fundraising

How to Create an Annual Report That’s Not Boring

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, writing

Nonprofit organizations are not required to produce an annual report, but I believe your organization will benefit by having one.  

When I mention an annual report, are you picturing a long, boring document filled with wordy text and statistics?  It doesn’t have to be like that.

The key is to create an annual report that will engage your supporters and not bore them.  Here are a few ways you can do that.

Tell a story
Share a success story about a person you have helped.  Let’s say you run a tutoring program.  Instead of rattling off a bunch of statistics about young people doing poorly in school, tell a story about Jason, a young man who was struggling academically, but started doing better in school after weekly tutoring sessions with Rob, a volunteer tutor.

Make it visual
Find some engaging photos to include in your annual report.  Photos can tell a story in an instant.  Choose photos of people participating in an activity, such as Jason and Rob in a tutoring session. 

Use colorful charts or graphs to highlight your financials. Sprinkle in quotes and short testimonials to help break up the text.  

Keep it short

Your supporters are busy people and are not going to have a lot of time to read your annual report, no matter how great is. The trend now is a four to six page document. If you are a small organization, producing a glossy 20-page annual report would not be a good use of your resources.


Keeping all this in mind, what should you include in your annual report?

Introduction
Start with a brief, friendly introduction by your Executive Director or Board Chair. Make sure it doesn’t contain jargon and it’s filled with gratitude towards your donors for their support in helping you reach your goals.

Accomplishments
The main purpose of an annual report is to highlight your accomplishments.  These accomplishments need to focus on how you are making a difference for the people you serve.  Examples would be kids receiving higher grades in school or low-income families finding affordable housing. 

Be sure to list accomplishments, not activities, and show results.

Your financials. 
Include your revenue and expenses, and break them down by department (program, administration, etc.).  Keep it simple and use a pie chart or bar graph, so it’s easy to understand.

A donor list
You may want to just include donors at a certain level in your annual report and include a list of all your donors on your website.  Whatever you decide, be sure to thank all your donors in this section.

Some final words about annual reports
You should also include a list of your staff and board, and your mailing address.

Here is a helpful resource created by Kivi Leroux Miller.  It’s an annual report wiki that includes many great examples.

Annual Reports Wiki
You don’t need to mail your annual report to all your supporters.  You may want to mail only to your major donors.  Put your annual report on your website, and let your supporters know it’s there.  You could send out a special email announcement or include something about your annual report in your newsletter.  Of course, you should make a hard copy available to anyone who wants one.  You should also have hard copies available for potential funders and other interested parties.

If you choose not to produce an annual report, you should still have a list of accomplishments readily available.  You often need these for grant proposals, anyway.  I recommend keeping a running list, so you are not scrambling to put something together when it’s time to do your annual report or a grant proposal.  This can also help you get your annual report out earlier in the New Year.

Remember your goal is to create an annual report that will capture your supporters’ attention right away and not bore them.

Elements Of A Good Annual Appeal Letter

Ann Green fundraising, writing

You want to create an annual appeal letter that captures your donor’s attention right away and convinces them to donate.  Sounds simple, but it’s not.  Here are some ways to ensure a successful letter.

First impressions count
First, you need to get your donor to open your letter.  Give some thought to the outside envelope. Include a teaser, if possible.  

You want to be both personal and professional.  Hand addressing the envelopes may not be feasible, but make sure your mailing labels look clean and are affixed with care.  Use stamps if you can.

Create an inviting piece of mail.

Start with a story
Start your letter with a compelling story.  Focus on a person or family and not on your organization.  Use emotion and don’t bore your donor with a lot of statistics. 

Use a photo
Include an engaging photo in your letter or on your pledge form.  Photos can tell a story in an instant.

Here is more information on creating stories and photos.

Do You Have Good Stories To Tell?

You gotta ask
Ask for a donation at the beginning of the next paragraph (after the story).

It’s all about the donor
Show how are you are making a difference and how much you appreciate your donor’s role in that.  Make the donor feel good about supporting your organization.

Be positive
Emphasize solutions and not problems.  Highlight a few accomplishments, but also show you plan to continue your good work with your donor’s help.  

