Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

Welcome!

• Today’s topic: Steps to successful online fundraising beyond the button

– Presenters:James Campbell, FirstgivingSheila Wenger, Angelman Syndrome

Foundation

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

Today’s agenda

• Person-to-Person online fundraising• How the Angelman Syndrome Foundation

succeeded• Online donations vs. online fundraising • Popular concerns over online fundraising• Costs and cut to the details• Get started with online fundraising• Question time

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

What is Person-to-Person Fundraising?

• Your supporters making personalized appeals to friends and family for your cause

• Allowing your supporters to leverage their social network to make a difference

• Giving power to the people who want to do more than make a simple donation

Your NPO Supporters Friends & families = donors

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

What is a Personal Fundraising Page?

• It puts a face to your nonprofit organization

• Eliminates “fear of asking”• Convenient, easy & secure• Donors feel more involved• Automatic donation receipt,

for tax purposes

Progress thermometer

Personal appeal

Donations and comments

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

Collect credit card donations fromyour friends and family

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

Welcome Guest Speaker:

Sheila Wenger Executive Assistant

The Angelman Syndrome Foundation

http://www.angelman.org

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

About the Angelman Syndrome Foundation

• ASF's Mission is to advance the awareness and treatment of Angelman Syndrome through education and information, research, and support for individuals with Angelman Syndrome, their families and other concerned parties. 

• The Foundation sponsors AS research through grants to researchers pursuing promising avenues of discovery. Since 1996 the ASF has funded 51 research grants totaling over $2.5 million. The ASF has awarded a majority of these funds ($2.2 million) beginning in 2005.

• ASF sponsors a biennial National Conference to bring together Angelman families and professionals dedicated to helping individuals with AS and their families. Opportunities to hear the latest research results, therapeutic techniques, educational strategies, long-term planning and networking opportunities, to name a few, are available during the conference. 

• ASF also publishes a quarterly newsletter which alerts members to upcoming meetings and events, provides helpful insights from AS families and friends, and informs readers of any new research and medical developments that could better the lives of AS individuals and their families.

• ASF holds a walk-a-thon on the third Saturday of May every year as their signature fundraising event. Funds from the walk help to improve the day-to day lives of individuals with AS and are used for research and to improve medical treatments for AS.

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

ASF National Walk-A-Thon

• First walk-a-thon was started in Chicago in 1998 by dedicated group of volunteers

• 1999 – three sites• 2008 – 19 sites• 2009 – 24 sites• Each site completely run by

volunteers with staff support

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

How has online fundraising helped us?

• How our supporters use it?– Supporters use the fundraising pages to raise awareness and funds for ASF mostly for

our walk, but also has been used for marathons, memorials and in lieu of gifts events– Registration tool

• Our initial concerns, fears?– Cost– Security– Reporting features

• What’s our experience been?– Increased awareness, donations and size of donations– In 2007 supporters created 475 fundraising pages. In 2008 that number increased to 720– Of those 720 pages the average raised per page was $1036– The week of the walk in 2008 the average donation amount was $80. That week alone

supporters raised over $117,000– Largest donation via Firstgiving in 2008 was $15,000 and the highest amount raised on

a personal fundraising page was $68,554

• Feedback?– Easy to use– Supporters liked additional features such as Flickr and Widgets– Easy to make a donation to someone’s page

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

$-

$100,000.00

$200,000.00

$300,000.00

$400,000.00

$500,000.00

$600,000.00

$700,000.00

$800,000.00

Year

Online Fundraising Totals

Online Totals $111,425.00 $283,551.00 $574,770.00 $745,871.00

2005 2006 2007 2008

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

Thank you Sheila, and to The Angelman Syndrome Foundation!

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

How is this any different than the “Donate Now” button on my website?

• Online donations – Stick a “Donate Now” button on your website, sit back, wait, and hope for reactive donations from your immediate donors only

• Not terribly effective• Not very engaging

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

How is this any different than the “Donate Now” button on my website?

• Online fundraising – Empower all of your constituents to reach out to their extended networks and proactively “Ask” them for donations

• Net new donations from donors you don’t have access to otherwise!

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

Put a personal face on your cause

• Appeals are made on your behalf at a personal and emotional level

• Donors feel compelled to support their friends’ efforts in a show of personal support

• Lack of familiarity with your nonprofit organization has little bearing on the decision to make an online donation

?

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

Concerned?

• Transaction fees – You do not lose money fundraising online, in fact you will cut

down on administrative costs & time, grow your donor database, and net even more money than offline alone after the fees are deducted.

• No fundraising events– That’s fine, people can raise money for your cause for any

occasion and anytime they wish.

• Demographic won’t use it– People of all ages, income, education, geography, race, religion,

and ability use online fundraising pages to easily reach their contacts & collect more money for their favorite cause.

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

More concerns…

• Complexity and resources– Online fundraising doesn’t need to be a huge undertaking, it’s

quick, painless, simple, fun, and has short & long term fund development benefits to your organization

• Loss of control – Your fundraisers know best how to speak to their audience, so

empower them with the freedom and ability to do so through their own personal pages.

• Security – Online fundraising is more secure than offline fundraising, and

we respect the privacy rights on you and your community

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

Firstgiving Fee 5%

Credit Card Fee

2.5%

ONLINE DONATIONS

NPO nets 92.5%

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

00011101011101000

01010101011010100

Your NPO.org

1,329.56

Firstgiving YOUR NPO

Monthly Check

Weekly Direct Deposit(EFT)

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

Detailed breakdown of payments, donors, and

fundraisers

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

When your organization joins Firstgiving, you get your own Nonprofit Start Page which is the hub of

your online fundraising activity

Premium Account• Branded Start Page for

your Nonprofit– Fundraising pages have

your logo, banner, & identity

• Includes:– Online event registration– Events / campaign reports – Fundraising Teams

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

Some organizations raising money with Firstgiving person-to-person online fundraising pages

Firstgiving Webinar, September 25, 2008

Try Firstgiving risk-free.Join now at www.firstgiving.com

call (617) 591-2121 x1005 for your free trialor email james@firstgiving.com