Sanky Blog

Twitter is a fantastic tool, yet not many organizations know how to use it, or the benefits of using it for fundraising. This article will provide an introduction to those of you who have not joined the flock while providing tips for organizations that are currently on Twitter, including how to use it as a tool for engagement, communication and acquisition.

First let’s dispel some common misconceptions about the service itself. Some believe it to be another social networking platform such as Facebook but that’s not entirely true. Twitter is actually generally used as an informational tool and less as a social networking service, but that’s widely up for debate and not what this article is about. Twitter is a hybrid between a blog and a social network, and while it does have some of those components, it was originally intended to be a micro-blogging service. It has evolved from its inception to much more.

Recently, uses of the service range from posting updates about what’s going on in one’s personal life to using it as a customer service portal. The blog aspect is what allows users to chronicle 140 character “tweets” that are publicly viewable on their profile and shared among followers. One of the social networking features of Twitter is allowing people to “follow” each other and become part of each other’s Twitter conversations. Your followers can then also “retweet” your messages to their own followers.

So why use it?

CULTIVATION AND ENGAGEMENT
As an organization, it’s your duty to engage and cultivate your constituents. Communication allows you to achieve this. Sure email and direct mail work great as communication tools, but remember, social media is about conversation as well and not just about sharing. You’ll get much better results if you take the time to actually engage and garner constituents using several mediums.

IT’S IN THE NUMBERS
According to an ExactTarget study, U.S. Twitter users in April 2010 were far more likely than general Internet users to post to forums (75% vs. 25%), post to blogs (72% vs. 14%), comment on blogs (70% vs. 23%) and post ratings/reviews (61% vs. 20%). Those are some big numbers to ignore. Sharing a compelling message, and having it spread virally across several networks of websites to reach existing and potential constituents, is a powerful tool to have in your fundraising arsenal.

Twitter’s growth has been phenomenal! It now has 175 million registered users, which is up from 145 million users in September. That means the startup added around 30 million users in less than two months; Twitter has added 70 million users since April (Techcrunch). It should be no surprise that people now spend more time on social networking sites than email.

INCREASED VISIBILITY
Search engines index your tweets since they are publicly viewable and accessible by anyone on the Internet. If you post tweets containing keywords about your mission or the great things that your organization is doing, there’s a good chance search engines will display them in search results when your keywords are contained within them. So not only are you reaching a wide array of audiences, but you’re making great strides in your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts as well!

So how do I use it?

CREATING AN ACCOUNT
Well the first thing you’ll want to do is create an account, and did I mention it’s free? You’ll need an email address and a username. Remember to pick a name that closely matches your organization, and if that’s not available, try something that’s close enough to your mission. This will help in your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts as well.

Once logged in, you’ll see that Twitter has a very easy to use interface. There is nothing intimidating about it at all. You’ll see there’s a nice big text box to post updates similar to Facebook. The difference is in the methods which Twitter provides you to post updates. You’re limited to 140 characters of text to share with your followers. This is great because it allows you to post concise, digestible messages.

TWEETING
You’ll want to moderately post quality updates every day. There isn’t an exact science to this yet, but, they should be unique, provide information and include links in the form of calls to action when necessary. The velocity and quantity of your tweets is something that you’ll want to pay special attention to as posting too often could be considered as spam, so it’s not encouraged as followers may decide to “un-follow” you. The end goal is not to just broadcast information but to consume it as well. That means getting your followers involved in your campaigns by asking them questions and providing feedback.

RETWEETING
Retweeting is how Twitter users re-post and share interesting tweets from people they are following. When you retweet someone’s tweet, it’s posted on your profile to be seen by your followers. One usually does this to give credit to the author for sharing an interesting post or link.

TWEETING AND SHARING LINKS
When tweeting and including a link, it’s standard to use a URL shortening service such as http://bit.ly to shorten your URLs since you’re limited to the amount of characters that you can post. There are several URL shortening services on the internet today but, Bit.ly seems to be the most favored because of its wide use and statistics it provides on links clicked.

USE OF HASH TAGS (#)
Twitter hash tags are a great tool for finding, following and participating in topical discussions. This is kind of like tagging your post or tweet. You can create a hash tag by simply adding a hash symbol (#) to the front of an appropriate keyword as you write your tweet (for example, if I were an organization working with hunger, I would post something like, “You can help end world #hunger by participating in this poll http://bit.ly/df3Rs.”