Make it personal
Send separate letters to people who have donated before and thank them for supporting you.  You can also tailor letters to other groups such as people on your mailing list who haven’t donated yet, event attendees, volunteers, and friends of board members. 

Your letter should have a personal salutation and not be addressed to Dear Friend.

Make it easy to give 
Include a return envelope with amounts to check off or an envelope and a pledge form.  Show what each amount will fund.  For example, $50 will provide X amount of meals at the food pantry.  In addition, include a link to your website that will take someone to your user-friendly donation page.  Even if donors receive a letter, they will often donate online.

Offer a monthly giving option
Monthly gifts can generate more revenue.  Encourage your donors to give $10 or $20 a month.   If they do, you are getting gifts over $100 each!

Make it easy to read
Use short paragraphs and bulleted lists.  Bold or use color for key words, but keep it tasteful.  Make it easy to read and scan.  Use a simple font that’s at least 12 point.

It’s fine to go over a page, especially if you are breaking up the text with a photo and short paragraphs.  But don’t make it four pages.  You can also add a quote or short testimonial. These can be powerful and it helps break up the narrative.

Use a conversational style and leave out jargon such as capacity building, direct services, and evidence-based.  Refer to your reader as you and write as if you are communicating with that one donor. Keep it personal.

Too many editors spoil the appeal
Your entire staff shouldn’t need to be involved in creating the letter.  Your best writer should craft it and then turn it over to your best editor.  Whoever signs the letter (your Executive Director?) can take a quick look at it, but don’t go overboard.  Not only does involving more people take extra time, it usually weakens the content.

All’s well that ends well
Repeat your ask at the end of the letter.  Don’t forget to say please and thank you.

Add a PS
People often gravitate to the PS as they scan the letter.  Here you could emphasize monthly giving or use another creative way to ask for support. 

Get your pens out
Include a short handwritten note.  Make it relevant to each donor, such as thanking them for a previous donation or letting them know it was nice to see them at a recent event.

Hand sign the letters in blue ink.

Are you ready?
Send out an annual appeal letter that will get noticed and will bring you the donations you need. Good luck!

Here are some examples of sample fundraising letters, along with one you shouldn’t use.

Sample Fundraising Letters
The power of boring fundraising to not raise funds

More information on creating your annual appeal,
Stop the presses! Does your annual appeal have what it takes to be successful?

153 Tips to Raise More Money By Mail
Image by r8r via Flickr

Prepare For A Multi-Channel Fundraising Campaign

Ann Green Communications, fundraising

Fundraising season is here!  What’s the best way to reach out to your donors – by mail, email, social media, or phone calls?   It’s a combination of all of these.

Direct mail still has a place, but many people give online.  Unless you know your donors really well, it’s hard to predict where they will see the message and how they will donate.  Some may respond to the direct mail piece, but donate online. Others will see your email message, but prefer to send a check.  Some of your donors will respond to the first appeal, while others need a few reminders.  This is why you need a multi-channel approach.

BEFORE YOU START

Clean up your lists
Make sure your mailing list and email list are ready to go.  Take care of that pile of address changes that has accumulated over the year. Check for duplicate addresses, misspelled names, and typos. You don’t want to offend your donors by spelling their name wrong or sending two pieces of mail to their house.   

Prepare your website
Make sure you have a donation page that’s compelling and is easy to use.  Test all links in email messages and social media posts.  The last thing you want is a donor contacting you about a broken link or having to hunt around on your website for the donation page.

Right before your annual appeal goes out, include a blurb on your homepage that your appeal is underway.  Make sure your donate button is in a prominent place.

Here is more information about creating a great donation page.  
How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Three – Your Donation Page

Consistency is key
Your messages need to be consistent across all channels. Use the same story and call to action in direct mail, email, and on your website.  Everything you send out needs to look like it’s coming from the same organization.

SAMPLE SCHEDULE AND STRATEGY
Come with a schedule of when the appeals will go out.  I’ve created a sample schedule below.  Of course, you can adjust the timeframe as needed.

November 1
Give your supporters a heads up by email and social media. Let them know that your annual appeal is underway and they should be receiving a letter from you soon.  Encourage them to donate online right now.  This means your donation page needs to be up to speed.

