Partnering is Just Good Business

I think we all recognize that larger organizations whether commercial ornonprofithave brand recognition. Sometimes the brand recognition is so strong the name of the brand has replaced the name of the product such as Kleenex® for a facial tissue or in many parts of the country Coke® means any carbonated beverage and not just cola-flavored. The larger more well-known charitable organizations also have ‘brand’ recognition perhaps the most famous being the color pink with breast cancer awareness; regardless of the specific fundraising entity pink ribbons, shoelaces, hats, shirts, etc. are immediately recognized for their alliance with breast cancer awareness.So as a business person why would I want to align with your nonprofit? To coin the old adage “what’s in it for me?”—a lot is whats in it for you. Connecting your business and brand with a nonprofit can have a major impact on your business, creating stronger loyalty with existing customers and reaching potential new ones.Consider increased community brand recognition. By aligning with a nonprofit that shares your values, your business will grow its recognition. As a local craft brewery, you can form a natural partnership with the Alex’s Lemonade Stands to Fight Childhood Cancer. Without any upfront investment, you offer a free pint of a specific brew for a $10 donation. The donor gets their ‘coupon’ and comes into your Brew Pub. There is a good chance on top of the one free pint; they’ll have another and maybe something to eat. Since people rarely drink or eat alone that person will also likely drink and eat. If you are really committed you have your staff offer the companion the opportunity to donate the $10 and get the same ‘free pint,’ and you have solidified your position as a caring and supportive member of your community. Right there you are growing your brand loyalty and recognition, connecting emotionally with your customers and very likely creating a brand advocate. Now that’s a true win-win, all for the cost of a draft pull.There are plenty of other opportunities for a small business to partner up with a local nonprofit; a health-food store with a diabetes program, a bicycle shop with a heart-health organization or a pet food store with the local animal shelter. There are many organic partnerships where the business and the nonprofit have a similar focus.There are also plenty of business that may not have a natural partner, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t work with a local non-profit – start by identifying a cause you care about and go from there. Or select a cause that impacts a member of your team or family.People are, by nature generally charitable, but they do spend much of their lives as consumers, making them more apt to respond favorably to fundraisers that are linked to specific rewards. Offering your customers rewards in conjunction with their donations demonstrates your appreciation of their willingness to support your cause with their hard-earned funds.A study byCone Communicationsrevealed that 85 percent of consumers view businesses that give to a charity more favorably. Take the time to do some market research to identify the most popular charitable causes in your area and approach them about forming a partner program. Some interesting statistics to consider:

54 percent of consumers bought a product associated with a cause during the last 12 months89 percent of Americans are likely to switch brands to one associated with a cause, given comparable price and quality91 percent of consumers are willing to purchase more products and services that support causes88 percent of consumers want to learn more about companies supporting social and environmental issues

Ready to get started connecting with consumers while making a difference in your community? Drop us anemail.

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Fiscal Sponsorship – An Alternative to Becoming a 501c3 Charity

Fiscal sponsorship is an alternative to the 501c3 for groups or individuals who want to solicit donations from their supporters. Many people are performing charitable activities in their communities but do not want to take on the expense, reporting requirements and legal obligations of becoming a Registered 501c3 Nonprofit Corporation. They just want to continue to make a difference. This eliminates the need for the expense and time necessary for the extensive filing requirements, tax compliance, and other legal obligations associated with incorporation and tax exemption.

Fiscal sponsorship typically involves an arrangement with an existing 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity (commonly referred to in this context as a “Sponsor”) that assists an individual or organization with a charitable program (commonly referred to as a “Project”) by permitting the Project to solicit tax-deductible contributions or grants through the Sponsor that the Project is not eligible to receive on its own. Through such an arrangement, funds intended for the Project are deposited with the Sponsor, which then disburses them to the Project.

When is Fiscal Sponsorship Appropriate?

Fiscal sponsorship works well when a charitable program is in its beginning stages and relatively small in scope. For example, a group of volunteers who collect toys for needy children during the holidays, using the garage of one of the volunteers as a storage and wrapping space. The second type of program that can benefit from this structure are groups with expertise in performing social services but do not have expertise in corporate, financial or tax matters. Additionally, they do not have the bandwidth or resources to add staff to conduct or manage these compliance activities. After a few years of operating with the support of a Sponsor, some groups are in a position to form a separate charitable entity and terminate the fiscal sponsorship relationship. However, fiscal sponsorship is not necessarily suitable only for new programs or new ideas. Many projects have existed for years and years under Sponsors, declining to incorporate and obtain separate tax-exemption after realizing the advantages of fiscal sponsorship.

What are Some Advantages of Fiscal Sponsorship?

1. Ability to Receive Tax-Deductible Donations.A donor that contributes to a Project through a Sponsor with 501(c)(3) status may normally deduct the contribution as a charitable contribution deduction.

2. Ability to Get Off the Ground Faster.Typically, a Sponsor permits a new project to test its new ideas more quickly than it otherwise could by providing administrative and capacity building support and permitting charitable fundraising without the delays associated with incorporating and filing for tax exemption.

3. Wider Base of Support.If the organization that acts as a Sponsor has a solid track record with foundations and other funders, this may benefit a “Project” of that organization. Projects that don’t already have pre-existing relationships with funders may be in a better position to secure some grants or charitable donations if they have a fiscal sponsorship relationship with a reputable charity.

4. Technical Support / Administrative Support.Many Sponsors may also provide Projects with additional support such as marketing, technology, insurance, payroll and accounting services, office space, publicity, capacity building or fundraising assistance. This support not only makes it possible for Projects to focus more time and energy on their missions and less on administrative matters, but, due to economies of scale, may also be provided at lower cost to a Project than the Project might have to pay if it incorporated on its own.

