Archive for category: donation

You are here: Home / donation
Copyright: pixelliebe / 123RF Stock Photo

Increasing Donation Opportunities and Where You’re Going Wrong

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , /by

The opportunity to donate to charities is all around us. The pairing of non-profits and technology makes it easier than ever for donors to give and organizations to receive. Checking out at a local grocer means adding a dollar to your bill to help feed a hungry family. You scroll through a favorite social media page and see posts from far-off friends raising money for an unexpected health crisis. A text message notification reveals its time to pay the utility bill which also features an opportunity to donate to the local animal shelter. But does easier translate into more for non-profits? Is it really that important for a non-profit organization to have an online giving platform and mobile donation app?

Donor Digital Data

Charitable giving studies for 2015 revealed the following data:

  • December was the strongest month of the year for charitable giving. 30% of annual donations were received during December, 2015, with the most revenue generated the last three days of the month.
  • Donors preferred to give on Thursday with Tuesday as runner-up. 20% of donations were made on Thursday, 19% on Tuesday.
  • Thursday’s average donation amount was $151.
  • 97% of charitable gifts were given through a desktop computer.
  • 90% of gifts were a one-time thing.
  • One-time gifts averaged $137 with recurring gifts averaging $52.
  • The most giving times of the day were 10am-11am, 1pm-3pm, traditional work hours. That means the majority of giving took place while people were on the job.

Traditional v. Digital

There is no doubt that statistics reveal giving trends are going digital. While overall charitable activities were up 2% in 2015 as compared to 2014, online giving was up 9%. But, exactly, where are people giving online? Who are these donors?

More than half of online donations are given on a particular branded charitable organization web page. The strongest givers, with a gift size average of $183, were employees donating through employer-sponsored causes. Whether it was payroll deductions, company sponsored charity events, or workplace fundraisers.

E-mail fundraising efforts grew in 2015. On average, 4.4 cents was raised per e-mail. For every 1,000 e-mails delivered to a potential donor’s mailbox, $44 in revenue, on average, was generated. It may not sound like much compared to digital giving that took place directly on a non-profit’s webpage. However, e-mail generated revenue for charitable organizations actually grew by nearly 20% last year. It far outpaced the previous year’s 12% growth.

Every opportunity to digitally connect with donors gives a non-profit the chance to grow. Sharing content and joining a non-profit’s email list is just as important to a non-profit’s growth as a supporter’s donation.

Out of all charitable giving, only 3% was non-digital. For charities dependent on cash or checks, this is bad news. The Salvation Army reported raising nearly $145 million through their holiday season Red Kettle cash donation campaign, which is the backbone of the organization’s annual fundraising. Such numbers simply can’t compare with the amount of money raised for donations online.

The Winning Digital Recipe

What does all this data mean? To take advantage of the obvious generosity of donors, a charitable organization needs all the elements of a winning recipe:

  • Connect with an online giving platform that donors trust.
  • Create a mobile app.
  • Connect with employers interested in sponsoring your non-profit’s cause so that you can tap into the contribution resources of a company’s employees.
  • Create the opportunity for potential donors to share content and sign-up for e-mail notifications.

All In One Place

 Online giving performs strongly for a number of reasons that are all tied to together in the same place:

  • Convenience.
  • Anonymity.
  • No pressure.
  • Opportunity to research the organization before giving.
  • Donors can set-up a recurring donation.

Today’s donors are not just technologically savvy, they are also informed, consumers. While online and considering giving a gift, a supporter has the opportunity to learn about a non-profit’s cause. That is why it is so important for a non-profit to be connected with the right giving platform. Just as a brick and mortar storefront’s success is all about location, location, location, the same can be said for any organization’s cyberworld address. When donors arrive at a site that they know is as reputable as it is easy to navigate, they not only give with confidence, there is a greater chance that they will become a regular benefactor. So, whether you are a non-profit or a donor looking to connect with the right cause, get connected in the right place.

