Facebook Fan Pages are a great way to reach your supporters in a social community. Here’s why.

Facebook Fan Pages are specific pages for a variety of users, including businesses, organizations, celebrities, or any other institution. It’s important to engage with your supporters in a social space, like many nonprofits have done already. Here’s a quick read on how you can set up a Facebook Fan Page for your organization and interact with you supporters through social media.

First steps: Choose your page type

• Go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php. If you’re logged in with your personal account, make sure it’s ok that you’re linking your organization’s page to your personal account. If you do not have a Facebook account, you will need to create one.

• Select the category, “Company, Organization, or Institution.”
• Select your category of “Nonprofit Organization” and enter your organization’s name.

Setting up the basics

Next you will be asked to fill in the important details for your page, including:

• A Facebook Profile picture - Your nonprofit’s logo should go here. High resolution is ideal.
• About description – Here’s where you will include a brief description on your nonprofit. What does your nonprofit do? You will also be asked to provide an alternate web address. Include your nonprofit’s website, blog, YouTube channel, and of course your FirstGiving nonprofit page. Whatever you think your supporters would want to know about your organization.
• Facebook Web Address – From there you’ll have the opportunity to decide on your Facebook Web Address. This will serve as your unique Facebook Url. For example, our Facebook url is www.facebook.com/firstgiving. Decide on an available ending that is similar to your organization’s name. WARNING: This can’t be changed, so think carefully!

Add an engaging cover photo

Facebook Timeline provides a lot of visual real estate. This is very similar to a nonprofit banner on a FirstGiving nonprofit page. Best practice suggests that this image be used as a “soft sell” with limited text and promotions. Have a designer create an engaging banner image or use a captivating photo from one of your fundraising events. The cover photo deminsions are 851 X 315.

Add your content

Facebook was built on pictures and engaging visuals. Before promoting your nonprofit’s new Facebook Fan page, make sure you have content uploaded. Share links on your Facebook Wall that you think your supporters would enjoy. They could be blog posts, videos, past event pictures, questions, or simple status updates. These are things you should think about posting on a consistent basis to stay engaged with your community. The more you post, the more fans you’ll attract and the faster you’ll grow your Facebook Fan page followers.

Get familiar with your setting

Let’s take a quick look under the hood shall we? If you go to the top of your profile page under the “manage” tab, you will be able to click on the “Edit this page” button. From there you will be able to access a number of key options:

• Manage permissions – Who will be able to post on your wall? What language? Are there age restrictions?
• Basic information – Fill out all the appropriate fields in order to help supporters get a better sense of what your organization does. Fields include: Description, services, awards, history, mission, contact info, etc.
• Manage Administrators – From here you’ll be able to manage who will have control of editing your fan page.
• Applications – Facebook has an ecosystem of available applications any Facebook Fan Page can add to their profiles. One of them being our own free Donate Now buttons! 

Invite your supporters into your community

Now you should be ready to invite your nonprofit’s supports to join you on your Facebook Page. Send out an email inviting your supporters and donors to “like” your Facebook Fan Page and don’t forget to include a link to your page.

Continue to engage your community

Once you’ve gotten them over to Facebook, you’ll need to engage your new fans. Share, post, and discuss topics and ideas that your nonprofit supporters would be interested in, along with upcoming event details and fundraising news. Are your supporters new to fundraising online? Share this ebook about best practices to sharing their individual fundraising pages online.

Beyond Basics:

Highlight fundraising moments on your Fan Page - Highlight upcoming events, reaching a fundraising goal an other important posts.

Utilize the Facebook Insights - Analytics are important. Facebook Insights provides your nonprofit with the numbers behind your Facebook Page’s views, comments, and fans. Take a look at what you can learn and see what’s working and what’s not.

Facebook is constantly evolving, but these are the basics you need to get started with your Fan Page.

For nonprofits who need support with setting up their Facebook pages consider logging onto www.Sparked.com and setting up a micro-volunteer challenge. You could find enthusiastic supporters willing to donate some of their time to help you get started on Facebook.

Now that you’ve created your own Facebook Page, learn how to best utilize social media to your online fundraising advantage. Download our free ebook!

Marco Paköeningrat 2007

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the digital divide refers to any “inequalities between groups, broadly construed, in terms of access to, use of, or knowledge of information and communication technologies.” When we speak about the digital divide in peer-to-peer fundraising we are talking about how individuals and nonprofit organizations are hindered by the fact that other parties around them have not adopted or have access to the technology required to make online fundraising happen. Though it can refer to both the individual and nonprofit, the challenges usually arise for nonprofit organizations. As a quick overview, let’s discuss why this is so.