Week of November 5
Mail out your appeal letter.

Week of November 12
Send out follow up reminders via email and social media.  If possible, don’t send reminders to people who have already donated.  Otherwise, be sure to thank your recent donors.  You can even phrase your reminders as more of a thank you or an update.

A big thank you to all of you who have donated to our annual appeal.  We are more than half way to our goal.  If you haven’t donated yet, please help us out today by visiting our website (include a link to your donation page) or send us a check (provide address). 

Week of November 19
Send out another reminder.  It’s a busy time of year and some people might need a gentle nudge.  

Week of November 26
Start making reminder calls.  If time is an issue, you could just call people who have donated before. That’s probably most effective.  Again, some folks just need a friendly reminder.

December and beyond
Keep sending reminders throughout December.  It’s tricky because you want to get your message across without annoying your supporters.  Continue to send out your newsletter and other updates. Tie in success stories with your appeal.

Network for Good recommends sending a fundraising email on December 27 and then each day from the 29th through the 31st.  This is especially relevant if your fiscal year ends on December 31 or your donor wants to give before the end of the calendar year.

Look to see who hasn’t contributed yet.  Concentrate your efforts on those who are most likely to donate, such as past donors.  

Also, keep track of how many donors come through each channel.

We live in a multi-channel world.  Take time now to plan your strategy in order to boost your fundraising results.

Here is more information on multi-channel fundraising.

Creating a Multi-Channel Fundraising Campaign

Multichannel Fundraising

Photo by 2create via Flickr

Invest In Thanking Your Donors

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, writing

As I was figuring out blog posts for the fall, the usual topics came to mind – annual appeals, thanking your donors.  I decided to write about thanking donors first because this is just as important as the appeal letter, and many nonprofits don’t invest enough time in it.  A great thank you is the first step towards a good long-term relationship with your donors.

Two ways to go the extra mile when thanking your donors are to send a handwritten note and make a phone call.  Both of these will take a little planning up front.  Why not start now so you are ready to go as soon as your donations come in.

Remember, you need to thank your donors no later than 48 hours after you receive their donations.  

Send a handwritten note
A few handwritten sentences on a nice card is going to make much more of an impact than a printed thank you letter. It’s much more personal. Think about creating a thank you card or postcard with an engaging photo on the front. 

Since you will only be able to write a few sentences – make them count.  Use a warm, conversational tone. Try something like this.

Dear Susan,

You are amazing!  Your generous  contribution of $50 will help us buy two new coats for the kids at our family shelter.  Just in time, too.  The cold weather is coming.                

We really appreciate your support.

This shouldn’t take you that much time and it is time well spent.  You can put together a team of staff, board members, and other volunteers to write the notes.  Here is more information on why a handwritten note is so effective.  Like one of the people commenting on the post below, my mom also stressed the importance of writing thank you notes.

The Power of a Handwritten Note
Call your donors
Calling your donors to say thank you is an easy, yet effective way, to show appreciation.

This is also something your board members can take on.  The executive director or other staff can make calls, too.  Make sure you find people who are comfortable making phone calls and want to engage in a conversation with donors.

Start planning this now.  Come up with script and a spreadsheet to record notes.  You may want to conduct a little mini-orientation to get your callers pumped up and give them an opportunity to practice.  Here is a sample script.
                
Hi, this is  ________ and I’m a board member at X nonprofit.  I’m calling to thank you for your generous donation of $50. Thanks to you, we will be able to buy two new coats for the kids at our family shelter. Just in time for the cold weather, too.  We really appreciate your support.

It’s fine to leave a message, but be sure to provide a call back number in case the donor wants to talk with someone.

Not only is calling your donors an effective way to say thank you, it can help you raise more money in the future.

Speechless
A simple strategy that increases donations by 35%
How Your Board Can Increase Donations by 39%
Invest a little time and energy in showing gratitude to your donors.  Say thank you in a way that shows you mean it and not as if you are just going through the motions.
Photo by Jon Ashcroft via Flickr

Get Organized – Start Preparing For Your Annual Appeal

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, marketing
Photo by Howard Lake via Flickr

September is here.  Have you started preparing for your annual appeal?  