Why Auctions Work

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , , /by

From fine art auctioned at Christie’s to a pair of second-hand slippers auctioned on Ebay, the truth is that people love the thrill of bidding. Even though in the end, they have to hand over cold, hard cash for a purchase, their psyche is still celebrating because they “won”. Everyone likes to be a winner and that is why auctions are so successful.

Contact Us

Auctions Today

Today, registered auctioneers report that one-third of the events they host are for charity. That translates to charitable auctions ranking number four in the auction industry today.

Two-thirds of registered auctioneers report that they conduct at least one charity auction on an annual basis.

Bidding Psychology

Interesting things happen when an item is auctioned. More often than not a product sells for a grossly inflated price compared to its actual value. What causes this phenomenon to happen? Economists suggest it is because of the element of competition.

Humans loathe taking risks when it comes to spending their money. However, once another human indicates through a competitive bid that they believe the item has greater value, the other human feels compelled to match and raise the bid. As this matching and raising continues, those survival skills etched into human DNA kick in, motivating a person to stay in the bidding until they win. Winning an event is a proxy to surviving a threat. Auctions are brain-games.

Recipe For Great Auctions

Hallmarks of successful charitable auctions are:

  • Items: Have what donors want as well as interesting, curious and intriguing items that are irresistible.
  • Anticipation: Pre-event marketing should be titillating, with the event promoted far enough in advance to allow interested bidders the opportunity to plan to attend, gather their resources and invite their friends.
  • Sneak Peeks: Without giving too much away, a preview of a few tasty items will seal the deal for those who might have had second thoughts about attending.

Venue With Most Potential

To maximize audience potential, there is no better opportunity than online auctions. With the obvious success of online auction venues like Ebay, there can be no doubt for success for online charity auctions. Creating a stellar event is as easy as six simple steps:

  1. Go live.
  2. Research your audience and deliver the items they want.
  3. Expand your reach with novelty items.
  4. Inspire interest with intriguing introductions about each item.
  5. Price point range should offer items affordable for every donor budget.
  6. Quality images make a difference.

Building An Audience

Without an audience, however, even the most exceptionally prepared online auction will be a flop. Marketing and promotion are a must. Promoting successfully means developing and performing the following:

  • Clear Message: What is the purpose of the fundraiser? How will the donations be used?
  • Organization Introduction: Introduce the non-profit organization behind the fundraiser.
  • Kick-Off: Launch promotion campaign in advance of an auction. 30 days is a typical promotion period.
  • Graduate Intensity: Promotional messages should increase with frequency as the auction date approaches.
  • Versatility: Create several promotional strategies that will appeal to the unique differences of benefactors. Social media promotion, traditional outlets like press releases or radio spots, and formal promotion through local Chamber of Commerce.

Making Auctions Easy

All the necessary details of promoting and hosting a charity auction may seem overwhelming. Some non-profits may lack the right tools to make the auction process go as smoothly as possible.  Mobile bidding software has revolutionized the non-profit sector and made auction events for non-profits a breeze.

Taking your event to the next level and maximizing donations as simple as contacting the correct people and utilizing the right tools. 2017 may be THE year that online charity auctions claim their spot on the non-profit map. This form of fund-raising will grow in popularity not just because it is convenient for everyone involved, but because it retains that competitive element that bidders crave.

Let us help you with your fundraising goals.

The Importance of Subject Lines

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

Sending succesful emails is an important part of any industry. But why are email subject lines so important? That is the begging question. Whether you are sending a campaign email to your clients or a one-off party invitation email; the entire message relies on the effectiveness of your subject line.

