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Online Fundraising: Moving Beyond the Donate Button

08/03/2007

Since the inception of online fundraising, nonprofits have raised hundreds of millions of dollars with new media strategy. Obviously, interactive fundraising can be very effective, but for the maximum return on outreach efforts, your orgainzation's execution needs to be carefully researched and choreographed. With online media, there is great potential to significantly increase your donor base, along with their frequency of gift-giving; but you need more than just a donate button!

Want to learn what else should go into the planning for your future fundraising succes? M. Sue Woodward, CFRE--Virilion's fundraising expert--will tell you with Virilion's newest white paper.

Social Media...Here to Stay: Effective Technologies for Reaching Audiences

06/12/2007

Social media, MySpace, YouTube, and blogs have shifted from the realm of novelty and buzz words to a marketing landscape increasingly shaped and molded by the users and communities who are accessible through them. Political campaigns and major corporations are learning that a blog post or YouTube video can make or break an initiative, and organizations are mobilizing millions of users through Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, and similar technologies. Download Virilion's newest white paper to learn about the benefits and results of social networking, and how to leverage them for your organization.

Your Web Site in a Changing Environment - How To Tell it's Time to Redesign

04/12/2007

How do you know when it’s time to redesign your organization’s Web site?
For most businesses and organizations, a Web site started out as an online billboard or brochure. As technology has changed – and it has done so at break-neck speed the last several years -- Web sites have become online locations where audiences expect to get real services and take actions important to them.

Success with Stuff: Online Reward & Incentive Campaigns

02/08/2007

Online promotional and premium merchandise – from logo’d baseball caps to large-screen TVs to guilt-free vacations in the Caribbean – has the power to reward and motivate your organization’s members, volunteers, donors and employees. This “stuff” – which is essentially a creative form of content – can also build and support brand awareness in ways that offline programs do not.

Online incentive programs reward individuals with merchandise they select for meeting goals you set. These programs have the power to keep motivating the recipients of the merchandise long after the reward is received.

Prediction '08

11/13/2006

After their stunning upset victories, we can all be forgiven if we have forgotten that Senators-elect Jim Webb of Virginia and John Tester of Montana were not the establishment Democratic candidates in their primaries this year. Tester’s candidacy was continually promoted through the liberal blogosphere, while Webb’s campaign found new life when disparaging videos of his opponent, Senator George Allen, traveled fast and wide across the Internet.

People with Disabilities: Big Market…Protected by Law

10/09/2006

Let us give you two reasons to pay attention to how accessible your online presence is for the people with disabilities, including those aging baby boomers: It’s a huge market. It’s the law. Take the legal issue first. Just last month, a federal court ruled that a retailer can be sued if its Web site is inaccessible to […]

Reach Aging Baby Boomers Online…The Right Way

10/09/2006

Baby boomers – that oversized post-World War II generation identified with free love and rock and roll – are rolling into their 60s and heading toward old age. While not as tech-savvy as their Gen X children (or grandchildren), they are adopting computers and the Internet as fast as the population overall (and far faster than […]

Caught in the SPAM Trap: A Periodic Report on Blocked Email

09/05/2006

In a three-year continuing study of email sent to constituents by nonprofits, advocacy organizations and political groups, Virilion has identified keys that can dramatically increase email deliverability by reducing the factors that lead receiving organizations to block incoming email, even requested email.
By using these keys, organizations can prevent their email messages to members, donors and other constituents from falling into the “SPAM trap.”

Reaching Hispanics in America: Meshing New and Old Media

08/10/2006

The U.S. Hispanic population grabbed headlines and the attention of most Americans in the spring of 2006 with nationwide marches — in small towns as well as urban centers — to advocate for immigration legislation.
This diverse group — Mexicans, Cubans, Dominicans and Puerto Ricans; whites and blacks; native and foreign born; citizens and immigrants; legal and illegal — mobilized itself using a smorgasbord of communications tools, from the time-honored word-of-mouth to the newest digital tools — e-mail, blogs and text messaging.
Organizations that seek to reach this growing and increasingly influential market must be aware of its diversity and be prepared to employ multiple communications tools, fitting the tool to the audience segment, if they are to be effective.

Reaching California’s Political Class: A Survey of California Decision Makers

02/16/2006

This study of California’s political and policy opinion leaders and decision makers found that online communications are increasingly becoming the preferred communications. This study conducted by Perry Communications Group and Virilion, on and with Rough & Tumble (RTumble.com), also shows that the governing audience is keeping up with the consumption habits of the general population.

Looking Forward ‘06: Key Trends for Reaching Influentials Online

10/12/2005

For communications practitioners seeking to shape the public debate and the views of opinion leaders and decision makers, online techniques will continue to offer an increasingly valuable - and essential - outlet.
During 2006, we will see a continuation of the trend towards professionals relying upon online communications during the workday and at home. Online advertising on media sites will continue its trend towards offering more rich presentations. Other interactive channels such as blogs, RSS feeds and mobile devices will become increasingly important to reach the influential crowd.

