GlobalGiving's Online Fundraising Workshop Presentation, China 2015

Editor's Notes

• #11: Ask to share ideas with presenter and I will make a visual chart of responses Ask for what brought everyone to workshop/what hope to get out of workshop
• #12: The power of the internet! Millions of internet users around the world => potential donors Way of connecting with them
• #14: $987 Million donated online to 100,000 charities 2001-2013 in the US
• #25: Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via online platforms. Crowdfunding isn't easy: it's time consuming and requires patience, perseverance, and resilience. But it can be powerful! These 11 steps will get you off to a great start!
• #26: We all wish that a sea of strangers would wake up in the morning, searching for somewhere to donate their money, and that they'd somehow stumble upon our work and give. While that does happen sometimes, let's not count on those benevolent strangers to be the primary source of all the funds you need to run your projects. Instead, you need a crowdfunding plan: A crowdfunding campaign is a distinct fundraising effort with a clear beginning and end. The most successful fundraisers know that donors will respond to specific donation requests related to a clear objective with a deadline. Don't make the rookie mistake of thinking, "I just want to raise lots of money; I don't want to limit how much people will give, or when they should give." After testing what makes crowdfunding work for over a decade, we've found that goals and deadlines work to motivate, rather than limit, potential donors. The best campaigns have a SMART goal; a fundraising goal that's specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. For example, you could set a clear objective to raise $5,000 from 40 people in one month. This goal is clear enough that throughout a campaign you'd be able to measure your progress. A SMART goal will help you and your team agree about what success looks like, and then you'll be able to figure out what time and resources you'll need to achieve that success.
• #27: These are the questions that potential donors have in mind (whether they know it or not) when they're deciding to give. The answers to these questions are all part of your story. Break it down to a story of one: Storytelling is the most powerful way to invite potential supporters to give. Research (and our experience) shows that stories about single individuals are far more powerful than statistics about a problem or even stories about groups of people. (The same goes for photographs of single individuals; try using images that feature that one person, not a group of people.)
• #28: There are five types of stories that successful fundraisers tell. Can you think of a story about one individual related to your project that follows one of these typical storylines?
• #29: Once you've identified your compelling campaign story, your next challenge is to briefly summarize it for an online audience. Brevity is key! We've found that donors spend an average of 4.2 seconds reviewing a page on GlobalGiving before deciding whether or not to donate. That's just 4.2 seconds to capture their hearts and wallets! Here are some tips for making the most of those 4.2 seconds:
• #31: Network The most important part of your crowdfunding campaign will be your network. In order to reach your goal, the majority of your funding will need to come from friends, family, colleagues, and other personal connections. Start your campaign by mapping out your network. Advocates Some of your friends, family, and colleagues will be passionate enough about your project that not only will they give, they'll also reach out to their friends and family on your behalf. These are your advocates, and they are the key to your crowdfunding success. Who can be your advocates? Get started by thinking about your board members, current and former volunteers, and past donors. Next, make it easy for your key donors to become advocates by asking them to share your content and encouraging them to set goals for their own outreach. Give them all the tools they need: links to your campaign page, images, template language for emails, and pre-designed posts for social media. Encourage your advocates to tell their friends why your cause is so meaningful to them. People give to causes that their loved ones care about. Advocates will empower your campaign! Community Crowdfunding is just as much about cultivating your community as it is about raising money. You can reach out beyond your immediate family and friends by finding existing communities of people who share your passions, beliefs, and causes. By tapping into already-established communities you can save time and effort because group members are already well-informed about your cause or idea. Find allies and advocates in your book club, professional associations, religious groups, and alumni networks.
• #33: Our data shows that the closer you come to your target fundraising goal, the more likely you are to convert a viewer of your donation page into a donor. Donors tend to believe they'll have a greater impact if they contribute to a project that is nearly funded rather than giving to one that still has a long way to go. The bottom line is, the more money you raise, the more likely it is that someone will decide to fund your project! To set your campaign off on the right foot, we recommend reaching out to your core supporters to ask them to pledge donations before your campaign starts. Start with those who you think are most likely to give: your family, friends, and most committed donors. Get them ready to donate during the first day--or better yet, the first hour--of your campaign. Seeing other supporters will help instill confidence in new donors. Plan to go big on Day One So it's the first day of your campaign. Your plan is set, your social media posts are written, and donation page is work of art! So now its just time to sit back and relax and let the donations pour in, right? Wrong! The first and the last days are the most important days of your entire campaign! Plan to pick up that phone and call your supporters, make sure they don't have any problems making their donations, and ask them to talk about their donation to their friends, family, and social network. You'll also want to monitor the buzz around your campaign; respond and spread any reactions you get to your social media outreach. Be prepared to put in the effort for a big day; you won't regret it! Why is receiving donations fast so important? Projects on GlobalGiving that receive their first donation during the first 3 days of a campaign are more likely to achieve their goal than those that don't, regardless of the length of the campaign.