5. Potentially Lower Insurance Costs.Often, Sponsors will be able to obtain lower insurance rates than would be available to a small start-up nonprofit corporation, and these savings can be passed along to the Project.

If We Choose Fiscal Sponsorship Now, Could We Still Incorporate as a Nonprofit Later?

The decision to contract with a Sponsor does not have to be final. The agreement can be structured so that a project can terminate the fiscal sponsorship relationship at any time and for any reason as long as it gives the Sponsor a reasonable amount of notice. Some Projects never terminate the sponsorship relationship. Others, after a few years of operating under a Sponsor, are ready to form a separate charitable entity, obtain tax-exemption for that entity, and terminate the fiscal sponsorship relationship. A Project should pay close attention to the termination provisions of the fiscal sponsorship agreement to ensure that it has the right to terminate the agreement for any reason with a reasonable amount of notice to the Sponsor.

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT BECOMING A REGISTERED 501c3? Please contact us atinfo@digitaldonations.org

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Thank your donors with a video

Am I Dreaming?

There was a nonprofit still kinda new, that had so many donors it didn’t know what to do. . .and then you WAKE UP!

I understand you are busy, busy, busy but you have to find time to thank your donors, or you are going to have find the time to get new ones. Let your donors know how important they are and you might be surprised by just how generous they can be!

Even if you have a huge and supportive list of donors, chances are you aren’t meeting your fundraising goals. Most nonprofits have at least a few challenges finding new donors and keeping their existing ones. The statistics are a bit scary; according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy for every 100 donors gained, 103 are lost! And worse, for every $100 in new gifts, only $5 was an actual increase. Taking two steps backward for every step forward is not a recipe for success.

How do you make first-time donors into loyal supporters of your organization?

To generate loyalty, you must first thank your donors, and the sooner, the better. In today’s digital world of immediate response; there is no excuse for a delayed thank you. In this case, we are talking about a sincere thank you, not a generic tax receipt with ‘thank you’ on it (though they need that too).

Take advantage of the digital world and use social media as a conduit to express your thanks. A great way to say thank you is with a video post on social media and your website.

It doesn’t have to be long or fancy, (90 seconds or less) a compilation of staff or volunteers saying “Thank You” and ending with a group picture to show your donors how much you appreciate them. Tell them how their gift is helping at the specific program level and the impact it helped provide.

You can significantly up the impact by having the beneficiaries of your donor’s gifts appear in the video. That can truly be an emotional connection for your

supporters. You may want to include a white board with some information about the use of their donations, again don’t go fancy – just the basic “because of your generosity we fed more than 5,000 meals to disenfranchised youth in our community”. Make sure to write big as most people will look at this on their cell phones.

As good as it can be, social media cannot replace personal communications. Of course, most organizations do a more personal thank you to their larger donors, but don’t forget the smaller ones completely. Dedicate a Saturday morning to having a volunteer (and Board Member) thank you call, calling as many donors as you have contact information for in three or four hours. A simple, personal thank you can go a long way towards getting your next gift. You never know who’s $10 gift today, can become $100 tomorrow and a $1000 the day after.

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Partner Rewards for All!

​Partnerships – especially successful ones – can make a real difference in your nonprofit’s fundraising results. Strategic partnerships with corporations have been successful over the years; “Ronald McDonald House”, Coca-Cola and the Olympics/Special Olympics and ChildFund with Tom’s Shoes. These alignments demonstrate not just philanthropic commitment but also do ‘good’ things for the brand. A recent study by Cone Communications revealed that 85 percent of consumers view businesses that give to a charity, especially one that they already support, more favorably.

So how does your nonprofit get a partnership going? Well, of course, you can try to get aligned with one of these large corporations, but that can take much work before, during and after. Moreover, you’re competing with lots of other organizations.

An alternative and much more do-able option is to form a partnership with a local business. Every community has retailers, restaurants, service providers and other local businesses that would benefit from a nonprofit partnership. There is very little if any up-front investment on the part of the business. And when the donor does utilize the reward, he/she can be a potential new client. Existing clients as per the Cone Communications study are very likely to become even more loyal to your brand. Rewards can include percentage or dollar discounts, buy-one-get-one (BOGO) programs and even the occasional ‘free’ product or service.

On the nonprofit side, integrating a local business reward with your fundraising has several benefits. Not only do you gain access to the business clients to extend your donor base, but the volume and dollar amount of donations will likely increase. If a donor was planning to make a $20 donation, but realizes they can get a discount for a local merchant if they increase the donation to $25 they are very likely to do so.

So how do you go about setting up a partnership with a local business? Start by looking in your own organization for connections; it is very possible that a board member, volunteer or donor has a business that would be an excellent partner. The existing commitment and interest in your cause can make this a very doable option.

If you don’t have a potential business partner already in your organizations, consider local businesses that you work with now. Is there a local restaurant you patronize frequently, are your company vehicles maintained by a local mechanic shop or do you use a specific supply vendor that also has a personal consumer base? Just knowing someone in the business can make things flow more smoothly.

The more likely scenario is identifying and reaching out to local businesses and sharing the value of participating with them. This is surprisingly easy, remember the business partner benefits in three ways – potential new clients in the donors who receive the reward and use it, increased loyalty from existing customers who also receive the reward when they donate and the overwhelmingly positive response to their increased philanthropy. Oh, and don’t forget that the value of the reward they offer may be a charitable deduction for the business – be sure the business verifies this with their accountant.

