Using Social Media to Increase Donations

Using Social Media to Increase Donations C-CRM18 Lara Brown

Senior Marketing Manager Sage Nonprofit Solutions

Online giving and social media usage is exploding • Online giving

– 140 large nonprofits surveyed raised a combined $1.2 billion in online donations in 2010 compared to $887 million in 2009. That’s an increase of 35%!*

• Facebook – There are > 500 million active Facebook users. 50% log on to

Facebook on any given day. Largest growth is 35+, with 55+ growing at 922%.

• Twitter – Users now send a billion Tweets every 8 days—by comparison, it

took 3 years, 2 months, and 1 day to reach the first billion Tweets.

• YouTube – 179 million people watch video online, 77% on YouTube

* The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

How does social media promote online giving? • Contributes to each stage of the giving cycle

• Keeps donors engaged online

• Expands your audience

• Promotes advocacy

• Builds stronger ties with donors

• Mobilizes supporters

• Taps into human nature

Aware

Respond

Donate

Advocate

Social media enables each stage of the giving cycle

Strangers

Fundraisers

Donors

Friends

Source: Seth Godin, Flipping the Funnel

Social media helps keep donors engaged online • It’s far cheaper to retain a donor then recruit a new one

• Engaged donors are more valuable: – Donate more often with larger donations – Take more actions: volunteering, recruiting donors, attending

events – Tell more people about your organization – Fundraise on your behalf, if you enable them to

Social media taps into the human need to feel:

• Connected with others

• In the know

• Heard and understood

• Recognized

Listen Participate Measure Evaluate

“It’s about conversations, and the best communicators start as the best listeners.” Brian Solis, Social Media Manifesto

Listen before you participate

Tips on Listening

• Don’t just listen on your own social properties. – Go where conversations are already taking place and be a part of

them, commenting on blogs and Facebook posts, Tweets

• Subscribe to RSS feeds and use Google Reader to manage and categorize them by area of interest

• Track what other successful, like-missioned organizations are doing so you can leverage it

Tips on participating

• Be a human

• Make it personal

• Use conversational language

• Keep it jargon free

• Show your passion

Above all, be authentic!

You can’t manage it if you can’t measure it • Establish goals and metrics and re-evaluate them

– Number of social mentions – Increase in Facebook likes and Twitter followers – You Tube video views – Blog comments – Increased traffic to your web site – Influence (Klout score)

• Social media measurement tools – www.socialmention.com – www.tweetreach.com – www.search.twitter.com

Who can name at least 6 of these social media properties?

Best practices for social media success

• Social media is about strategy, not tools – Understand where it fits within your mission, goals, audience – Integrate it with other online and offline strategies and tactics

• On Facebook, focus efforts on your page

• Drive traffic back to your core web site

• Make it easy for supporters give and get involved

• Develop content to keep donors engaged

Social media is about strategy, not tools • How does social

media fit within your mission, strategy and goals?

• How can you integrate social media with existing online and offline strategies and tactics?

Focus on your Facebook page • Gives you the

greatest return.

• Nonprofits raised $3 Million on Facebook Causes in 2008, but at an estimated cost of $300 Million to sector.

• Livestrong raised an average of only $.13 per member.

Drive traffic from social properties to your core web site • When people want to learn about a cause they go the charity’s

Web site

• Your website and email is still where you see the majority of engagement.

Core Website

Email

Offline

Social Properties

What people want to know when they get to your website*

* Source: Community Web 2.0

80% 74% 71%

43%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Impact Success Stories Details About theOrganization

FinancialAccountability

Make it easy for them once they get there • Simplify donation pages

– No need to sell them at that point – Reduce the number of clicks – Don’t send them off to a third-party site to donate

• Everyone is a potential advocate – Give them multiple ways to get involved (register, subscribe) – Make sure they have the tools to share your story – Lower the barrier to entry for people to engage with you.

• Allow them to give in context – Provide donation forms on every page with high-value content

• Ask! For time, for money, to share your story

What the Jazz Foundation is doing right • Explain their mission

• Provide case studies

• Offer multiple ways to get involved

• Make it easy (minimize clicks)

• Show a progress bar

• Stay on website instead of going to another site to give

• Enabling sharing (share this page, embed the form)

• Giving in context

http://www.jazzfoundation.org

Soft ask: Low barrier to entry

Good content should accompany every giving opportunity • Assign resources

• Do a content audit

• Create an editorial calendar – Include holidays and events

to spark ideas

• Make and upload video

Video is a great way to show it, not tell it • Easy to create and upload

• Share your story

• Include a call-to-action at the end and point it to your site with supporting content.

• Keep videos short (1-2 min), focused, authentic, use humor

• Get free YouTube account: youtube.com/nonprofit – Benefits include ability to add a call-to-action overlay on your

video.

Common fears around social media

• Lack of internal resources/time/budget – There is cost associated with it

• Lack of knowledge/expertise – Deputize someone in your organization – Familiarize yourself with the tools

• No guidelines in place – Create a policy, there are many

examples online

Common fears around social media

• Lack of support by leadership – Start small, show results

• Not convinced about the value/ROI – Will need time to prove out

• Losing control of the conversation – Create a plan to respond to

negative comments/PR like the Bronx Zoo

Questions to ponder • Where does social media fit within your mission, strategy, goals

and audience?

• How can you integrate social media with existing strategies, campaigns and tactics?

• Are you driving email and social media users to your website?

• Does your website make it easy for visitors to take action?

• Do you have existing content you can leverage for videos / blogs?

• Are fears about social media keeping you from getting started?

Contact Me • Lara Brown

• [email protected]

• Twitter: @laraeliz