Many nonprofits rely on fundraising for a good portion of their revenue.  It’s never easy to raise money and an uncertain economy makes it even more challenging.  You need to invest time in creating a great fundraising campaign.

Here are a few ways to get started now.

Stories
In previous posts, I’ve written about the importance of gathering stories to use in your fundraising and marketing materials.  Your fundraising letter should start with a story.  Find a compelling one to use in your annual appeal.

Pictures
I’ve also written about creating a set of great photographs.  An engaging photo will enhance your appeal letter, online donation page, or pledge form.  You know the saying “A picture is worth a 1000 words” – It’s true.

Here is more information about creating stories and photos. 

Do You Have Good Stories To Tell?

How much money do you need to raise?
I hope you have a fundraising plan for 2012 that includes how much you need to raise in your annual appeal.  If not, you need to determine that before you start your campaign.  You can state your fundraising goal in your appeal letter and on your website, if you would like.

Accomplishments and plans for the future
Your appeal letter should highlight some the year’s accomplishments and state what you plan to do next year.  Focus on the people you serve and show how you are making a difference with your donors’ contributions.  For example, let’s say you run an afterschool program for high school students.  Share your success of reaching your goal of serving X number of students.  Next year you would like to expand and serve middle school students, as well.

Donating online  
Many more people are donating online now.  Make sure your home page highlights that your annual appeal is underway and includes a link to your donation page.  Your donation page needs to be user friendly and consistent with your other fundraising materials.  

Here is more information about putting together a great donation page. 
How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Three – Your Donation Page
Giving levels
Create a set of giving levels, if you don’t already have them.  What does $25, $50, and $100 fund?  Project Bread’s online form (below) gives concrete examples of how donations at each giving level can provide food to hungry families.
Project Bread’s Donation Form
Monthly giving
I also recommend setting up a monthly giving program (both online and offline).  This is a great way to get larger contributions.  Promote it in your appeals.  Some people might balk at donating $100 or more, but if you present it as $10 a month ($120 a year!), it sounds more feasible.

Keep your current donors happy
Finally, your best bet for contributors to your 2012 appeal are your current donors, and you want as many of them to renew as possible.

I hope you having been showing gratitude and keeping your donors updated on how you are making a difference all year round. Continue to do that.  Keep your newsletters and other updates donor-focused.  Start highlighting some of your accomplishments and future plans now.  And, don’t forget to say thank you.

Also, some of the people who subscribe to your newsletter or follow you on social media are not donors (yet).  If you impress them, maybe they will become donors.

I’ll be writing more about annual appeals throughout the fall.  In the meantime, what are you doing to prepare for your annual appeal?

Get Organized This Summer – Prepare for your Annual Report

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, writing
Photo by Eric (aka Herve) via Flickr

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been offering tips to help you get organized during your summer “downtime” and prepare for a busy fall. 

You may not be thinking about your annual report during these lazy, hazy days of summer, but you should be. Putting together an annual report can take awhile.  However, if you start preparing ahead of time, you should be able to get it done by the beginning of next year.

While you won’t be able to do everything, such as financials, there is a lot you can do now.  Some of the components listed below are not exclusive to your annual report.

Your annual report doesn’t need to be a glossy 20 page document.  If you are a small organization, that would not be a good use of your resources. The trend now is about four to six pages.  All annual reports – short or long – should be visual and not filled with long-winded text and statistics.

Remember that the focus of your annual report is showing gratitude to your donors and demonstrating how their support has made a difference.

What can you work on ahead of time?

Stories
Gather stories about the people you serve.  It’s a good idea to have a set of stories available to use in a variety of materials besides your annual report.  These include your annual appeal, website, and newsletter.  Stories are much more captivating than explanatory text.

Quotes
Work with your program staff to interview clients and find interesting quotes.  You can also use quotes in your other materials.  Put together a quote bank for future use.

Pictures
Invest time in creating some great photographs. Your supporters are not going to spend much time reading your annual report, but if you can engage them with photos, you should be able to tell a story instantly.  

Choose photos of people participating in an activity, such as kids in an afterschool program.  You’ll save time in the future if you have a collection of photos to use in all your fundraising and marketing materials.

This link will give you more information about creating stories and photographs.

