant to you is immediately recognizable.


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Fraser is not your father’s market research freak – but he knows how to talk to just about anyone, especially those in the C-suite. He’s been conducting polls, asking the right questions and building strong relationships in the political, corporate, public and non-profit sectors for 30 years. He knows what works – because he’s made it work countless times before.

Fraser Green is Chief Strategist and Smartypants at Good Works – a Canadian consulting firm that specializes in helping charities form deep and loyal relationships with their donors.

When it comes to working in the charitable sector, Holly has worn every hat and looked at organisations from every angle over the past 18 years. From programming to communications to fundraising, she’s mastered the art of making powerful and passionate connections between charitable causes and what donors need to hear. She is a seamless sense-maker with the ability to translate the sometimes freaky world of digital fundraising into common-sense solutions.

Holly Wagg is Philanthropic Counsel and Chief Digital Architect at Good Works – alongside Fraser, she ensures your donors are deeply connected to your cause by telling stories that matter.

You’ve maybe met a guy like Todd before. He’s the one you always ask about your technology problems. And Todd always has the best answer. Why? Because he’s had his hands in over 500 web-based projects over the last 20 years, and his entire career has been committed to helping organisations work smarter with their technology. He’s a tireless explorer of new developments on the web, and has been keeping pace with its constant changes since 1995.

Todd Jamieson is President and CEO at Envision Online Media - a Canadian web agency that specializes in website design, analytics and SEO for medium-sized organisations

Holly WaggFundraising Perspective

Fraser Green Leadership Perspective

Todd JamiesonTechnology Perspective

THE TEAM


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THE BIG PICTURELET’S START WITH THE NOT SO GREAT. Simply, charity websites are not delivering when it comes to donor expectations. Organisational leadership has remained skeptical of the power of digital, while many on the front lines are struggling to meet the needs of donors with little investment. Strategies are not in place, and organisations are struggling to create and maintain meaningful online spaces. • Only 27% of respondents say their charity has a

web strategy in place.• 60% of respondents say web is not valued by

organisational leadership.• Half of respondents are embarrassed by their

charity’s website.

• Most respondents indicated challenges in using and integrating different web tools, such as social media, search engine optimization, and data collection.

• The number one website challenge faced by organisations is capital investment and cultural buy-in.

ANY GOOD NEWS?• It seems like many of you are already on the

right track.• Almost 2/3 of respondents say they use some kind

of open source content management system for their site. This means a large portion of charities are already using adaptable, open and lower-cost solutions for managing their website.

So, what is the state of the web nation? There’s good news. There’s not so great news.

And lots of promise in the work-in-progress news.


2014

THE BIG PICTURE• Over 50% of charities are using custom-

built or customizable web donation forms, which means built-in ability to respond quickly to online donors.

• 50% of charities are using social media, and 1 in 3 have integrated these platforms into their websites.

THERE’S HOPE FOR A BETTER NATION. We’ll let the data do the talking, but it’s clear we’ve got a long way to go to ensure our websites are in the best shape to welcome and convert donors. While many charities are missing the boat, responses indicate that there is a great desire to make change.

• 40% of respondents said they tried to focus on user experience in designing their website.

• 60% said they were using forms of storytelling, but want to incorporate a lot more.

• More than half of respondents update their website at least once a week, and a third say that this is easily done by anyone in the organisation.

• About 50% of respondents are seriously working towards becoming mobile-friendly, and really need to be moving in the direction of becoming mobile-optimized.

THE BOTTOM LINESomeone is forming their impression of you right now. And from leadership down and wireframes out, your organisation’s website is not doing enough to impress. Nearly 1/2 of those surveyed are raising less than 5% of your annual donation revenue online, and only 1/4 of us have any kind of web strategy in place. The bad news is we’re not doing enough with our websites. The good news is that these problems can be fixed, some quite easily. There are simple best practices that you can employ that will get your site to a place where it will interest and engage your audiences.

...continued


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HERE ARE A FEW THINGS YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT TODAY.1. ORGANISATIONS NEED STRONG WEB STRATEGY, TOUT DE SUITE.Your organisation likely has a strategic plan. It’s probably written down, too. So why don’t you have a documented web strategy? If you’re a CEO or Board Chair, you might have a web strategy in your head. Or you might assume your communications department has one. But let’s be honest. If your strategy isn’t written down, then you don’t have one.

2. ORGANISATIONS NEED TO DECIDE WHO’S IN CHARGE AND GET EVERYONE ON BOARD.Your website is your most important communications tool. It builds support and raises you money. Paired with your web strategy is the crucial decision about just who is in charge. Is it executive management? The communications department? IT? A sole fundraiser? A committee of staff and board? Effective leadership is a requirement to be successful in this realm.Alongside strong leadership comes a committed team. Creating a culture that recognizes the importance of a website and having a collaborative approach to your web strategy means everyone’s on board and doing their part. It also means that the needs of both fundraising AND mission-making programs are met.One plan. One team. No silos.


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...continued

3. ORGANISATIONS NEED TO COMMIT HUMAN AND CAPITAL RESOURCES TO THEIR WEBSITES. Your site has a shelf life of three years. If you’re not currently working on a refresh, you’re already planning for the next one. This means ensuring your organisation is committing brains and bucks to making this happen. It’s not a $1,000 one-man project. If you’re not committing resources to this, it will never become a priority. If it’s not a priority, you’re going to seriously fall behind.Commit to sucking less.

4. ORGANISATIONS NEED TO TELL BETTER STORIES, IN JARGON-FREE LANGUAGE. Humans are storytelling creatures. We’ve been intrigued and inspired by stories for centuries. Is there any doubt that a compelling story is the best way to win support? Facts and figures and confusing words simply don’t have the same effect as a powerfully simple story. “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Not “Purchase transaction availability: neoteric infant footwear.”

