NetWits

MARCH 5, 2013

Successful use of email for communication is both an art and a science. Let's focus on the science behind how email metrics work and how you can use them to measure your results.

email 169

email Metrics Arts Measure 169

NetWits

FEBRUARY 27, 2013

Facebook’s new Graph Search is very different from Google search.

Search 254

Search Facebook Google Nonprofit 254

NetWits

JANUARY 31, 2013

Despite the trend that additional emails have helped increase the total number of transactions without compromising open rates, the 2012 results told a slightly different story.

Analysis 155

Analysis email Fundraising Rate 155

NetWits

JANUARY 30, 2013

The mobile buzzword of the year is "responsive design." Let's dive into this term and discover what responsive design is all about, why it is important for nonprofits and what your alternatives are if responsive design is not the best fit for your organization.

Mobile 204

Mobile Alternative Design Nonprofit 204

NetWits

JANUARY 17, 2013

It’s 2013.

Fundraising 241

Fundraising Online Nonprofit Interaction 241

NetWits

JANUARY 15, 2013

Observations about how web design has evolved over the last decade to be flatter, bigger and simpler, all making it easier to translate into a mobile experience.

Design 192

Design Web Trend Mobile 192

NetWits

DECEMBER 27, 2012

It’s December 27th.

Help 168

Help Social Media Interaction Content 168

NetWits

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

The placement of the email sign-up box is always a consideration when designing …

email 175

email Design Social Media Interaction 175

NetWits

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

There is a lot of confusion around goal tracking and funnels in Google …

Goal 157

Goal Google Analytics Track 157

NetWits

NOVEMBER 16, 2012

Is your nonprofit raising money on it’s website? I’m guessing the answer is yes.

Action 268

Action Online Fundraising Raise 268

NetWits

NOVEMBER 13, 2012

Tweets can travel faster than the speed of light and Facebook is word-of-mouth on steroids. But can you raise money using social media?

Social Media 242

Social Media Money Raise Media 242

NetWits

NOVEMBER 8, 2012

How do your supporters want you to show your thanks?

Websites 160

Websites Donor Support Interaction 160

NetWits

OCTOBER 24, 2012

What can we learn from political calls to action this election season? Here are three common elements the majority of them are using that can be easily used in your own calls to action for online fundraising.

Action 146

Action Online Fundraising Learning 146

NetWits

OCTOBER 23, 2012

Guest post by John Haydon, Founder of Inbound Zombie – a nonprofit social media …

Results 172

Results email Marketing Social Media 172

NetWits

OCTOBER 19, 2012

My last post was a quick introduction to Mobile Content Strategy.

Content 161

Content Mobile Strategy Design 161

NetWits

SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

CAPTCHA stands for (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart). The CAPTCHA program is able to protect websites because computer programs cannot read or understand distorted text the way a human can. The purpose of CAPTCHA is to create a positive online user experience during the transmission of sensitive data like logins, registrations, email or online payments.

Question 145

Question Spam Registration Images 145

NetWits

SEPTEMBER 14, 2012

By now many of you have been working on your end of year campaigns, but if you haven’t started planning the good news is you still have time to put a plan in place to maximize end of year giving. Here are a few items to use in your end of year plan : - Optimize Your Home Page for the Holidays. - Make Every Email Count. - Tap into your Constituents’ Network.

Campaign 174

Campaign Work Tips Gift 174

NetWits

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

Every nonprofit who relies on fundraising to accomplish their mission looks for more effective ways to raise money and improve donor retention. Fundraising effectiveness is an ongoing, evolving, and challenging reality. Luckily, folks like the Fundraising Effectiveness Project take time to dig into the nonprofit fundraising data over time and pull out insights that help the nonprofit sector continue to evolve their fundraising efforts.