In this day in age, we are all victims of email overload at some point. The average time that someone looks at a subject line is 1 second before making the decision that they want to continue to read it or not. How can YOU stand out along side of your competitiors to have your message be read and not just thrown in the trash? Here are 3 things you must know about email subject lines:

  1. Keep it simple. The more brief the subject line, the better. To ensure high open-rates, you must first have an attention-grabbing subject line. Don’t be spammy! Look at your own emails, which do you avoid opening & why?
  2. Add value. Being able to not taint your message before opening is an art. Convince the reader that they are opening it for a purpose & will help them or their business in some way or another.
  3. Create trust. Build trust with the reader by containing information in the message that corresponded to the subject line.

Why You Should Support Nonprofits

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section” transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size=”14″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]

huddle

Support Nonprofits

Nonprofit organizations are everywhere. Almost any charity or cause that you support will have a nonprofit organization linked to it. On top of that, after you support your nonprofit organization by donating, you will feel so good about yourself. Like Dave Matthews said, “when you give, you being to live. You get the world.”

Also, if you’re thinking, “Hey! I work hard for my money, why should I give it away now?!” Well, a little goes a long way! Money is not the only resource that keeps a nonprofit running its operation, because just like every mission, it has to be accomplished through hard work and dedication. One of the biggest reasons that nonprofit organizations even exist is to serve a distinct purpose and achieve a goal for others, not always to make a profit.

The top three places that people turn to when they are in need are to their family, the government and to nonprofits. Without the generous contributions to nonprofit organizations, many products and services that go to a large amount of people in need would unfortunately not be available to them.

If you took anything from this blog post today, know that by donating to nonprofits you are:

1. Supporting your local charity or any cause that you support

2. Having a good feeling and sending out positive vibes because you are giving back

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Social Media in the Nonprofit Industry

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

Nonprofit organizations have simply embraced technology and social media. Creativity is key. It’s especially important for nonprofits to get creative on their social sites because there is so much competition within the social media world. Social media will contiue to have grand impacts with the nonprofit industry and should be levereged and utilitzed as a top priority.

helping-300x199

DID YOU KNOW?

59% of people donate after becoming a follower of a nonprofits social netowork.

DID YOU KNOW?

48% of people donated to an organization because of they read a story via social media.

DID YOU KNOW?

49% of nonprofit supporters on social media wanted to do more after seeing a photo.

8-social-networks-for-events-2

CHARITY SPOTLIGHT

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

Charity Spotlight: Meals on Wheels of Hamilton County

Meals on Wheels of Hamilton County supports individuals who are elderly, disabled and homebound by delivering nutritious meals, reducing hunger, improving health, and promoting independence.

screen-shot-2015-08-18-at-11-14-37-am1

MOWHC is focused on one service, providing nutritious meals to those in the Hamilton County community who are not able to provide for themselves. One or two balanced meals, depending on the individual’s need, are delivered Monday through Friday to Hamilton County residents who are enrolled in the meal service. Meals are delivered by compassionate volunteers who provide socialization and conduct a welfare check to observe for any unusual symptoms or signs of distress that may require medical attention or notification of a family member or caregiver. Additionally, volunteers often identify other special needs that clients may have which are referred to other partner social service agencies within the Good Samaritan Network in Hamilton County.

jim-ake-mary-kilburn-300x225

In 2013 alone, they assisted more than 400 people which totaled to about 54k meals. That’s a lot of meals!

Interested in knowing more or want to get involved? Visit the Meals on Wheels of Hamilton County website or give them a call at (317) 776-7159 for more information.

Enroll, Volunteer, or Donate today!

How Mobile Bidding Can Affect Your Silent Auction

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

How Mobile Bidding Can Affect Your Silent Auction

Are you looking to increase your revenue at your next silent auction? Maybe it’s time that you turn to mobile bidding… better yet, turn to WEDO Charity Auctions.

Our mobile bidding platform is revoluntionary in the nonprofit community. We combine innovative and reliable technology with experienced event professionals while adding excitement to your fundraising event.  Not only do we understand the nonprofit world, we know exactly how to help!