5. ORGANISATIONS NEED DONATION PAGES THAT AREN’T SIMPLY CASH REGISTERS – PAGES THAT PULL IN AND CONVERT CLICKS TO CASH. Persuasion. It’s more than a novel about a Victorian spinster. It’s the business we’re in, and we could be doing a much better job at it. Persuading donors to give money online requires more than a donation form. This is where quality of your form, copy, imagery and call to action comes into play. You need to inspire donors to make a gift to your cause. This means that your donation pages need to be more than transactional pages or how-to guides listing the various giving options.It’s time to kick your website in the ask.

HERE ARE A FEW THINGS YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT TODAY.


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...continued

HERE ARE A FEW THINGS YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT TODAY.6. ORGANISATIONS NEED TO UPDATE THEIR WEBSITES MORE FREQUENTLY, AND NEED EASIER ACCESS AND BETTER TOOLS TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. Gone are the days of brochure sites that simply list facts, figures and dry program descriptions that you leave for months and years. You wouldn’t leave your child unattended, and you shouldn’t leave your website unattended either. Organisations need to be thinking of the ongoing needs of their users, regularly updating content to engage the audience and remain relevant for the search engine robots that are constantly combing the web to give the best and most up-to-date information to info seekers. Having easy-to-use content management systems ensures everyone on staff can quickly update your site’s information, in a manner that is pleasing to both donors and our search engine robot overlords!Please, think of the children!

7. ORGANISATIONS NEED TO INTEGRATE THEIR WEB TOOLS, SUCH AS SOCIAL MEDIA, BLOGGING, AND SEO, AND NEED MEANINGFUL WAYS TO TRACK AND ANALYSE THIS INFORMATION. You probably have a Facebook page or a Twitter account, but do you know why? Social media and other tools exist for more than just sucking away your coffee break. They are a powerful and necessary way to draw your supporters in, and engage them in the important work you’re doing. And it’s about more than just tracking likes. Are your likes and retweets translating into dollars? Should they be? And how would you even know? Setting goals with key metrics will help you better understand what’s working, what’s not, and why. Pro tip: Likes don’t save lives… or put money in the bank!

8. ORGANISATIONS NEED TO BOTH INTEGRATE THEIR ONLINE AND OFFLINE GIVING TOOLS, AND GIVE ONLINE GIVING A DEDICATED LINE ON THEIR BUDGET SHEET. One of the biggest challenges charities face today in an integrated fundraising environment is gift attribution. That is, deciding which channel should get credit for a gift. If you’re just starting out or in the early stages of ramping up your digital activities, it’s pretty hard to create a case for digital investment if you can’t demonstrate that you can indeed raise money for your cause online. If you’re not measuring it, how can you make the case to do it at all?It’s a tricky chicken and egg situation, one that is further complicated when the tools you’re using to track online donations are completely separate from the tools you use to track donations offline. Digital integration makes dollars and sense.


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2014

WEBSITE INVESTMENT STILL SUCKS. BUT THE TIPPING POINT IS HERE. It’s 2014, and our approach to our websites hasn’t

changed much since 2004.

WE’VE HAD FIVE HARRY POTTER MOVIES SINCE THEN, PEOPLE. Harry has slayed the Dark Lord, but we’ve yet to tame the web dragon. Your website should be your primary and most important communications asset. Increasingly, it plays both a direct and indirect role in your fundraising activities.All of this culminates with the donor – and right now she is on your website. Are you confident she’ll make it through the donation process, or will she leave and never return?Let’s welcome her, and keep her happy.

WE CAN NO LONGER LEAVE THIS TO CHANCE. OR CHANCE, THE 18-YEAR-OLD INTERN YOU HIRED FOR THE SUMMER. Chance might not care if you’re keeping donors. Certainly, if your CEO or board aren’t invested in making your website work, then why would your staff and volunteers be expected to make it work?IT’S TIME TO OVERHAUL THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT OUR WEBSITES. You need a strategy to lead change from the top down and the bottom up.• You need simple tools to make your

website easy to work with. • You need to be focused on donor experience. • You need the best, and most up-to-date

data to make your case and make it stick.Your website matters. So let’s get started!


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WHAT'S NEXT?ALL 32 QUESTIONS, RESPONSES, AND OUR COMMENTARY. Some of it will be as refreshing as one of those boozy cocktails with all the toys and umbrellas. Some is going to feel more like bad medicine. But don’t fret. Take some time to plan your attack, and approach the next 20 or so pages with the following tips in mind. • Each question serves as a best practice.

This is the bar you should be aiming for.

• Each set of answers serves as a benchmark. The average response is where we’re actually sitting as a sector in Canada on our digital practices. The biggest slice of the pie, is always the benchmark.

• As you read each question, note your own response and how you compare. Also note how far you have to go to hit that best practice.

• Particularly note any point where you are way off from the best practice and falling behind the pack. These statistics are going to help you argue your case for better web strategy.

• Also note any instances where you’re leading the way. This is incredibly useful for maintaining your case – what you’re doing is working, it’s innovative, and it’s ahead of the game.

• Along the way, we’ll give you some tips, suggestions and a little “this is important because” if we find something particularly exciting or noteworthy.

• As you note your strengths and weaknesses, you’re doing preliminary work towards the most spectacular web strategy for your organisation!

Now that we’ve given you our snappy analysis from 32 feet above, herein you’ll find that freshly-squeezed

data we synthesized for you.

2014

We have indicated the best practice with a bullseye icon

We have indicated the benchmark with a pie slice icon


2014

WHERE’S YOUR WEBSITE STRATEGY? Have you ever seen a website strategy document that your organisation has created?