Consider taking your partner rewards even further by partnering with more than one business and offering a variety of rewards. This is another way to expand the opportunity for your organization – some donors will make an increased donation to get additional rewards and may also try new businesses in the same way.

Business-charity partnerships are making a difference in communities throughout the United States – find your partners and increase your fundraising!

Digital DonationsPledge participants, add the CrowdGIV Partner Rewards program to your crowdfunding campaign today! Contact us at 888-705-2220 oremailing us.

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Everybody into The Pot

Image credit:JV_springer

Kudos to Ezekiel Elliott for ‘jumping into the pot’ – literally! Despite the fact that the NFL will not be fining him, he will still donate to theSalvation Army. His original commitment after celebrating his touchdown on Sunday by jumping into the red kettle at AT&T Stadium was double the amount of the fine. Looking forward to hearing the amount!When asked why he jumped into the red kettle, “I mean it’s just sitting there right in the end zone, you know. It’s the perfect celebration,” Elliott said. “They’re one of our biggest partners, so I had to show them a little bit of love.”

One of their biggest partners – now that’s enough to bring tears to a fundraiser’s eyes. The halftime celebration on Thanksgiving Day is theRed Kettle Kickoff. The Cowboys have helped raise over $2 billion (that’sbillionwith a ‘B’), reaching more than 500 million people in need. Now there’s a partnership any nonprofit would love! A big name NFL team with millions of loyal fans and a large well known charity – a true recipe for success.

But what if you aren’t a big name brand or a large well known charity, how do you make a partnership work for your organization? Is it possible to make a scaled down version work? Absolutely, in fact, a well designed partnership program can be a win-win-win; for your organization, the business, and your community.

One very successful model for a small partnership is areward program. The nonprofit and a local business or businesses work together to develop a program where a ‘reward’ is offered in conjunction with the donation. An example might be a local restaurant offering a discount (percentage or BOGO) for a donation of $x amount. A donor may consider increasing the size of their donation based on acquiring the reward; a new potential donor may decide to make a donation to get the reward and existing loyal restaurant clients can become donors.

If you are a 501c3 organization and would like to know more about the CrowdGIV Partner Program contact Digital Donations at 888-705-2220 or byemail.

Connecting Cause with Commerce to Make a Difference in Your Community

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Is Your Website Hurting Your Fundraising Opportunities?

Anyone who has the passion to start a nonprofit does so with the intent of doing good, but unfortunately the intention to do good doesn’t always come with the ability to run a nonprofit. The big surprise to many founders is that they need expertise and capital to develop the basic foundation to fulfill their mission, making it almost impossible to be noticed in the very crowded world of philanthropy.

To gain recognition and ultimately receive the support of donors, an NPO must be able to create and effectively communicate their vision. There has to be more than passion, you have to share your story in a way that impacts people – enough to want to support your cause! The most cost efficient and impactful way of sharing your message is with a strong digital media strategy. Unfortunately, without a professionally designed website and social media presence, it is nearly impossible to gain the attention of potential donors. Well written content telling the story of your organization and its programs, makes it easier to compete with organizations that have similar missions, more funding and larger staff.

In today’s world of short attention spans, you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression. Think of your site as a billboard to your online audience of potential supporters, donors and volunteers. And just like a torn and tattered billboard, a dated unattractive website sends a terrible message for anyone who visits and is considering making a donation. By not presenting your organization in the best way possible you aren’t going to attract the ‘right’ people.

There seem to be two prevalent myths about websites – the expensive version where you need to spend a lot of money with a web designer and content writers. And then there are the ‘do-it-yourself’ options, there are countless products and services but you really do need to know what you are doing to create a website that presents your organization as professional and a good steward of the donations you receive. Worst of all you can spend a lot of money with either the web designer or the DYI version and end up with a web site that just doesn’t resonate.

Thanks to the internet, nonprofits have extraordinary access to information and resources that provide fresh content to promote their online presence. With multiple platforms and channels of communication available, organizations have a growing means of spreading their message and interacting with supporters. An outdated web presence with content that hasn’t changed in a number of months or even years suggests to visitors that you are not a serious organization. Potential donors and supporters want to know what’s going on with your organization now, not last week, last month or last year!

But it’s hard to figure out how you are going to create this amazing on-line presence when you have no funds. That is exactly the reason you need an ongoing fundraising plan. Too often charities fear they will be judged solely on the percent of their donations that go to administrative and fundraising costs. Although it is important that the majority of every dollar raised go towards your programs—most charity watchdog agencies recommend a minimum of 75%, it is impossible to survive and thrive without covering the costs to operate your organization. The true cost of ‘delivering’ your service includes the administrative and marketing costs to support and fund the programs.

At the end of the day, the user experience you provide will determine whether your website and social media presence helps or hinders your organization.

To find out if you qualify for The Pledge and an in kind donation towards the purchase of a complete branding and website makeoverclick here.

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Payment Alliance International Adds Digital Fundraising Capabilities to ATM's

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Payment Alliance International (PAI), a leader in electronic payment processing solutions, today announced the release of the Digital Donations™ program, a new ATM fundraising capability powered by Digital Processing Solutions (DPS). This exciting advance in charitable giving is now being offered directly to retailers and the PAI market partner reseller network nationwide. Consumers will be able to make tax deductible charitable donations to national and local organizations at ATMs, in addition to conducting common activities such as cash withdrawals, account balance inquiries, foreign card currency conversions and more.

