NetWits

MARCH 15, 2013

When I’m not digging through tons of nonprofit data or spending time with …

Twitter 165

Twitter Data Time Nonprofit 165

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

FEBRUARY 8, 2013

If you had to guess how much charitable giving grew in 2012, what …

Results 258

Results Ideas Fundraising Help 258

NetWits

FEBRUARY 6, 2013

Most nonprofit websites see a donation form abandonment rate of around 50% - 70%. Yes, that’s more than half of the people who have found your website, gotten interested enough to click the “donate now” button and looked at the donation form decide not to make that donation. Here's what you can do to improve this.

Rate 251

Rate Donation Websites People 251

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

DECEMBER 11, 2012

End of year fundraising is in full swing, but with 2013 right around …

Challenge 189

Challenge Fundraising Strategy Nonprofit 189

NetWits

DECEMBER 10, 2012

Year end fundraising is a big deal.

Technique 194

Technique Fundraising Giving Social 194

NetWits

DECEMBER 6, 2012

I've spent a good part of the past month reviewing year-end email drafts and have seen several common pitfalls. Here are 10 things to avoid.

email 226

email Review Content Profit 226

NetWits

NOVEMBER 5, 2012

Nonprofits that effectively thank and regularly communicate with donors will have an easier time retaining them. Here's 8 ways to thank donors online.

Donor 270

Donor Effective Online Communication 270

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 19, 2012

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

Content 161

Content Mobile Strategy Design 161

NetWits

OCTOBER 9, 2012

People are voting on your website every day. Maybe not with polls and surveys, but they are voting with their actions. You can track this to give them more of what they want and cut down the clutter of things they don’t need.

Poll 125

Poll Track Survey Websites 125

NetWits

OCTOBER 3, 2012

President Barack Obama raised nearly $410 million dollars through individual contributions in 2008.

Social Media 181

Social Media Media Social Fundraising 181

NetWits

JULY 27, 2012

Social media is talked about so much that you probably think every other …

email 101

email Build Tips Social Media 101

NetWits

AUGUST 2, 2012

A few years ago, Cause Marketing was all the rage.

Social Media 108

Social Media Guide Donor Media 108

NetWits

SEPTEMBER 5, 2012

What goes into creating and designing a successful nonprofit website that inspires action?

Design 102

Design Guide Web Nonprofit 102

NetWits

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

By now many of you have been working on your end of year …

Work 119

Work Campaign Tips Online 119

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 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 Retention Offline 170

NetWits

AUGUST 21, 2012

Your website has a lot to say. If a person from each department of your organization stood in front of you and shouted information, chances are you wouldn’t decipher anything through the noise. At the very least, you would be confused. If you don’t prioritize your content to convert the noise into clear messages, your users will experience the same confusion.

Action 205

Action Websites Design Voice 205

NetWits

AUGUST 8, 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 donor solicitations are powerful. Such messages are able to reach large audiences, present powerful story-telling as only multi-media can, and provide the means for instant giving.

Offline 219

Offline Donor Online Fundraising 219

NetWits

AUGUST 2, 2012

A few years ago, Cause Marketing was all the rage. Nonprofits – small and large – were scurrying to create “meaningful” corporate partnerships NOT sponsorships. Some did it well ( Pink Ribbon anyone?? ) while others struggled. No one disagrees that proving a company’s Social Responsiblity is very important to consumers. In fact, in a 2011 report, consumers spoke very loudly that they expect companies to drive social and environmental change and that they will reward these efforts.

Social Media 209

Social Media San Diego Donor Media 209

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

JULY 13, 2012

It is submission-mania in the nptech world right now. From taglines to SXSW, there’s a plethora of opportunities to strut your savvy stuff. Have a look at some of the great opportunities below… 2012 Nonprofit Tagline Awards. Enter your organization’s tagline into this year’s award contest. As a bonus, every entrant will be invited to join Nancy for a free webinar in late summer: “Aha!

Award 146

Award NTC Contest Nonprofit 146

NetWits

JULY 12, 2012

School’s out for summer and you’re catching up on work, planning for a new school year and making some much needed, long overdue updates to your website, right? But the overwhelming question looms…where should you start? While you have some time this summer, ask yourself the following questions so you can identify opportunities for improvement in your school’s web presence.

Websites 143

Websites Audio Interaction Web 143

NetWits

JULY 9, 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! . No matter how well an organization is doing with its online fundraising, it will eventually hit plateaus and declines.

Online 144

Online Giving Haiti Fundraising 144

NetWits

JUNE 27, 2012

Google’s over 1 million computer servers in data centers around the world handle over 1 billion searches per day. That amounts to 7.2 billion daily page views, 620 million daily visitors and 87.8 billion monthly searches. Making Google the largest traffic driver on the web. Oh, and they own 85% of search traffic on the web. Having a good understanding of search engine optimization at your nonprofit is key to achieving online success.

Google 187

Google Search Video Nonprofit 187

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 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 7, 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! . Our 2011 Online Fundraising Report shows that nonprofit organizations receive over 20 percent of their total online funding in December, and nearly 45 percent in the last four months of the year.

Online 221

Online Fundraising Benchmark Report 221

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 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 15, 2012

Download the complete 2011 Online Fundraising 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! . In our 2011 Online Fundraising Report we learned that every sector surveyed experienced double-digit growth since 2009 , including roughly 13 percent* in the past year.

Online 230

Online Fundraising Haiti Retention 230