Effective 170

Effective Fundraising Offline Retention 170

NetWits

SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

What goes into creating and designing a successful nonprofit website that inspires action? That’s a great question. One that every nonprofits should think about from time to time. That said, we’ve compiled a few resources that might help you think through your next website redesign. Audience Analysis. View the Session Recording | Download the Slides.

Design 247

Design Web Guide Slides 247

NetWits

AUGUST 31, 2012

According to the Run Walk Ride fundraising council “The top thirty “thon” event fundraising programs generated $1.69 billion in gross revenue for charity last year, up $40.8 million or 2.46% from 2010 levels.”. That’s right, $1.69 billion raised in 2011 (with an expected growth of 10% in 2012). And that’s only the top 30. There are thousands of smaller nonprofits who run peer-to-peer fundraising events.

Results 220

Results Fundraising Social Media Contest 220

NetWits

JULY 27, 2012

Social media is talked about so much that you probably think every other form of communication is dead (Ok, maybe your thinking isn’t that extreme). But that’s not the case. In fact, email is still the number-one way to connect with your supporters. Earning the right to deliver content directly to the inbox of your biggest fans is critical to your long terms success.

email 266

email Build Listserv Museum 266

NetWits

JUNE 26, 2012

As fundraisers we are always looking for new and innovative ways to increase donations. We don’t want to miss out on opportunities that help us reach our goals so we watch the industry, what other nonprofits are doing, and even the for profit world to get new and fresh ideas. It’s not surprising that one of the questions I get asked most from the nonprofits I work with is “ what’s next in fundraising ?

Develop 193

Develop Create Fundraising Virtual 193

NetWits

JUNE 21, 2012

For the past 30 years, we’ve been developing software and services for nonprofits. We are immensely proud of the work we do in helping over 27,000 nonprofit customers accomplish their missions. They serve as a constant source of inspiration and give purpose to our work. Make sure to check out our Giving Index , Gift Range Calculator , Nonprofit blogs and free fundraising tool, BBNow.

Blackbaud 243

Blackbaud Software Gift Service 243

NetWits

JUNE 20, 2012

Social media has revolutionized the way tech savvy arts and cultural organizations communicate. Facebook has 901 million active users; 500 million people use Twitter; 8 years worth of content is uploaded to YouTube every day; Pinterest has 4 million unique views daily. Nonprofits are taking advantage of this technology; according to the Nonprofit Social Networking Survey by NTEN, Common Knowledge & Blackbaud, the average nonprofit’s fan or follower base grew by 30 percent on Facebook and

Social Media 151

Social Media Media Tampa Social 151

NetWits

JUNE 19, 2012

I just returned from speaking at the MyCharityConnects Conference, a social media and online fundraising conference hosted by CanadaHelps in Toronto. I was there to share what I’ve learned about engaging email campaigns. After I was done speaking someone said to me, “Who knew there was so much to email?”. The fact is email is an important tool that requires considerable planning, resources and expertise to be successful.

email 150

email Test Conference Benchmark 150

NetWits

JUNE 14, 2012

Download the full Internet & Multichannel Fundraising Report. to learn more about the turn to online fundraising, the need for a multichannel approach and how direct mail is still alive and well. Download Now! Online acquired donors are significantly younger, more affluent, and more generous than their offline counterparts. However, they also take more work to retain.

Offline 209

Offline Donor Online Giving 209

NetWits

JUNE 8, 2012

It’s official; we launched our new full service creative agency for nonprofits this week – GUIDE Creative – Where we LOVE web design and making effective nonprofit website(s)! Learn more about us at www.guidecreative.com and make sure to sign up for The Great Guide Giveaway. — Creating an effective nonprofit website isn’t easy.

Websites 195

Websites Effective Chad Guide 195

NetWits

JUNE 5, 2012

Are you asking the right questions in your P2P post event surveys? . This Thursday Jennifer Ashbaugh from Big Brothers Big Sisters will help answer this very important question “ are you asking the right questions in your post event survey ?”. In Thursday’s web seminar we’ll be discussing post event survey’s and how to ask questions that will help you develop strategies to increase revenue.