Cause 1: The benefits of going online are unclear

The Internet can seem like a confusing place. Trust us, it is. That doesn’t mean that it should be ignored, there’s a lot to benefit from its infrastructure. Many who haven’t adopted these tools haven’t because they are unclear of the benefits. They feel as though the resources it would take to catch up is simply too much. Unfortunately that may feel like the case but know that this feeling will only increase as the divide grows.

When it comes to fundraising online. The concept of peer-to-peer fundraising can ignite a lot of potential and optimism on the user’s behalf. The Internet has a knack for democratizing information and processes; fundraising is no different. Many simply do not know how their fundraising could benefit from going online. It’ll be your job to convince them otherwise.

Cause 2: The opportunity is not there

The other cause lies in the fact that some individuals or organizations do not have the resources to join the web. Be it economic, financial, or geographical limitations, the infrastructure simply does not support online activity. This is more of a physical hurdle than a mental one. Some instances include:

The limited or lack of internet connected devices

The limited or lack of internet connection

- Through geographic means (i.e. the physical wires are not in the area)

- Through economic means (i.e. the parties cannot afford an internet connection

- Through political means (i.e. the local government does not provide or allow a secure internet connection)

The limited or lack of technological education 

Solution 1: Guiding individuals to adopt online fundraising

In the case of online fundraising, the growing digital divide is not a question of the “haves” and the “have-nots” but one of equal disadvantage. Both parties need each other and will benefit if the divide were to be bridged. On one hand you have those who’ve adopted online fundraising, they are always looking for more online donors. On the other hand, those who have yet to adopt online fundraising are looking for new avenues to aid their cause. In order to bridge this gap, those who are fundraising online must help those who have yet to cross. Help bridge the digital gap by:

• Providing easy to follow instructions first time online fundraisers could follow. Possibly include a “How to create your own fundraising page” video for ease.
• Giving online support when needed – technical support either through email or direct phone calls.
• Don’t stop at online donations. Assure your supporters they can submit checks and cash as well.
• Share your success story on your website (how you adopted online fundraising, how easy it was, how much you raised online vs. offline, etc.)

Best Buy is helping bridge their own gap through a partnership with AARP and their Geek Squad. “The service includes a personal shopper service; installation assistance of new devices; diagnostics, troubleshooting and repair services; discounts on Geek Squad services; free recycling and disposal of certain products; and social media, camera, email and Internet safety training.” Read up on this new partnership here.

Solution 2: Help build the online infrastructure

There are many nonprofits out there whose sole purpose is to help bridge the digital gap. Check out “Close the Gap” and see how they help bridge the digital divide in 3rd world nations by providing communities with inexpensive/used laptops and affordable satellite Internet connection. They also help educate communities on how to leverage this technology to their advantage.

Learn more about donor behavior by downloading our free Donor Report.

Photo Courtesy M e d a 2006

Asking for donations to your favorite nonprofit in lieu of gifts is something we see very often for a number of different occasions. With graduation season in bloom, consider asking for donations at your graduation celebration. This could be a fantastic way to make this landmark event even more meaningful.

When sending out your party invites, whether it be online or in print, include the url to your fundraising page to encourage invitees to make a donation to the cause you’ve chosen. Include some information about the nonprofit and why you have decided to for go gifts for this cause. For the individuals who don’t get around to donating online but arrive to the party with checks or cash, use our offline donation tool to add them to your fundraising total. Send out a thank you email or letter after the party to thank all those that donated. And who knows, maybe it will inspire them to give again.

We’re strong believers in converting lifetime milestones into fundraising opportunities. Have a few other classmates inspired to do the same? See how Livingston High School raised over $2,000 for their graduation.

Create your fundraising page and send out those invitations!

Photo Courtesy NazarethCollege 2009

Streamlining your donation process and providing multiple avenues for your donors to contribute is the last piece of the donation puzzle. 

Not all of your supporters will come in contact with your organization directly through your website. Be sure you have donation options wherever a donor may connect with you. We provide you with a Facebook Donate tabs for taking donations on Facebook, and spreading the word virally. Similar donation widgets can be embedded on a blog as well.

Keep the donation process simple

It’s important to make the online donation process as seamless as possible. Limit the amount of steps an individual must complete in order to donate to your nonprofit.

This means limiting the following:

• Unnecessary text
• Multiple pages to click through
• Lengthy forms

Also note that ease of use is not only important for the potential donor but also for the nonprofit itself. The best donation buttons are easy to set up. Your nonprofit may have a small, dedicated team with members who wear a variety of hats. An online donation solution needs to be easy to set up and understand, even for staff members without a technical background.

It’s important to have a reporting component to any Donate Button. Pulling numbers from numerous donation platforms like PayPal, Google Pay, or other third party services, can create more work for a small team. Having a direct donation option online for both the donor and your nonprofit is key to an overall effective online fundraising strategy.

Add a Facebook Donate tab to your Facebook Fan Page today!

