When Only an Online Appeal Will Do

By Madeline Stanionis

MOST ORGANIZATIONS encounter some scenarios where only an online fundraising appeal will do . . . and you want to be ready. Here are three examples, followed by what you need to have in place to take advantage of such opportunities.

Type #1: The crisis

Nobody wants a crisis, but it happens — robberies, broken water mains, etc. Getting out a direct mail piece at a time like this can be difficult. Not so an e-mail. Case in point: When a fire destroyed parts of its primary shelter and animal hospital last summer, the Massachusetts SPCA (Boston MA) turned to supporters within hours. The simple text e-mail brought in thousands of dollars in 24 hours.

Type #2: The news

Earthjustice (San Francisco CA), an environmental law firm, has been working to protect Northern California salmon for decades. But when The New York Times did a front-page story about the salmon dying, Earthjustice took advantage of the increased attention to the issue. A day later, it was ready with a successful online appeal.

Type #3: The urgent but expected

Most groups working in the political arena have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen in Congress or the legislature before a vote occurs. But it can be challenging to predict the exact timing. This is the right time to have an e-mail appeal ready to go. When the U.S. Senate passed so-called "partial-birth" abortion legislation this spring, NARAL Pro-Choice America (Washington DC) launched an appeal within minutes of the vote — and garnered its highest-ever e-mail appeal returns.

What you need

So, what does your organization need to have in place to respond to crises and opportunities like these? Here are the basics:

- Systems. You must have functioning e-mail messaging and donation processing systems or vendors in place (Topica E-mail Publisher, Groundspring's E-mailNow and DonateNow, GetActive, Kintera, etc.), with your data loaded and ready to go.

- A little experience. It's best if you've already been communicating with your constituents via e-mail. Not only will they have begun to see you as a known and trusted source, but you'll also have already worked out the kinks in the e-mail system.

- Preparation. In the case of a likely legislative outcome or the probability of media coverage, prepare and test your message in advance. Be ready, then tweak and edit at the last minute so you can launch quickly.

- The right attitude. Think "e-mail and Web" when something critical happens. Your constituents will look to you for the latest news and what they can do to help, and they'll be looking on the Web first.

Madeline Stanionis is vice president of donordigital, a direct response agency assisting nonprofits with online fundraising, advocacy, and marketing. Contact her via email or (415) 278-9444 Ext. 204.