Do You Have Good Stories To Tell?
Accomplishments
Last year I wrote a post about annual reports and suggested keeping a running list of accomplishments.  Does your Organization Need an Annual Report?  

If you have been doing that, great. If not, start thinking about what you want to include.  Have you met or exceeded certain goals?  Be sure to list accomplishments and not activities.  Show results and how you have made a difference.

Donor list
Depending on what type of donor database you have, it may or may not be easy for you to quickly compile a list of donors by giving level.  If it isn’t, why not start on this now and save time later.

These are a just few areas where you can get a head start.  I’ll revisit this subject again in the fall with more information on creating a great annual report.

Do You Have Good Stories To Tell?

Ann Green brand identity, Communications, fundraising, marketing, writing


Photo by UNE Photos via Flickr
If you are making a difference in someone’s life or in the community, you have good stories to tell. The best stories are ones about the people you serve and not about your organization. You can tell your stories in writing, in a video, and in pictures.

Written Stories
When writing a story use classic storytelling devices. Give it a beginning, middle, and end.  Good stories also include conflict or a struggle.

If you are writing about people, use names to make it personal. You can change someone’s name to protect the person’s privacy if needed.   

You need to grab someone’s attention right away. Your stories should also capture emotion. In the words of Maya Angelou – “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Keep your stories short and limit the use of statistics. You can follow up your story with a statistic, if you want to. Try something like this:

Every Wednesday Sarah wakes up at 5:00 a.m. to catch the #45 bus to try to get to the front of the line at the community food bank by the time it opens. Mornings are hectic and she also needs to get her kids ready for school.

If Sarah misses the bus, the next one doesn’t come for another hour. If she arrives at the food bank too late, she finds the shelves contain slim pickings. Sarah is just one of the X number of town residents who rely on the food bank.
Include stories in your fundraising and marketing materials. You could open your fundraising appeal with a story like the one above and then lead into the ask.  Put stories on your website. This is often a place where newcomers visit, and a story is a great way to introduce your organization.  Include a client story/profile in your newsletter. I used to work for a mentoring organization and we would a feature a different mentor/mentee match each month.

Work with your program staff to find these great stories. They can refer you to people to interview and help get any necessary permissions.

Here are some more tips on creating stories.

4 Ways Stories Can Help Build Your Cause

Six Common “Character” Flaws in Nonprofit Storytelling (Part I)

Six Common “Character” Flaws in Nonprofit Storytelling (Part II)

Put Persuasive Storytelling to Work for Your Nonprofit

Video
You can take some of your written stories and transfer them to video. Showing footage with a voiceover is the most compelling. You could film Sarah’s journey and condense it to a few minutes.  Record action footage of the people you serve, such as kids participating in an afterschool program or tutoring sessions.

You can interview clients and have them tell their story. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn’t. Not everyone is a future TV star.  Find compelling subjects who are good on camera to ensure that you have an interesting video. 

If you are going to produce a video, make sure it’s good quality. Find an experienced person to shoot and produce it. If cost is an issue, you may be able to find someone to a produce a video at no cost.

Most importantly, keep it short. Videos on your website or social media should last just a few minutes. You can create longer videos to use at fundraising or recruiting events, but stick to 10 minutes or less.

Video Resources 
8 great examples of nonprofit storytelling

Nonprofit storytelling tips from the pros

Winners From 2011 DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards
Photos
Photographs can tell a story in an instant. People may not take time to read a story or watch a video, but they shouldn’t be able to miss an engaging photo. 

Every year or two take a set of photos and use them on your website, annual reports, fundraising letters, newsletters, and social media.  It’s okay if you use some of the same ones.  It helps with your brand identity. 

Choose compelling pictures of the people you serve. When using action shots, make sure you can see peoples’ faces and not the backs of their heads. Give some thought to the layout, too. Don’t make it random. 

And make sure they are good quality. Invest in a good camera and photographer. You can often find professional photographers willing to work pro bono, if cost is an issue. 

Here are some tips of what to do and what to avoid.
Photos Rule in Content Marketing for Your Nonprofit
More information on creating good photographs,
Great Nonprofit Design from Save the Children
Two Things You Can Do to Make Your Photos Look Awesome

Nine photo tips for nonprofit storytelling
Again, if you are making a difference, you should have good stories to tell.  Share your stories!

