High-Tech's
High-Wire Invitation
What the paperless weight of the
Internet means for fundraising
Go back 20 years.
Two decades
ago, if you wanted to carve out a successful broad-based fundraising campaign,
you relied on the proven implements of direct mail:
- an eye-catching carrier envelope and
teaser line that said, in effect, "Open me, now!"
- a compelling letter from the CEO (or
high-profile celebrity spokesperson)
- an easy-to-fill-out response card and
postage-paid business-reply envelope.
To an
anthropologist examining the tools of modern-day fundraising, 20 years just
might qualify as "ancient history." For sure, don't expect to see a
Cheshire label exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute any time soon. However, if
you really want to make a lasting difference in the life of your organization,
you'll need to act now—and take advantage of a growing opportunity that's
beginning to redefine how Christian nonprofits reach donors everywhere.
Today, with
each new Blackberry and long-awaited Apple, the fruitful landscape of Christian
fundraising is shifting. Credit the seismic (dare we say "historic")
tremors to the paperless weight of high-tech.
Whether its
micro-sites, online giving or streaming video, ministries are discovering how
to reach donors—one click, one page view, at a time.
- Last fall, Moody Broadcasting Network
launched a $1 million multi-channel fundraising campaign which combined a
micro-site, email, telemarketing, direct mail and on-air spots. Moody reached
over 80 percent of its goal within two to three months. (See "Operation
Next" at www.moremoodyradio.com).
- The Heritage Foundation purchased a
digital resource center (a private label YouTube.com service which allows a
ministry or nonprofit to fundraise on the Internet using state-of-the-art video
tools, such as a video blog, video email and video podcasting). With such
tools, the foundation experienced a five- to six-fold increase in traffic over
campaigns using only text email.
Tom McCabe,
Founder and Principal of KMA, a direct marketing agency in Dallas, explains why
the computer has become a new gateway to reach donors: "Online
communication can acquaint people and help them learn more about the
organization in a private setting, where there are no strings attached, and no commitment
has to be made."
Clearly, the
prevalence and mainstream appeal of online streaming video is raising the
visibility of, and funds for, faith-based and other charitable causes.
"With streaming video, an organization is able to communicate a compelling
message personally with a donor one-to-one," says Chris Wyatt, CEO of
GodTube.com and acting chief technology officer for KMA in Dallas.
"On
average, using streaming video emails, an organization can save 80 percent over
the cost of traditional snail mail methods to acquire donors. If not the sole
method, it can at least complement a ministry's ongoing donor acquisition
methods."
And the
advent of video email isn't limited to financial appeals. Every quarter, Dallas
Seminary President Dr. Mark L. Bailey sends out a video email to alumni and
major donors. "He's getting more positive feedback about these emails than
just about anything they've done to connect with their constituents," says
Tom McCabe.
Fresh-ripened fruit
For all of
the recent successes with video email, the evangelical Christian nonprofit
world has been slow to accept, much less embrace, such innovations. Say the
words "high-tech," and many risk-averse Christian leaders hear the
words "high-wire."
"The
Christian market has been late to adopt online technology, for sure," says
Wyatt. "Eight of the ten most highly trafficked religious Internet sites
are Muslim. They've adopted these new technologies without fear. The same
cannot be said for today's Christian leaders."The sudden popularity of GodTube.com,
created by Wyatt, suggests the Christian world has reached a new comfort level
with online video (see accompanying article).
Change is
one of the big reasons, says Wyatt, who becomes animated when he adds,
"Direct mail, television and radio are the staple of a lot of ministry
fundraising, but they can't measure and track the response statistics and donor
demographics as accurately as you can with the Internet. When it comes to
making a media buy, the Internet is not just low hanging fruit, it's ripe fruit
that's lying on the ground waiting to be picked up."
Standing ovation?
While
fundraising applications of video emails may still be limited, and the Internet
may not yet have the name familiarity of direct mail, the "next big
thing" in high tech is already calling:
In the next
year or two, according to Wyatt, people will be able to donate to their
favorite charity using their cell phones. Issues of privacy and security still
need to be worked out. Yet, the cell phone holds immense promise.
"The creators
of American Idol raised $60-$70 million in one day. Can't you just see how a
Christian music festival could appeal to believers who could, at the concert,
dial in and give to a ministry?"
Taken to the
extreme, high tech can produce high anxiety. Says McCabe, "I've heard
stories of teens who have chosen to text message their friends sitting in the
very same room, rather than carry on a face-to-face conversation. Of course,
this concerns me, for social reasons. At the same time, the question remains, 'How
are we going to use this technology for good? How are ministries going to
leverage the advantages of email, video and soon, cell phones—things
essentially everyone relies upon today—to connect people to Christian
causes?'"
The answer, in a world moving at the speed of Google,
arrived the moment you clicked "Agree," "Donate,"
"Send."
