Summer can be a tough season for nonprofits. Donors are on vacation.
So, how do you avoid a sluggish summer season? You don’t.
You mobilize. Not only your troops but also your website.
What is the one thing you definitely take with you on vacation?
What is that thing that you pay more attention to on vacation than you do in
everyday life?
While you’re in line, while you’re waiting for your food to arrive?
In 2021, 50% of all traffic to nonprofit websites came from mobile devices, and mobile shopping rates are forecast to double by 2025 - that’s not that long from now. On average, users spend almost 5 hours each day on their phones.
Everything from Facebook to Angry Birds.
A mobile-friendly fundraising website allows you to reach donors anywhere, at any time, on any device, or on any vacation.
In the past year, mobile giving donations increased by 205%, with 28% of Americans donating from mobile devices.
Some of this is purely COVID driven, but a new generation is coming of age:
The Millennials.
84% of them give to nonprofits vs 57% of Generation X and 48% of Boomers.
When I’m on vacation, I like to scroll through my location on Instagram. It’s a quick way to get the vibe of an area- the food photos, sunset views, the locals' hangouts, and community nonprofits.
One of my passions in life is rescuing animals. I’ve found and donated to countless animal rescues in this way- visiting an area and finding their story on social media. And it’s not just me- one in four donors used mobile devices to discover nonprofits they were previously unaware existed.
Remember the ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) Ice Bucket Challenge?
That started in the summer of 2014 on Facebook, with three young men, who were fighting ALS themselves. The challenge?
Dump an ice-cold bucket of water on your head and donate.
By the end of September, the ALS Association had raised over 115 million dollars in less than 60 days. More than 17 million people uploaded their videos to Facebook.
Overnight, the ALS Association was transformed into a major charity.
Over 3 million people donated, two-thirds of which were new donors.
That’s two million new donors, at zero fundraising costs.
And anyone can start or participate in social media challenges like this- but remember….your website has to be 1) easy to find and 2) easy to donate.
Optimize your website with a mobile-first design and ask for recurring monthly or quarterly gifts on your donation form. For a bonus, ask your local retail partners to print your information on their receipts.
(PS... go big and ask for a QR code that lands on your donation page. Want more on QR codes? Click here. They’re those little square barcodes that have replaced menus in many restaurants post-Covid.)
So, if you’re really trying to optimize your presence, I’ll have an article next week with more suggestions and details.
For this week- think about what three guys with buckets did. What could your organization do with a sliver of the success they had?
What if 2 million people went to your website to donate, but couldn’t find the donate button?
Summer is all about mobilizing. Let’s go!
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