46.51% No I haven’t27.71% Yes I have

24.22% Umm, sort of but not really… 1.55% I don’t know

In my first career (politics), I attended a campaign management institute in Ohio – and attended a session by a brilliant (albeit Republican)

strategist named Eddie Mahe. My aha moment came when he uttered the sentence, “If your strategy isn’t written down, then you don’t have one.”

I’ll bet the farm that your organisation has done at least one strategic plan in the last five years. I’ll bet that it’s written down. Why don’t you have one for your website? Now, if you’re a CEO or a Board Chair, you may indeed have a web strategy in your head. Or, maybe you assume that your Communications Director has one. Or someone else somewhere in your charity has one.

A good website strategy is a document that outlines why you have a website, who you’re trying to reach, what you want to say and what you’d like your website’s visitors to DO.But, I’m going to (for once) agree with a Republican here. If your web strategy isn’t written down, you don’t have one.

Q1

Frase

r Gree

n

46.51% NO I HAVEN’T

27.71%

24.22%1.55%


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38.18% Absolutely, yes 30.23% Not really

27.33% I think so but I’m not sure3.10% No way!1.16% I don’t know

In our survey, we asked people who work for charities about their perception of how their organisation’s leadership views the website. Hopefully, you’re

convinced by now that your website is critical to reaching new donors – and even helping to retain those donors you have already.These responses tell me that only about a third of the organisations in the charitable sector place

sufficient importance on their websites as critical communications tools. Two-thirds of us have a lot of work to do in building an internal web culture.

Q2

DOES YOUR WEBSITE REALLY MATTER?Would you say that your organisation’s leadership views your website as the primary way in which people first get an impression of your organisation?

Frase

r Gree

n

38.18% ABSOLUTELY, YES

30.23%

27.33%1.16%

3.10%


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49.29% We started by determining which information we wanted to promote about our organisation38.95% We started by anticipating our audiences’ needs and what we thought they’d want

9.11% I don’t know4.65% We really didn’t think about it

Go to Google and think about a problem that a charity solves. Type in “How to prevent homelessness?” or “What are the impacts

of climate change?” What did you find?Charities constantly grapple with the insider perspective. That is, they communicate what they do

through their own organisational lens. If you aren’t speaking the language your donor’s are searching for, you aren’t showing up in their google searches.We see this all the time in websites, because a website is often an external reflection of how a particular organisation operates. And not about how a service user or donor uses the organisation to fulfill their own needs.

Think about what you do - the solution to a problem that your charity offers - and now think about how a donor will look for that information. Is your website solving your donor’s problem? For 2/3 of Canadian charities, you missed that mark when you last designed your website.

Q3

KICKING OFF THE DESIGN PROCESSWhich of the following statements would you say best reflects the manner in which your website was designed and filled with content?

Holly

Wag

g

49.29% WE STARTED BY

DETERMINING WHICH INFORMATION

WE WANTED TO PROMOTE ABOUT OUR

ORGANISATION

38.95%

9.11%

4.65%


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TAKING THE PULSEWhen was the last time you visited your organisation’s website?

69.96% Sometime in the last week21.90% Right now, in order to complete this survey5.62% I’m sure I did in the last 30 days

1.94% Maybe sometime in the last 90 days0.39% I don’t know0.19% Uh oh, I can’t remember!

Our take is that websites are living, breathing creatures. They’re no longer static brochures that get put up and forgotten.

Just as you wouldn’t leave your child unattended for days or weeks at a time, neither should you ignore your website for very long. Today, ideas and information become stale-dated VERY quickly. The last thing you want to do is have a first-time visitor take one glance at your site and go somewhere else because your information felt dated and old.

As a best practice, someone in your organisation should have it in their job description to review the site FREQUENTLY to spot out-dated material and look for opportunities to update it with fresh information.

Q4

Todd

Jam

ieson

69.96% SOMETIME IN

THE LAST WEEK 21.90%

5.62%1.94%


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TELL ME A STORYHow well would you say that your website uses storytelling to get your most important messages across?

61.63% We use stories in a few places, but we could use them a LOT more24.61% Our website is more brochure-style with basic program information and doesn’t use stories at all

13.18% We tell stories REALLY well (Shakespeare would love us!) 0.58% I don’t know

There can no longer be any doubt that the best way to communicate your message effectively is through storytelling. Stories can be used to articulate your vision and

mission, to demonstrate your programs and results, as well as to express your need for financial support.The brain scans don’t lie. Facts and figures vanish from the mind moments after they’re absorbed. Good

stories last a very long time. Sticky stories are worth their weight in gold. Almost all of us in the sector really need to ramp up this part of our game.

Q5

Frase

r Gree

n

61.63% WE USE STORIES

IN A FEW PLACES, BUT WE COULD USE THEM A LOT MORE

24.61%

13.18%


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KEEP YOUR LANGUAGE SIMPLEHow well would you say that your website communicates using clear, simple language?

53.10% We do it sometimes, but the jargon keeps creeping in, and our copy speaks somewhat satisfactorily to people both inside and outside our cause 40.50% We’re great at this and anyone could understand who we are, what we do and why our cause matters

5.43% Ugh – you’d need a Ph.D to understand what we’re talking about (that is, if you’re not from within our organisation or field) 0.97% I don’t know

If the purpose of your website is to attract and maintain a constituency of support, you need to be very mindful of what I’ve always referred to as ‘thinking

from the outside-in’. This means that your website must connect with its visitor where that visitor is at that moment.