• #34: In our opinion, email is the most powerful tool in your crowdfunding toolbox. In 2013, GlobalGiving emails generated seven times more donations than our posts on social media. Here are some tips to upgrade your emailing:
• #35: We found that clear, humorous, and large call-to-action buttons perform best. Catch their attention. The subject line of an email is the only thing standing between you and the attention of your contacts. Make sure it's interesting and timely. Can you keep it to five words or less? To see what works (and what doesn't), the most important thing you can do is...Test, test, test! Most tools allow you to track your results and test new ideas! Try different subject line techniques (funny, urgent, descriptive) in your first few emails, find out which one that had the highest open rate, identify what made it work, and implement that learning in your following emails. Never settle and try ways to improve your past results!
• #36: Grow your list of contacts...and never stop! The more people you can contact, the better the exposure for your project and organization. Here are a few tips to get more subscribers:
• #37: If you've developed a good email strategy, social media can be an excellent supporting tool for your crowdfunding campaign. Which social media platforms do your contacts use? Facebook? Twitter? LinkedIn? Instagram? The success of your social media strategy depends on how well you know your audience. It's easier to target potential donors if you know how and where they spend their time online. Are they sharing news stories? Personal photos? Are they posting their opinions or simply sharing others' content? This is called social listening. It's a good idea to spend a few weeks "listening" on social media before you start "talking". Young people born in the late '80s & '90s are often called Millennials. Millenials have a different motivation for getting involved with causes than previous generations. They're incredibly generous, but they want to feel like they're part of a movement and that their support can make a lasting difference. First you have to earn their trust. Captivate millennial donors by being authentic, inviting them to become insiders, and making it clear how their support becomes tangible impact. Millennials are ultra-connected and enjoy talking about their passions with their networks, so if they are excited about your cause, they can become great advocates for your work! Remember: it's not all about you. Great social media managers know one secret: it's not all about them. It's about the audience! Create content that people will want to engage with and share. They'll share content on social media if it inspires, informs, or somehow makes them feel good. Use Facebook, twitter, and instagram as an opportunity to engage with your supporters (and potential supporters) by providing them with relevant and interesting information that helps them become experts about your cause. It's fine to ask for donations on occasion, but only if you balance it out with meaningful updates, inspirational stories, and useful news.
• #38: Recognizing and appreciating donations is extremely important for your campaign. According to Penelope Burk's research, 45% of donors said that an "outstanding thank you letter" inspired them to give again and 23% said that the quality of the acknowledgement they received encouraged them to make a larger donation the second time. Moreover, acknowledging and thanking your donors reinforces your connection with them. Making donors feel special may encourage them to speak to their communities about your project or to promote your campaign on social media. These kinds of interactions can turn a $10 donation into $1,000 in the future! Thank 'em early, thank 'em often. The sooner you thank your donors, the more likely they will be to donate again. We suggest you thank your donors within two days, regardless of the amount donated. While it may be difficult to implement this 48-hour rule, thanking fast is extremely important if you want a strong and lasting relationship with your donors. What will you do when the donations start rolling in? Will you send the donors an email? What will it say? Before the start of your campaign, draft a "thank you" template that you'll use as a basis for thanking donors, but be sure to personalize it for each individual donor.
• #39: Having a video isn't necessary for a crowdfunding campaign, but it can be a powerful way to quickly tell your organization's story. You don't have to have a massive budget to create a good video, but it does help to have a few creative people who can develop a compelling storyline and capture and edit great footage. Sometimes it's better to have no video than a bad one.