How do you tell your stories?

Finding Quality Donors and Keeping Them

Ann Green donor relations, fundraising, marketing

Photo by roboppy via Flickr

Some nonprofit organizations are very focused on raising lots of money and having as many donors as they can get. Of course, this is important.  Nonprofits generally rely on fundraising for a bulk of their revenue.  But what’s also important is the quality of your donors. You could have one donor who gives you $100 and never gives again. Likewise, you could have another donor who has given you $25 each year over the last couple of years and also gets their friends to donate. 

Many donors give once and never give again. There are several reasons for this. One might be that some donors care more about your organization than others do.  Another is that you are not building relationships with your donors.

Why do people donate to YOUR organization?
Some may be very invested in your organization’s cause. Others may donate because they are a friend or family member of a board or staff member. These donors are fine until the board or staff member leaves, and then they often stop donating.

Others may donate for reasons unrelated to your cause. Let’s say you hold an event where a well-known person speaks. You charge $50 a ticket and raise lots of money, which is great, but some of these donors never give again because they were more interested in seeing the celebrity than in your cause.

Keep that in mind when you decide how you are going to raise money. Ideally, you want to find donors who will donate more than once.

Build relationships
Just reaching out to potential donors who you know will be interested in your cause is not enough. You need to build good relationships with your donors so they will donate year after year.   

This starts with showing appreciation and communicating with your donors on a regular basis in ways in which you are not asking for money.  Send a thank you letter and welcome packet for new donors within 24-48 hours.  In the thank you letter, invite donors to subscribe to your email list and join you on social media.  

Do not add your donors to your email list without their permission.  If you do, you are spamming them. Your newsletter articles and social media posts should emphasize how your donors’ support is having a positive impact on the people you serve and in the community. 

Be known, but don’t be annoying
Send out your donor-centered newsletters once or twice a month. You can also connect by sending out advocacy alerts and brief updates. As a general rule, try not to send out email messages more than once a week. You can post to social media more often, but remember everything needs to be of interest to your donors. And as much as it may pain you to do this, let your donors unsubscribe from your list if they choose to. 
It’s easier to focus on building relationships with your current donors than trying to find new ones.  This is especially true in an uncertain economy.

Easy cultivation tools
Not everyone who is getting your newsletter or following you on social media is a donor, but if you keep sending out material focusing on how you are making a difference, you might be able to convert them into donors.

Again, you want donors who will stick with you for a while. That means not only finding people who are committed to your cause, but also building relationships that show how much you appreciate their support.

Here are some ways to keep your donors engaged all year round. 
It’s All About Your Donors

More on donor relations

Donor Relations
7 tips for welcoming new donors


To Print or Not to Print

Ann Green fundraising, marketing

Photo by Portland Afoot via Flickr

Nonprofit organizations are doing more of their marketing and fundraising electronically – by email, on their website, and through social media.  It makes sense. It’s more cost effective, good for the environment, and most of us are very connected to our computers and mobile devices.

Does this mean that print is obsolete? No. Print still has a place in your marketing and fundraising. How much depends on your audience. If your donors and other supporters are older, they may respond better to print pieces, although many of us are now connected electronically.

Often you’ll want to use print and electronic mediums together in your marketing and fundraising campaigns. This means all your messages need to be consistent.

Are there times that you should still use print pieces?  Sometimes, yes.  Here are a few examples:

Fundraising letter
I think you should still mail out a fundraising letter. Direct mail fundraising continues to be strong, although online giving is on the rise.  According to a study by Target Analytics, 81% of 2011 gifts came in through direct mail. If you only send out your fundraising appeal electronically, it could get lost in your donor’s barrage of email messages. We get far more email than print mail.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use electronic methods as well. You can send out an email message telling donors to look out for your latest fundraising letter. You can also send out reminders by email and social media and post donation appeals on your website.