I’ve spend 30 years trying to convince non-profit leaders to accept the idea of simpler, more user-friendly language. The objection is almost always that these leaders don’t want to ‘dumb down’ their language. It’s not one or the other. The focus should be on ease of comprehension (research has shown that the highest fundraising response comes from appeals written at a grade seven level). One of

the most skillful things a writer can do is express complex ideas with clarity and simplicity. My last point on this: When Barack Obama makes his State of the Union addresses to the joint session of Congress, his speech is written at a Grade 8 level. I rest my case.

Q6

Frase

r Gree

n

53.10% WE DO IT SOMETIMES,

BUT THE JARGON KEEPS CREEPING IN, AND OUR

COPY SPEAKS SOMEWHAT SATISFACTORILY TO

PEOPLE BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OUR CAUSE

40.50%5.43%


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WE’RE FAILING TO USE DONATION PAGES TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL Does your website have a specific section, or pages, devoted to fundraising?

52.52% Yes! It’s mostly transactional outlining the types of gifts we accept and how to complete these various types of gifts and an online donation form 27.33% Yuppers! We’ve got impact and donor stories, lots of photos, testimonials, detailed donation options and an online donation form

14.92% Sorta…we only have an online donation form or provide a link to where online donations can be made4.84% Unfortunately, we do not0.39% I don’t know

Your donation page should be much more than a digital cash register. It’s an opportunity to persuade people to give, to give now, and perhaps to give more.

So what makes an awesome donation page? • Well-branded and hosted within your site, or skinned

to look like it’s part of your site

• Features a compelling image that invites donors to be a part of the solution and not the problem

• Includes a brief call to action that demonstrates the difference a gift will make

• Donation page is tied to both the creative and messaging of the campaign

• Only ask for the information you absolutely need on your form—the more a person has to fill out the less

likely they are to complete the gift• Have a mobile-optimized (not simply mobile-

friendly) formMore than 65% of us are failing to persuade properly and persuasion is the business us fundraisers are in. Your donation page is another opportunity to build the relationship, deepen the connection and make your donors love you even more.

Q7

Holly

Wag

g

52.52% YES! IT’S MOSTLY TRANSACTIONAL

OUTLINING THE TYPES OF GIFTS WE ACCEPT

AND HOW TO COMPLETE THESE VARIOUS TYPES OF

GIFTS AND AN ONLINE DONATION FORM

27.33%

14.92%4.84%


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GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TOMWithin your organisation, who would you say has primary control over your website’s content?

47.87% Marketing/communications12.21% A cross-departmental collaboration that works really well12.21% A lot of different people – it’s all over the place9.88% CEO/ Executive Director

9.30% Fundraising/development4.07% IT 1.94% No one really – it’s all over the place1.36% A volunteer1.16% I don’t know

You’ve no doubt heard a board member go on lately about all the money that can be made online. Today’s world is full of armchair quarterbacks who want to tell you

about how much you can make – and how easily you can make it.The fact is that you CAN make money online today. But, in order to do it, you must make revenue generation a prime purpose of your website. And,

once you’ve decided that, you need to make sure that your senior fundraisers have a very large voice in how the website is designed, adapted, filled with content, and strategically deployed.

47.87%

Q8

Frase

r Gree

n

47.87% MARKETING/

COMMUNICATIONS

12.21%

12.21%

9.88%

9.30%4.07%

1.94%1.36%1.16%


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START FROM THE USER’S VIEWPOINTHow would you say that you organized your website’s navigation?

48.06% It’s a combination of what the visitor wants and what we want to tell them22.67% We carefully designed it from the point of view of what we think the visitor wants10.47% We’ve just sort of layered one thing on top of the other as we went along

9.69% We designed our site along the lines of our own departmental org chart6.59% I don’t know 2.52% What do you mean by “navigation”?

As I look at these numbers, it looks to me that about a half of us are getting it right – namely, designing our sites from a visitor’s mindset. The other

half of us are still in old-school brochure mode – and we’re losing audience and money as a result. One of the side effects of the “no strategy approach” is a poorly constructed site architecture and

navigation. This provides visitor’s with a poor user experience and also may have a negative effect on your Google ranking.

Q9

Todd

Jam

ieson

48.06% IT’S A COMBINATION OF

WHAT THE VISITOR WANTS AND WHAT WE WANT TO

TELL THEM

22.67%

10.47%

9.69%6.59%

2.52%


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UPDATING YOUR WEBSITEOn average, how frequently would you say that your organisation’s website is updated with new content?

25% Weekly25% Monthly 21.51% 1-3 times per week9.5% Quarterly

7.95% Daily 6.20% I’m not sure3.88% Semi-Annually0.97% Never

We know that updating your website takes time and effort. But, right now, someone is judging your organisation based on how current your

information appears to be.

Take a gander at the website of a charity similar to yours. Look at their homepage. Can you tell how up-to-date the content is? Now have a look at your site and do the same.

It’s also important to know that Google is getting smarter and smarter with its algorithms. They can rate your site on its freshness and quality – and then reward you with better rankings (which leads to more traffic) if your site passes muster.

Q10

Todd

Jam

ieson

25% WEEKLY

25% MONTHLY

25%

21.51%

9.5%7.95%6.20%3.8

8%


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IS IT EASY PEASY TO UPDATE?How easily can the content on your website be updated?

37.21% We can instantly make any changes we would like by ourselves to copy and where the content is housed25.19% We can change copy ourselves on certain pages, but we can’t add, delete or move pages around

18.02% We can request specific copy changes which I need to submit to another department, a volunteer or a third-party web developer6.98% Not easily at all…6.59% We can make suggestions, which may or may not be implemented6.01% I don’t know

So, if you can change the copy on your website yourself, then you just earned ‘pass’ from our best practice rating. The other 2/3 of us are lagging behind in

this all-important area.

