Anyone with a blog can tell you it's difficult to get people to read the stuff you publish online. Imagine if doing so were part of your job description? Maybe that's why the thankless task of writing the online newsletter so often falls to the intern.
It's an annoying paradox: The Web provides an easy connection between company and customer, provider and consumer, for every single field of interest imaginable, but the sheer amount of pages on each subject, coupled with the widely variable quality of the information, serves as a huge impediment to the completion of that connection. So how do you stand out and drive readership"
Obviously, the paramount trait your newsletter needs is top-notch, useful, irrefutable information. Whether you're writing a newsletter on Astronomical discoveries by your research university's physics department, or one on kittens, you have to provide material that's useful and trusted by people in your area of interest.
One thing that people hate about corporate websites is corporate language. The copy on a corporate website usually never stops selling: selling itself to you and selling itself to itself. As a skimmer with the power of the mouse in my hand, I don't have to tolerate your mission statement, or that quote from the CEO, or the other quote from the CEO, or the phrase "meeting your plastic extrusion needs..." or any of thousands of annoying little violations of my intelligence which are so commonly found on corporate websites and within corporate newsletters.
If you can present useful information in a clear, journalistic style, with no fluff, readers will view your company (or your office if it's an internal newsletter) as competent, trustworthy, and valuable. And they'll come back to you again and again. You can do this by following some basic guidelines.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Fundraising organizatios are finding the Web an invaluable tool, not only to provide a revenue channel but also to connect with their donors. The United Way of Greater Rochester uses its online presence to ask for donations, coordinate campaigns, explain its mission and goals, outline its operating methodology, and provide some detail about day-to-day impact the organization has on the community.
Donating to the United way through the web interface could not be simpler. Two clicks and you're at the credit card information screen. This streamlining of the giving process facilitates impulse donation and reduces "buyer's remorse," so to speak.
In outlining long-range plans, the site takes a more roundabout route. The front page splashes a few vague highlights about how the United Way helps our community. Thew writing would be stronger if, as in prior campaigns, examples of actual individuals assisted by UW agencies were highlighted. When you donate money, you kinda want to see where it goes, and the splash page is the place to do it.
The most concrete example of who has benefited from UW support can be found on an interactive map that tells visitors how many people were helped, but not how or through which agencies.
Also, I'm not sure about the campaign tagline: "We Don't. You do." I understand that the wording was chosen for its impact; it's almost a challenge. But If they don't, why am I giving them money? It seems like a minor point, but in a web environment, with only seconds to grab someone's attention, the challenge approach which might work very well in a United Way employee meeting could be supplemented on the website with something a bit more positive.
One very good thing the site does is use a blog to show the community exactly what the organization is doing. Several people, most of whom seem to be United Way workers, contribute to this journal.
The blog could be stronger. Perhaps it's due to privacy issues, but the writing is vague. there could be more mention of specific people who've benefited from the work of the United Way. Also, it comes across as a bit "sales-y" in a WXXI fund-drive sort of way. Still, the blog allows the United Way to talk to donors and community members in a more informal, illustrative way than is possible with the copy on the website. Through links and tags, it also provides a portal into the site that does not require a premeditated decision to visit on the part of the user. Finally, the ability to comment, and have comments replied to, really gives the sense that the agency relates to people on the personal level as well as through community organizations.
Donating to the United way through the web interface could not be simpler. Two clicks and you're at the credit card information screen. This streamlining of the giving process facilitates impulse donation and reduces "buyer's remorse," so to speak.
In outlining long-range plans, the site takes a more roundabout route. The front page splashes a few vague highlights about how the United Way helps our community. Thew writing would be stronger if, as in prior campaigns, examples of actual individuals assisted by UW agencies were highlighted. When you donate money, you kinda want to see where it goes, and the splash page is the place to do it.
The most concrete example of who has benefited from UW support can be found on an interactive map that tells visitors how many people were helped, but not how or through which agencies.
Also, I'm not sure about the campaign tagline: "We Don't. You do." I understand that the wording was chosen for its impact; it's almost a challenge. But If they don't, why am I giving them money? It seems like a minor point, but in a web environment, with only seconds to grab someone's attention, the challenge approach which might work very well in a United Way employee meeting could be supplemented on the website with something a bit more positive.
