Online Fundraising 101

by Kate Talbot

The face of fundraising is changing. It's changing so much, in fact, that it may no longer have a face at all. That is, a face at your door, or a letter in your mail slot, or a telemarketer on the other end of the phone. Fundraising is going online and it's getting personal in lots of new and exciting ways, all thanks to the introduction of an innovative online tool known as a widget.

So what's a widget?
A widget is a graphical image similar to an interactive advertising banner that allows individuals to raise awareness for a cause on their blog, social networking site, or webpage. Widgets can be personalized with a photo, video, and/or text about your cause. Some widget templates, like the one offered by ChipIn (a service that makes it easy for anyone to collect money for a personal cause) accept donations and track those donations in real time.

So, let's say you identify a charity or cause you feel strongly about. You decide to raise money and awareness for this cause by creating an online fundraising campaign. You've set a goal for how much money you want to raise and how much time you estimate it will take to reach that goal. Now, you need to build an effective widget. Here are some tips from the pros on how to develop a great one:

• Keep it personal -- The way the widget looks, reads, and generally feels should reflect you.


• Include a personal photo, compelling text, and a strong call to action.


• Upload video to your widget to further convey the personal side of your cause. This can be as simple as a video of you talking about why this cause is so important to you or images that help bring your cause life.

Pass it on and on...

The real power of a widget lies in its ability to be passed from one person to another. In marketing-speak this is referred to as being "viral" in nature. It's the online equivalent of "word of mouth" and it's easy to do. Here are two ways to get started:

E-mail your contacts

• Pull together a list of people to introduce to your cause. You may not realize it, but your best prospects are right at your fingertips. They're the people in your e-mail and instant messaging address books. Send them a link to your widget.


• Encourage your contacts to forward your widget to their friends who might be interested. The more your widget gets passed along, the sooner you'll reach your goal.

Use social networking sites, listservs & blogs

• If you're a member of a social networking site like Facebook or My Space, copy your widget to your webpage. Now, anyone in any of your networks who visits your page will be able to learn about your cause and contribute.


• If you have your own blog or personal website, you can post your widget there too; this way your regular readers will see it.


• Post a message about your cause and a link to your widget on your community listserv. Not sure if your community has a listserv? Visit www.groups.yahoo.com to search for listservs in your area.


• Find out if your community center has a regular e-mail distribution list and ask them to send out a short introductory description of your cause with a link to your widget.


• Search for blogs that focus on your charity, cause, or a related issue. Google BlogSearch is a good place to start. Inform appropriate bloggers about your campaign and why it's important to you. Ask them to include information about you in their next post. They may even agree to include your widget on their site.

Thank-you notes and other good manners

As in the offline world, it's important to use good etiquette when contacting your contributors. Here are some helpful tips to follow:

• Follow up with each contributor by sending a thank-you note. Write a personal messagae that reflects your sincere appreciation for the donation.


• Send a group e-mail to all donors when you meet that all-important fundraising goal. Here's your chance to say "Yeah, we made it!" and offer your thanks and appreciation again.


• Create a thank-you note template using your e-mail software so that messages can be sent immediately.


• Remember to keep in touch with your donors by sending regular updates on how your fundraising is progressing. But a word of caution -- don't overdo it. Many people are inundated with e-mail on a regular basis. You want your e-mail to be welcome.

So there you have it. Online Fundraising 101 using widgets, the Web, your e-mail address book, and a few other helpful tools. It's easy, fun, and rewarding!