It’s 2014, and visitors to your website expect accurate, up-to-date information on your website–or they’ll look for it elsewhere. Your site is the lifeline to your donors and to new volunteers.If the content writers can’t add and edit pages themselves, it’s time to do whatever it takes to make that happen. There is no technical or security

reason to not allow this. If you have some kind of technical gatekeeper who’s standing in the way, get a new provider and a more suitable CMS (content management system).I’m really surprised to see that almost two-thirds of non-profits are lagging behind in this all-important area.

Q11

Todd

Jam

ieson

37.21% WE CAN INSTANTLY MAKE ANY CHANGES WE WOULD

LIKE BY OURSELVES TO COPY AND WHERE THE CONTENT IS HOUSED

25.19%

18.02%

6.98%

6.59%

6.01%


2014

2014

THE CMS THAT MAKES YOUR WEBSITE PURRDo you know what kind of content management system (CMS) powers your organisation’s website?

37.40% I haven't the faintest idea 16.86% Wordpress12.79% Drupal12.21% Other

7.75% Custom Developed CMS5.81% Joomla3.29% We don't use a CMS and we manually update our site through code

1.36% Umbraco0.97% Sitefinity0.78% Sitecore0.58% Cake0.19% DotnetNuke

It looks like almost 2/3 of respondents are using an open-source software for their CMS (software that allows you to manage your website

content). Open-source means that the original code for the system is public, and often a community of developers have created and continue to update it.

We really prefer open-source CMS systems because they tend to be more adaptable, easy to update and have a lower cost to manage. Plus, if you ever need to change web providers it’s much easier and less expensive to find help. When the inevitable new site needs to be made, it is often faster, cheaper and less stressful to move the content to the new site. With a proprietary CMS or hard-coded website, we often see

a snake’s nest of code that means that a lot of the work has to be done manually.If you don’t use open-sourced CMS software, we recommend that you give it a good, hard look. You may be missing out on an easy improvement to your website that can save time and money.

Q12

Todd

Jam

ieson

37.40% I HAVEN'T THE FAINTEST IDEA

16.86%

12.79%

12.21%

7.75%

5.81%3.29%1.36%


2014

2014

MEASURE IF IT’S WORKINGDoes someone in the fundraising department receive regular reports on your organisation’s website performance? (May include data like website traffic, donation conversion rate, referral traffic, etc)21.32% We’re trying to figure out how to best do this now 22.29% It’s sort of hit and miss – sometimes we do and sometimes we don’t – and they’re pretty basic

21.12% Nope, I’m afraid that we don’t do any kind of tracking or measuring18.99% Absolutely! We pay very close attention and are getting quite sophisticated using KPIs, benchmarks, and other goals to measure our performance

9.69% We get these reports but I’m not quite sure what they mean and what I’m supposed to do with them6.59% I don’t know

One of the things I love most about direct mail is that it’s pretty mathematical. If I send 1,000 pieces of mail, and get a 10% response rate with an average gift

of $50, I know that I’ll bring in revenues of $5,000.

That same kind of logic applies to your website and digital fundraising.If you email 1,000 donors and 0.75% of those click through to your landing page, and 30% of those complete their donation with an average gift of $50, you know you’ll bring in revenues of $112.50.Website metric management is part science and part

art. But you’re fundraising without a map if you’re not setting and monitoring your metrics.To be an effective fundraiser, you need to measure your digital efforts. You need to know how you stack up against others in the sector and yourself. You can’t build a decent strategy if you don’t know how your toolkit is working.

Q13

Holly

Wag

g

21.32% WE’RE TRYING TO FIGURE

OUT HOW TO BEST DO THIS NOW

22.29%

21.12%

18.99%

9.69%

6.59%


2014

2014

GET WITH THE SEO PROGRAM Do you undertake any search engine optimization (SEO) work to increase traffic to your website?

38.76% We’ve done some SEO work within our website itself28.88% No17.44% I don’t know

9.11% Yes! We’ve done some pretty nifty on page and off page SEO work to improve our ranking and traffic 5.81% I don’t know what this means

Today, almost 2/3 of web traffic is search-driven. For example, someone might find the World Vision website by googling the search words ‘child sponsorship

Canada’ or ‘how do I sponsor a kid in Africa?’ Smart web people utilize a strategic approach that ensures their site comes up at the top of the list when people

search phrases or words that connect to their cause.Think of it this way. Your website is the destination. SEO is the highway that gets you there. What’s the point of having a great holiday resort if there’s no way for people to get there?I know, I know. SEO adds another big layer of work and complexity to your web strategy. But, when you think

about it, having a great site isn’t all that important if people can’t find it. With donor acquisition so difficult these days, it makes sense for fundraisers to take great interest in generating web traffic.It’s also clear that the SEO field is still wide open. Those who get serious about it now will enjoy a real competitive advantage – at least for a while.

Q14

Todd

Jam

ieson

38.76% WE’VE DONE SOME SEO

WORK WITHIN OUR WEBSITE ITSELF

28.88%

17.44%

9.11%5.81%


2014

2014

TRACKING MONEY RAISED ONLINEDo online donations constitute a line of their own in your revenue budget?

48.26% No 35.66% Yes 10.47% I don’t know

5.62% Not now, but we’re in the process of creating an online stream to our revenue budget

One of the biggest challenges charities face today in an integrated fundraising environment is gift attribution. That is, deciding which channel should get credit for a gift.

If you’re just starting out or in the early stages of ramping up your digital activities, it’s pretty hard

to create a case for digital investment if you can’t demonstrate that you can indeed raise money for your cause online. When your digital program is in its infancy, you need to know how much you raise online regardless of the source.As you grow your program, and it becomes increasingly integrated, you will likely begin to track your revenue by

campaign. And, in each campaign, online will be one of many channels of revenue that you track.When you finally achieve program maturity, you will likely track revenue by campaign and by channel and then by all of the different sources that comprise your online channel. And then perhaps you will further sort this information by your various donor segments/types.

