A new research report has been released addressing the role of that internet plays in fundraising for larger gifts. The Wired Wealthy: Using the Internet to Connect with your Middle and Major donors is a joint study by Convio, Edge Research, and SeaChange Strategies into the online behaviors and preferences of major and middle donors. It shows that there is significant room for improvement in the way nonprofits meet their online needs.
This study suggests that an “Internet communications gap” exists between higher dollar donors and charities. In short, most causes are not making the best possible use of their Web and email efforts to connect with this critically important audience.
Google is demonstrating an increased interest in the multi-billion dollar nonprofit sector with the announcement of a special suite online donation processing tools for nonprofits. Google Checkout for Non-Profits gives access to Google Checkout e-commerce system, and builds in specific tools for creating and publishing online donation buttons, plus a set of API functions for integrating data with internal donor-management systems. Google is offering this whole system for free (0% commission + $0 transaction fee) until the end of 2008. (more…)
MobileActive has released the third in their guidebook series on using mobile phones for civic engagement. This report, by writer and internet strategist Michael Stein, focuses on the use of mobile phones in fundraising campaigns. Looking at examples and learnings from a wide range of organizations around the world, and in particular at the first large-scale emergence of mobile fundraising in Southeast Asia after the Tsunami of 2005, the guide offers valuable advice and strategic pointers for organizations looking to integrate mobile media into their fundraising campaigns.
The guide can be downloaded here (free registration required).
Techsoup has published one of the first overviews of an emerging category of online fundraising tools: charity badges.
Charity badges — also known as fundraising widgets — are small graphic modules (similar in appearance to online banner ads) designed to help individuals and nonprofits raise funds online. Charity badges solicit donations for a specific cause or organization and can be posted to Web sites, blogs, and social networking pages.
The article describes the basic function and purpose of charity badges and profiles two of the leading providers, as well as offering a case study and strategic advice to using charity badges in fundraising campaigns.
There is another new player in the charity badges marketplace, following the lead of ChipIn and Network for Good.
CareBadges recently opened the doors on its new service, offering customized badges that people can place their own personal websites. blogs, MySpace accounts, etc.
CareBadges is just getting started (top fundraisers so far is $100), but promises some enhanced features such as adding your own slideshow to your personal carebadge.
Anyone who is looking for good ideas about how to get their nonprofit up to speed with the new generation of interactive web tools (loosely defined as Web 2.0 or social media) should keep an eye on this site: The 59 Smartest Organizations Online.
The site features a live, dynamically-updated ‘popularity’ poll where anyone can nominate and vote for the organizatios they think are doing the best job of effectively using new user-driven web tools - such as blogs, photo streams, comment boards ranking/voting and whatever else is new and cool in the social media world.
The list contains many of the familiar names you’d expect: Greenpeace, Oxfam, MoveOn, Sierra Club; and also quite a few smaller unknowns who are doing truly innovative work to explore new web technologies. (check out Kiva, Modest Needs, PledgeBank and Witness for some refreshingly new ideas).
Much of the exploration into Web 2.0 for nonprofits is being done on non-commercial open-source platforms like Plone and Drupal, and by some of the edge-players in the online services marketplace, but increasingly the big players are also coming on board.
Kintera has announced they will be adding LiquidSource demographic data analysis tools to the Kintera Sphere CRM platform.
Organizations using Kintera Sphere CRM will now have the ability to score and group their supporter base into wealth segments. Kintera Sphere CRM will now provide a novel wealth score based on supporters’ liquid financial assets, enabling nonprofits to easily segment their database by capacity to donate. As a result, nonprofits can customize “ask” amounts based on a donor’s ability to give.
Convio and Strategic One have unveiled a new report on integrated marketing approaches to nonprofit communications.
The report is built around an in-depth case study of the SPCA of Texas, and looks at the impact on fundraising results from a program of coordinated communications with donors using multiple channels (direct mail, phone, radio, print).
The study comprised a number of test and control segments with comparative results.
From the report’s conclusion:
The primary objective of this study was to quantify the influence of eCRM – online constituent relationship management in multi-channel communications context. In this case study, the increased value of adding an online donation channel for donors acquired offline is $44.71 per donor over 12 months. Additionally, donors receiving eCRM out-perform those who only receive offline communications, giving twice as much in their lifetimes. Download the full report here.
Personal Democracy Forum has released a “tell-all “consumer’ guide to more than a dozen Software-as-a-service providers including all of the big names in the industry as well as a selection of lesser-knowns and up-and-comers.Service providers selected for the guide are given a full profile which describes their philosophy, describes the core uses of their software services, and highlights some of their strengths and top clients.
The part of the guide that will most interest those who are in the market for a software-as-a-service provider will be the aggregate user ratings (i.e. stars) and user-reports of levels of customer service, and the fairness of pricing.
The guide many be viewed in summary on the Personal Democracy Forum site.
To access the full version of the guide, which includes full company profiles, as well as private forums with ongoing dialogues with users of their tools, you have to register as a premium member of PDF ($25).
Civicspace has announced the public release of CivicSpace On Demand, a subscription web service offering a complete, integrated solution for nonprofit website hosting, online donations, blast email, and supporter database needs, built on leading open source platforms and applications.
“The CivicSpace On Demand service provides any individual a simple, web-based solution to the problem of bringing individuals and groups together on the internet. Communicate with supporters via a website and e-newsletters. Offer them opportunities to act in support of your cause by making an online donation, volunteering or attending an event. Keep track of your supporters in a powerful, integrated central database. No software to install or maintain: all it takes is your web browser.”
This is one of the strongest entries from the open source community to compete with the all-in-one integrated solutions offered by giants like Convio and Kintera.
Registration for a 30-day demo of Civicspace’s Groundswell Professional hosted solution is free.
A new research report has been released addressing the role of that internet plays in fundraising for larger gifts. The Wired Wealthy: Using the Internet to Connect with your Middle and Major donors is a joint study by Convio, Edge Research, and SeaChange Strategies into the online behaviors and preferences of major and middle donors. It shows that there is significant room for improvement in the way nonprofits meet their online needs.
Google is demonstrating an increased interest in the multi-billion dollar nonprofit sector with the announcement of a special suite online donation processing tools for nonprofits. Google Checkout for Non-Profits gives access to Google Checkout e-commerce system, and builds in specific tools for creating and publishing online donation buttons, plus a set of API functions for integrating data with internal donor-management systems. Google is offering this whole system for free (0% commission + $0 transaction fee) until the end of 2008. 
Techsoup has published one of the first overviews of an emerging category of online fundraising tools: charity badges.
There is another new player in the charity badges marketplace, following the lead of ChipIn and Network for Good.
Anyone who is looking for good ideas about how to get their nonprofit up to speed with the new generation of interactive web tools (loosely defined as Web 2.0 or social media) should keep an eye on this site: 
Kintera has announced they will be adding LiquidSource demographic data analysis tools to the Kintera Sphere CRM platform.
Convio and Strategic One have unveiled a new report on integrated marketing approaches to nonprofit communications.
Personal Democracy Forum has released a “tell-all “consumer’ guide to more than a dozen Software-as-a-service providers including all of the big names in the industry as well as a selection of lesser-knowns and up-and-comers.Service providers selected for the guide are given a full profile which describes their philosophy, describes the core uses of their software services, and highlights some of their strengths and top clients.
Civicspace has announced the public release of CivicSpace On Demand, a subscription web service offering a complete, integrated solution for nonprofit website hosting, online donations, blast email, and supporter database needs, built on leading open source platforms and applications.