“Digital Donations fundraising technology enables donations via ATMs during cash withdrawals. This is a big step forward in facilitating easy and painless fundraising for charities across the country.” “Adding the Digital Donations technology to ATMs is a game changer for everyone involved,” stated John J. Leehy III, president and chief executive officer for PAI. “There are so many worthy causes that deserve our support. Now retailers and ATM operators have an efficient way to get involved and really do some good,” added Leehy.

Keith Orlean, president of DPS, stated, “Digital Donations fundraising technology enables donations via ATMs during cash withdrawals. This is a big step forward in facilitating easy and painless fundraising for charities across the country.” Orlean added, “Nonprofits and their constituents will certainly appreciate the convenience and simplicity of this type of fundraising.”

Making a contribution with Digital Donations is quick and easy. At participating ATMs, consumers have the option of donating to one of seven 501(c)(3) charitable organizations listed or selecting the “No Thanks” option. When a charity is chosen, consumers pick from a preset list of donation amounts. Donations, as small as $2.00 to as much as $50.00, make the act of giving affordable for most people. After processing, a receipt, which can be used for tax purposes, is generated containing all transaction activity.

With the PAI Digital Donations ATM program, up to five national charities, one national emergency relief agency and one local cause may be supported simultaneously. Current program partners include, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, Champions for Kids, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, The American Heart Association and The Humane Society. Other qualified 501(c)(3) charitable organizations can be quickly added after approval.

For more information about Digital Donations ATM capabilities, please telephone 877.271.2627 option 5, or emailATMSales@GoPAI.com.

About Digital Processing Solutions

Digital Processing Solutions, dba Digital Donations develops and distributes creative and innovative fundraising technologies that connect charities and foundations, with consumers and corporate America. Through the process of integrating a donation request as part of a financial transaction, ATM owners, Retailers, e-tailers and Service Providers have the ability to create a new or enhance their existing cause-marketing program. Digital Donations™ mission is to continuously develop fundraising solutions that change the way charities and foundations reach donors. Our passion for supporting philanthropic efforts through non-traditional methods provides a platform for those who wish to make a difference in the communities where they reside and transact business. Please visit www.digitaldonations.org.

About Payment Alliance International (PAI)

Payment Alliance International (PAI) is one of the nation’s largest deployers of ATMs, provides ATM processing and maintenance services, ATM equipment sales and support, and ATM branding programs. PAI also offers comprehensive payment and small business solutions including credit, debit and prepaid card acceptance services…all designed to maximize customer success and make business easy. Payment Alliance International is based in Louisville, Ky. For more information, please visit www.GoPAI.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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http://www.digitaldonations.org/single-post/2016/12/21/Payment-Alliance-International-Adds-Digital-Fundraising-Capabilities-to-ATMs

Digital Donations and Spindle, Inc. Strategic Marketing Agreement

Keith Orlean, President of Digital Donations, Inc. “This strategic marketing agreement is an important step in our continuing effort to provide distribution of our alternative fundraising technology. There are over 1.5 million charities in the U.S. and a significant percentage of these lack the funding or infrastructure to invest in technology.   Spindle’s approach of adding additional value for their clients by incorporating Digital Donations into their Unified Commerce platform aligns perfectly with our strategic marketing plan of adding value for merchants that wish to support a cause as part of their overall marketing strategy.”

Bill Clark Chairman & CEO, Spindle Inc.  We are extremely excited to enter into this agreement with Digital Donations.  Integrating charitable giving options with our payment processing platform allows us to reach a new market which provides a significant growth opportunity for Spindle.  As the payments industry continues to evolve adding Digital Donations to our technology capabilities provides greater opportunity to differentiate us from our competitors.”

About Spindle

Spindle is an innovator of unified commerce solutions for consumer-facing merchants of all sizes. Spindle is focused on pioneering new ways for businesses to rapidly integrate mission critical business services, payments acceptance, and mobile marketing services while empowering location-based merchant discovery, fulfillment and frictionless consumer engagement. Spindle is dedicated to expanding beyond traditional boundaries by offering cutting-edge solutions that allow clients, partners, merchants and consumers to take full advantage of the rapidly emerging mobile economy. Spindle has an extensive proprietary intellectual property portfolio—which includes patents pending—that encompasses networks, mobile payments, and security. For more information, visit www.spindle.com.

About Digital Donations

Digital Donations develops and distributes creative and innovative fundraising technologies, and provides payment processing solutions that connect charities and foundations, with the consumer and corporate america.  Through the process of integrating a donation request as part of a financial transaction, retailers, e-tailers and service providers have the ability to create a new or enhance their existing cause marketing program.  The Digital Donations™ platform is available for integration to point of sale payment systems, ATMs, e-commerce, (m)obile commerce (MYGIV) and interactive video crowdfunding (CROWDGIV).

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this press release including statements regarding either parties beliefs, expectations, intentions or strategies for the future, may be considered "forward-looking statements". All forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, intensified competition, operating problems and their impact on revenues and profit margins, anticipated future business strategies and financial performance, anticipated future number of customers, business prospects, legislative developments and similar matters.

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http://www.digitaldonations.org/single-post/2016/12/21/Digital-Donations-and-Spindle-Inc-Strategic-Marketing-Agreement

Five Tips for Nonprofit Crowdfunding Success!

Crowdfunding has become a key component of the nonprofit fundraising toolkit. But it can be challenging to know where to start, so we’ve gathered Five Tips to help you get your campaign going. 1. What's Your Story? Your story has to be so compelling it connects with donors on an emotional level. Definitely use pictures and videos, they give your story an even bigger impact. Be sure to tell people what problem they are helping solve with their donations to your campaign. Be sure you have a clearCALL TO ACTION– most people say they didn’t give because no one asked – so ASK!