• #40: Whether you succeeded and raised the money your organization needed, or you fell short of your goals, there is a lot to learn in the days after a crowdfunding campaign. Check in with the team. Was the campaign a positive experience for your team and your organization as a whole? What were the main challenges? Meet with your team to debrief after the campaign and celebrate whatever successes you had together. Surely you learned a lot during the process, and it's important to acknowledge one another as well as document your learning. Track your data. You can use tools likeGoogle Analytics to track your web traffic donors to your project page. Use Facebook Insights to see which Facebook posts were most engaging. Look at your email open and click-through rates (if you used a third party email provider) to see what worked for your audiences. Wrap it up. Once you have completed your campaign, it is important to share your results and thank your donors once again. Your supporters gave money, they clearly wanted you to succeed! Whether or not you met your goal, let them know how it ended up, and most importantly, start to share what you learned! Ask for feedback. What will you do differently next time? Ask your supporters (and even those on your lists who didn't give) to give their feedback. Send a survey to your email list, invite your social media followers to participate, or even follow up with one-on-one conversations. Collect the results and brainstorm ways to improve and grow for your next campaign. We know you're tired! But don't miss this, it's an extremely valuable part of the process that most people forget. The work you do after one campaign is the best preparation for the next campaign.
• #41: While crowdfunding is a fairly recent phenomenon, numerous platforms already exist to host your project and help you succeed. It is important to pick a platform that is a good fit for your goals and type of organization. Do your research, consider the options, and choose a partner that best fits your needs. Here are some things to consider: Tools & Features Most platforms will provide basic tools for processing donations, sharing your project on social media, posting photos and videos, and adding links to your project from your organization's website. Will your ambassadors want their own fundraising pages? Will you need integrated donor management and communication tools? Make sure those are included as well. GlobalGiving also offers various giving tools like tribute cards, recurring donation promotions, training, one-on-one fundraising support, and bonus days, which make it easy for organizations to expand their donor base and raise more money.
• #43: Reputation, Brand Recognition, & Vetting A platform with a recognized name and brand can make your donors feel more secure in donating. Some platforms, like GlobalGiving, also do their own vetting of organizations, which gives donors and additional level of assurance when making a donation. The extra level of vetting conducted by GlobalGiving staff means we are trusted by over 60 corporate partners like Microsoft, Nike, and Dell, who donate more financial resources to great projects.
• #46: Reputation, Brand Recognition, & Vetting A platform with a recognized name and brand can make your donors feel more secure in donating. Some platforms, like GlobalGiving, also do their own vetting of organizations, which gives donors and additional level of assurance when making a donation. The extra level of vetting conducted by GlobalGiving staff means we are trusted by over 60 corporate partners like Microsoft, Nike, and Dell, who donate more financial resources to great projects.
• #50: All sizes - Small local grass-roots ,Big international From everywhere - 149 countries All types of projects -Disaster relief, Women, Environment, Human rights, Education, Children
• #52: Reputation, Brand Recognition, & Vetting A platform with a recognized name and brand can make your donors feel more secure in donating. Some platforms, like GlobalGiving, also do their own vetting of organizations, which gives donors and additional level of assurance when making a donation. The extra level of vetting conducted by GlobalGiving staff means we are trusted by over 60 corporate partners like Microsoft, Nike, and Dell, who donate more financial resources to great projects.
• #53: Fee Structure Some platforms charge set-up fees, ongoing subscription fees, and/or fees per transaction. Be wary of platforms that are not upfront about their fees. GlobalGiving charges a 15% fee on all donations, but most donors choose to cover all or part of this fee in addition to their donation. We work hard to earn our 15% by delivering value to our partners.
• #54: Ongoing Fundraising vs. One-time Campaign Do you want to run a one-time fundraising campaign, or become part of a community of global do-gooders, with the potential for future funding opportunities and trainings? At GlobalGiving, we support crowdfunding campaigns, but also connect with our partners and networks in meaningful ways, both online and offline, to help organizations tackle their stickiest problems. Tax Advantages Not all platforms can give donors tax benefits for contributing to your project. Be sure to confirm the tax advantages offered by platforms you are considering if you think that will be important to your donors. GlobalGiving offers tax advantages for US donors, and GlobalGiving UK allows UK donors to take advantage of government matching funds. Other platforms may offer benefits to donors in your country, so consider all your options.
• #55: Reputation, Brand Recognition, & Vetting A platform with a recognized name and brand can make your donors feel more secure in donating. Some platforms, like GlobalGiving, also do their own vetting of organizations, which gives donors and additional level of assurance when making a donation. The extra level of vetting conducted by GlobalGiving staff means we are trusted by over 60 corporate partners like Microsoft, Nike, and Dell, who donate more financial resources to great projects.
• #56: Reputation, Brand Recognition, & Vetting A platform with a recognized name and brand can make your donors feel more secure in donating. Some platforms, like GlobalGiving, also do their own vetting of organizations, which gives donors and additional level of assurance when making a donation. The extra level of vetting conducted by GlobalGiving staff means we are trusted by over 60 corporate partners like Microsoft, Nike, and Dell, who donate more financial resources to great projects.