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Covering Web Site Costs and Online Fund Development
By Walter M. Higley Assistant Executive Director Stanley Isaacs Neighborhood Center www.isaacscenter.org It is the great hope of nonprofits that the Internet will significantly enhance fundraising opportunities. But fundraising on the Internet is still in its infancy. I would like to share with you some of the steps the settlement house I work with - the Stanley Isaacs Neighborhood Center - has taken, as well as the effectiveness of our efforts. Developing a Web Site and Covering Costs It's critical to have a Web site and ours is www.isaacscenter.org. A number of individuals and organizations can provide assistance on this front. For instance, PASA, Inc. at www.pasa.org was very helpful when we were embarking on our site design. Another group that provides assistance and may even be able to recommend a Web designer who can help you set-up your site at very low cost is www.voluntech.org. The Web host the Isaacs Center uses is Interland.com. They offered four great incentives for joining them:
Up to 100 free e-mail accounts for agency staff; Web Trends - a program that provides detailed reports of who visits your Web site (purchased separately, this program would cost about $300); With every referral we make that signs with them, Interland gives us a $10 credit on our account (so please be sure to mention the Isaacs Center if you decide to use Interland.com). Online Fund Development If you click on the "Online Shopping" button on our Web site, you will see that there are a number of sites from which you can make purchases - these are our "affiliates." If you establish affiliate relationships, the visitors to your site can click on those affiliate sites and, for example, shop at Amazon.com or Proflowers.com. In exchange for the link presence, these affiliates give you a percentage of whatever your visitors spend on a purchase. One way to boost this activity is to send your visitors an e-mail or newsletter just prior to holidays, reminding them that by purchasing at one of your affiliates through your Web site they will be making a contribution to your agency. We have also developed what we refer to as a Virtual Thrift Shop on the Internet using Ebay. If you click on the Ebay button and register, the Isaacs Center receives $3 from Ebay. If you click on Isaacs Center on Ebay, you go directly to our Thrift Shop and can view what we have posted for auction. We set this site up in August as an experiment. Since then, we have made over $8,000 through the Ebay relationship. We are now working on a business plan to assess and determine the best way to execute this type of fundraising. Charity portals and charity sites are also options worth exploring. [See Michael Stein's article "A Primer on Online Fundraising" in this issue for listings.] These are particularly active come tax time when individuals and organizations are looking for charities to which to donate. Don't expect to make a lot of money through these sites but do look for exposure. These listings should be free so there is no reason not to take advantage of them. Another way we have used our site to generate funds is by selling tickets to events we sponsor. During our first year online we raised $7,800 through donations and ticket sales. We are in the process of building an e-mail address database of our donors, volunteers, and friends so that we can more actively pursue fundraising through our newsletter and other online appeals. Online fundraising is in its early stages and the Isaacs Center is testing out a number of options. In this way we can experiment, discover what works best, and then position the agency for a strong future in online fundraising. You can contact Walter M. Higley at whigley@isaacscenter.org.
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Planning & Management.... An Agency Profile: Transitional Services for New York, Inc. (August, 2003) Software for Nonprofit Accounting (March, 2003) How to Accurately Plan Your Agency's IT Budget: A Workshop Synopsis (October, 2002) Would You Like To Improve Agency Communications? Develop an Intranet! (October, 2002) "Something from Nothing" - How Housing Works built a state-of-the-art IT infrastructure on a shoestring budget. (August, 2002) Making the Build-or-Buy Decision: A Thorough Analysis Before You Decide (February, 2002) Online Facilitation (December, 2001) The ABCs of ASPs (November, 2001) The Pros and Cons of ASPs (November, 2001) Using an Application Service Provider To Transform Your Agency (November, 2001) The Nonprofit Web Site: Tips for Attracting and Retaining Visitors (April, 2001) A Case Management System Case Study: Providence House (January, 2001) Covering Web Site Costs and Online Fund Development (January, 2001) I&R Best Practices: Profiles of Three NYC I&R Services (November, 2000) One To One Marketing for Nonprofits (May, 2000) Planning for Success: A Practical Approach to Technology (March, 2000) Networking for the Small Nonprofit: The Asian American Federation of New York (December, 1999) Developing a Technology Plan: Key to Getting Needed Funds (October, 1999) Should Your Organization be an E-Commerce Provider? (October, 1999) Stretch Your Technology Budget - Take Advantage of Product Donations (June, 1999) Contact Tracking That Works (April, 1999) How We're Using Information Technology to Further Our Mission (February, 1999) PeopleKnowledge: One Solution to Data Management (December, 1998) Softward Licensing: Protecting Your Organization From Lawsuits (October, 1998) Other Articles of Interest.... GuideStar: Getting Form 990 Online (October, 2001) Nonprofits Benefit from ePayments Technology (April, 2001) Paving the Way to the Future: DYCD's Comprehensive Contract Management System (January, 2001) Creating the Paperless Office (November, 2000) Globix Technology Grants Help Nonprofits Realize Operating Efficiencies (November, 2000) TECH-U-NET: Providing Technology Guidance to Nonprofits (November, 2000) Technology Technical Assistance: Why Use it, How to Manage it (May, 2000) New Web Site Facilitates Quality Program and Evaluation Planning (March, 2000) Lessons From the Life of a Learning and Access Center (December, 1999) Distance Learning and Training can be Low-Key, Low-Tech, and Low-Budget (October, 1999) If Your Computer is Looking a Little Green Around the Ears, it Might be a Virus (June, 1999) Program Donates Technology to Nonprofits (April, 1999) New York Today Offers Free Web Services for Nonprofits (February, 1999) Register Your Internet Domain Name Now (February, 1999) Diffusion Fund Enables Advanced Telecommunications for Disadvantaged. . .(December, 1998) BrookynX - A Guide to Getting Your Communities on the Net (October, 1998) Learning the FAQs: Free Education and Training for Nonprofits (October, 1998) |
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