2.Plan for SuccessProper prior planning prevents poor performance as an old boss of mine used to say. In this case, planning means engaging your board, staff, volunteers and current supporters to become a part of the campaign; rallying your social media fans and growing their numbers before you launch; emailing your list or lists to let them know what’s coming and how they can be a part of it. This is the time to turn strangers into friends and acquaintance into allies! Create a schedule for posting updates to your website, yourCrowdGIVsite, Social Media and via email. Pre-populated tweets and FB posts that you can send to your supporters will help them keep engaged during the entire campaign.

3.GOALS, GOALS, GOALSThe most successful campaigns have very specific goals for why the funds are being raised, the exact goal amount and what problem is being solved by the funds raised during the campaign. By now surely everyone knows the acronym S.M.A.R.T. – probably because they make sense – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results, and Timely. The author of “Ask Without Fear”, Marc Pittman included this article on his website about Smart Goals in a fun way – give it a read!

3.Tell your donorsspecifically how their $$ are helping and how you are going to thank them. When setting donation levels, connect them to a specific goal - "your donation of $15.00 will feed 3 children for a week", etc. and have a reach goal or two, too. When you thank donors remember that most don't want to see their donation used to send them a TY gift, so keep it reasonable (mention in your newsletter or on your site) and be sure to allow for anonymous donors. Consider partnering with local businesses to offer discounts based on the level of donations (DD can assist you with this, just let us know).

4.Start Out With A BangTo get the ball rolling, line up some fund commitments from board members and existing donors - the recommendation is to have at least 25% of your goal already pledged when you launch your campaign

(REMEMBER: if you areDD Pledge Memberyou have at least $750 of In-kind donation to include!)

5.Tell the World Use all your resources- staff, volunteers, donors, newsletter subscribers to get the word out via email and social media. But don’t neglect the tried and true methods of press releases to your local media and community resources – printed materials to share with local merchants. If you create a poster with a Q-code, people with Smart Phones can donate directly from their phones right there! Speaking of phones, pick yours up and make a few calls to get the word out. . .there is nothing like a good-old fashioned chat to spread the word!

I hope these tips are helpful to you as you consider or expand your crowdfunding. If you have comments or other suggestions, please let us know. We are always happy to assist ourCrowdGIVusers andPledgemembers.Drop us an emailor give us a call and let’s“REACH MORE and RAISE MORE!

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A Year-End Fundraising Plan

Did you know, that 40% of donations occur at year’s end? You probably did know that or at least the statistics for your organization. Well, believe it or not, we are just a week away from the last quarter of the year. If you don’t already have a year-end fundraising plan, its time to get going! Plus, now you haveCrowdGIVcrowdfunding in your toolbox, so how do you integrate it into your year-end strategy?

We’ve been thinking about that very thing at Digital Donations, here’s what we came up with:

1. Use crowdfunding to augment your existing Year-End appeal.

Use the same materials – videos and pictures and keep the message short & catchy. The more consistent you are across all media channels, the more you are building your brand. Remember pictures and videos tend to connect on a more personal level with donors, engaging donors on an emotional level increases donation amounts.

2. A special fall or holiday-themed campaign.

Partner with a local fall festival or farmer’s market to offer a discount on a pumpkin or create a contest with a fall-themed prize. This works well with Thanksgiving too – just use a turkey! Whether you choose Hanukkah, Kwanza, Christmas or any holiday just keep your campaign focused and don’t forget to share, share, share your message. Regardless of what theme you go for, you and the local merchant both benefit.

3. Integrate crowdfunding into your Events.

If you have a fall or year-end event or two, create a campaign around the event using much of the same material (consistency = brand recognition). Invite people to participate in the event by supporting the campaign and entering them into the prize drawings, even if they can’t attend.

Don’t be afraid to get creative with your campaigns! Whether you add crowdfunding to what you are already doing, or go a whole new direction to fill your coffers – remember to Reach More T Raise More!

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http://www.digitaldonations.org/single-post/2016/12/21/A-Year-End-Fundraising-Plan

Crowdfunding for nonprofits – what it is and what it isn’t

Crowdfundingis exactly what it sounds like—leveraging a ‘crowd’ to fund a cause, project, venture or sometimes even a person. While today crowdfunding means using Social Media and other online sources, it’s been around for a long time. Think of a community coming together to build a barn or care for a family in need after a devastating accident or illness. After a disaster such as a tornado, flood or earthquake people come together to help support survivors, rebuild communities and care for the injured. While there are often large donations from companies and countries, a huge share of the funds raised is small donations from individuals – a whole lot of them. More and more these campaigns leverage social media, just as President Obama did in funding his presidential campaigns in both 2004 and 2008.

By now just about everyone has heard of at least one crowdfunding site – the most familiar ones are for personal expenses or product launch funding. Surely we’ve all been approached to support a Kickstarter or Go-Fund-Me campaign. But there are several sites dedicated solely to nonprofit fundraising, features may be different on each site, but most have the nonprofit set-up an online fundraising campaign and accept money directly using the website’s credit card processor. Individuals can also set-up a fundraising page to support their favorite charities as well as ‘team’ crowdfunding. Teams can compete with each other to see who can raise the most support, and by recruiting their own friends to their team the nonprofit reaches a much larger community.

Crowdfunding is a great tool to add to a nonprofit’s fundraising array to complement and enhance the other solutions. But to be clear it is not a panacea for all of a nonprofit’s funding woes. You don’t just throw together a campaign, forget about it and raise a million dollars while you are off doing other things. Donors and potential donors need to hear from the nonprofit on an ongoing basis. They want to be updated on the campaign’s success, how the funds are or will be helping fulfill the mission and even the status of some friendly competition.