One very good thing the site does is use a blog to show the community exactly what the organization is doing. Several people, most of whom seem to be United Way workers, contribute to this journal.
The blog could be stronger. Perhaps it's due to privacy issues, but the writing is vague. there could be more mention of specific people who've benefited from the work of the United Way. Also, it comes across as a bit "sales-y" in a WXXI fund-drive sort of way. Still, the blog allows the United Way to talk to donors and community members in a more informal, illustrative way than is possible with the copy on the website. Through links and tags, it also provides a portal into the site that does not require a premeditated decision to visit on the part of the user. Finally, the ability to comment, and have comments replied to, really gives the sense that the agency relates to people on the personal level as well as through community organizations.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Fundraising on the web
Much ado was made of 2004 presidentail candiate Howard Dean's use of blogs and online communication to spread interest in his campaign. That was certainly the first instance I've seen of mainstream media highlighting the true communicative power of online content as a social tool.
Today, an increasing number of nonprofit organizations are finding that increasing awareness and raising funds online offers a cost effective alternative to labor-intensive traditional fund drives.
This interview with Marianne Richmond, founder of a fundraising company for nonprofits that uses blogs to good effect, demonstrates many of the positives of working with online media.
Beyond the realm of the blog, nonprofit organizations like United Way use the web as a method of reaching and soliciting donations from both corporations and individual donors. It offers several advantages:
An unobtrusive pitch. We've all been in those United Way meetings where the entire departmental staff is herded into a conference room, shown a heart-rending video, and is then pressured to donate under the harsh glare of their managerial and HR staff. When the pitch is viewed on the internet, much of the coercion factor is reduced.
Immediacy. For many people, charity is an impulsive act. It's a big jump between seeing a United Way commercial on television and going into the other room to get your checkbook. simple, secure donation forms make it possible for people to give while still in the middle of need perception. Hey, it worked when I donated $50 to tsunami relief through the Red Cross' page.
Transparency From the organization's point of view, the donor at his computer is in a position to corroborate or refute any of the company's claims. Nonprofits can increase their credibility in the eyes of their donors by providing links to factual media accounts that reinforce their claims. This can be powerful reinforcement for a savvy donor.
For maximum effect, fundraising organizations should consider a two-pronged approach: The static copy of a nonprofit's website offers unbiased conscise descriptions of the programs, a call to donate, and a quick means of doing so. An accompanying blog could list personal accounts of beneficiaries and works in progress, as well as serving as a personal means of contact to companies and individuals who wish to get involved. As of now, the United Way has not taken the blog approach on a national level.
Wanna bet they will within the next couple of years?
Today, an increasing number of nonprofit organizations are finding that increasing awareness and raising funds online offers a cost effective alternative to labor-intensive traditional fund drives.
This interview with Marianne Richmond, founder of a fundraising company for nonprofits that uses blogs to good effect, demonstrates many of the positives of working with online media.
Beyond the realm of the blog, nonprofit organizations like United Way use the web as a method of reaching and soliciting donations from both corporations and individual donors. It offers several advantages:
An unobtrusive pitch. We've all been in those United Way meetings where the entire departmental staff is herded into a conference room, shown a heart-rending video, and is then pressured to donate under the harsh glare of their managerial and HR staff. When the pitch is viewed on the internet, much of the coercion factor is reduced.
Immediacy. For many people, charity is an impulsive act. It's a big jump between seeing a United Way commercial on television and going into the other room to get your checkbook. simple, secure donation forms make it possible for people to give while still in the middle of need perception. Hey, it worked when I donated $50 to tsunami relief through the Red Cross' page.
Transparency From the organization's point of view, the donor at his computer is in a position to corroborate or refute any of the company's claims. Nonprofits can increase their credibility in the eyes of their donors by providing links to factual media accounts that reinforce their claims. This can be powerful reinforcement for a savvy donor.
For maximum effect, fundraising organizations should consider a two-pronged approach: The static copy of a nonprofit's website offers unbiased conscise descriptions of the programs, a call to donate, and a quick means of doing so. An accompanying blog could list personal accounts of beneficiaries and works in progress, as well as serving as a personal means of contact to companies and individuals who wish to get involved. As of now, the United Way has not taken the blog approach on a national level.
Wanna bet they will within the next couple of years?
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