Free EBook from Network for Good

Network for Good has released a new EBook titled "How to Raise A Lot More Money Now - 50 Great Ideas from 11 Top Experts." The book gives you creative ideas on how to raise money for your organization. In past postings, I've talked about strategic ways to get donations. People like to see where their money is going. So being creative with that part of your website can really get peoples attention. Take a few minutes to review this EBook.

If you need help with getting your website designed or redesigned to draw in donors, visit www.gogreencre8tive.com.

Don't forget your networking tools. Get help with you networking as well. I have packages exclusively for non-profits to manage your networking.

Online Fundraiser's Checklist

Network for Good is offering up a new e-guide to help for planning for 2010. It is an Online Fundraiser's Checklist. There are six checklists that cover the homepage, donation form, writing style, email lists, email campaigns and thank-you programs.

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Pitching Your Cause: Effectively Working with the Media to Spread Your Story

Network for Good is offering a live teleconference on September 1st on getting the media involved with promoting your organization. The insert from the invitation reads:

As your organization works to stay top of mind for supporters and the media, you may be feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of public relations, pitches and press releases. You think to yourself:

What grabs a reporter's attention?
How can I increase the chances of my event being covered?
Who's the best person to contact at media outlets when my organization has news?

Join our journalism and communications experts (Zan Dubin Scott, Paul West and Scott Martelle) for a free "Public Relations 202" teleconference. Our experts know the ins and outs of media coverage; they can explain why those assigning editors never called you back and why the sure-hit event you planned drew no free media.

View the source and register today »

Five Things You Should Never Say to an Online Donor

Picture one of your supporters sitting at her computer. She’s browsing your website. She just finished reading a heart-warming story of success about someone whose life has been transformed by your nonprofit’s program, and there’s a tear in her eye. (There's also a bit of broccoli between her front teeth, but don’t focus on that now.)

Now you watch with bated breath: Will she convert from supporter to donor? What can you say during this open-minded moment of truth? What should you absolutely avoid saying during this crucial time?

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Start accepting donations online

Times have changed and people are looking for easier ways to make donations. Gone are the days of mailing in checks. Consider setting up your website so that folks can pay online instead of filling out some form and mailing it in. Now I do agree there are still some people who are not comfortable paying online and still like the traditional method - so do both. There are many tools or options out there for you. Here are a few:

Volusion: I talked about Volusion briefly last week. While it is an e-commerce tool, it does give you the capability to accept donations or round your purchase up for your donation.

PayPal: This is one of the cheapest options out there. It's very easy to sign up for a PayPal account. They also walk you through the steps of setting up your donation button. They then provide the code that you just paste into your website. Their fees are very minimal.

Network for Good: If you are a non-profit organization, you can use this pretty much for free. It costs nothing to set-up your account with them. What is neat about this is although there is a fee, they give you an option to put on the form where the donor can opt to pay the fee that is used to process the card. It's a neat option. www.networkforgood.org/npo

Kimbia: This is a bit more upscale version and a very versatile tool. You set up your account with them and then you can start customizing and building your own forms. So you could set-up a donation form with whatever fields you want. Then because the tool is somewhat of a widget, you can copy and paste the code anywhere - websites and etc. and a person could donate right there. Definitely worth checking out. http://www.kimbia.com/