BUILDING FOLLOWERS
Building steady followers is something that fluctuates. It can be analogous to real life and how we establish friendships with real people. It can be a slow process as people are getting to know you and your tweets. Followers can grow exponentially as well when your message, a blog post or campaign becomes viral. Here are some tips to help you build your relationships.

• Use http://search.twitter.com to find industry leaders or other organizations that are involved in the same causes as you and follow them. This will let them know that you’re on Twitter and they could potentially retweet a post to their followers that can garner more followers for you. This is usually done on Fridays on what’s called Follow Fridays. If you see a post with the hash tag ‘#FF’ that’s what it means. This will also provide you some insight as to what they are posting and doing as an organization.
• Twitter has ‘Direct Messages’ that are similar to an email inbox. Prepare a predefined direct message thanking people for following your organization and including links to find additional information about your mission as well. This is good Twitter etiquette.
• Retweet for Good Karma. When you retweet a post, you’re re-posting someone else’s status to your followers, and it can make a Twitter user’s day!
• Always make sure to thank people who retweet your posts; your “@mentions” as it’s called, and reply to everyone who addresses a tweet to you.

Engaging your Audience

TURNING FOLLOWERS INTO RELATIONSHIPS
One of the hardest things to do as a fundraiser is to maintain relationships. In Twitter, you’ll want to keep the flow of communication open. Don’t treat your constituents like constituents. Get involved and present yourself as real person. Interact with them, and let them know what your organization is doing. You need to provide a human experience behind this communication spectrum.

KEEPING UP WITH UPDATES
Keeping the communication lines open can require a full-time staff person. That’s why we encourage our clients to use some of the tools that are recommended in this article and some that we’ve developed in-house at SankyNet. For instance, one of our many tools is a program that will automatically submit posts to Social Networks when you add a new page, news article or blog post to your website. This is great for organizations with smaller staffs but should not be completely substituted; rather, it should be used in conjunction with hands-on tweeting.

WHAT SHOULD I TWEET?
Thinking about what to tweet about can be challenging at times. You’ll want to tweet about topics of substance or things that you would find useful if you were reading them. I recommend you start tweeting a combination of the following to help:

• Links to your presentations or videos;
• Mentions of attending or speaking at events;
• Announcing the publication of your newsletter’s latest issue, along with a brief description and a link to the online version;
• Reporting industry and company related interests;
• The impact your organization is making (everyone likes a happy story);
• A contest to increase the viral effect of your fundraising efforts.

In addition to the tools listed in the table at right, there are also several tools that provide additional functionality compared to Twitter’s native platform that you might be interested in using. They include additional features such as multiple accounts, managing other social networking accounts, scheduled posts, etc., all under one dashboard. Some are better than others. I’ve listed some of them below for you to try and find which works best for your organization.

Richard Castera, our talented Web Technology Director, recently wrote an article for the Journal of the DMA Nonprofit Federation entitled “Twitter: Fundraising, Engagement & Tools.” Richard makes a great case for why more organizations should learn how to use Twitter to share information, engage with their audience and fundraise – and gives an easy, step-by-step guide on how to get started.

SankyNet is thrilled to be partnering with the New York Public Library (NYPL) to develop an online fundraising program that complements, expands and integrates their existing direct mail program. With 89 library branches spread across New York City and a website that attracts millions from around the globe each year, this is an exciting time to work with NYPL. Because of the high number of people who use the NYPL website without ever visiting any of the physical branches, strengthening their message is a great opportunity to grow support for its programs.

SankyNet will develop fundraising goals and strategy for NYPL that will be implemented through new online campaigns. In addition, we will provide consulting services to the NYPL Development Office and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture to help engage Friends of the Library, NYPL’s members, with special appeal emails and renewal appeals. SankyNet will also provide technical support for all online campaign aspects as well as further optimizing the website’s fundraising software performance.

We are looking forward to developing some exciting new campaigns for NYPL as well as building upon existing appeals that have kept supporters dedicated to the advancement of knowledge. The New York Public Library was founded in 1895 and currently serves 16 million patrons annually.

To learn more about the New York Public Library’s history and mission, visit nypl.org.

Few organizations in history have made a lasting impact on American law like the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF). Since 1940, LDF has been at the forefront of civil rights legislation, fighting to increase racial equity in education, economics and politics. That’s why Sanky Communications is thrilled to be working with this truly historic organization to expand its base of support through developing its online and offline programs.