Getting Caught In The Spam Trap

04/19/2005

A Report on the Deliverability of Requested Email
The first quarter of 2005 has proven consistent with the trends observed in 2004 in terms of email deliverability. Requested emails continue to be classified incorrectly as spam and, in fact, at an increasing rate. In a continuing study of effective email strategies, Virilion monitors the email sending habits of 77 advocacy, nonprofit, media and political organizations since the beginning of 2005 to analyze the challenges of email deliverability.

Email Communications and the Battle for The White House

10/11/2004

Virilion's recent survey: Email Communications and the Battle for The White House, found that the Kerry Campaign is out performing the Bush Campaign in reaching voters with email. The survey found that Bush’s emails were mistaken for spam eighteen percent (18%) of the time, while Kerry out-performed Bush with only eleven percent (11%) caught by spam filters.
Virilion conducted the survey from January to August 2004 to analyze the rate in which requested emails sent from the Bush and Kerry Campaigns are caught in spam filters. The results show that an average of fourteen percent (14%) of legitimate requested emails were misclassified as spam.

Filling Your Database: Trends on What’s Working and What’s Not in Email

09/20/2004

Whether your objective is donations, newsletter sign-ups, or expressions of support, the results of recruiting supporters online are divergent - but some trends are emerging. In this brief, Virilion surveys the recent research to help identify current guideposts for achieving results using email.

Don’t Get Caught In The Spam Trap: Effective Strategies For Successful Email Deliverability

09/10/2004

Network administrators and Internet Service Providers are constantly fighting a battle against spam. Ever-changing spam policies can prevent even legitimate and requested email messages from being delivered. Virilion conducted a study during an 8 month period of over 3,300 requested emails sent by 40 nonprofit and advocacy organizations to analyze the challenges of email deliverability. This study found that one-in-five requested emails were not properly delivered to the subscriber.

Nonprofit Auctions Online: Nonprofits Finding Money on eBay’s Giving Works

08/26/2004

In its first study of nonprofit auctions on eBay, Virilion found that Travel and Ticket items consistently sold for the highest amount, and that most items sold for over $250. The study found that:
Experiences sold for the highest average price.
The most frequently auctioned items were Clothing, Shoes, and Accessories.
Number of bids is associated with price.
Virilion conducted this study of auctions held on eBay Giving Works during three two week periods between April 25, 2004 and June 11, 2004.
During the six week study, a total of 2,290 items were sold for a total of $121,856.

Reaching In-Demand Decision Makers Online: A Report on Opinion Leaders' Media Consumption Habits 07/30/04

07/13/2004

In its third-annual survey of Washington, DC decision makers, Virilion found that online communications are the preferred communications tool for reaching Congress and policy makers. The survey found that decision makers are increasingly relying upon online sources for information. 74% of DC decision makers indicated using online media more, while 44% are watching less television compared to this time last year.

Strategic Redesign - Understanding your Audience to Assess the Effectiveness of Your Web Site

04/06/2004

How do you figure out when it is the right time to redesign your organization’s Web site? Is your organization going through a restructuring or is your identity and message changing - then, yes, you should consider a redesign. But in most cases, figuring out if a redesign project is necessary AND a good allocation of resources is not an easy task. Perhaps you think your organization’s site is outdated or it looks so “last year” - these can be good indicators - but often times it is not enough.

Reaching Opinion Leaders and Decision Makers

09/16/2003

Survey of Visitors to NYTimes.com
Opinion leaders and decision makers nationwide are sophisticated and omnivorous users of online resources, who pick and choose among multiple information streams available on the Internet each day. In a comprehensive survey conducted in partnership with NYTimes.com, Virilion found that these public affairs specialists filter online information through the daily perusal of online news sites, frequent use of search engines, and targeted e-mail communications from trusted sources.
This survey highlights the habits of inside-the-beltway decision makers, those who live and work in and around the Washington, DC area, and opinion leaders from state capitols, major cities, and the centers of economic and political power nationwide. The results of this survey illustrate the power of targeted Internet communications for reaching opinion leaders and decision makers for online lobbying, advertising and persuasion by coalitions, advocacy groups, and others. This study clearly demonstrates how individuals and groups can use online tactics to engage this prized audience with measurable results.
The survey was conducted on NYTimes.com between July 25, 2003 and August 8, 2003. Two separate surveys were conducted, one targeting NYTimes.com readers in and around the Washington, DC area, and one targeting readers nationwide. Identical banner advertising was used to attract readers to the survey, and both audiences were asked the same questions.

News Coverage Affects Online Giving

08/16/2003

Charitable and cause related groups have a significant opportunity to take advantage of the news-cycle to improve their online fundraising performance. In a survey of visitors to the Atlantic Monthly Online, Virilion found that news stories published online affect fundraising efforts. Positive stories improve the likelihood of someone to give online and negative stories reduce that same likelihood.
The survey results above were part of a larger reader survey conducted in conjunction with the Atlantic Monthly online between June 20, 2003 and July 8, 2003. Various formats of online advertising were used to attract users to the survey, including banners, skyscrapers and small tiles.