Fundraising Success is a prominent fundraising magazine for nonprofits that provides invaluable information to professionals working in the nonprofit space. I was fortunate enough to contribute to their November 2009 issue with an article that talks about ways to get the maximum return on investment for your website in helping your organization raise more funds online.
The article goes into a quick analysis of how online activities for nonprofit organizations fall into one of three segments:
- No online presence
- Limited online presence
- Dynamic online presence
And then explores eleven (yes, I know... the 11th one is a bonus!) areas that will help your organization become more successful with online fundraising:
- Consistent online branding
- Information architecture and navigation
- Call to actions
- Design and user interface
- Audience Centric Design
- Search engine optimization
- Content management
- Effective email communication
- Active participation
- Integration with system of record
- (Bonus) Make it interactive!
Check out the complete article in all its glory is
here on
FundraisingSuccessMag.com.
Do you have advice about how websites can be made more fundraising friendly? Share your comments with us!
We are proud to announce that our esteemed clients, New England Province of Jesuits have won the award for securing the highest ratings for Faith-based Standard of Excellence by the Web Marketing Association.
The winning entry can be found here: http://www.webaward.org/winner.asp?eid=13199
I would like to extend my heartfelt and sincere congratulations to the incredible team at New England Province of Jesuits as well as our internet solutions team here at Blackbaud for maintaining the highest possible standards in visual design, usability and website production.
New England Province of Jesuits Management Team:
Director of Communications: Alice M. Poltorick
Executive Director of Advancement: Grace Cotter Regan
IT & Communications Services: Fr. Richard H. Roos, SJ
Provincial: Fr. Thomas J. Regan, SJ
Back-end IT Integration: Mindshift
Blackbaud Internet Solutions Team:
Interactive Designer - Visual Design: Jono Young
Interactive Designer - Production: Josh Skidmore
Project Manager: Doreen Swanson
Creative Director: Raheel Gauba
This just goes to show how a successful partnership results in websites that move audiences!
Entries for the 2009 Web Award were judged based on user interface design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copywriting and ease of use.
Key Highlights:
One of the challenges that the client came to us with was how to create an optimal UI that is easy to use and manage that allows their audience to easily get to the most important information on the website. Jono Young, the Sr. Interactive Designer at Blackbaud Internet Solutions worked closely with New England Province of Jesuits to develop an innovative navigation system and design that helps establish their brand as well as an easy to use interface to connect the content with the user. Some key highlights include:
- The navigation system neatly anchors the homepage and guides the user by distinguishing key areas in large color coded blocks that capture attention
- These navigation blocks also serve as the basis for a scalable navigation system with drop down menus
- Keyword and context driven menu sections that allow for better search engine placement
- Designed and built strategically for easy site management within Blackbaud NetCommunity
- Homepage layout designed to communicate the most important information above the fold and a graceful flow of information beyond the fold
- Collaborative information architecture sessions to ensure the website's content is relevant to the audience
- Smart use of a functional footer to keep the audience engaged and provide calls to actions and additional resources
About Web Marketing Association:Since 1997, the Web Marketing Association’s annual WebAward Competition has been setting the standard of excellence for Website development. Independent expert judges from around the world review sites in 96 industries. The best are recognized with a WebAward which helps interactive professionals promote themselves, their companies, and their best work to the outside world. The WebAward Competition is the premier award recognition program for Web developers and marketers worldwide.
www.webaward.org
We have many informative posts on this blog about what to do, and how to do it. I thought I’d take a slightly different approach with a post about what not to do. This post is inspired by a true event that just took place a few minutes ago.
I received a call from the alumni association of the university that I attended about a chance to donate to a fundraising campaign –here is how the call went:
| Caller: |
Hi, may I speak with Raheel Gauba? |
| Me: |
Speaking! |
| Caller: |
Hi, I am calling from the <University Name> Alumni and, um… wanted to…um, tell you about the <Library Name> Library. |
| Me: |
Ok...Go ahead. |
| Caller: |
Oh, um…do you receive our quarterly magazine? |
| Me: |
Yes, but I have not seen the last one you sent out since I have been on the road for the last 3-4 months. |
| Caller: |
Um, ok, so do you know the <Library Name> Library? You know which library I’m talking about? |
| Me: |
Yes, I’m an alum, I know which library you are talking about |
| Caller: |
Yea, so, we are, um…upgrading some electronic facilities, you know at the library, so would you like to contribute towards the upgrade? |
| Me: |
No, thank you. |
| Caller: |
Ok, thank you for your time. |
I would have loved to contribute, if I was sold – but, unfortunately, I wasn’t.
