A lot of the discussion centered on topics that are universal to all those in the nonprofit internet space: How do we measure the return on investment of blogging and social networking? Where do we find good content?

Faith and web content
However, a good portion of the conversation was specific to faith-based groups. 

• How much “faith” do we put into our copy?
• Do we quote scripture enough? Too much?

The general consensus was that it’s important to remain true to the faith, but not to the exclusion of those outside the faith who share in the mission. The Quaker organization Friends Committee for National Legislation, for example, lobbies for peace and says that only 35% of their supporters are Quakers. “It seems the concept of peace has a broader following,” said its representative.

Having said that, a 2003 study by Arthur C. Brooks found that “religious conservatives donate far more money than secular liberals to all sorts of charitable activities, irrespective of income.” (Read more)

Sometimes testing can help you land on the right mix of mission/faith copy. We’ve recently been working with a Catholic organization that had little or no religious references in their online message, but have the word “Catholic” in their name. NPA has been helping them test messaging around religious holidays and launching search marketing campaigns that are aimed specifically at those practicing the catholic faith. The results have been surprising and the data compelling as they understand further who their base is and why they give.

Faith and Web 2.0
One of the biggest fears expressed in the session was about losing control of content in a Web 2.0 world. “We offer a summer camp to teens,” said one, “so we have a FaceBook presence. But we worry that one of our board members will click on some of the user-generated content on our FaceBook page and be appalled at what he’ll find in two or three clicks.”

While all understood the concern, there was general agreement that it was a risk worth taking. But how do you explain that to the leadership? One comment from the session may help, “The internet is today’s ‘Roman road,’ which in early Christian times was traveled by prostitutes and tax collectors, but which also allowed St. Paul to visit the early churches.”

You may need a different analogy for your faith, but the point is the same: it’s not enough to have a faith-based reason for our organization’s mission. You also need a faith-based understanding of your involvement in the internet.

NPA works with all types of nonprofit organizations, but have recently been working with several faith-based organizations, helping them grow their internet fundraising and communications programs. If your organization is looking for some help in online marketing, fundraising and communication, give us a call.

March 2008