To advocate for the many worthwhile cases LDF takes on each year, we will create a direct mail fundraising program exclusively designed to raise support for LDF’s work in defending racial justice. Through targeted appeals, this program will reach out to lapsed, current and prospective donors at key times throughout the year. Since LDF is constantly acquiring new clients, we will be working to keep up with LDF’s cases with the possibility of developing special appeals around breaking updates in litigation.

In addition to creating a direct mail program, we will also be designing an innovative online fundraising program, including the development of “e-alerts” to raise awareness of important legal updates. These alerts, along with e-appeals and specially designed landing pages, will be a great way to encourage existing supporters to stay involved. In addition, we will work to engage new supporters through email acquisition.

The Legal Defense and Educational Fund is best known for its work in the court system and its advocacy through the executive and legislative branches. However, LDF is also proud to provide scholarship and fellowship programs to promote education. By expanding LDF’s reach through social networking, we will not only be able to develop multi-channel fundraising campaigns, we will also be able to reach out to a younger audience of supporters about educational opportunities.

For 70 years, LDF has led the way in the fight for racial justice. In its first two decades, the organization undertook a coordinated legal assault against officially enforced public school segregation. This campaign culminated in Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark Supreme Court decision in 1954 that has been described as “the most important American governmental act of any kind since the Emancipation Proclamation.” Sanky Communications is proud to be working with such a prestigious organization and looks forward to developing LDF’s integrated fundraising programs over the upcoming months.

To learn more about the Legal Defense and Educational Fund, please visit their website.

Sanky Communications is proud to announce our partnership with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to finding the cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Since 1967, CCFA has led the way in research, advocacy, and patient support for those suffering from these diseases.

Currently the Foundation has over 50,000 members and 40 chapters nationwide. In an effort to revamp the way CCFA connects with its members, SankyDirect will be spearheading an innovative direct mail campaign that emphasizes the importance of membership to CCFA’s many supporters and contributors.

In the coming months, SankyDirect and SankyNet will also be working hard to integrate the offline and online components of CCFA’s campaigns. This will not only help educate and update as many people as possible about breakthroughs in research, it will also help raise funds at key times throughout the year. We are looking forward to using social networking in this capacity to expand CCFA’s base of supporters.

The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America sponsors high quality basic and clinical research and provides education and supportive services for healthcare professionals, patients and their families. The organization currently raises more than $30 million annually through memberships, fundraising events, sponsorships and other programs. We are excited to help CCFA grow and reach out to its members in new ways through its direct mail and internet programs! Please visit CCFA’s website for more information at ccfa.org.

Each June, members of the Direct Marketing Fundraising Association (DMFA) present their best direct mail and email fundraising campaigns for a chance to win the Package of the Year Award. This year, SankyNet submitted a year-end email postcard sent on behalf of Covenant House.

We are pleased to announce that SankyNet’s year-end appeal for Covenant House was honored as the runner-up in this extremely competitive category!  The highly effective email postcard was sent after a month of heavy solicitation, yet still raised over $150,000 in just 3 days.

Timing is always a key factor when developing a strategy for e-solicitation.  During the winter holiday season, SankyNet sent Covenant House donors three compelling appeals capitalizing on an exciting matching gift opportunity.

The award-winning year-end postcard followed this robust campaign.  Sent during the last moments of 2009, the postcard encouraged donors to take advantage of their last chance to receive a 2009 tax-deduction as well as have their gift matched 2-to-1.

Because of its impeccable timing, this attractive and relevant postcard proved to be most successful solicitation SankyNet produced for Covenant House that year – and the results more than doubled what was raised during the 2008 Year-End campaign.

We are truly grateful to work with dynamic organizations such as Covenant House, and proud to help them achieve such growth in their fundraising programs even during these difficult times. This honor is truly a reflection of Covenant House’s commitment to excellence as they work to rescue homeless kids from life on the streets.

View all the DMFA awards from Package of the Year.

For more than five years, SankyDirect has implemented a highly successful direct mail program for The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine (CCSJD). But as non-profits have learned over the years, integrating direct mail and online communications yields the best fundraising results. That’s why SankyNet has joined Sanky Direct in this exciting account!

The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine is the mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Because of its historic importance and far-reaching influence, CCSJD needs a communication strategy that will provide information about the church’s events and community services while also encouraging donations to support their work.

To accomplish this, SankyNet will produce a variety of online communication vehicles. First, we will write, design, and deliver a regular e-newsletter for CCSJD. This e-newsletter will cultivate a relationship with the Cathedral’s donor base by keeping them informed about events at the CCSJD, stories of people helped through their outreach, and updates by the Dean of the Cathedral.