Q15

Holly

Wag

g

48.26% NO

35.66%

10.47%

5.62%


2014

2014

HOW BIG IS YOUR ONLINE CHANNELWhat percentage of your annual donation revenue would you estimate comes in through your organisation’s website?

30.04% Between 1% and 5% 20.74% Less than 1% 13.95% I don’t have a clue! 13.57% Between 6% and 10%

6.40% Between 11% and 15% 6.20% More than 20% 4.65% Between 15% and 20% 4.46% We don’t track that

According to Blackbaud, online giving accounted for 6.4% of all dollars given to charity in 2013. It’s also the only channel that’s experiencing double digit growth.

However, it is important to note that this online growth isn’t necessarily new money – rather it’s largely money being re-directed from other channels. The donor is driving the bus today and we need to be there to accommodate donors whatever their giving preferences might be.

I had a hypothesis when we designed this questionnaire that smaller and mid-sized charities would be doing better when it came to how much they were able to raise online. However, in our small data set, charity size had no impact whatsoever on the percentage of funds raised online.

Q16

Holly

Wag

g

30.04% BETWEEN 1% AND 5%

20.74%

13.95%

13.57%

6.40%

6.20

%

4.65%4.4

6%


2014

2014

HOW DO YOU RAISE MONEY ONLINEWhich kinds of digital fundraising has your organisation engaged in over the last 12 months?84.30% One-time online donation64.53% Monthly online donation60.27% In honour/tribute/memoriam fundraising60.08% Event-based fundraising (tickets or registrations)

38.37% Peer-to-peer fundraising (for events or other initiatives) 32.56% Third-party fundraising20.35% Sale of goods and/or gift catalogue12.79% Search engine marketing/digital display banners

8.33% Mobile fundraising7.95% Other 6.40% Crowd fundraising6.20% Online charity contests or competitions4.46 I don't know

I’ll admit it. I was a little shocked to see how little charities are dipping their toes into the digital realm (particularly the peer-to-

peer and mobile aspects of fundraising). There’s more to online fundraising than having a donation form on your website. And how survey respondents answered this particular question indicates there’s

lots of opportunities out there for Canadian charities to do better digital fundraising.

Q17

Holly

Wag

g

84.30% ONE-TIME

ONLINE DONATION

64.53

%

64.53%

60.08%

38.37%

32.56%

20.35

%

12.79%

8.33%7.9

5%6.40%6.2

0%4.46%


2014

2014

EMAIL IS STILL KING OF THE CASTLEHow well does your website help your organisation build its email list of supporters?

34.69% We’re getting some addresses, but I think we could do better 22.29% We passively collect lots of email addresses through our website16.28% We’re not there yet

13.76% We develop specific campaigns to drive traffic to our website with the goal of collecting a name and email address 7.95% We plan to be doing this within the next year or two 5.03% I don’t know

Q18

There’s no question in our minds that email is a hugely effective tool to both communicate with and fundraise from your online constituents – about 1/3 of the

money you raise online can be attributed to email. We wanted to measure how well Canadian charities are

building and maintaining their email address lists.Clearly, the vast majority of us have a LOT of work to do here. A little more than 10% of us actively have strategies in place to grow our pool of online donors using our email list. While just over 50% of the charities who completed this survey report having the infrastructure in place

to collect email addresses, they’re not actually doing anything with the people who have shown an interest in their cause. And, more alarmingly, another 25% aren’t even building their pipeline.Try looking at it this way. We all know how tough it is today to find new donors. Building your email list is building your prospect list – it just makes sense.

Holly

Wag

g

34.69% WE’RE GETTING SOME

ADDRESSES, BUT I THINK WE COULD DO BETTER

22.29%

16.28%

13.76%

7.95%

5.03%


2014

2014

THE ‘HOW’ OF EMAILHow do you send out email to your donors and supporters?

48.84% We use a third-party bulk email service provider (MailChimp, Constant Contact, MadMimi, iContact, etc) 20.93% We use an integrated CRM to send email campaigns (Luminate, NetCommunity, CiviCRM, Nation Builder, Engaging Networks, NEON, etc)

10.08% We use whatever is installed on our computers (Outlook , etc) 7.95% We don’t send email 6.59% We have a customized solution 5.62% I don’t know

9.88%

Q19

There’s no perfect tech solution that will meet all of your email dreams (or, if you’ve found a gem, do let us know…things have improved quite a bit in 2014 alone).

With respect to the tools you use to send email, and how integrated this is with your database, most

of you deserve congratulations on this front. One respondent in five (21%) reported using a customer relationship management (CRM) software program and another 49% of Canadian charities use a third-party bulk email system. I was a touch alarmed that 10% of you reported using Outlook to send out mass emails, and if this is the

case for your organisation, I’d encourage you to find another solution – right now! You risk having your domain blacklisted as a spammer (which means NO ONE’s emails will be able to leave their computers) and there are some really great features offered by bulk mail providers that will help you track the performance of every email you send.

Todd

Jam

ieson

48.84% WE USE A THIRD-PARTY BULK

EMAIL SERVICE PROVIDER (MAILCHIMP, CONSTANT

CONTACT, MADMIMI, ICONTACT, ETC)

20.93%

10.08%

7.95%

6.59%5.62%


2014

2014

How do you accept donations on your website?Q20

It shouldn’t surprise you that not all donation forms are created equally. The goal is to make your donation page as effective as possible. You need to make sure

that you optimize your page for conversions – that is, how many of the people who come to your donation page actually make a gift?

