Advancement Fundamentals Track Setting Online Giving as a Priority in your Annual Giving Program
Setting Online Giving as a Priority Show the issue/gap to leadership Create staff structure to support it Gain consult (if expertise is needed) Implement change 2
Growth Correlates to Ownership 9,000 Donors by Channel 8,000 7,000 Web 6,000 Phone 5,000 4,000 3,000 Email 2,000 1,000 0 Mail Phones Email Web FY17 FY16 FY15 Source: Northwestern 3
No Owner Puts Program in Jeopardy Internal assessment found there was no true owner and therefore a lack of strategy, understanding, and measurement for online giving, a critical channel that raised $2.9M from 6,600 donors. 4
Online Giving is on the Rise Online revenue has grown by 14% Web conversions (the % of web visitors who completed a gift) has grown by 8% For every 1,000 visitors nonprofits raise $1,120 Source: M+R 2017 Benchmark Study 5
Web Critical to New Donors & Dollars New Donors (acquisition) by Source New Dollars by Source Web Phone Web Phone Email Email Mail Phonathon Peer Solicitation Email Crowdfunding Web Events Other Mail Phonathon Peer Solicitation Email Crowdfunding Web Events Other Source: Northwestern 6
AG Staff Structure no web roles Direct Appeals Mail/email Mail/email Mail/email Writer Loyalty Society Phonathon Reporting Assistant Young Alumni Senior Class Gift Assistant (Email) Leadership Giving Officer Officer Officer Officer Mail/Email Events Assistant 7
AG Staff with web roles Direct Appeals Mail/email Mail/email Mail/email Writer Loyalty Society Leadership Society Phonathon Reporting Assistant Young Alumni & Online Giving Senior Class Gift Crowdfunding Online & Social Assistant Leadership Giving Officer Officer Officer Officer Events Stewardship Volunteer Coordinator Assistant 8
Created New Position with New Focus New Job Summary: The Director, Young Alumni and Student Philanthropy on the Annual Giving team is the primary management officer with comprehensive responsibility for developing successful online campaigns targeting recent alumni, student giving (class gift). This position works with senior management to establish goals and report on progress to those goals. This role is a collaborative, digitally-oriented leader who manages a team in developing strategies and translating those strategies to action plans. The Director is responsible for fueling growth in building Northwestern s donor base through online channels. The Director monitors results, determines strengths and weaknesses of component programs. 9
Gained Consult 10
BSD Recommendation: Site Content Ensure content is informative, short and to the point place most important content at the top, least important at the bottom: Source: Blue State Digital Northwestern Recommendations 11
BSD Recommendations: Site CTA s Limit the number of Calls to Action (CTA s) on the site & make consistent: Source: Blue State Digital Northwestern Recommendations 12
BSD Recommendation: Design Provide a consistent design experience across sites (i.e.: same purple): Source: Blue State Digital Northwestern Recommendations 13
BSD Recommendation: Measurement Enhance GA to create reports that would describe donor behavior online then use data to suggest site strategy: Report on high traffic pages with high bounce rates to see where you are losing people. Report on site search tracking to see what people are having trouble finding. Report on Conversion Funnels to see which pages are driving people to give and which are distracting/discouraging them. Source: Blue State Digital Northwestern Recommendations 14
BSD Recommendations: Giving Form Shorten the form and make it well-organized and clear with only necessary fields. Break up giving steps into bite-sized pieces. Focus form for the majority of online donors needs. Source: Blue State Digital Northwestern Recommendations 15
Old Giving Form Overall look and feel is outdated Website refresh not carried over Inconsistent design elements Visual hierarchy is unclear Confusing calls to action Unnecessary/Distracting information Exceptionally long scroll Not mobile friendly Extensive scroll required 16
New Form Design Refresh Visible step breadcrumbs Recognizable branding Content Streamline Enhanced search options Reduced Scroll Collapsible add on information Translates to a mobile friendly experience 17
What Have We Learned? Partnerships made this project possible We are getting better data Able to track where donors drop off Volume of form related contacts is down There is so much more to learn! 18
What s Still Missing? Alternative display for required information One click donate and alternative payment options Less confusing recurring giving option Customization of billing step 19
Giving Form - What s next? Building the baseline for measurement Testing overall effectiveness Making changes based on data User specific customization 20
Dan Thain
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