An important part of a successful crowdfunding campaign is the preplanning phase. As much as two months before the nonprofit launches their campaign they’ll want to rally their supporters, get some initial donation commitments (some experts suggest as much as 30% of the goal should be prefunded before the launch). A marketing and publicity plan are also huge components of a successful campaign.

Achieving these goals is not impossible but for most nonprofits, it requires support beyond a tutorial and tip sheets. Having someone supporting the nonprofit’s efforts, helping capitalize on their strengths and guiding their efforts will help guarantee success. The personal one-on-one coaching offered by Digital Donations’CrowdGIVplatform is unique in the market by providing these services.

Crowdfunding allows people to support projects and causes that are important to them. Utilizing Social Media sites and email to access its vast and ever growing network a nonprofit’s mission can spread far and wide.

The best crowdfunding campaigns will strengthen your brand, clearly express your mission, dazzle your donors, and commit them to your organizations success well beyond the end of the campaign. And of course, raise the funds you need!

from
http://www.digitaldonations.org/single-post/2016/12/21/Crowdfunding-for-nonprofits-%E2%80%93-what-it-is-and-what-it-isn%E2%80%99t

Interview With Keith Orlean President, Digital Donations, Inc.

Q. We are talking with Keith Orlean the President and Co-Founder of Digital Donations, the Alternative Fundraising Platform for Non Profit Organizations, about their recent announcement of the CrowdGIV Pledge. Keith what inspired Digital Donations to create the CrowdGIV Pledge?Keith: While researching crowdfunding we were surprised to learn that almost 70% of crowdfunding campaigns fail to meet their goals. Of course there are many reasons for that, but often it’s because the NPO has very little knowledge of the steps they need to take in order to run a successful campaign. The most important of these steps is pre-launch planning which sets the stage for the rest of the campaign. Once we realized the reasons that so many campaigns failed to reach their goal it became apparent that there was an opening for a hybrid model where an NPO can do it themselves as is the case in all other crowdfunding models, or they can apply for the CrowdGIV Pledge and work with a personal Campaign Coach.Q. What does the Campaign Coach do, are you going to do the work for the NPO?Keith: Not at all – this is truly a collaborative effort between the coach and the NPO. We’ve combined the CrowdGIV technology with the ‘old school method’ of personal touch. Your personal campaign coach provides one-on-one support, guidance and hands-on training. The CrowdGIV Pledge takes our commitment one step further.Q. Having a Campaign Coach sounds like a great resource, tell us more about the CrowdGIV Pledge.Keith: We are really excited to introduce the CrowdGIV Pledge. A very significant part of pre-launch planning covers having some funding in place prior to launching your campaign. Non-profit organizations can apply to receive support of up to 30% of their total campaign goal by simply filling out our assessment questionnaire. The criteria for approval includes length of time in existence, current fundraising levels and social media footprint. This is our personal pledge to use our own resources to fulfill our pledge amount over the next 12 months. For example, let’s say the NPO met the criteria for a 12% pledge from us. Based on a $20,000 campaign goal over the next 12 months The GIV Foundation would pledge to raise $2,400 towards your campaign using our own resources.Q. Keith this sounds like a great tool for any nonprofit to add to their fundraising strategy. What about costs for the program?Keith: With CrowdGIV there are no upfront or platform fees. The fee structure is dependent on the model you choose. The self-service fees are compatible with other tools in the market and if the NPO qualifies for The CrowdGIV Pledge Campaign Coaching is included. If an NPO doesn’t qualify for the CrowdGIV Pledge, Campaign Coaching is available for an additional fee.

from
http://www.digitaldonations.org/single-post/2016/12/21/Interview-With-Keith-Orlean-President-Digital-Donations-Inc

Digital Donations Launches Learning Center for Nonprofit Organizations

Melville, New York, December 1, 2016 (Newswire.com)– ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Digital Donations, Inc., a global provider of alternative fundraising solutions that integrate a donation request at the point of sale, ATMs, online and on mobile devices, today announced the launch of the Digital Donations Learning Center, an educational platform that offers on-going training mentoring and group coaching on the essentials of fundraising for founders, board members, staff, and volunteers.

In addition, members have access to the Digital Donations suite offundraising solutions. Qualified 501c3 organizations that participate in the program receive an in-kind donation pledge of $5,000 that covers the cost of webinars, hands-on workshops, group and individual coaching.The Pledgecan also be used to reduce the cost of digital marketing services offered by Digital Donations that are needed to run a successful nonprofit.

“Anyone who has the passion for starting a nonprofit does so with the intent of doing good, but unfortunately the intention to do good doesn’t always come with the ability to run a nonprofit,” said Keith Orlean Co-Founder and President of Digital Donations, Inc. “The big surprise to many founders is that they need expertise and capital to develop the basic foundation to fulfill their mission, making it almost impossible to be noticed in the very crowded world of philanthropy. There are over 1.5 million charities in the U.S., and a significant percentage of these lack the funding, expertise, and infrastructure to compete successfully. We believe the Digital Donations Learning Center is the missing link for many organizations in the nonprofit industry.”

Digital Donations develops and distributes creative and innovative fundraising technologies, and provides payment processing solutions that connect charities and foundations, with the consumer and corporate America. Through the process of integrating a donation request as part of a financial transaction, retailers, e-tailers and service providers have the ability to create a new or enhance their existing cause marketing program. The Digital Donations™ platform is available for integration to point of sale payment systems, ATMs, e-commerce, mobile commerce (MYGIV) and our crowdfunding platform (CROWDGIV).

