How will the Net Affect the work of Fundraisers?

Summary:

Early discussions of many possible ways for fundraisers to use the net. Adam Corson-Finnerty has more recently developed a comprehensive website on the subject at http://www.fund-online.com/.

Answer:

(Note 8/11/99 -- Adam Corson-Finnerty offers his own thoughts on the
subject of using the net for "post dinosaur" fundraising, and a
comprehensive set of links rich with examples and further discussions at
http://www.fund-online.com/.

A recent book, The Nonprofit Guide to the Internet: How to Survive and
Thrive, by Michael
Johnston (2nd editing, 1999) discusses this topic among many others. You
can order
The Nonprofit Guide from Amazon.com using this link; a small
royalty will be paid which will be used to help support this site.

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Jon Miskowski, 608/263-0299, wrote on Aug 10, 1995, to FUNDLIST
(subscribe at listproc@listproc.hcf.jhu.edu) on the subject: The Net:

As we develop our home page, I'm wondering what fundraisers think about
the potential for fundraising on the Internet? Could it be a direct
response tool that's is a good as direct mail or telemarketing? What are
fundraisers doing with the Net? What will we be doing? Also, if you've
seen any recent articles about this, I'd appreciate the reference.

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Jon Miskowski

Wisc Public Television

miskowski@vilas.uwex.edu

608/263-0299

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James Bechtel responded later that day:

I have also been thinking about its fund raising potential. (We are also
constructing our home page.) I have decided that if you think of fund
raising as a five step, on-going development process it will affect each
step differently.

RESEARCH (Who will give, how much, to what?) The internet and on-line
services will revolutionize this aspect. You only have to look at
today's Chronicle of Philanthropy and think of how much information is
being added to the net every day to picture what will be available in
the future. It has the potential to make the same research facilities
available to a small store-front operation that in the past was only
available to a major university.

MARKETING (They aren't going to give you anything, if they have never
heard of you.) Again I believe the Internet will have a profound effect
on how we carry this out in the future. Just in simple communication
with current donors we will be able to give them current information
almost instantly. (For example the Oklahoma Metro YMCA, across the
street >from the Federal building, was severely damaged in the blast. We
received a huge number of calls from other YMCAs and people across the
country.) We are currently thinking of starting our own listserv and
having on-line newsletters. As we develop the Web site we could areas
with information about all of our programs.

It will also have a positive effect; by allowing organizations with
smaller numbers of people with an interest in their mission, to find
each other and share. If you are the Medieval French Poetry Society an
ad in the WSJ would be a waste of money. However, a posting of your web
site to history, poetry, and francophile groups will bring your kind of
people rushing in.

CULTIVATION (The closer you are to me and my organization, the more you
are going to give.) This aspect will probably not be as revolutionary,
but you could certainly e-mail 1000 Christmas greetings faster than
making phone calls and cheaper than snail-mail. It will also increase
market niching policies. If a prospect/donor is interested in the YMCAs'
housing and active older adults and gang intervention programs it will
be much simpler and cheaper to compose one e-mail with information about
all three, than send three separate letters.

THE ASK. (Ask and ye shall receive!) Currently this is probably the fund
raising area with the least application to the net. While I have heard
of on-line auctions and web sites with areas where you can pledge, I
believe that we are just beginning to touch its potential. As the net
speeds up I picture a direct mail piece that leads into a video of your
program, with links to other information, and a second video of someone
you know asking you for a donation.

RECORDING and ACKNOWLEDGMENT. Recording will be simpler if people can
just down load pledges rather than key them in. There also might be some
benefit for organizations with multiple sites to have one remote
repository for donor records. (Though there is always the question of
data security.)

Acknowledgment could be almost immediate and keyed to almost
personalized information. For example a video thank you from the CEO and
another video from participants in the programs in which the donor has
expressed interest.

I hope others can think of more ideas than I have listed.

Jim Bechtel                      "And pray deliver me from

Assistant Director                  unreasonable men."

Financial Development

YMCA of the USA                     II Thessalonians 3:2

bechtel@ymcausa.org

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Revised 9/4/99 -- PB