If you want to know how you measure up, you need to include page completion rates as part of the metrics you collect. First, make sure you’re at least performing as well as other charities, and once you’ve hit that target, work on improving your own performance on a quarterly basis.As reported in the 2014 Nonprofit Benchmarks Study,

the gold star metric for donation page completion is 22%. That means that only 1 person of every 5 who ends up on your donation page will actually make a gift to your cause. Losing 78% of your prospects means that we all have some pretty big work to do on improving conversion rates by tweaking and testing our donation pages.

Holly

Wag

g

TAILOR-MADE OR OFF THE SHELF DONATION SOLUTIONS

34.88% We use a custom built donation form to process gifts and automatically send an e-receipt30.43% We use an external third party (like CanadaHelps.org) to process online gifts 21.90% We use an out of the box donation solution that we can customize so the page looks likes it is part of our website and automatically send an e-receipt

6.01% I don’t know3.49% We’re not processing donations online right now, but it’s in the works in the next year3.29% We don’t receive any donations through our website and have no plans to do so in the foreseeable future

34.88% WE USE A CUSTOM BUILT

DONATION FORM TO PROCESS GIFTS AND

AUTOMATICALLY SEND AN E-RECEIPT

30.43%

21.90%

6.01%

3.49%3.2

9%


2014

2014

SILOS OR SEAMLESS?Do you use one database or CRM for both online and offline donations?

29.07% Yes we do, but online is not integrated with offline (we have to manually move donor data) 26.55% Yes we have only one database and it’s integrated

18.60% We have two different systems which are not integrated (we have to manually move data between systems)18.02% I have no idea 7.75% We have two different systems, but these are integrated

Q21

Nearly 48% of Canadian charities report having separate databases for online and offline giving – and many of these databases aren’t integrated. This means there’s a lot

of manually moving data back and forth, which we all know is time-consuming and has the potential to create an abundance of errors.

On a positive note, 34.3% report using a system that integrates online and offline giving (whether that be a singular system, or two different systems that work as one). If you’re in the camp where you’re using two separate databases, it’s also likely that your approach to donors is siloed. You may see donors as groups of people having distinct giving preferences, for

example, direct mail donors or online donors. It’s critical that your charity, should it wish to move forward in the digital age, create a singular donor experience (silo-free philanthropy!) as soon as you possibly can.Note: We do see this area as one in which smaller, more nimble charities can grab an advantage over other bigger and slower-moving causes.

Frase

r Gree

n

29.07% YES WE DO, BUT ONLINE

IS NOT INTEGRATED WITH OFFLINE (WE HAVE TO

MANUALLY MOVE DONOR DATA)

26.55%

18.60%

18.02

%

7.75%


2014

2014

CONNECTING THE DOTS Is your website seamlessly connected to social media like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to easily facilitate the sharing of content and other online communities?

29.84% Yes, and it’s working well24.03% We’re just not there yet 23.26% Yes, but we have no idea how well it works

14.3% We’re in the process of doing that8.53% I don’t know

Q22

Smart charities see their website as their communications hub. You can operationalize pretty much everything off of the messages,

themes, emphases and strategy embodied by your site.Connecting social media to your site is a smart thing to do. Somebody on Facebook – and somebody else on Twitter – is interested in what you have to

say right now. It’s also useful to know that Baby Boomers are both the wealthiest generation and the generation that’s coming to social media in droves right now. It always makes good sense to follow the money.To

dd Ja

mies

on

29.84% YES, AND IT’S

WORKING WELL

24.03%

23.26%

14.3%

8.53%


2014

2014

BLOG MATTERDo you host at least one blog on your website?

42.05% No 41.47% Yes12.79% Not yet, but we’re going to 3.68% I don’t know

Q23

Having a blog on your website is a great way to humanize your organisation, keep people coming back, tell your story with passion and keep content

fresh. There’s no question in our minds that pretty much every charity site could take advantage of blogs to build and maintain interest in their organisation’s work (and you know, keep producing fresh, new and relevant content to help drive traffic to your website).To

dd Ja

mies

on

42.05% NO

41.47%

12.79

%

3.68%


2014

2014

GETTIN’ JIGGY WITH MOBILEIs your current website designed in a way that will look good on computer screens AND tablets and smart phones?

26.74% We’re already there with a responsive website22.67% We’re in the process of doing that work22.48% We’re talking about it but haven’t started yet

12.21% I don’t know 11.05% It’s not even on our radar screen yet4.84% We have two different websites – one for mobile and one for a desktop

Q24

You may or may not know this, but about a third of the people who visited your website yesterday didn’t do it from a computer. Much of your traffic

is coming from people on smartphones and tablets.I’ve got tons of stats on this stuff, but I’ll keep it very simple. Mobile use is a big trend in your world. You need to fully expect that your prospects, members, donors and constituents are going to come to you via

any number of device types – and they EXPECT you to cater to their device preferences.In our opinion, this isn’t an option any longer. Go mobile or lose market share. That’s the hard truth of it.To

dd Ja

mies

on

26.74% WE’RE ALREADY THERE WITH A

RESPONSIVE WEBSITE

22.67%

22.48%

12.21%

11.05%4.8

4%


2014

2014

If you were talking to an acquaintance at a dinner party and you were telling them about your work, how enthusiastically would you encourage them to visit your organisation’s website?

