Tag: nonprofit

Your Nonprofit Website – The Three Cs

Putting the pieces together
Putting the pieces together


Your Nonprofit Website is a key component for your communications strategy.  Use the Three Cs to evaluate your current website and as part of the planning process as you move ahead with maximizing the value of the Internet for building your organization.

Communications

Your website is a hub for your internet communications.   In your newsletter, social media, email signatures, link back to your website to bring people to your website.  Once the person is visiting your website they must see information that is engaging and valuable to THEM.

  • Identify your target audience(s) and their needs
  • Your home page must have your key message that speaks to the site visitor
  • Have latest updates available from the home page – leading in to the specific areas of the site
  • Update your website on a regular basis with news and changes.   Assign someone to review the website on a regular basis to be sure that it reflects your current situation.
  • Consider integrating Social media such as your Facebook page and Twitter feed with your website
  • Provide methods for 2 way communications – see the Calls to Action section below

Credibility

You have just seconds to grab and hold the attention of the person visiting your website.  First impressions DO count. The person must see in a very short time that the website is of interest to THEM.

Here are a few suggestions on building credibility:

  • Look professional – and appropriate for your target audiences
  • Provide easy navigation to all areas of the site
  • Proofread your content to be sure there are no typos, spelling errors, paragraph formatting errors
  • Check that all the internal and external links are working. Remember that in your links to EXTERNAL sites – their link may change.
  • Use graphics, photos, video, colors, fonts, layout for a professional look

Remember that the person is judging your organization and capability by what they see on your website.  You want to create a professional and credible presence that encourages them to spend their time and engage with you in some way.

Call to action

What do you want people to DO when they see and like your website?  You want the person not only to say “this organization looks like they are doing good work”.  People see hundreds and thousands of websites – how do you engage them and have them return.  You want to build a relationship with the interested person.  Here are a few suggestions on engaging the user and building that trust and interest.

  • Ask them to bookmark the site
  • Encourage them to sign up for your email newsletter
  • Add a contact form to let them ask a question or ask for help
  • Give a link to download a report – and they give their email address to receive it
  • Provide a method to donate to your organization – with a variety of levels
  • Get them involved with information and form on how to become a volunteer
  • Add a RSS signup to get updates on pages that you update often
  • Integrate your Facebook page and Twitter feed and encourage people to join your social networks

Then be sure to follow up by

  • Sending them a newsletter and announcements
  • Provide updates on donations and how they are used
  • Add new reports and news
  • Add regular updates to the website so that a person sees new and updated information when they do return to the site

Denise Davies is an Internet and media consultant.  She works with nonprofit organizations and small businesses to maximize their effective use of the Internet to build their organization and achieve their objectives.  If you have questions or would like to learn more contact through the contact form

5 Ways to Use Online Conferencing

Online conferencing has come a long way over the past few years. Review of GVO Conference its benefits and suggestions on how to use it for your organization or business to save time, money and reach out to clients, staff, volunteers, board members and sponsors. Share powerpoints, online video, chat and more.

online conferencing as a piece of the puzzleOnline conferencing has come a long way over the past few years. I have been reviewing Online Conferencing software from GVO Conference and its set of tools really expands the variety of ways that you can use it to maximize the value to you and your business or organization.

As with any new technology review the tool and get familiar with how to use it – then examine your target audience and your communications strategy to see where this fits and how you can adapt and integrate it into your marketing and communications.

5 Ways to Use Online Conferencing

  • Online Seminars:  Decide on a topic that you want to present.  GVO includes the ability to upload a powerpoint presentation and also to share videos inside the conference room.  You can choose to mute the visitors to the seminar and then open the chat for questions and answers.
  • Staff and Board Meetings:  Your staff may be out on a project, your board members may be located anywhere in the world, your volunteers need to meet without the inconvenience of travel – online conferencing software saves you time and money and you are able to setup up your meetings and keep everyone connected and participating no matter where they are located.
  • Tutorials:  Record your online seminar – or record a tutorial with no attendees on topics that are useful to your staff, volunteers, board members, clients and customers.  These may be topics that you have as frequently asked questions.  What are the questions you get often?  Tutorials don’t have to be long.  A short tutorial on a specific topic is a great way to add value to your different audiences.
  • Interviews:  You can use the conference software to interview people.  GVO allows you to have more than one moderator at a session.  This is a great way to collaborate and build interest and value for your audience
  • Information products:  The ability to record your sessions gives you a start on creating information products such as detailed seminars on DVD, CD or for download that you would charge for.