Survey 127

Survey Fundraising Advice Social Media 127

NetWits

JUNE 1, 2012

It’s official; we launched our new full service creative agency for nonprofits this week – GUIDE Creative – Where we LOVE nonprofit web design! Learn more about us at www.guidecreative.com and make sure to sign up for The Great Guide Giveaway. — Now I’ll suppress my excitement about our launch for another passion – tips 5, 6 and 7 in our series of posts on effective nonprofit websites.

Websites 171

Websites Effective Create Hints 171

NetWits

MAY 31, 2012

If you run your nonprofit’s email communication program you’re likely always thinking of ways to get better. You probably think about things like opens, clicks, conversions and unsubscribes. Wrapped up in all that is the issue of sending too many emails. Most people who’ve been doing email communication for any length of time understand that too many emails equals increased unsubscribes, lower open rates and lower click through rates.

Rate 172

Rate Technique email Open 172

NetWits

MAY 30, 2012

Download the full Multichannel Fundraising Report. to learn more about the turn to online fundraising, the need for a multichannel approach and how direct mail is still alive and well. Download Now! In today’s connected world — where seemingly everyone is using their smart phones to update social networks, check email, and pump out hundreds of text messaging a week — direct mail can look a bit outdated to some nonprofits looking to raise money in support of their mission.

Online 234

Online Fundraising Offline Mail 234

NetWits

MAY 23, 2012

Crowdsourcing has become a popular term in recent years, but the word has only been around since 2006. It’s popularity has made the word commonplace when you interact in social networks. It’s also spreading around the fundraising and nonprofit world. Some people are starting to call it “Crowdsource Fundraising” But haven’t we been doing “crowdsourcing” for a little longer than 5 years in the event fundraising space?

Badge 205

Badge Fundraising Cancer Colorado 205

NetWits

MAY 22, 2012

Download the full Multichannel Fundraising Report. to learn more about the turn to online fundraising, the need for a multichannel approach and how direct mail is still alive and well. Download Now! Online donors are a generous group. In fact, online donors are worth a lot more than offline donors. Typically they’re first-time donors who shell out nearly double the amount that offline first-time donors do - to the tune of $62 versus $32 on average, according to our 2011 Multichannel Fund

Technique 201

Technique Retention Donor Online 201

NetWits

APRIL 30, 2012

Email communications are a critical piece of every nonprofits engagement strategy. Maximizing the effectiveness of your email marketing includes understanding and leveraging the latest email design strategies and best practices. But how do you keep track of them? Here are 20 email design tips that will help you increase deliverability while maximizing the look of your email marketing campaign.

email 247

email Design Effective AJAX 247

NetWits

APRIL 27, 2012

“Go and do Good!”. That’s what Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) tells it’s event participants to do at the end of this video. FMSC is doing something that every nonprofit who runs an event fundraising program should do. The thing that turns regular people into fundraising pro’s. Training (Event Fundraisers). That’s right. Training is the name of the game.

People 195

People Fundraising Hunger Blended 195

NetWits

APRIL 26, 2012

Download the complete 2011 Online Giving Report to learn more about the 13% YoY growth, double-digit growth since 2009 and the top reasons your nonprofit should invest in its online fundraising program. Download the report now! . A report released earlier this year by the UK User Experience Agency Nomensa indicated 47% of people who visit a website intending to make a online donation give up before completing the process.

Websites 207

Websites Online Donor Cancer 207

NetWits

APRIL 25, 2012

Effective nonprofit websites don’t exist as boutiques to show off information. But you already know that. You know that your nonprofits website is a tool that should be used. Used to engage, interact with and mobilize your audience – A tool that should ultimately inspire action. From our extensive research and work with nonprofits in creating strategic, impactful websites, we’ve uncovered and organized a list of the top 10 elements of an effective nonprofit website.

Websites 180

Websites Effective Create Nonprofit 180