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Donations during the holidays

6 Things Your Site Can Be Doing Now For the Holiday Giving Period

September 12, 2022/in News/by webguy

Traditionally, the holiday period is when many supporters decide on which charity to support and how much to give. (More than 30% of donations processed through Network for Good occur in December alone.) Well before Thanksgiving, you’ll want to ramp up your fundraising program, starting with your website.

Dot Org Web Works offers these suggestions:

First, and foremost, can your website process online donations securely and quickly? If not, Network for Good, Qgiv, and AffiniPay are just a few prime examples of donation services that specialize in processing credit card donations to nonprofit organizations.

1. Showcase the Need

Create a new Post/article showcasing the issue at hand (e.g.: For the homeless, winter is most difficult;  Family service needs increase during holidays; Affordable housing solutions for families year-round, etc.). This Post should be given priority placement on your Home page with a strong, inviting, title.

 

2. Highlight the Giving Opportunity

family campaign logoProvide the opportunity, a call to action (CTA), for your website visitor to give to your program (per the above examples). Throughout your CTA, broadcast your success with the funding amount raised to date, and how much further to go to reach its goal.

  • You’ll want to make sure that, at the very least, your giving options page is responsive to mobile devices. About 25% of online donations are made through mobile devices.
  • Brand (tailor) your giving page to that of the CTA with suggested amounts and with captivating images.
  • Make the case! How will their donation be invested? (E.g: “A $50 donation will provide 2 medical exams for persons without health care options.”)
  • Post a copy of the article and give request in your Facebook and other social media avenues, and ask that people Share the content within their networks. (Replace your regular background image with that of the CTA’s.)

3. Add Donate Now to Facebook

Facebook recently added a “Donate Now” option to their call-to-action buttons. Take advantage of it.

4. E-letter Early and Timely

Send out your e-newsletter before the crunch (such as the first week of November and December). And remember, about half of all emails are now read on mobile devices. You’ll want your e-newsletter formatted to view well on these smaller screens.

5. Gifts for the Givers

Many businesses supportive of your organization will gladly provide gift certificates and other products for you to give out as donation incentives. These free dinners, movie tickets, music CDs and whatnot can induce a $10 giver to give $40 or more.  Giving benefits are a great way of maximizing everyone’s participation.

6. The Final Push

Don’t forget the final push to give in the last week. Send out e-update on the CTA’s success, and that this may be their last opportunity to be a part of this solution for this giving cycle.

Donate Your Stimulus Check

Donate Your Stimulus Check?

January 22, 2021/in News/by webguy

Where to Donate Your Stimulus Check

 

If you find that the $600 stimulus check isn’t needed, maybe turn it over to someone who really does.

 

In December, when former President Trump eventually signed the $900 billion Covid-19 relief package, I was first pleased and then (to be brutally honest) disgusted. At the expense of the staggering growing number of unemployed, what could have been a useful and much-needed additional assistance to them, instead deteriorated to a $600 offering to most every American who is not already doing very well economically. 

The United States, and the world, have been in a pandemic for one year now; the economic devastation has been both relentless and immense. In December, new jobless claims rose to 900,000, which puts the total unemployed in the U.S. to about 12.6 million, which is the highest level since the Great Depression. In short, life is bleak for many of our loved ones, friends and neighbors.  

Like most Americans, I should receive the so-called “stimulus” money sometime in January. The $600 amount will be appreciated for most people: it will allow them to buy food and some other immediate necessities–but not much else. For them, it is not a stimulus as it is a little something for now—to keep one’s head above water, like a tiny life preserver in the middle of the sea.

For others, the ones not yet in dire straits (such as myself), the $600 amount will be, ironically, a stimulus—disposable income. 

If you are in the latter category, you might find that putting that $600 to real good use will be an attractive option. You can donate that amount to a struggling family or a charitable organization that will invest it into something life-sustaining.

Finding an organization that can put your stimulus to good work is easy. Here are a few suggestions:

  • Google your preference, such as: “donate to homeless near me.”
  • Visit Charity Navigator at: https://www.charitynavigator.org/.
  • Ask a friend or family member if they know someone who is about to become evicted or who is otherwise in need of financial help.

On my shortlist of community organizations helping to lessen the impact of the financial crisis due to Covid-19, are:

  • Rose Haven – A day shelter for women and children.
  • Wallace Medical – Providing health services regardless of ability to pay.
  • Rose Community Development – Offering long-term housing solutions to families.
  • GRASP – Grief recovery for those who have lost loved ones to the opioid epidemic.
  • Homeless Health Care L.A. – They are on the frontline of helping those on skid row get access to healthcare.
Get Google Ad Grants

How to Get Google Ad Grants

October 7, 2020/in News/by webguy

Google Ad Grants Just Got Easier to Set Up

 

Google’s Ad Grants program, which is part of Google for Nonprofits, has been helping tens-of-thousands of nonprofit organizations in more than 50 countries. And up until now, accessing the program could be a little bewildering—which is why I posted my first step-by-step guide “Nabbing Google Ad Grants” in 2017. Since that time, Google has refined its program and have made it easier to access,and a whole lot easier to set up your first ad campaign.

