The U.S.-based web content and customer experience management firm Kentico Software, has conducted a Non-Profit Website Survey among 332 American adults who regularly donate to charities online to learn what’s important for them besides the cause itself.
The research finds that a compelling visual content and an engaging copy are as important for nonprofits as for businesses. 35% of the respondents say they are likely to donate more if an organization’s website or other online platforms feature some «sharable» emotional stories (35%) or robust statistics (32%).
Some interesting highlights from the research:
- 75% donate to some causes online regularly throughout a year
- only 12% question the impact of their donations
- 67% are loyal donors to their charities of choice
- 47% visit the same non-profit website regularly
- 44% prefer to donate online (vs. by cash in person).
The survey shows that digital marketers of non-profits should try to increase awareness among new donors, and loyalty among the existing ones. When asked about how they learned about a charity they hadn’t previously donated to, just 36 % of the respondents called web or mobile sites (Internet), 35% heard from offline sources, 17% on TV, 12 % via print press and other ways.
When it comes to engagement online, donors are not likely to follow non-profit brands on social media or get updates via email. Just 20% follow 1-2 charities on Facebook or Twitter, while 70% follow none. The stats on newsletters are, as follows
- 31% receive 1-2 newsletter from non-profits throughout a year
- 13% receive 3-4
- 9% receive more than 5
- 46% receive none
“New donors can be extremely difficult to reach—even online, which is why non-profit digital marketers must be incredibly creative,” comments Petr Palas, CEO and founder of Kentico. “The ALS ice bucket challenge is a perfect example of how a non-profit organization can use creative, compelling, and inherently shareable content to introduce itself to millions of new potential donors.”
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that gained momentum in June 2014 has raised $100 million by 1 September and counting. Below are infographics on this campaign from Philanthropy.com.