We also look forward to sending a series of fundraising appeals directed at both past donors and potential future donors. These appeals will be sent during the most strategic times of the church’s calendar year and will promote a variety of donation opportunities.

SankyNet will also develop a microsite that will be separate from the main CCSJD website, which will support the online fundraising program while CCSJD develops a full new website. The Cathedral will be able to offer their constituency, vis-à-vis this microsite, better organized fundraising web pages, with more compelling copy, and the addition of warm and engaging color photographs.

SankyDirect and SankyNet are looking forward to developing a robust fundraising program for the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine that integrates the strengths of both direct mail fundraising and online fundraising. We are excited to lend our expertise to this challenging project!

It wouldn’t be the holidays without the annual DMFA Holiday Luncheon. But what set this year’s event apart was that guests were given an unusual gift… industry experts Harry Lynch of SankyNet and Vivianne Potter of Amnesty International USA shared 12 ideas to boost your bottom line by December 31st. This informative 30 minute session was filled with key online fundraising and direct mail tips!

Knowing that times are still difficult for many organizations, DMFA board members decided to turn their holiday party into a fun, festive educational experience. Participants were treated to not only great food and company but also valuable lessons in last minute fundraising ideas including:

During the presentation, Harry and Vivianne discussed these and many other techniques that can be used to make a difference in an organization’s online and direct mail fundraising programs.

It was a perfect way to celebrate the season of sharing!

KaBOOM! – an organization whose mission is to save play for America’s children – recently presented SankyNet and SankyDirect with an exciting challenge: develop a fully integrated grassroots individual giving program to help augment their already robust corporate partnership program.

Together, SankyNet and SankyDirect will integrate online, email, direct mail, and social networking components to fully engage KaBOOM!’s donors and supporters.

SankyNet will start this process by developing an inaugural online fundraising and communications program for KaBOOM!. This program includes both a monthly e-newsletter and a series of fundraising email appeals. To make sure these online tools are used most effectively, SankyNet will use a twofold strategy. We will both append email addresses from the KaBOOM! offline database, and also acquire additional email addresses through various marketing and social networking campaigns.

SankyNet wants for KaBOOM! to make the greatest possible impact on potential donors, so we will also revise both the homepage and donation pages of their website. Through reorganizing, redesigning, and expanding these elements, SankyNet will use its online expertise to fully optimize the KaBOOM! website into a powerful fundraising tool.

SankyDirect also has exciting plans to enhance KaBOOM!’s messaging. In the coming year, SankyDirect will design a new direct mail renewal program to help KaBOOM! improve their communication with current and past donors.

While developing these exciting new programs, SankyDirect will work with SankyNet to perform extensive message testing on all online and offline communications. Through testing what message yields the best response, our goal is to help KaBOOM! find the optimum voice to communicate with their donors volunteers, and sponsors.

SankyNet and SankyDirect are proud to embark on this joint venture with KaBOOM!. KaBOOM! works across the country with the mission of providing a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. We are excited to help KaBOOM! make America a safer place to play!

Learn more about KaBOOM! at www.kaboom.org.

With the potential to reach a wide audience rapidly and cost-effectively, more and more nonprofit organizations are using online communications tools to connect with donors, members, volunteers and supporters.

At the Center for Nonprofit Success’ New York Fundraising Summit earlier this month, I discussed the topic of online fundraising, and how to harness technology to build and maintain productive donor relationships.

An online fundraising program consists of much more than a “Donate Now” button on your Web site. An organization needs to be proactive in communications with donors and potential donors both online and offline. The most successful nonprofits maintain an integrated approach for fundraising. But with so many channels, trying to find the right balance is difficult.

Before an organization jumps on any new media bandwagon, it needs to focus first on some tried-and-true fundamentals — making sure it has a solid Web site and compelling e-mail program, and cultivating a strategy for acquiring new donors. After all those ducks are in a row, then it can begin to think about integrating with social media.

Here are key components to an effective integrated online fundraising strategy:

1. Online fundraising fundamentals

With the advent of Facebook and Twitter, and other channels emerging all the time, integration can be a daunting task for many nonprofit organizations that are already understaffed.

Yet nonprofit organizations need to stop, take a breath and look at the fundamentals. Before you start moving donors between channels, you need to test your Web site for usability. It is so important to have intuitive Web site navigation architecture. People online have very little patience and will quickly click the “back” button if they can’t find what they want. You have seconds to engage visitors before you lose them.