The first thing you will want to do is create a new, specific to your organization, Google account. (Do not use your personal account since you will want to keep a separation between you the person and the nonprofit organization you are representing.)

Then visit: https://www.google.com/nonprofits, scroll on down to near the bottom and begin the process within “Steps to get Google Products”.

Who’s eligible:

Google requires that your organization be a nonprofit charitable organization meeting the full eligibility requirements in your country. For United States based organizations, this usually falls under 501(c)3 tax exempt status, but with the following exclusions: That your organization is:

  • Not a governmental entity or organization
  • Not a hospital or healthcare organization
  • Not a school, academic institution, or university (Google for Educationoffers a separate program for schools)

Verification

You then need to get verified. Begin the verification process here. Specifically, you will need to be verified as a nonprofit organization by  TechSoup or the local TechSoup partner.

Then request a Google for Nonprofits account, by going to: https://www.google.com/nonprofits/account/signup/us . Follow the instructions.

Once your nonprofit is verified, Google will inform you about accessing services such as Ad Grants.

 

Growing your fundraising with Ad Grants:

Ad Grants has made a tutorial on how to create your free Google Ads. Visit: Start the course.

small nonprofits can get federal loansZach Vessel | Unsplash

Main Street Lending Program Expanded to Nonprofit Organizations

July 20, 2020/in News/by webguy

“Nonprofits provide vital services across the country and employ millions of Americans,” Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell said. “We have listened carefully and adapted our approach so that we can best support them in carrying out their vital mission during this extraordinary time.”

Read more
DOWW 20 Year AnniversaryPatricia Prudente on Unsplash.com

20 Years of Websites for Nonprofits. Thank you.

June 29, 2020/in News, Featured/by webguy

For more than 20 years Dot Org Web Works has been serving the charitable nonprofit sector with customized, affordable, website design. Thank you, and looking forward to the next 20.

Read more
free website hosting

Free Website Hosting for Nonprofits

January 18, 2020/in News/by webguy

This is a list of website hosting companies providing their hosting regular services free to U.S. nonprofit orgainzations.

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free website tools for nonprofitsstocksnaps

10+ Free Apps for your Nonprofit Website

April 7, 2019/in News/by webguy

From free stock images that will blow your mind, to no-fee video editing app. Here’s the 2019 list of free website tools for nonprofits.

Read more
free website maintenance offer

Free Website Maintenance Offer for Nonprofit Organizations

December 3, 2018/in News/by webguy

For a limited time only, Dot Org Web Works will provide your qualifying nonprofit organization with three months of our Quick Fix website maintenance/upkeep plan when you select DOWW to make-over your current website, or develop your first website!*

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website security for nonprofits

Google Wants Your Nonprofit Website to be Secure

July 20, 2018/in News/by webguy

Google Has Marked All HTTP websites as “not secure” in their Chrome Browsers this Month

According to Google, staring in July 2018, in their next browser release (Chrome 68), a website that is not secure–does not have an SSL certificate integrated into it (thus producing the prefix “HTTPS” instead of the usual “HTTP”), will get a “not secure” message at the lead of the URL. In other words, they will be warning your website visitors that your website is not secure. That is, if you have not already taken the corrective measures.

The obvious main 2 questions on website owners’ mind are: “What’s HTTPS”? And, “My site does not collect user information or conducts financial transactions. Why should I care?”

HTTPS simply tells the user that your website is secured via an encryption that protects the channel between your website and their browser. It assures them that a middle entity can’t tamper with the traffic or spy on your activity. As The Verge interprets this: “Without that encryption, someone with access to your router or ISP could intercept information sent to websites or inject malware into otherwise legitimate pages.”

And you should care because with recent website privacy concerns spreading across the globe like virtual black plague (think: Facebook), people are a little timid these days. And for a default notice to appear on their browser that the nonprofit website they are visiting is “not secure” may give them pause to continue—especially to the online donations page, even though the form and entered data on that page is secured via the portal’s service provider. Basically, folks are a bit jittery and they need to feel reassured.

So, what does it take to make one’s website a “secured website”?

It’s rather easy these days to add an SSL certificate to your site. You just need to purchase one from your hosting service (some plans will provide it for free) and then have your webmaster configure it to your site. You can also choose to do it yourself. Just check out this step-by-step tutorial from wpbeginner.com.

Increasing your SEO through Storytelling

Increasing SEO through Storytelling

May 22, 2018/in News/by webguy

There may be no better instrument for your fundraising tool box than the delivery of a good story. More specifically, a client story/profile: one that will both captivates the human drama that is the reason for your charitable nonprofit organization’s existence, and that will also showcase the giving opportunity. And then, afterwards, the results: the “product” of one’s investment into the organization. What’s more, such stories/profiles help your SEO.

Read more
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