Thank you letter
Even if someone donates online and gets an electronic acknowledgement, I think you should mail out a thank you letter or card (within 48 hours, of course). The email receipt is more of a reassurance to the donor that their contribution didn’t get lost in the netherworld.  The advantage of a letter is that you can personalize it with a handwritten note.  A letter or a card is always more personal than email.  
Event invitation
If you are holding a fundraising event, I would recommend a print invitation over an evite. Your higher dollar, older donors may respond better to a print invitation with a reply card. And, and if done well, it can look really classy.

Again, this doesn’t mean you can’t use electronic channels to promote your event.  You can email out a save the date announcement. Of course, you should also have an option for people to reserve and pay online, and you can promote your event by email, on your website, and through social media.

If cost is an issue, you could get a printer to create your invitation pro bono or ask a business to sponsor it.

Brochure
I still think nonprofit organizations should have a brochure or some type of information piece to hand out to donors, potential volunteers, people who visit your office, or event attendees.  It doesn’t need to be fancy, but it should be eye catching and look professional. You could even do it in house.  I realize most organizations have a website, but if you are at a recruitment event and only give a potential volunteer a link to your website, they may not go there.  A brochure can capture the highlights of your organization in an instant.

These are a just a few examples of marketing and fundraising materials that can work well in print. What types of materials do you still print?

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Three – Your Donation Page

Ann Green fundraising, marketing, website, writing
Image by S1m0nB3rry via Flickr

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part One – Your Home Page

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Two – Your Entire Website

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Four – Writing For The Web

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been writing about ways you can make your website welcoming and audience-centered. In this post, I’d like to go into a little more detail about your website’s donation page. According to Convio, online giving grew by almost 16% in 2011. It is likely to increase even more in 2012.

Most people will be coming to your donation page because they have been led there by your electronic or mailed fundraising appeal. They may have also been drawn there by social media. To get them there in the first place, be sure your appeal has a compelling message.
Make it simple
Now that you have a potential donor on your donation page, you want them to stay. It’s very important that you create a donation page that’s easy to use, easy to read (no clutter), and has a strong call to action, using the same messaging you have in your annual appeal (to stay consistent).
Make sure you have an easy and secure online donation form. Show how the donation will be used and what different amounts will fund. You can set up a form with different giving levels ($25, $50, 100, etc), but include an “other” field so your donors can give any amount they choose.
Not everyone is comfortable donating online; therefore you need to include your mailing address so your donor can send you a check. Include a downloadable donation form that your donors can print and mail in with their checks. 
In addition, add your phone number to the donation page in case donors want to call in with a credit card number or just ask a question. You should also include a link to other ways of giving, such as planned giving, donating in someone’s honor, or in-kind donations.
Don’t forget to say thank you
After someone has completed their online donation, they should be taken to a thank you landing page so they know that you received their donation and it didn’t end up in the netherworld. They should also receive an e-mail acknowledgement. 

Make sure your message is friendly and personal and doesn’t resemble a receipt you would get after checking out on Amazon. This does not let you off the hook from sending out a thank you letter, which you should mail no later than 48 hours after receiving the donation.
A picture says a 1000 words
Find a compelling photo that captures what your organization does, and put that on your donation page. In the few seconds it takes to view that photo, your donor should get a good understanding of your work.
Recurring gifts
One feature of some online giving platforms is recurring gifts. This is a great way for your organization to raise additional revenue by enticing donors to give larger gifts. A $200 donation might seem more feasible over the course of a year. It also allows you to receive revenue throughout the year instead of at the time you do your annual appeal.
What else to include on your donation page
You can include a link to your annual report on your donation page.  This is an easy way for your donor to look at a list of your accomplishments over the past year.  If your annual report doesn’t have a list of donors, you can put one on your website with a link on your donation page. Be sure to give people the option of not being included on your donor list.  For corporate and foundation donors, consider displaying their logos.  
You can also include links to your 990 forms and any Charity Navigator or other outside reviews you might have.
Online giving will continue to be more prevalent. Make sure your organization is keeping up with the times and has a donation page that is welcoming and donor-centered.
Online Donation Resources

Elements of a Fantastic Donation Page 
Fix that fundraising landing page!

11 Donate Now Best Practices for Nonprofits

Online Giving Grows as Fast as Shopping
Helping Donors Help You: How transparent is your website?
10 Tips That Will Increase Online Donations