Wake up and smell the coffee you just spilled onto your keyboard. The young and growing field of online fundraising can be complicated, difficult to manage, and it can hit your bank account harder than you would like. No question but what you can jump into it quickly and cheaply. You can also be deeply disappointed with the results.
Several individuals who have created successful, online fundraising programs, and at least one organization, have developed guidelines to help you avoid common mistakes that may be costly, frustrating, and nonproductive. Besides being a blessing to your bank account, the field-tested guidelines will help preserve your public reputation, and help maintain and grow your precious relationships with your donors.
The ePhilanthropyFoundation.org has a goal of creating public confidence in online transactions of contributions. It seeks to achieve the goal by providing information, developing model programs, and assisting individuals and organizations.
It has a Code of Ethical Online Philanthropic Practices and offers online classes. The online classes are: Fundraising on the Internet, Prospecting Strategies for Research Online, and Online Marketing for Nonprofits. To register and pay for the classes online, go to http://www.ePhilanthropyFoundation.org and select Online Educational Opportunity.
Also at its Website are Ten Tips for Online Giving, and Ten Rules of E-Philanthropy Every Nonprofit Must Know.
Here are some books I hope you find helpful:
The Fund Raiser’s Guide to the Internet, Second Edition, with CD, by Michael W. Johnston; 2002, John Wiley & Sons, $29.95.
Fundraising on The Internet: The ePhilanthropyFoundation.org’s Guide to Success Online, Second Edition, edited by Mal Warwick, Theodore R. Hart, and Nick Allen; 2001, John Wiley & Sons, $27.
The Grantwriter’s Internet Companion: A Resource for Educators and Others Seeking Grants and Funding, by Susan Lee Peterson; 2001, Corwin Press, $24.95.
The Nonprofit Guide to the Internet: How to Survive and Thrive, by Michael W. Johnston and Robin Lee; 1999, John Wiley & Sons, $29.95.
Fundraising and Friend-Raising on the Web, with CD, by Adam Corson-Finnerty and Laura Blanchard; 1998, American Library Association Editions, $50.
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