Photo Courtesy Jon Ashcroft 2010

Your donors may be unaware of the number of choices they have to contribute to your organization. Let’s change that. 

Not all donation methods are created equal

Some donation processes are preferred by some organizations over others; for example, perhaps processing checks is a pain for your volunteer-run organization. Be sure to clearly list your preferred donation methods, whether it be online or by check, making it clear that there are multiple options for your donors to contribute is important.

Equate donations to physical impact

Another great way to suggest a donation amount to your donors is by outlining contribution tiers. One popular strategy is to show what possible donation amounts are equivalent to and what they will achieve toward your mission. Many nonprofits that tier their donation amounts put the average donation as the lowest tiered option, hopefully enticing their supporters to donate above and beyond the actual average.

Here are a few examples of donation tiers:

• $25 will feed an orphan for a month
• $50 will pay a math teacher’s monthly salary
• $100 will pay for a community’s doctor visit

Ask your supporters to pay any service or processing fees

Another strategy is to simply ask your donors to pay any service or processing fees for online donations (which they can do when donating on FirstGiving). It’s only a little more for the donor, but saves your nonprofit a lot in the long run. We find that donors, on average, are willing to cover fees on 40% of donations, sometimes higher depending on the organization and the type of request. This ultimately brings your online processing fees down considerably.

Want to also take donations on Facebook? Look no further! 

Photo Courtesy quinn.anya 2009

Keeping your donors within your site is key to keeping the engaged with your organization.

Don’t push your supporters away

Donors who venture off site to make a donation are less likely to complete the transaction than those that remain on your site through the entire process. Many third-party online donation tools take visitors to different web addresses to complete the transaction process. Keeping them within your site and fully engaged with your organization will ensure even more donations coming your way and give your donors peace of mind that their donation is secure.

Create a mini website within your existing one

Retaining online donors can be done simply by creating a mini website within your organization’s homepage, either via a pop-up “modal” or in-line form; streamlining the donation process. Once the donation is completed, you’re then able to forward them to another page with information on other ways they can help the cause – from signing a petition, fundraising to personally volunteering.

Looking for your own free, online donation button? Look no further.

Photo Courtesy brendan-c 2011 

It’s important to have an actionable website for your organization that encourages direct donations. 

Don’t make a potential donor dig for a place to donate

Supporters should be able to donate to your cause directly from your website’s homepage. Requiring individuals to dig around your website will make it hard for them to support you. So help them help you by making your donation prompt clear and actionable right from your nonprofit’s homepage. Ideally somewhere in the header so a potential donor doesn’t have to scroll to find it.

Call attention to your donation button

Your donation button should be as visual as possible. Keep text to a minimum till after they’ve clicked to donate to ensure follow through. For donors who want to do a little more research before donating, consider having a “Donate” tab in your navigation – where you can provide donors with more information about your donation preferences and the impact of funds before they make a donation action.

The Melanoma Research Foundation has been able to customize their own "Donate Now" button.

WalkBoston has been able to customize their own "Donate Now" button.

Keep your Donate Button on brand

We love this branding tip from Heather Mansfield, author of “Social Media for Social Good: A How-To Guide for Nonprofits”:

“Studies have shown that “Donate Now” buttons that stand out from your website’s overall color scheme result in more online dollars raised because online donors can’t help but notice them. For example, if your website and your logo use two colors, pick a third color that coordinates well with them for your “Donate Now” button. Again, your “Donate Now” button should be visible and obvious on every page on your website. Design it into your website’s template or navigation bar.”

Don’t forget to keep your brand in mind when selecting a donation solution. Many third party applications provide limited custom branding options, or even require you to promote their brand above your own. FirstGiving Payments customizable “Donate Now” button allows you to keep donors within your brand experience, as well as inspire confidence that your organization is in full control of the donation process.

Build your own free, FirstGiving donation button now!

Photo Courtesy photofarmer 2011

Soliciting online donations has become a vital part of any nonprofit’s fundraising strategy these days. Incorporating online donations helps cover all your bases on how your supporters can give to your cause. While your website should function as a marketing hub actively promoting your cause, it should also serve as the main terminal for receiving donations. This donation process should be seamless, and rewarding for your supporters.

Before implementing your donate button on your website, there are a few things you should have in order. Over the course of the week, we will highlight important characteristics that every online donation process should have. Today we’ll focus on the ever-present concern of donation security.

Keeping the donation process secure

Your potential donors must feel assured that their contributions are being processed legitimately. Taking individuals off site to fill out questionable forms can come across as unreliable. Including a stamp of security within your donation process will help ease the minds of your donors.

Communicate security

Most donors won’t recognize whether a page is encrypted using SSL (“Secure Socket Layer”) protocol (hint: look for https:// in the URL), but a seal from a trusted authentication service like VeriSign can be a comforting visual prompt. Easing your donors’ minds with a secure donation process within your site will be one less thing turning them away from making a donation.