Features of GVO Conferencing

You can do any of these and more:

  • You can be visible in video to your audience
  • You can present in audio while showing powerpoint, video, chat or sharing a desktop
  • Upload and show a powerpoint – and easy controls for presenting your powerpoint
  • Upload videos or show videos directly from YouTube
  • Have ongoing chat with members
  • Invite people to a seminar or meeting – with no setup required on their side
  • Easy audio and video controls
  • Able to record your session for later play back and editing
  • Manage attendees
  • MANY more features

Benefits of GVO Conferencing

Just a few of the benefits:

  • Save travel time for you and your attendees
  • Reach a global or local audience
  • Develop content
  • Save on communications costs
  • Develop training tools

I plan to use this myself for online seminars and meetings. Very impressed with the online tutorials that are provided and the information sessions that are available.

This online system costs a FRACTION of other online conferencing software that I have tried before and has many many more benefits and plus features.    They also have a free trial period and you can attend any of the info sessions.   There is no locked in timing on a subscription.  There is a bit of a learning curve on it as is to be expected but all the tools are there and after you learn to navigate it only your imagination and planning will be required to use it to benefit your business or organization.

 

GVO Online Conference
Link to GVO FREE TRIAL

This link goes to a short video and overview to give you more details and screen shots of the GVO Conference system.  Try the free trial version.

Denise Davies is an Internet and media consultant.  She works with nonprofit organizations and small businesses to maximize their effective use of the Internet to build their organization and achieve their objectives.  If you have questions or would like to learn more contact through the contact form

Tips for Nonprofits To Build Your List

Email MarketingA key component of success in getting the word out about your nonprofit is to build up the list of people that are interested and want to be informed.

Who should be on your list?

Your list includes current clients, potential clients, volunteers and potential volunteers, donors and potential donors, sponsors and potential sponsors, alliance partners, other organizations working with similar missions or for the same type of clients and your own employees, board members, people who attend your classes and seminars, media contacts etc.

Segmenting your list

Look at the categories above and review the current status of your organization.  Do you currently collect the contact information from each of these types of contacts?  What form is the list in now?  Are you able to use it effectively to target communications to either all or specific interest groups?  For example, are you able to contact just people who are volunteers?

Building your list

Building your list should be a regular ongoing activity. It involves both online and offline activities.

ONLINE TIPS

  • Add a “Signup for newsletter” on the website.
  • Add a useful article or report and then a  “Download Article” and ask for an email address and send the link to the article to that address
  • Add a link on your email signature file “Sign up for newsletter”
  • Add various “Calls to Action” on your website – and ask people if you can add them to your newsletter list.  e.g. “Become involved”, Donate, “How can I help”, “Ask a Question”
  • Add a “Signup for email newsletter” on your Facebook Page
  • Hold an online webinar and get contact information for registration

OFFLINE TIPS

  • Have a signup sheet at your seminars, classes and events
  • Ask your clients, affiliates, partner organizations, board members, volunteers, for their email address
  • Hold a raffle or contest and include the email address to inform the winner – ask for permission to put them on your list
  • Have sign up sheets or business card bowls at conferences, and alliance partner locations

For more details on how to build your list and please send me a request for a special report from Constant Contact.  Eckova Consulting is a Constant Contact Solution Provider and offers services on list building, list management, email newsletter design and maintenance, and a full range of internet consulting services for nonprofits.   Constant Contact provides the tools to  implement all of the suggestions to build your list.

See more details:

Denise Davies works with nonprofits and small business to provide effective internet strategies.  Denise is a Certified Constant Contact affiliate and Solution Provider.