What’s interesting to note is that this is not the first time this alumni organization has reached out to me and I have declined to give based on the same reasons. I even went as far as to let the caller know how I felt about the entire phone call experience. I did decide to give, once, just to see how they would change their approach towards me as a prior donor. But nothing changed – Same low energy phone call simply to ask for funds.
It is my opinion that most people on this planet enter a fundraising phone conversation with a default answer of ‘NO’ in their minds.
Here is how my ‘NO’ could have been converted to a ‘YES’:
- Show enthusiasm about the cause you’re calling about
- If you are speaking with a donor who has given in the past, thank them for their support and let them know that their contribution is recognized
- Take some time to explain the details about the initiative, before you ask for money
- Show how your initiative changes lives of students
- If possible, try to relate back to how things were different during the alum's time at university
- Don’t take the first no - especially when you have not explained the cause
- Make some effort to engage the donor into a conversation
The economy is tough on everyone right now– If you make sure you are putting in the appropriate effort into your cause, you will be surprised by the results!
These rules aren’t just for phone calls though, you can also add these suggestions to your online fundraising strategy to make your appeals more, well…appealing :)
A few weeks ago, I shared with you the first four design principles to help nonprofits make the best of their online presence. Here is the second installment with the final four principles...
5. The Purpose of the Website Should Be Obvious Through Intelligent Design
Website audiences make decisions in split seconds - For example, even on a SERP (Search Engine Results Page), we click on multiple websites within a few seconds to find the information we are looking for. The website that eventually wins our attention is usually the one that communicates it’s purpose and it’s content in a logical way that is easy to understand and digest right away. Make sure that your mission and purpose is reflected in your branding, imagery, strategically positioned content and navigation.
6. Focus on Moving the Audience
Let’s face it - Your website does not exist as a boutique just to show off information about your organization. Instead, it’s actually a tool that you have employed to mobilize your audience... As such, ensure that your content on the homepage is focused on three key items:
MISSION:
What does your organization do and why it’s doing itSUCCESSES:
What are the results of your actions CALL TO ACTION:
How can your audience help?
Your audience has to be "sold" on why they should do what you want them to do... so let them know who you are, what you have done and then create a path for them to perform an action!
7. Think Outside the Box while Keeping It Real when it comes to Design
Design is very subjective... It is the first thing that your audience experiences when they come to your website. As mentioned earlier, you only have a few microseconds to impress them. In addition to logically placed content, it is very important to approach design in a sophisticated manner that makes your audience feel comfortable and gain confidence in your organization. As with all things creative, it’s easy for a web designer to get carried away with completely conceptual, avant-garde and non-practical look... Ensure that you maintain the spice of the conceptual domain but balance it with usability for your masses. The key to success is make it easier for your audience to explore your website and understand your mission - This is how both you and your audience win!
8. Maximize your Content Management System's (CMS) Potential
If your website is running on a CMS, congratulations, you have already started to develop your web presence in a dynamic environment that can grow (assuming you made a good decision on the CMS, that is another topic of discussion altogether!). The next step is to ensure that you are putting it to good use by maximizing its potential... How do you do that? By choosing a partner that has a deep understanding of the system you are using. For example, the designers from the Internet Solutions Team at Blackbaud build websites within Sphere and NetCommunity day in and day out... period. That is all they use to develop websites for nonprofits. As such, they have extensive knowledge about how to maximize the tools at your disposal not only from a functional standpoint, but also from a visual user interface perspective as well.
Here are some more examples of websites that demonstrate some, if not all of the principles mentioned above... Do you have more advice to share with your peers? Get involved... leave a comment!
Considering my blog, Sans Profit Design, actually started out as a blog about designing for good, I really have not been writing much about design lately due to my recent social media kick. Well, it’s time to change that...Let’s start with the basics. As Creative Director at Blackbaud Internet Solutions, I have a certain vision, or some might say, mantra, that I like to follow and guide our creative work with.
I'd like to share my simplistic approach to effective design with you.
1. Every Pixel has a Purpose
This was a lesson I learned during my gig before Blackbaud while working with Roald Marth, the CEO of WhereToLive.com. The idea here is to ensure that as a designer, every single pixel on the screen must be accounted for within the design. This does not mean that every single pixel must be colored or manipulated, but rather - think about the positive and the negative space, balance and consistency - the pixels you don't touch are as important as the ones that you do.