53.10% I’d absolutely encourage them to visit our site and see how great we are 29.07% I’d tell them our URL but feel a little anxious that they may not like our site

12.21% I wouldn’t do anything to encourage someone to visit our site because it doesn’t do justice to the great work our organisation does3.68% I’d tell them that our website is under construction and maybe they should check it out in a month or so1.94% I don’t know

Q25

Ouch! That hurt.When we measure donor satisfaction and loyalty for our clients, our favourite question is to

ask donors how enthusiastically they would endorse that charity to their family and friends. This is a great measure of someone’s personal investment – and their willingness to put themselves out there on your behalf.

Now, I think that if you don’t have at least 80% of your staff singing your website’s praises, then your website just isn’t up to snuff. We’re falling short here.

Frase

r Gree

n

HALF OF YOUR EMPLOYEES WOULDN’T ENCOURAGE FRIENDS TO VISIT YOUR SITE

53.10% I’D ABSOLUTELY

ENCOURAGE THEM TO VISIT OUR SITE AND SEE HOW

GREAT WE ARE

29.07%

12.21%3.68%

1.94%


2014

2014

THE THREE FOUR BIGGEST WEBSITE CHALLENGESWhat are the three biggest challenges your organisation is facing with respect to its website?

The very final question of the survey was an open-ended one. Simply, we wanted to identify the three biggest challenges charities are facing with respect to their website. While we asked for the top three challenges, but four commonly shared themes emerged. 1. INVESTMENTThere seems to be a debate going on out there. Just about everyone knows they want to make their website better. But, what’s not so clear is:• How much it should cost• Whether to hire in-house staff or contract

website work to suppliers

• How to measure and demonstrate returns on website investments

• How to persuade board members that this stuff is critical to fundraising

• How to keep content updated, donor-focused and using storytelling

• Whose job it is to maintain and develop the website as it’s often an off-the-side-of-the-desk task

• How and when should we go mobile/responsive and integrate our database

2. CONTENTNo two content problems are alike, but everyone is having them. This is what we heard is on your mind:• We have a lack of stories to share about

our impact or we don’t know how to write compelling stories for the web

• There’s so much jargon and insider speak in what we write that no one understands it (and everyone is bored by it)

• We have a lot to share, but can’t get it on the website (because we can’t update it or too many people are involved in the deciding of what should/should not be on the site so nothing gets done)

Q26


2014

3. MANAGEMENT OF SITE/ OWNERSHIP OF SITEThe website is the one piece of real estate where everyone wants to have a say. Programs, marketing, fundraising, IT or someone else. The website seems to create lots of internal tensions because staff haven’t quite yet figured out how to collaborate in the design and maintenance of this beast (and may we suggest that a website strategy could be really helpful to you here). You’re grappling with things like: • Who owns the website or is the website’s

gate keeper• Which areas get input and a role in

shaping the site• Why is there no place for the donor or

fundraising on the website

This also ties into a lack of clarity around the purposes of your website. Some of you have two or more websites/microsites and you’re not sure why. Others have one site that you’re trying to do so much with that it’s cumbersome and working for no one at all. Again, a website strategy would be a good place to begin if this is what your reality looks like.

4. BUILDING, MAINTAINING AND KEEPING SUPPORTERSA lot of you don’t know how to get people to your website, what keeps them there, and how to use your website to attract and maintain supporters for your cause. We can talk lots about SEO, creating conversion funnels, and monitoring what your visitors do, but you (or your team) isn’t equipped to manage this…yet!

...continued

THE THREE FOUR BIGGEST WEBSITE CHALLENGESQ26


2014

2014

What is the size of your organisation?Q27

42.54% LARGE (Annual fundraising revenues greater than $2.5 million) 33.67% MEDIUM (Annual fundraising revenues $500,000- $2.5 million)

23.79% SMALL (Annual fundraising revenues under $500,000)

WHO COMPLETED THIS SURVEY (DEMOGRAPHICS)

42.54% LARGE

(ANNUAL FUNDRAISING REVENUES GREATER THAN $2.5 MILLION) 33.76%

23.79

%


2014

2014

Q28

32.28% Hospital, healthcare or diseases 19.88% Community or social service 9.84% Education 8.46% Arts, culture or heritage8.46% Other 7.28% International

5.91% Environmental3.15% Religious or faith-based 1.97% Animal or wildlife welfare0.98% Human rights0.98% Sports or recreation0.79% Research or policy development


32.28% HOSPITAL, HEALTHCARE

OR DISEASES

19.88%

9.84%

8.46%

8.46%

7.28%

3.15%

5.91%1.97%

Which best describes the focus of your organisation?


2014

2014

What is your role within your organisation?Q29

26.77% Other, please specify22.05% Manager 17.32% Program Officer 17.32% Vice President/ Director 16.54% CEO/Executive Director


26.77% OTHER, PLEASE SPECIFY

22.05

%

17.32%

17.32%

16.54%


2014

2014

What department do you work in within your organisation?

Q30

48.43% Development 18.50% Communications/Marketing17.13% Other 15.35% We don’t have departments0.59% IT


48.43% DEVELOPMENT

18.50%

17.13%

15.35%


2014

2014

How many people are there in your fundraising department?

Q31

41.93% 1-317.13% 10+ 16.34% 4-515.94% 6-108.66% 0


41.93% 1-3

17.13%

16.34%

15.94%

8.66%


2014

2014

Do you have a team or role within your organisation specific to online fundraising?

Q32

38.39% Yes, but it’s one of many responsibilities this person/people have

28.54% Nope!

17.32% It’s something done off the side of our desks

8.07% Yes, there’s at least one full-time person who is assigned this scope of work%

7.68% Yes, there’s a small team of experts


38.39% YES, BUT IT’S ONE OF MANY

RESPONSIBILITIES THIS PERSON/PEOPLE HAVE

28.54%

17.32%

8.07%7.68%


2014

2014

about envision online media. - agitator | donorvoice · 2017-02-01 · about envision online media....

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