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release including statements regarding either parties beliefs, expectations, intentions or strategies for the future, may be considered “forward-looking statements.” All forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, intensified competition, operating problems and their impact on revenues and profit margins, anticipated future business strategies and financial performance, anticipated the future number of customers, business prospects, legislative developments and similar matters.

Digital Donations and Digital Donations Learning Center are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Digital Donations in the United States and/or other countries.​

For more information:

Leslie Riehm​1-888-705-2220, Ext. 105

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http://www.digitaldonations.org/single-post/2016/12/21/Digital-Donations-Launches-Learning-Center-for-Nonprofit-Organizations

Let's Ring Some Bells!

You’ve worked hard to get your campaign launched – great job on that! – now it’s time to ring the bell and get those donations rolling in!

The best way to get theword outanddonationsin is to use social media and email. Social Media communications can reach beyond just your supporters; ask your supporters to reach out to their friends & associates for a wider impact.

Start with 'ASK' posts on your Facebook and Twitter accounts like these examples:

FACEBOOK– Post the link to your campaign on your page and make a statement

“Only # more days in 2016 – days to support [NPO] in our year-end effort to fund [specific about what you are funding]. We need your support – DONATE NOW thank you.

So, if you are a food bank and trying to raise $2000 to purchase turkeys for holiday meals:Only 25 more days in our 2016 year-end effort to purchase turkeys for holiday meals. We need your support to reach our goal of $2000 – DONATE TODAYTWITTER– Again post the link to your campaign and a statement “We need your support NOW! Make your donation today. Make sure our neighbors have a holiday meal!You can include a link without impacting your character count limit to create a Direct Message if you want to communicate individually with your donors, a much more personalized approach.

Next and even more important,emailyour supporters and staff members. Email still generates the highest response and highest dollar amount of gifts of all social media options. Here’s an example from a Food Project raising funds for holiday meals in Haiti:

“Hi [NAME]We only have a few more weeks in 2016 to raise funds forHolidays for Haiti.Your donation will help provide food for Joseph and his family who live inabject poverty in Haiti. When you sit down to enjoy your holiday dinner with family, the feeling you’ll have knowing you provided food for this family will stay with you long after the meal is over.You’ve always been one of our strongest supporters, and we are so grateful for you. Thank you for your generosity over the years, and a special heartfelt thank you again this year!Sincerely,Dave Smith,FounderThe Food Project”

Remember communicate often and with a clear call to action. It’s never too late to ask for support.

Hope these help you get the money rolling in, as always if you need my help email me at (lriehm@digitaldonations.org)

Let’s Ring Some Bells!

One more very important note– did you remember to get the Board ‘on board’, have they all made their donations? If not remind them today that their donations are the most important!!

from
http://www.digitaldonations.org/single-post/2016/12/21/Lets-Ring-Some-Bells

The Cost of Running a Non Profit

There has long been a common belief that charities should spend every penny they raise on the programs and services they deliver. Maybe a better word is fantasy because no organization can survive without overhead – you have to pay your staff, you need space to operate, computers and phones, supplies, and the occasional training or seminar.So does that mean if every penny doesn’t go into programs that the charity is 'wasting' your donation?  Absolutely not, in fact, spending a realistic amount on infrastructure and operations probably makes them better stewards of your money than you might think.

Consider this – if a nonprofit is spending every penny they raise on programs, how are they operating on a daily basis?  A nonprofit can cut corners and eliminate the non-essentials – run the nonprofit out of a room in the Executive Director’s house to save rent, use donated desks, old computers and even pens from the local bank.  And everyone involved in the nonprofit can be a volunteer...for a while at least.At some point, a nonprofit, like any for profit business reaches a tipping point in their growth. There are two things that cause this; theNPOincurs a major jump in the costs of providing services making it impossible to continue to serve the same number of people in the community or, the need for the services the nonprofit provides increases beyond projected expectations and there are no funds for additional clients.  In both cases, a small nonprofit can end up closing its doors -- no matter how dedicated, committed and selfless the Executive Director and staff are.

You should look for efficient nonprofits with a reasonable amount of overhead. In reality, devoting at least 75% of the budget to providing programs and services is reasonable, according to Charity Navigator®.  You can use one of their metrics – Program Expense Metric to see exactly how much a specific charity spends on programs and service delivery.

So knowing that a reasonable amount of overhead is realistic, how do you ensure your contributions are going where you intended?  The easiest way is to ASK.  Any donor can call a charity to ask exactly how their donation is being used.  It’s possible they’ll have an Annual Report they can send you which will provide a breakdown of programs and funding.

But remember that whatever small percentage of your donation may be directed towards overhead and operating expenses – those are part of delivering the services and programs you support.  So when you can be a little extra generous to help cover those operating costs!

from
http://www.digitaldonations.org/single-post/2016/12/21/The-Cost-of-Running-a-Non-Profit

Digital Processing Solutions Forms Strategic Alliance with United Charitable Programs

