News from Janet Levine Consulting

April 2011

In This Issue

Using Search Engines

Enough Already

Giving Circles

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Janet Levine Consulting

Greetings!

Janet Levine

I keep reading articles that tout the "next best thing" or "new ways to fundraise." And would that this hype would be true. But the "next best thing" is simply a new platform from which to do a mass appeal, and "new ways to fundraise" seem to be recycled from the same old same old. I am reminded of "the New Paradigm" that was being talked about when I started working in development way back in the '80s.

This is not to say that there aren't new things happening; that the world and nonprofits are static. There are and they are not. But some things don't change.

Fundraising is still about relationships, and relationships time time and effort. It also requires that you connect with your donors at least as often when you are not asking for a gift as when you are. And while social media is one way of "touching" your donors, it is still pretty impersonal and certainly ephemeral.

In fact, while it appears that while online givers make larger gifts than those who give via direct mail, they are also more fickle givers, meaning that their one gift rarely translates into a second. In a world where donor retention-keeping donors as donors to our organizations-is dismal at best, this is something to consider. In the US, more than 50% of all donors who make a cash gift to your organization never make a second gift. Of those that do, 30% fall off your radar (or you fall off theirs!) each year.

So sure, embrace the new. But don't ignore the tried and true. And before you start a new fundraising effort, look at what you have been doing. Are there ways you could do it better? Improvements that will cost you little in time or money but might keep a few more donors happy or invite new ones into the fold?

What are you doing that is new? And what are the things you are looking to make better?

Fundraising capacity not where you want it to be?
Need help in making Board members comfortable with fundraising?

Contact Janet Levine Consulting for a
free 30-minute meeting
to see how you can broaden your base, increase your capacity and raise more money.

Email janet@janetlevineconsulting.com to schedule an appointment

Using Search Engines to Drive More Traffic to Your Nonprofit

Allan Pressel is founder/CEO of CharityFinders, which helps nonprofits and for-profits use the Internet to further their mission.CharityFinders' NonprofitSite123 tool enables any organization to have its own world-class website quickly, affordably, and with no technical skills required. Learn more at Charity Finder

Even a fantastic website won't help you - unless people can find it! The most effective way to drive traffic to you online is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This article provides you with a crash course in how search engines work, so you can attract more online traffic.

Search Engine Optimization is a set of techniques you can use to drive more - and better - online traffic to your nonprofit by improving your search engine ranking for relevant keywords. If a potential donor, client, volunteer, or other constituent can't find you easily, they may donate, buy, or support another organization they can find easily - or simply do nothing. Many nonprofits receive little revenue online. Sometimes this is because their website does not offer transactions such as online donations, e-store, event tickets, and more - or makes them difficult for the user to find or complete. Other times it's because few users visit the site, or those that do are unlikely to take action. SEO helps drive more visitors to your site, and maximize the likelihood they will take action to support you. Of course, you also need a website that offers a lot for the user to SEE and a lot for them to DO.

There are hundreds of search engines, but only four that you should care about - Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Bing. The others cumulatively have a small market share.

So, how do search engines work?

Search engines send out software processes called bots, spiders, or crawlers to crawl around the web looking for new or changed websites. (READ MORE)

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Free, Private Website Consultation

Allan is offering all readers of Janet Levine Consulting's newsletter a free, Private Website Consultation. During this one hour consultation (conducted in person or by webinar), Allan will:

Assess your website (if you have one)
Provide strategic recommendations on how to improve it
Show you how to easily implement any of these recommendations

To sign up for your private website consultation, please visit:

www.charityfinders.com/PWC

Enough, Already

Since 1991, the number of nonprofits has more than doubled. The good news is that some of these are private foundations. You know, the folks who help support the other nonprofits--public charities. Obviously, the "bad" news is that there are more of those, also.

A huge number--75%--of these report less than $500,000 in annual expenses. Almost half (45%) are reporting less than $100,000 and a good percentage of these are spending less than $25,000 per year.

Many of these--over 300,000--are being closed by the IRS for failure to file an informational tax form. Beyond these closings, the IRS is reporting that there may be a slowing this year in the number of new charities being formed.

Personally, I think the IRS should consider if not a moratorium, adding some additional hurdles to those who want to start a new charity.

Many charities are started because someone has a passion. But too often, that is accompanied by the sense that their way is the only way to work on or with this passion. We sometimes call this "founder's syndrome." (READ MORE)

Giving Circles: More Feel-Good With Your Charitable Giving

Many people these days seek to have a more personal Heifer Internationalexperience in their charitable giving. They want to know that what they've donated can truly make a difference. Sometimes it's hard to get a positive emotional experience out of just dropping a $25 check in the mail to Charity XYZ, and receiving a membership card that sadly hangs on a bulletin board all year. Giving circles are a way to make charitable giving more rewarding by adding a social element to the act of giving. Giving circles are groups of individuals who pool their resources to make their donations go further. It's a wonderful way not only to help those charities to which you donate, but also those individual members of the circle who truly take that particular charity to heart. The circle can take turns donating to causes that speak to individual members' interests, or they can set a focus and donate to the same cause each time. The point is that the decisions are made communally so everyone feels good about being involved.

Let's say I want to make a donation to Heifer International. Individually I can only afford to donate a flock of chicks. But if three of my friends joined with me to make a donation, we could donate a goat! A goat will more positively impact the livelihood of a family in India or elsewhere. Pooling our collective resources means we can do more. It's worth looking into. (READ MORE)

Have Your Say

Inquiring minds do want to know--what is on your mind?

Send me your article (200-800 words) on any topic of interest to those who work for or with nonprofit organizations.

Are your fundraising results down? Janet Levine Consulting can help. Email or give me a call at 310-990-9151 to schedule a free 30-minute consultation.

Sincerely,
Janet Levine

Janet Levine Consulting