2. Design Must be Audience Centric
Your audience is at the center of everything you do online - The design and content flow must cater to THEIR needs while being closely tied with YOUR organizational goals. It's a delicate balance, and not easy to achieve - but this is the difference between websites that do a great job at retaining their audience and ones that don't.
3. Less is Always More - Use Only What’s Necessary - Discard the Rest
Design is subjective. Some like clean and modern, while others prefer traditional and more elaborate approaches to design. Either way, there is always an elegant solution to the design challenge at hand. The way to arrive at this solution is to exercise the principle of 'less is more'. An over-designed, over-effected website turns your users away - Instead, keeping it simple and incorporating only the necessary elements to communicate your goals in a tasteful manner, is a gesture that your audience will truly appreciate!
4. Maintain and Improve Upon your Online Brand Integrity
Every time an organization goes through a redesign effort, careful attention must be paid to how your brand will be perceived with your new design. Is the design evolutionary or revolutionary for your brand? Careful attention must be paid towards elements that defined your brand in the first place and ensure they are being refined rather than redone. Make sure that the new brand and design still conveys the history and the essence of your organization while communicating your mission clearly and effectively.
There you have it - Four principles that you can easily follow (or at least be aware of) while going through your redesign (or rebrand) effort.
Here are some examples of websites that demonstrate some, if not all of the principles mentioned above. Do you have more that you would like to share? Leave a comment and join the discussion!
The recent boom in social networking has brought about enough of a shift in the way people use the Internet that it has completely altered the way organizations think about their online strategy. Most organizations maintain a stubborn point of view that their website is the center of everything they do and that any other online presence only detracts from their own website.
I agree with 50% of that statement. The website IS the epicenter of your organization online, however, it is not the ONLY initiative or activity that you must conduct online. Let me explain...
- Your organization's website is a marketing vehicle that also serves the dual purpose of helping achieve organizational goals via interactive capabilities (donation forms, event registration, new account sign up, etc.)
- Most organizations use eCampaigns, newsletters, print marketing, adwords / PPC campaigns and event marketing among other strategies to promote their website and all it has to offer
Let’s think about this for a minute - Not only are some of the above methods limited in terms of a wide audience reach, but they can become pretty expensive as well! An organization may have the best looking website with cutting edge features, but none of it matters if you are not able to reach your audience effectively!
Enter Facebook... here are some facts:
- Number of users: 200 million + (Highest concentration of target audience at your disposal)
- 100 million + people log on to Facebook at least once each day (Some people don’t even check their email that often!)
- More than two thirds of users outside of college (This is no longer a network targeted only at the young)
- Fastest growing demographic: Age 35+ (See more at Inside Facebook)
Over the last six months or so I’ve observed more and more people using Facebook as their primary means of electronic communication rather than email. With the growth of social networking and "connected" technologies, this trend will only continue to increase. Anyone care to take a guess about what change this will bring to your primary communication vehicle known as email in a few years?
Key take away:
Your audience is moving to a new paradigm of connectivity - Treat social networks as another marketing vehicle to communicate with them and increase awareness of your organization, mission and...your website! The added bonus of $0 cost for software is hard to beat!
Then use the power of many to start a viral growth and increase awareness of your mission.
Some easy steps to start:
- Create a Facebook group
- If you have the budget, get in touch with companies like FreeCause to help you build a Facebook app (They have a solution that integrates with Sphere and NetCommunity as well)
- Start with the inner circle of friends and invite them to join your group (or app) and encourage them to help spread the word on your behalf
- Communicate with your Facebook fans as often as you communicate with your constituents through other means
- This, of course, requires that you have an effective communication strategy in the first place
- Watch your community grow - Make sure you are always directing your users to your website where you have even more information about your cause and mission along with interactive tools to integrate with your system of record
- Don't be afraid - Not doing anything in this digitally connected age is scarier than experimenting - And when you do, I guarantee that you will become addicted!
If you have completed the above steps, congratulations, you have taken the first step in reaching your audience where they already are - they feel comfortable there and are in complete control of the information they want to consume there - You are now connecting with your audience more effectively... and you are doing so, on their terms - a win-win situation, really!
Facebook statistics source: Facebook
Last month, I made my way to Little Rock, AR to visit Heifer International's Global Headquarters. What was meant to be a couple of days of discussions aimed at enhancing the future generation of Heifer's online presence also turned out to be days full of inspiration and enlightenment as well!
