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8 Tips On How To Generate More Donations Online
Create a Website Having your own website – preferably with a paid and well-chosen domain name – is essential to online fundraising. It gives people a specific address to go to if and when they wish to know more about your organization or foundation. Your website must be designed for search engine optimization. An SEO-friendly website is able to enjoy greater exposure to their target market more quickly. You must also provide valuable content for your website and update it regularly. Don’t let your website become an empty shell in which the Donate Now button is the only functional link. To start with, you can share the background of your organization and introduce your members. You can state your goals and provide online registration forms for prospective participants, volunteers, affiliates, and sponsors. Provide a press kit for those in the media industry. Share inspiring stories about how making donations were able to accomplish huge changes in the lives of the people you’ve helped and those who were generous and selfless enough to provide such help. Make Donating Convenient If you’re lucky enough to have visitors willing to make a donation, don’t make it hard for them to do so. Online donations are made more convenient if you’re able to accept various modes of payment. Instead of simply accepting cash and check payments, how about applying for and acquiring the necessary software and licenses in order to accept credit card transactions and other online forms of payment as well? Make Donating Safe Be sure to publish your privacy policy and confidentiality guarantee. With identity theft and online fraud still rampant, people are naturally wary about making any online transaction. You can assuage their concerns by taking proper precautions to ensure that their online donations won’t post any risk to them. Make Yourself Available for Communication Your website must provide visitors with your complete contact information. Give them your organization’s address, phone and fax number, and your email address. Let them know the hours that there’s a representative available to assist them with their inquiries and concerns. Have a FAQ Section A lot of people are willing to make a donation but end up not doing so simply because of lack of information. As not all of them may have the time or inclination to contact you and ask your questions, a FAQ section will go a long way in answering the questions they aren’t able to ask. Make sure to update your FAQ section regularly. Create question categories so that users will have an easier time ferreting out information. Keep Track of and Acknowledge Donations Every donation you receive through your website should be properly accounted for to the IRS. It must also be acknowledged with a valid written receipt so that donors may use it to apply for charitable deduction if you so wish. By taking steps to make every donation you receive legally recognized, you’re sure to encourage more people and businesses to spend on charitable activities. Stay in Contact Invite your visitors to stay in touch by offering subscription to your newsletter or RSS feeds. It’s important to use of every strategy available for building your list. And once you do have names in your list, be sure to contact them periodically and update them with your current projects. People are more inclined to donate if they see for themselves that an organization is active and consistent. Learn How to Advertise Online Last but not the least, it’s important to work on spreading the word around. It’s impossible to obtain online donations if no one knows you exist in the first place. For free online marketing strategies, consider social bookmarking and networking, blogging, and podcasting. It’s also good to participate in forums and talk about your organization. If you can afford it later on, make use of paid online marketing strategies as well like having text ads and holding online contests. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com For more information on how to make an impact in the world please go to: theimpactfactor.info/ theimpactfactor.info/?p=10 |
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