Melville, NY -- (ReleaseWire) -- 09/04/2014 -- Digital Donations, (DIGITAL) developer of the Digital Donations™ fundraising technology, announced today the signing of an agreement with United Charitable Programs (UCP) a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to make philanthropy accessible by providing comprehensive management of charitable programs and donor-advised foundations on a community, national, or global level. This agreement also provides UCP’s 500+ Programs across the US access to the Digital Donations fundraising technology that automates the solicitation, collection and delivery of charitable contributions at approved point of sale and online merchants within each programs communities.Under the terms of this agreement DPS has formed the Digital Donations™ Foundation (DDF) a UCP fiscally sponsored program whose mission is to connect cause with commerce in order to make a difference in local communities throughout the United States. As a UC sponsored program, DDF will have the ability to actively raise tax-deductible donations from the public under UC's supervision. UC enables DDF to focus on its charitable mission by undertaking the “back office” administrative duties, and legal and corporate oversight.Keith Orlean, President of Digital Donations, said, “This is an important step in our distribution and fundraising strategy as it alleviates the administrative burden that would be required to support hundreds of nonprofits that are part of the communities where our merchants transact business. It allows retailers and restaurants the ability to choose the causes that are most important to them. In addition, UC will license our fundraising tools to program managers enhancing awareness and fundraising for each of their charitable missions. Merchants and consumers will be made aware of the programs we support through traditional/digital media campaigns, and other creative co-marketing opportunities with UC.”Jan Ridgely, Executive Director United Charitable Programs, “We are so excited about this partnership. At UC we are always seeking products and services that assist our programs in reaching the goals of their mission. The Digital Donations™ fundraising suite creates so many more opportunities for program managers to raise needed funds within their communities. Our company’s visions are perfectly aligned filling a critical need for each of our organizations. We are currently finalizing our 4th quarter rollout strategy, which is the most important time of the year for fundraising. The timing for implementing Digital Donations™ could not be better.About Digital Donations

Digital Donations (DIGITAL) provides professional fundraising services and technology for non-profits and merchants that seek to build a community or national based “cause marketing” program. DPS provides a comprehensive suite of interactive fundraising and marketing solutions (Digital Donations™) that can integrate with multiple payment acceptance devices. This includes retail point-of-sale, smart phones (proximity text based cause marketing), online shopping carts, ATM’s, information kiosks and Video on Demand systems that are utilized in the hospitality industry. Our stated mission is to help non-profits reach their fundraising goals through introduction, partnership and collaboration with payment processors, industry executives and independent sales organizations. www.digitaldonations.orgAbout United Charitable Programs

United Charitable (UC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our vision is to cultivate the essence of philanthropy by empowering people to help people. Our mission is to make philanthropy accessible by providing comprehensive management of charitable programs and donor-advised foundations on a community, national, and global level. By fiscally sponsoring and supporting these individual projects in different charitable areas in a transparent and cost-effective manner, UC is able to affect constructive social change at a grassroots level. Through a fiscal sponsor relationship with these charitable projects, UC provides nonprofit benefits without the burdens.Please visit www.UnitedCharitable.org or email Jan Ridgely at jan@unitedcp.org

from
http://www.digitaldonations.org/single-post/2016/12/21/Digital-Processing-Solutions-Forms-Strategic-Alliance-with-United-Charitable-Programs

Crowdfunding or Peer-to-Peer?

These terms seem almost interchangeable when you hear about fundraising these days. And although they do overlap in some areas they do have important differences. These differences are what makes one a better fit for specificfundraisingfunctions.

Crowdfundingis a way to raise funds using the power of Social Media in addition to your usual donor base. Generally, it is used to fund a specific project or maybe even a new program.  For crowdfunding to be successful you have to market your campaign and update your social media sites to keep your existing donors engaged and attract new ones.

There is a fair amount of preplanning that has to occur, including a marketing plan which normally includes a video along with the written call to action. You will also want to rally your supporters to spread the word via their social media contacts as well as ‘prefund’ your campaign before you launch it. If you are going to ‘reward’ or thank your donors, you’ll want to establish the levels and gifts.

The positives include accessing a new, larger group of potential donors, attracting media attention and the ability to analyze your results. On the downside – almost 70% of crowdfunding campaigns fail to reach their goals, you and your organization do have to invest the time to create and then execute the marketing and community relations plans.

Peer-to-peer fundraisingis more often utilized when your organization is having a run/walk or something similar. Platforms that support peer-to-peer fundraising allow each participant to have their own page and goal to raise money for the charity. These are very popular with school age children in the form of Jump-a-thons, etc. where the child raises money base on the number of jumps.

The real benefit for the nonprofit is each individual advertises or markets on their own, so the organization does not have to do it. Because each participant is reaching out to their own family and friends, whether or not they are familiar with your organization’s mission is usually not important because the supporters know the individual asking for their help.

Keep in mind that your nonprofit will likely have to train and support the individuals participating in the fundraiser.  These can easily require a big chunk of time on your part.  You also won’t be reaching these potential new donors directly so its highly likely that this will be a one-time donation.

There are similarities in these fundraising models, especially when you consider Team Crowdfunding. Team members have their own page and raise funds towards the team’s goals. Often there is a friendly competition between teams and the nonprofit may award prizes for most funds raised, largest # of donors, etc.  It is possible for a peer-to-peer funding campaign to attract media attention and for it to go viral which providesthe nonprofit access to a whole new donor base.

So what should our nonprofit do – crowdfunding or peer-to-peer?Probably both at some point.  If you have a specific project to fund, a crowdfunding campaign using Social Media to spread the word is a great solution.  As stated above you have a much larger footprint, you reach more potential donors and you can add them to your role of supporters.  But there are times when a peer-to-peer solution is the right choice such as with events and even a general fundraising campaign where you have supporters reach out personally to their contacts. You may lose the opportunity to add that donor to your roles, but more likely whoever brought them in will help you continue to contact them.

We are fond of saying here atDigital Donationsthat crowdfunding should be another resource in your fundraising toolbox and so should peer-to-peer. The more ways you reach out, the more likely you are to raise the funds you need.

from
http://www.digitaldonations.org/single-post/2016/12/21/Crowdfunding-or-Peer-to-Peer