The Cause:
Heifer has pioneered a sustainable approach towards ending global hunger through several initiatives that include:
- Agroecology: Teaching environmentally sound agricultural techniques
- Animal Well-Being: Training the animal recipient the best practices associated with animal management
- HIV-AIDS Education: Proactive prevention training and education within affected communities
- Gender Equity: Ensuring equal opportunity and active focus on gender neutrality in all its sustainable efforts
- Microenterprise: Providing no-interest living loans in the form of livestock as well as monetary loans to help families start their own business
With a world wide presence, Heifer has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals and families move out of poverty and create a business that helps them grow and improve the local economy.
The People:
While I met only a handful of individuals during my visit - It was obvious how passionate and enthusiastic they were about what they do. Each and everyone took pride in the hard work they put into continuing the legacy that is Heifer - Their level of expertise and depth of knowledge about their business was refreshing and they truly had an excellent grasp of how to take the success of Heifer to the next level.
The Campus:
Many organizations are dedicated towards ending world hunger and ensuring sustainability but only a few of them are able to do so in a way that makes little to no impact our planets natural resources. Talk about practicing what you preach.
Imagine a modern, beautiful and state-of-the art piece of architecture that spans 97,000 square feet of space accommodating hundreds of employees working within a smart and attractive space; Heifer International has been awarded a Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification rating for its truly outstanding structure. This rating is the construction industry's top honor for buildings that demonstrate environmental responsibility.
Running a water bill of only a mere few hundred dollars per month by using rainwater to help cool the internal environment and to flush toilets - Now that, is a true definition of efficiency! With natural ventilation, and intelligent design, the overall cost of energy powering and sustaining the space is 45% lower than conventional buildings of the same size.
Its not all technology and efficiency from an environmental point of view but the interior space is extremely well designed with the same approach. The artistic and modern environment converges with a practical work area by maximizing the number of desk spaces while still maintaining an open and airy feel in the immediate workspace. Mini meeting rooms are available for quick meetings every twenty steps or so that fosters a sense of immediacy and a smooth approach to their daily workflow.
Supporting Heifer's Mission:
www.heifer.org
You can help Heifer by participating online through the following activities:
Finally, I would like to thank Heifer's staff for their hospitality and the opportunity to visit with them. I was humbled, enlightened and excited about who they are, what they do and how they do it - Looking forward to seeing them again very soon!
If you're a frequent facebook user like myself, you are all to familiar with the event stream on your homepage when you log in. This is the page that informs you about all the activities taking place within your circle of friends in one convenient location - very cool, right? Up until yesterday this event stream was only available on your facebook homepage accessible either via the facebook website on your browser or through apps created by facebook for the iPhone, Windows Mobile, Android and other mobile platforms.
Today, Facebook launched its new API that lets developers access the stream from your profile page - anywhere, on any platform - from mobile phones to websites to desktop apps - while respecting the security and privacy settings for the user. This marks a huge milestone in the way facebook data is shared and opens up a world of possibilities.
You can get a taste for just what this is all about by downloading the Facebook Desktop App for Adobe Air -Now you have a desktop app that shows you your stream in real time without the need to actually go to the facebook website. Facebook has also created a download area where you can experience additional apps that take advantage of the new API.
The next move lies with you - the designers, the developers, the audience, the strategists... to dream up new ways of bringing facebook streams into your online presence and daily activities. For starters, imagine a non-profit organization's facebook stream visible on their homepage to generate interest and invite more audiences to engage!
What would you do with the new access to Facebook's stream? Send us your thoughts on www.blackbaud.com/sansprofitdesign or www.netwitsthinktank.com!
Wall Street Journal has learned that facebook is expected to launch brand new web services that let developers access areas of the site and content that was not available before. This news is especially exciting and relevant because of the broad market appeal and adoption of the platform making it one of the world's largest repository of relational data.
If you are a web designer, developer or a website manager, pay close attention to these new developments and start thinking about how to take advantage of the new features - Ofcourse you might want to think about a social networking strategy first, if you haven't done so already!
Good times!
In my research for this particular post, I noticed that most organizations, including some fairly large ones, are not taking advantage of the hidden potential of footers. The approach is a fairly standard, boring and expected one with the format of (c) Date, Organization Name, All Rights Reserved.
Lets shed some light towards why the footer needs to be considered as part of your overall design strategy.
