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Results of NPA's Nonprofit Web Issues Survey: The Donor Relationship
Thanks to those of you who submitted a response to the survey in the last issue of e-fund news. (Read the survey online at: http://npadvisors.com/NewContent/100391.asp .) While the survey and sample size was not scientifically valid, your responses have been enlightening and, as promised, will help to direct content for upcoming issues of e-fund news. The top problem, according to respondents, was "How can our site help us broaden and deepen the relationship with our donors?" This is encouraging, because it represents the ultimate potential of any nonprofit website. We believe, however, that most nonprofits have a lot of work to do before they get to this point. Broadening and deepening a relationship online requires that there be an online relationship in the first place, and too few nonprofits are building relationships online. Furthering a relationship requires the ability to keep track of each donor’s actions online and offline, and to use that data in offering customized, relevant content to each donor. Imagine preparing for a personal visit to a donor. You would pull that donor's index card from your file, and review when they were last visited, by whom, and what was discussed. You would note recent gifts they've made, events they've attended, and note personal information that was important to them (pending retirement or children's graduations, recent illnesses, etc.). You'd plan your objective for this visit (perhaps an increase in their capital campaign pledge) and pack the materials that you think might be needed to achieve that goal. The same process should and can happen online. Your website can track their recent visits, gifts, and the pages they've viewed. It can combine that with data gathered off-line (like that capital campaign pledge) and then determine what content should be shown to them on this new visit, and what "ask amounts" to place in their donation page. It can start by greeting them by name when they visit the site, and offering them content that's new since then and relevant to their interests. Broadening and deepening the donor relationship requires data, content, and the software to tie the two together. If you would like to talk to NPAdvisors about helping you build and use that database, please contact us. And, it's never too late to send us your survey answers. September 2004 | |
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