September 5th was the International Day of Charity. Declared by the United Nations, this day coincides with the anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa. The idea is to promote goodwill all around the world. Here are 5 ways how the internet can boost your generosity.
1. Collect The Information Online
When starting a charity, you should have a clear mission and an accurate goal. It is vital to collect the right information so you could choose the best ways to contribute to the cause. Data will help you to plan your long-term actions. Furthermore, people will feel better when donating to a cause with a clear plan.
Data can help you to understand your donors as well. Institute of Fundraising released a guide to data and fundraising. Guide states that increasing availability of data enables charities to understand their donors more than before. It also helps to build longer-lasting relationships. The revenue increases and it allows organizations to achieve their missions better.
2. Spread The News Online
Once you have the information about the cause and the donors, it’s time to share the news about your charity. You should use the world wide web to make your cause visible online. You can start fundraising in a few steps with platforms for online donating, such as JustGiving.
If your charity has a long-term cause, a website would be better than a page on a platform. Hosting provider and domains registrar Hostinger shares insights, that every month there are about 4 new domains registered with a word charity in it. It’s hard to tell the exact number of new philanthropy websites created since some of them don’t use the word charity in the domain.
3. Collect Donations Online
After you set up a website to tell about your charity, you can use it to collect donations as well. If you do it right, it can save you time and money. At first, charities were all about the cash. The first example of technology impact was mobile donations via text. But it has its own cons.
The American Institute of Philanthropy warns that with text campaigns fundraising costs are involved. “According to advertised prices, a Mobile Application Service Provider can receive 45-70 cents per text donation.” It is also timely. The Institute says, that for a charity to receive a text donation can take up to 120 days. To avoid that you should collect donations online. For a WordPress website, Hostinger suggests the best donation plugins.
4. Show Instant Gratification Online
It feels good to do good. And you should spread this feeling with those who contributed to your cause. Online you can do it instantly. You can use social media, for example, to tweet a shout out to a new donor. A website is a fitting place to name those who already contributed. Or you can reach out to people via email or direct message, to give a more private Thank you.
5. Inform About The Impact Online
People like to see the impact they’re making. On your charity website, you can visualize every new donation on the spot. For example, if you are trying to reach an exact amount, you can have a real-time counter on the page. This way, people who just donated can see a counter changing in front of their eyes.
To be explicit, you should keep people updated about the exact impact their contribution made. You should keep them updated with an infographic, pictures or video of the achieved goals. It’s a good idea to put the same information on your website. So those who are still considering could see the real impact your charity is making.
Extra: Go Viral Online
This one is not really a tip since it’s hard to give exact instructions on how to make it. But if you are lucky enough, you should go viral. This way people will spread the information about the cause on their own.
The perfect example is the Ice Bucket Challenge. You probably remember all those celebrities pouring cold water on their heads. But it wasn’t just a trendy thing to do. All that buzz generated awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and over $220 million in donations.
When declaring the International Day of Charity, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged people around the world to donate time or money, volunteer or act with kindness. You can do all of that easier and faster with the right use of the internet.
About the Contributor:
Ram Kezel is a public relations coordinator at Hostinger.