Make sure your donation forms are always one click away, and always reassure donors about the security of the form. Donors are getting savvier about security settings on donation pages. They look for security certificates (e.g., VeriSign), https vs. http and the lock icon. Some of those offline donors are still not comfortable donating online, so providing the option of a printable giving form alleviates those concerns. And don’t forget to include a source code on the form for your data entry team.

A key difference between online and offline channels is the approach to fundraising vs. cultivation. Many organizations send out eight to 12 offline donor appeals a year. Online, you need to make sure you balance your e-mail communications with donors. Everything does not and should not have an ask. Online communication allows organizations to create stewardship pieces, updating donors on how their gifts are making a difference. Don’t forget that in e-mail fundraising, “opt-outs” are forever!

2. Renewing your donors

It is important to remember there are key differences between donors who give through different channels. Online fundraising cannot live in a box by itself; organizations need to synchronize media, coordinate consistent messaging and tailor content to each appropriate medium. Recent studies show that if you have an e-mail address on file for a donor, it makes a positive difference in his or her giving.

Online giving is certainly tilted toward year-end giving with two-thirds of income raised in the final months and days of the year. The ability to create a sense of urgency lends itself to the immediacy of the online environment. Many organizations have found great success with online “matching gift” campaigns, which allow an organization to create an artificial deadline. The best results come when you synchronize your campaign with offline fundraising efforts (e.g., direct mail, telemarketing).

The ability to be nimble is a key component of an effective integrated strategy. Timing is everything when it comes to integrated fundraising. You can start a campaign on your Web site, send an e-mail about an urgent news item (e.g., natural disaster, food shortage) and follow up the campaign with a direct-mail piece. You can test messaging online with immediate results, and then roll out the winning results through other channels. Don’t forget about your homepage when you launch a new campaign. Many studies show offline donors check out your Web site before making a gift.

3. E-mail acquisition: Science and art

Now that we all know having an e-mail address for a donor makes a positive impact on his or her giving, how do we acquire more e-mail addresses? Every organization needs to start with its Web site. Make sure you have a prominent, eye-catching “callout” on every page. If you have the ability to segment based on interest or frequency, this will increase your conversion rate. Make sure you keep and send what you promised at the collection point.

A quick way to jump-start an e-mail program is doing an e-mail append. An append uses a third-party commercial vendor to find an e-mail address from a donor’s “land” address. Be aware that these donors aren’t as responsive as other online donors, but the cost is minimal — fast-tracking your integration goals.

There still is the slow and steady way of collecting e-mail addresses using offline methods (e.g., direct mail, telemarketing). The good news here is when a donor gives you his or her e-mail address, it’s usually for the primary account.

Finally, think about using search engine marketing to invite people to join your e-mail program or become donors. These are the pay-per-click text ads running on Google and Yahoo. Many organizations have found that these ads perform similarly to a direct-mail acquisition. There is an up-front investment, but the long-term value of the donor is looking very optimistic.

4. What about social networks and microblogging?

After you put together a cohesive integrated strategy and master fundraising schedule — and if you still have time and resources left over — find ways to push your message and brand out to these channels. Coordinate your campaigns and find appropriate times to engage these new and old constituents. If you haven’t already, create a Facebook page, and maybe have a volunteer help manage it. See if you can find a program staff person to post on Twitter (tweet) from the front lines. But at the end of the day, don’t forget who’s writing the checks and donating online. Social media is just the icing on the cake.

Paul Habig is Executive Vice President of SankyNet, an integrated fundraising and communications firm.

This article was originally published in FundRaising Success Magazine.

We want to thank Chuck Pruitt for his excellent response, “Chuck Pruitt Is Mad!” on The Agitator to the tolling of the “direct mail is dead” bell – an old, old story indeed.

We too see that while direct mail continues to be the primary giving vehicle for most current donors, there is huge value in multi-channel givers, and that the rise in online giving, although it may not be as much as some people expected, is nonetheless exhilarating.

As we all know, recent studies show that if you have an email address on file for an offline donor it makes a positive difference in their giving. Reinforcing the need to synchronize channels, coordinate consistent messaging, and tailor content to each appropriate medium. Online fundraising doesn’t replace direct mail but reinforces the repetition of the message.

Our concerns about direct mail fundraising are less about any immediate generational behavior change than about technical problems, such as the financial health of the postal service, increases in list and printing costs, and continued media attention on the rare fundraiser abuses rather than the truly amazing work that most nonprofits accomplish, even in the midst of recession.

By: Judy Maneval, Harry Lynch, Paul Habig of Sanky Communications