1.Do you have access policies?
Despite the Internet
boom, many organizations have yet to institute a policy regarding
employee use of communication technologies. Nonprofits should monitor
the usage of technologies such as email systems, telephone, fax and
other systems, be it an internal or external network.
The Foundation
for Information Technology has developed the following guidelines
for nonprofits seeking direction on this matter. It states:
- The purpose
of company-supplied communications resources is to conduct and
support company business.
- Equipment and
messages are company property. Messages that are created, sent
or received using the company’s systems are the property
of the company. The company reserves the right to access and disclose
all messages created, sent or received via its systems.
- All communications
originating from the company and identifiable as such (through
caller ID, domain names, or other means) are to be treated as business
documents. Messages may not contain original content that may be
considered offensive of disruptive.
- Staff are expected
to maintain their company and network account passwords in such
a manner as to deter unauthorized access to company systems through
public areas of the company or by remote access.
- Incidental
and occasional personal use of company equipment is permitted.
Such messages become the property of the company and are subject
to the same conditions as company messages.
- Employees are
expected to reimburse the company for any messages or communications
that incur direct costs including (but not limited to:) personal
faxes sent or received, telephone toll charges, photo copies, damage
by virus or other installation of software, and other consumables.
- Violation of
this policy will result in disciplinary action up to and including
termination and/or legal action as warranted.
- Employees should
report any misuse of the company’s communications or messaging
system or violations of this policy to executive staff.
2. Your Web Site - Make it easy to navigate
Mapping out a Web
site should take more planning than the classic craft of Spin-Art.
Remember squeezing that bottle of paint and watching it splatter
around the rotating page below? While eye catching, that type of
abrupt Rorschach art is the antithesis of the planning that it takes
to construct a visually pleasing Web site.
Before reaching
for that logo or artwork fill out the following checklist to begin
mapping out your site.
- Choose the
primary and secondary colors that you will see on the homepage.
- How much white
space do you see? Is it 30 percent, 50 percent, or 70 percent?
- Choose a font
and a font color. Are there going to be multiple fonts used?
- Break up the
text. Is the color headline different from the other colors?
- Select the
shapes or combinations of shapes that are going to be used.
- Decide upon
any images or pictures.
- Will icons
be utilized? If so, what are the icons and how are they going to
be used?
- What is at
the top of the homepage? The left-hand side? The right-hand side?
The bottom?
- Where do you
see the navigation for the Web site?
3. Be careful doing research
Using the Internet
for fundraising is becoming increasingly popular with nonprofits,
but such a source must be used wisely. Many organizations, both nonprofits
and for-profits, are finding that skillful use of the Internet can
result in big dividends, either in terms of raising money or simply
raising the organization's profile by acquainting more people with
its name or heightening awareness of its mission.
As technology becomes
available to a larger number of nonprofits, many are learning and
responding to the advantages of electronic outreach. Many are also
learning that there can be pitfalls.
One such venture
is that of prospecting. Use of the Internet for prospect research
can be extremely effective, if it is done the right way. That is
the advice given by Susan Heileman, vice president of Major Gifts
Identification/Consulting, Inc. (MaGIC).
The basic rule
for effective prospect research on the Internet is setting realistic
goals, Heileman cautioned at an international fundraising conference.
This means:
- Evaluate which
sites/tools work best for you.
- Only visit those
top sites
- Only research
a reasonable number of people a week.
- Know when to
stop searching.
- Don't research
people you already know about.
- If you re not
capturing the data electronically, don't bother.
4.
That third cousin is not a prospect
Today, it's much
easier for a worker to spend a whole morning instant messaging a
long-lost third cousin, while appearing to be researching on the
Internet.
As a result, an
organization needs to develop guidelines for how employees use its
communication system.
The Foundation
for Information Technology Education created guidelines for rules,
procedures and employee responsibilities for using company supplied
communication technologies.
For example, one
guideline is the proper use of emails sent or received via a nonprofit's
system. Here are some basic guidelines the IT Resource Center in
Chicago set by modifying the FITE's document for itself.
- Purpose: The
purpose of company-supplied communications resources is to conduct
and support company business.
- Ownership: Equipment
and messages are company property.
- Usage: All communications
originating from the company and identifiable as such are to be
treated as business documents.
- Security and
Privacy: Personal passwords; staff are expected to maintain their
company network and account passwords to deter unauthorized access
to company systems through public areas of the company or by remote
access.
- Non-business
Communication: Incidental and occasional personal use of company
equipment is permitted. Such messages become the property of the
business and are subject to the same conditions.
5.
Making the most of search engines
The five most common
activities performed by Americans online are email, product/service
information research, checking the news, playing games and product/service
purchases.
This information
is provided by Catherine Seda in her book Search Engine Advertising.
Although the book is directed primarily to for-profits, it offers
a range of useful information about using search engines to increase
awareness and increase cash flow.
Seda does more
than suggest that organizations use free links to sites. She recommends
advertising, and she says it will show big results.