On the day of the event you can feel free to sit back & relax and watch your guests have an all-out bidding war with our interactive mobile technology. And don’t worry, while this fundraising marathon is taking place, our team will be handling your registration, bidding assistance, checkout & reporting.iphone-woman-texting

What do we know will come from this? Well, we will absolutely make fundraising events easier to manage and successful at the same time! With our intimate knowledge of how nonprofit events work allows us to empathize with our clients and come up with detailed solutions that address their particular problems.

WEDO Fundraising

WEDO Technology

WEDO Success

WEDO Organization

WEDO Teamwork

WEDO Charity Auctions

DONOR SPOTLIGHT

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

Donor Spotlight: Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Indiana Chapter

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society supports individuals who are elderly, disabled and homebound by delivering nutritious meals, reducing hunger, improving health and promoting independence.

LLS is making cures happen!

LLS is

“the largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding research, finding cures and ensuring access to treatments for blood cancer patients.”

11988359_10153615530466639_6056862701884309146_n

11988288_10153615530641639_5285358449211106769_n

LLS Indiana Chapter recently had an event in August with WEDO and together we raised almost $20,000 for LLS. This event was such a success. We look forward to working with LLS again to promote awareness and help find cures. Someday is today.

Visit https://www.lls.org for more information on how to get involved with LLS.

HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL NONPROFIT

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

What makes an effective nonprofit:

Do you want your organization to reach its goals? That is the case for all nonprofits.. but how does one stand out & achieving their objectives with limited resources? After researching why many nonprofits are successful, 6 questions came to mind that every nonprofit must answer if they want to succeed. After taking a look at these questions, you will be able to see exactly what your organization needs to be able to be victorious in your goal setting.

1) Are you flexible / Will you make the adjustments that need to be made? Many organizations receive information that informs them on changes that need to be made but rarely are those changes actually done. Feedback is important; take it all in and put it to use.

2) Are you using your creativity to the best of its ability? With high competition for donors, volunteers and donations, how will you separate your nonprofit organization from the rest? Creativity is endless, use your efforts to stand out from the pack! Your organization must find different ways to reach & engage with people, inform one another, and make others feel genuinely special to be a part of (or giving back to) such a great nonprofit.

Screen Shot 2015-08-24 at 12.31.50 PM

3) Are you using your volunteers, employees and/or board of directors effectively? Do your members of the organization know your vision and how to bring it to life? Being well-informed in an organization is key. Having exceptional leadership and communication skills is necessary to run any organization at an effective level. Learning what skill sets each person in your organization is best at is important. Once this is figured out, those individuals & their skills can positively impact the team. Take the time to get to know everyone, and once the skills are known, ensure that they are being put to use and are helping the organization achieve its mission and goals.

4) Is a strategy being utilized? Are you having meetings to plan your organization’s next move and anticipating those potential obstacles and figuring out how to overcome them? Many nonprofits are unable to succeed because they lack strategic planning. You must take the time to create a plan which includes future obstacles and how to face them. Planning ahead of time is always important.

5) Are you frequently analyzing and evaluation your organizations efforts? After your organization goes through step 4 and creates that strategic plan, you have to remember to analyze and evaluate. Looking at the results and deciding how to modifying the plan will be a key with helping your organization grow and stay motivated. A company cannot change if they don’t have a system in place to evaluate those necessary changes.

6) Are you continually building relationships with your donors & volunteers? Keep building relationships and growing your network. Since donors and volunteers give up their time/money, building your relationships and trust with one another is key. People are always more apt to help if they have a great relationship with that person or organization. Let people know about the success about your nonprofit and ask for their input; let them know you care. Nonprofits should not only build relationships after the event has occurred/ donations are given, but rather keep in contact with these people all year long.

wiki-400x240

Sources: http://eddiethompson.org/author/eddiet747/page/2/, http://www.whydev.org/what-makes-an-effective-non-profit/, http://www.fidelitycharitable.org/docs/What-Makes-An-Effective-Nonprofit.pdf