AASP: Advancement 2.0

Speaker: David Lotz of Convio

*Generational shift is trending toward online engagement. Baby boomers prefer to give online. Gen X pretty much only wants to give online. Millenials rarely check personal email.

*In 2008, 27% of new giving was online, compared to 6% in 2004.

*Approximately 5% of total giving is online.

*86% of major donors visit a nonprofit's website before giving, but only 8% were very inspired by it. They don't return very frequently.

*75% want to control their experience, such as frequency and content of email.

*The current email model must change from a program-centric (e.g. separate email strategies from each program) to a donor-centric model.

*Top 8 online success factors:

1) "Collapse your silos" -- Coordinate communication strategies to provide relevant, personalized content

2) "Provide Control to Constituents" -- Give subscription options. Allow specific unsubscribes rather than just a global unsubscribe. Two primary reasons for unsubscribe: frequency and relevance.

3) "Optimize Your Web Presence for 'Conversion'" -- Offer substantial engagement opportunities.

4) "Rethink Your Email Communications" -- Segment content according to constituent interests. Communicate when you have something to say; don't be a slave to your schedule. Pay attention to metrics. Test with two segments of 5% of pool each.

5) "Make Giving Tangible" -- Show the impact of the gift. Example: the Fill America's Fridge campaign. Once again, make it relevant. For example, the ASPCA segments by dog person or cat person.

6) "Multi-Part Appeals" -- Even if you don't have time to craft multiple messages, simply resend the original message with a note that it is a reminder.

7) "Online Moves Management Strategy" -- Collect profile data: interests, preferences. Engage as donor or volunteer. Create segmented relationship pathways. The major donor pathway must be highly personalized and donor-controlled. Needs a high ratio of cultivation to appeals. Provide opportunities for two-way communication. Use data acquired online to inform offline engagement. (Put it in your donor profile!)

8) "Leverage Social Networks" -- Must be committed, needs frequent attention. Caltech decided to use Facebook rather than developing their own social network. Consider replacing the class agent model with a natural network-based viral campaign.