Looking to add a donate button to your organizations website? Sign up for your own free FirstGiving Payments Donate Button. 

Photo Courtesy mikecogh 2011

May is National Stroke Awareness Month. Here’s a quick refresher on warning signs and a few nonprofits working for this cause on FirstGiving.

Knowing what causes a stroke, what you can do to prevent one and what to do if you or someone else may be experiencing a stroke could save a life – possibly even your own. The most common warning signs of a stroke are:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding direction.
• Sudden trouble seeing in one eye, blurred or double vision.
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness or loss of balance/ coordination.
• A sudden severe headache.

Causes supporting Stroke Awareness on FirstGiving:

The National Stroke Association, Colorado

The National Stroke Association is the only national organization in the United States that focuses 100% of its efforts on stroke. National Stroke Association achieves its mission of lowering the incidence and impact of stroke by developing community outreach programs, calling for continued improvement in the quality of stroke patient care, and educating both healthcare professionals and the general public about stroke.

Learn more about them on their FirstGiving page

CHASA, Texas

CHASA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and families affected by pediatric stroke and other causes of hemiplegia. CHASA provides support, education, research, and advocacy through their year long events and pediatric stroke awareness campaigns.

Learn more about them on their FirstGiving page

The Delaware Valley Stroke Council, Delaware

The organization’s mission is to reduce the incidence and impact of stroke through increasing public awareness by continuing professional education and legislative and patient advocacy. They envision a reduction in the incidence and impact of stroke through a community that values stroke prevention strategies who has the knowledge to act upon the signs and symptoms of stroke and a medical community that delivers state-of-the-art stroke care. In the Delaware Valley they are recognized as a stroke authority, a leader in improving stroke care and outcomes.

Learn more about them on their FirstGiving page

Start your own fundraising page today.

Today’s post highlights ways you can transform menial home maintenance tasks into fundraising opportunities.

Fundraising comes in all shapes and sizes. From one-time donations to marathons, our involvement in a given cause can fall anywhere on the dedication spectrum. If you’re looking to take your fundraising to another level, consider doing a “two-for-one” fundraiser. What do we mean by this? Simple, couple fundraising with a service event. This way you are not only fundraising on behalf of a nonprofit, you’re also giving back to your community, beyond the dollars you raise.

10 “around-the-house” fundraising ideas:

1. Car Wash – This is your standard car wash folks. Promote the event by creating your own online fundraising page in order to accept  donations. Consider incentivizing them with a discounted wash if they donate to your page beforehand. For those who don’t get around to donating online, add any donations you get at the event, whether it be cash or check, as offline donations . A car wash can be hosted at any local community center, high school, fire department, or your local church.
2. Auctioned Spring Cleaning – Accept spring cleaning bids as donations. Previously decide on an appropriate suggested donation amount and number of houses to clean. The winning donations will get an old fashioned spring cleaning. With a large team or even classroom, you could tackle the entire neighborhood.
3. Auctioned House Cleaning – This idea is essentially the same concept as above but applied to your standard house cleaning. Get those mops, dusters, and gloves ready!
4. Auctioned House Painting – Who said a good idea can only be used once? Apply the previously mentioned strategies to a paint job. Need a fresh coat for the living room?
5. Daycare/Auctioned Babysitting – Here’s a fun one. Grab a few of your responsible, adult friends and open up a temporary daycare for charity. Accept donations as a “fee” and take in a reasonable number of children for the afternoon/evening. With a good group of 12 young adults, you can give an entire street the night off! As for the auctioned babysitting, accept donations as auction bids, the top winners will receive a voucher for a babysitting night.
6. Auctioned Manual Labor – This one is popular with men’s sporting teams. Auction off your strapping young men for a day’s worth of hard yard work. Top bids get the help and the proceeds go to charity. Accept bids on your online fundraising page.
7. Pet Walking – Share your fundraising page with the neighborhood and ask for donations to your favorite nonprofit. Those who donate more than $25 per pet get to add their furry family member to your daily walking list. Make sure you have a friend who will be willing to help if your offer becomes popular though.
8. Pet Wash – Think of this as a car wash but with pets. Easy enough right?
9. Snow Shoveling – Create an online fundraising page and accept donations of $30. Those who donate to your favorite cause are put on your “snow shoveling watch list.” Next time there’s fresh powder, you’ll be the one running around the neighborhood with your trusty shovel. Hey it’s good cardio right?
10. Leaf Raking Fundraiser - Alright, now we’re simply milking a good idea. Call us resourceful :) Use the same concept as above but this time with leaf raking. This one might be good to bring along a buddy though, dead leaves don’t make great conversation.

Now all you need now is a fundraising page. Create your’s today! 

Photo Courtesy knottyboy 2010