Many not-for-profits that threw up a website as their initial attempt to meet the new online world are taking the next steps of a more sophisticated approach to online marketing and fundraising. Rhonda Prentice charts the brave new world for The Fred Hollows Foundation.
Many not-for-profits that threw up a website as their initial attempt to meet the new online world are taking the next steps of a more sophisticated approach to online marketing and fundraising. Rhonda Prentice charts the brave new world for The Fred Hollows Foundation.
The not-for-profit sector’s take-up of the online medium has generally been slower and less sophisticated than other areas of the community. Limited budgets and low levels of expertise have been the main hurdles. But a lack of suitable industry benchmarks coupled with a general apprehension about the medium’s ability to attract donors and supporters have also held the sector back.
The Fred Hollows Foundation established its first website in the mid 1990’s, and in 2004 an entirely new site was launched in a partnership with Australian digital communications company MassMedia Studios.
With the new site (www.hollows.org) has come a change in direction, and the objectives now are to engage and inform audiences better, promote relationships with in-country partners, and communicate the benefits of the foundation’s work.
The website has evolved from a small Australian-focused one of only a few pages, to a site with a global perspective featuring clear navigation and search facilities; detailed mini-sites for each of the countries where the foundation carries out its work; a photo database; secure e-commerce facilities for donations in three currencies; and regular content updates via a content management system.
The foundation will soon be taking another leap into the online medium when it launches its first annual online fundraising campaign called ‘I Care Day’ on February 14 next year (Valentines Day).
The campaign aims to attract new audiences to the foundation by providing a fun and quirky way to celebrate Valentines Day. It will target 18-35 year-old professionals, a demographic that is online-savvy and open to ‘outside the square’ initiatives which provide an incentive.
Funds will be raised through the sale of e-valentine cards. People will be driven to a specific campaign website (www.icareday.org) where they will fill out their details and make an online payment to the foundation in the form of a donation.
Recipients will receive their e-valentine card in a specially designed and interactive email. To encourage larger donations premium e-valentines will be offered along with standard priced e-valentines. It is hoped that in excess of 10,000 people will visit the website during the course of the campaign.
The benefits to the foundation of a campaign like this are that: it will test a medium that has not been heavily utilised before; benchmarks for future online initiatives will be established; the donor base will increase with a new and younger audience; and information about participants will be tracked and measured.
An important realization has been that not all existing supporters may be ready to plunge into the online medium, and another challenge will be securing buy-in from the target market.
Careful consideration has therefore been given to all levels of the campaign, from the broader concepts such as branding, through to the smaller details like the choice of a relevant and catchy website address and a secure and user-friendly online payment system.
Integrating the creative elements of the campaign into the offline channels has been another challenge. Importantly, the online components were developed first and integrated into the offline medium, rather than the reverse.
Traffic will be driven to the campaign website through both online and offline activities. The major online strategies will include advertising with major corporations and through an incentive-based viral email campaign.
The integrated offline strategies will include media coverage, publicity stunts, distribution of promo postcards, outdoor advertising, support from major corporate partners and promotion within the foundation’s existing networks.
While more and more not-for-profits are realising they need to take advantage of online opportunities, and evidence suggests that worthwhile results are starting to be achieved, very few not-for-profits seem to be making an appropriate commitment to this area. At a recent Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA) training program specifically about online marketing, there was only one attendee from the not-for-profit sector.
The Fred Hollows Foundation
Mission: Eradicate avoidable blindness in developing countries and improve indigenous health in Australia.
Established: 1992
Milestone: In 2003 the one millionth Fred Hollows intraocular lens was inserted into a cataract patient’s eye in Pakistan. Operating Expenses 2004: $8.7 million
Total Revenue 2004: $10.3 million
Revenue from fundraising 2004: $7.9 million
Online donations 2004: Approx. 1% of fundraising income (and increasing daily)