Every single pixel has a purpose when it comes to web design (a separate post about this coming soon) - Whether the pixel is colored or not, negative space or not, it must be fully utilized and have a purpose. Why not look at the footer in the same light?
When working on redesigns for our clients, there are some common themes of resistance towards enhancing footers. The most popular one is "Why? This type of footer distracts the audience from the main content." At first, this sounds like a very valid concern - Why take emphasis away from the main content of the website?
The reality is that the footer is the last element on the page - If your audience has scrolled down and reached the footer, this usually means that:
- they have not found what they were looking for in the main content, or
- they are simply in 'browse' mode and are scanning the page top to bottom just to get a feel for the type of content you are offering, or
- they are looking for specific quick links or contact information about the organization
The real question is, if your audience has already scrolled past everything, and they are now towards the bottom of the page, why not take advantage of the opportunity and present quick and useful information and/or elements that re-enforce your organizational goals and keep them engaged? The success of a website solely depends on securing the interests and satisfaction of the audience, and going the extra mile will only do good!
Today's audience demand more information in less time that is easy to consume - Helping the audience in yet another way to get to compelling content and interactivity on your website aims to fulfill that demand.
Another advantage towards using a "functional footer" that may be hidden from plain sight is that it enhances search engine visibility depending on what type of information you publish.
From a design point of view, especially for those organizations who are very brand conscious (as should all), a functional footer opens up a world of possibilities to do something a little different and unexpected and provides an easy way to re-enforce the organizations brand in creative ways!
Here are some possible elements that could be used when designing a functional footer:
- Partner logos
- Key calls to action
- Breadcrumbs
- Search
- Complete sitemap
- Short blurb describing the organization's purpose
- Promotional links to podcasts, blogs, etc.
- Use of social networking/bookmarking icons
- 'thought of the day', 'Psalm of the day', 'Comment of the day'
- What we're doing, How you can help (Quick links)
- Recently updated content
- Staff or constituent profile teasers
- Do you have more ideas? Leave a comment and participate!
Here are some examples of creative footers on various non-profit websites:
BarackObama.com
Bethlehem Baptist Church
The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis
Cavalry Bible Church
Church of the Valley - Corvallis
City of Grace - Mesa
Elim International Church
United Nations Association of the USA
Generation Church
Lance Armstrong Foundation
Memorial Baptist Church - Gettysburg
MoMA
Oxfam International
Pacific Legal Foundation
Save the Children
St. Pius X High School
The White House
Do you have more examples of great functional footers? Share them with us!
Welcome to Sans Profit Design, a blog dedicated to all things design for the nonprofit world.
I'm glad you stopped by - Let me take a moment to introduce myself... My name is Raheel Gauba and I am the Creative Director for the Internet Solutions Division at Blackbaud. As an internet addict and a stickler for good design, I bring with me a decade of experience with strategic planning and execution of successful websites. My core passion lies in the design and development of online communities using equal parts form and function that allow organizations to attract, engage and retain their audience. Along with a team of extremely talented designers and producers, I have managed to lead the delivery of over 400 websites within NetCommunity over the past several years.
Prior to my position here at Blackbaud, I worked for WhereToLive.com, a dynamic internet start-up company where I helped reshape the user experience of websites within the real-estate industry and designed the online brands for some of the country's top real estate agents and brokerages. I had the opportunity to work with some brilliant individuals during my time with WTL, most notably Ed Kohler who also heads up a successful company specializing in Search Engine Optimization and Marketing in the twin cities, and Roald Marth the CEO of WhereToLive.com. I also had the pleasure of designing and helping launch one of the top technology blogs with Roald and Ed.
As the lead web architect for Canada’s largest television network and media company, I developed many content management systems and interactive applications powering some of the nation’s highest trafficked websites. While evaluating and implementing emerging technologies with multi-platform reach such as mobile-to-television, I focused on converging the audience experience scattered across multiple media platforms and drive them towards the network's website - providing a powerful and consolidated user experience.
But that's enough about me - this blog is about you! So, what can you expect to find here? At Sans Profit Design, readers can expect to find information about good (and bad) design both online and offline, website usability, search engine optimization, web strategies, online and offline marketing and their impacts for nonprofit's across the globe. The idea here is to improve the state of the internet one site at a time - and doing it while having fun!
So, go ahead and subscribe to Sans Profit Design and participate by leaving comments - And finally, if you have a relevant topic that interests you, I would love to hear about it!