(Thanks to Lauren Miller of Blue State Digital for some of this great content)

Small Dollar Online Fundraising

Julia Rosen, Courage CampaignAndy Szekeres, 3PG ConsultingJosh Cohen, Approve71

What We’ll Cover• Who’s Online and What Are They

Doing?• What It Takes To Raise $ Online• Internal Organization• Step-By-Step Guide• Case Studies

Who’s Online?

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project April 2009

Survey

What It Takes To Raise $ Online

• A great story

• Some good luck

• A clean website

• Supporters who can help carry your message

• A solid theory of change

Internal Organization

Field/Organizing Communications

Fundraising

OnlinePresence

Internal Organization

• Online fundraising is about money, but also about intense internal cooperation

• Coordinate fundraising across channels– new media, phone banks, field, direct mail

• Communications and field– Can provide great stories to highlight for

fundraising– Assist with list-building and fundraising asks

Step-By-Step Guide1. Build your email list2. Know your list3. Tell your story4. Make your ask5. Maximize your website6. Track & engage7. Additional fundraising

methods

1. Build Your Email List• Collect email addresses through:

– Petitions– Pledges– Donations– Tell a friend– Social networking sites– Offline activities

• Partner with organizations who have a similar mission and goals to do an email swap

2. Know Your List• Where did the people on your list

come from? Why did they join? What are they expecting?

• Did they sign-up based on a particular petition or cause?

• Segment your list:– Interests– Donors v. non-donors– Recent donors v. lapsed

donors– New donors v. reoccurring

donors

3. Tell Your Story• Invite a conversation with your supporters

• Use voices and personalities from your organization

• Be creative – and use both email and web

• Share what’s happening out in the field

• Ask supporters for their input and FOLLOW UP

4. Make Your Ask• It's not just about donating – it’s about

empowering and providing a way to take action

• Set goals and deadlines

• Plan around key milestones

• Use personal stories as often as possible

• Take advantage of breaking news

4. Make Your Ask• Be transparent. Tell your supporters

what you want to do, what it’s going to cost, and what change will result from their donation

• Start with a small ask (e.g., $10 or $25)

• After people donate, slightly increase the amount in the next ask (e.g., $50 or $75)

5. Track & Engage• Monitor your initiatives and track the progress

• Segment your list and conduct A/B testing

• Keep the conversation going – provide updates/ action items

• Expect a drop-off rate with email addresses and donors

• Continue to build and refine your list

5. Track & Engage: A/B Testing

• Gives a better picture of what does/doesn’t work so you can maximize future asks

• Things to test (one at a time)– Subject line– Sender– Phrasing of the ask– Small graphic– Length of email– Placement of donation link

5. Track & Engage: Metrics

• Different types of metrics to look at:– Open rate– Click-through rate– Average donation– Number of donations– Increase in donation amount– Forward to a friend

6. Additional Fundraising Methods

• Splash page (home page takeover)• Name the fundraising campaign• Feature personal stories• Text-to-donate campaigns• Match two donors and introduce them

to each other• Dollar for dollar matching• Recurring donations

7. Maximize Your Website• Make it as easy as

possible to– Donate– Signup for email

• Engage and empower your supporters

• Share personal stories throughout your site

7. Maximize Your Website• Content on your site should match

the content in your email campaign

7. Donation Page• Make it as easy as

possible for supporters to donate

• Don’t stand in the way!

• Thank supporters after they donate

• Use a targeted landing page to encourage donors to share with friends

• Fundraising Campaign Started 9/2

• Large Donor Ban 10/13

• Ballots Mail 10/16– All mail voting state

• Small Donations key for final push

• Total raised ~ $1.8million

Microsoft ERG Match“Employee Resource Groups”

• Companies may not donate or take position on the issue– Employees can often help on their own

• GLEAM board provided 10k match– Carefully worded message to avoid official sounding

endorsement– Reach Out, you may find help

• Find relevant and local ERGs– http://outandequal.org/resources/groups– Contact info: corporate websites “Diversity” pages

Today should be the day you do your part. (And for those who have already given, thank you!)

Here's why: A set of donors from Gay and Lesbian Employees at Microsoft (GLEAM), acting as individuals, have pledged to match each dollar of your donations over the next week, up to $10,000. 

Help make sure all Washingtonfamilies are equal: Donate to the Approve Referendum 71 campaign today. 

Match Results

• Campaign raised about $18k– Almost double the match amount

• Add $10k– Almost 30k raised

• Microsoft ulimately supported R71– Largest Donor (100k)– Public Statement of Support

Coalition Strategy

• Have coalition members leverage their lists

• Create tailored messages to their membership

• Approve their messaging to ensure consistency

Online sites like Act Blue and others• Be sure to sign up as early as possible• Encourage individuals, bloggers, groups to

create their own “campaigns” with goals• Thermometer

– Choose achievable goals– If it’s going well, keep raising the goal– Sliding scale of 2.9% for Act Blue

• Actblue Hosted or your own page

Act Blue Hosted Page

Act BlueEdit Page

Your Page: R71 Personal Stories

EmbedThermometer

<a href="https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/approve71ontheair?refcode=therometer">

<img src="http://actblue.com/page/approve71ontheair/goal/light.png"

alt="Goal Thermometer"/></a>

Goal Page

ERW Education “Buy Airtime”

“Lock-In”

“Lock-in”<object width="500" height="336" data="http://eq.dm/flowplayer-3.1.3.swf"

type="application/x-shockwave-flash">

<param name="movie" value="http://eq.dm/flowplayer-3.1.3.swf" />

<param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" />

<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" />

<param name="flashvars"

value='config={"playlist":[{

"url":"http://eq.dm/..charlene.flv",

"autoPlay":false,"autoBuffering":true}]}' /></object>

Workflow•Original came from youtube?

• Use Realplayer to download the video

• Youtube “download mp4”

•Convert to Flash/FLV• Free tool: “Super”

•Upload your video to your website•Free Flash Players

• Flowplayer.org• Jwplayer

•Embed appropriate code

Summary

• Included Coalition Partners can help

• Reach out to Corporate ERGs

• Online techniques are applicable to many sites, not just ActBlue

No on 1• 1.4 Million Dollars• 17,125 Contributions• Average 81 dollars• 75 pages created by friends and staff• Wired for Change• 780,000 raised • 5430 donors with an• Average $143

Contact Information• Andy Szekeres, 3PG Consulting

– andy@3pgnow.com– Twitter.com/andyszekeres

• Julia Rosen, Courage Campaign– julia@couragecampaign.org– Twitter.com/juliarosen

• Josh Cohen, Approve71– joshco@approve71.org

Contact Info

New Organizing Institute(202) 558-5585info@neworganizing.comwww.neworganizing.comwww.twitter.com/neworganizing

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