Among the considerations
in favor of advertising on a search engine, Seda lists the following:
-
It’s
a quick, easy and inexpensive way to generate new business. Some
search engines require only a $50 deposit to begin advertising.
-
It can expand
brand awareness. Search engines support branding efforts while
providing the directions to the online site. People who learn
about an organization through television or print will check
a search engine for more information.
-
It’s
a simple way to test new promotions. Paid listings allow the
advertiser to test promotional concepts quickly and inexpensively.
New keywords can be used and ad listing can be changed on short
notice.
-
Advertising
complements Web site optimization efforts. An organization can
learn the conversion rate for chosen keywords.
6. Canning
SPAM Right Now
Although much of
the recent legislation regarding email concerns for-profit businesses,
nonprofits would do well to be aware of these regulations, as well
as of other considerations.
Senny Boone, executive
director of the Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation,
offers a checklist to follow for email communication:
-
If you send a
commercial email make sure to communicate that the email is an "offer" to
the recipient.
-
Provide a valid
postal address.
-
Provide an honest
subject line.
-
Provide an Internet-based
removal system that is easy to use.
-
If you are using
a service provider, have a written procedure and a contract.
-
If a recipient
removes him/herself from a marketing list via an email service
provider, that address does not have to be removed from all future
campaigns.
-
There should
be no surreptitious acquisition of email addresses via automated
mechanism without the consumer's awareness.
-
The FROM line
should not be ambiguous and should be a valid email return address.
-
"Remove" means
remove.
-
Lists must not
be sold or provided to unrelated third parties unless the owner
of the list has provided notice and the ability to be removed.
-
A commercial
email should contain the sender's privacy policy, either within
the email or via a link.
7. Having
boundaries on the office Internet
With the Internet
being readily available to almost anyone with a computer, widespread
use has become commonplace. This has, in turn, led to abuses by employees
who utilize the Internet for personal reasons. Although the issue
of wasted time is important, it should be noted also that using the
Internet for political campaigns can jeopardize an organization's
tax-exempt status.
In her book Human
Resource Policies and Procedures for Nonprofit Organizations,
Carol L. Barbeito suggested that organizations put a formal policy
in place regarding use of the Internet by employees during work
hours. Barbeito maintained that the policy should clearly state
that use of the Internet is for purposes of the nonprofit only
and that the nonprofit may monitor its use to ensure compliance.
Among the items that
Barbeito said should be spelled out:
- Use of the Internet
is for nonprofit use only, and the organization may monitor members'
use of the Internet to ensure that it is being used for stated
purposes only.
- Users must abide
by all existing federal and state laws regarding electronic communication.
This includes, but is not limited to, accessing information without
authorization, giving out passwords or causing a system to malfunction.
- No advertising,
either for profit or for campaigns for political office, is allowed.
- Users must not
use language that is abusive, profane or sexually offensive.
- Email is not guaranteed
to be private.
8. A
dozen Web site ideas
Careful design of an organization's Web site
is an important consideration.
In his chapter "Inspiring Donors Online" in
the book Nonprofit Internet Strategies, Todd Baker offers
his Baker's Dozen of ideas:
- Establish an overarching goal for your
organization's Web site. Usually it's raising money.
- Make an impression. People will remember
how you made them feel.
- Write to connect on an emotional level.
Embrace clarity, engage the reader and encounter the heart.
- Select the most interesting perspective
from which to tell your story.
- Find your organization's voice: a unique
blend of charisma, courage, and concern.
- Be persuasive by first making clear the
specific action you want the reader to take.
- Be human; don't be an organization. Show
the donor that you're people who support a worthy cause and you're
looking for folks just like you.
- Illustrate your mission through images
and pictures.
- Present a virtual tour of your mission.
- Write in an active and conversational style.
- Stop spending 90 percent of your organization's
resources on technology and only 10 percent on the message.
- Give your headlines soul. Headlines that
work seize the reader's attention, affect the reader on an emotional
level and spark curiosity.
- Understand online human behavior. People
who are online read differently than they would with a printed
text. Make a good first impression, do not think of a book-reading
atmosphere and make each page of the site have an objective with
the reader in mind.
9. What
your Web site must have
Virtually all nonprofit organizations
are seeing the value of maintaining a Web site as a means of increasing
visibility and bringing in added revenue. Web sites can offer immediate
benefits to organizations by giving interested people quick access.
In his book The Public Relations
Handbook for Nonprofits, Art Feinglass points out the benefits
of keeping a site. Further, he provides a list of elements that
should be on every nonprofit organization's site.
Of course, they must be visually attractive
and easy to navigate, with opportunities for visitors to make donations
online.
The essential components of the site,
according to Feinglass:
- Information about the organization's
history.
- The organization's mission statement.
- Biographies of officers and key staff
members.
- Information on funding sources and
current projects.
- Policy statements.
- Reports on the organization's activities
and achievements.
- Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about
the organization, along with the answers.
- An archive of news stories that have
appeared about the organization.
- The current issue of the organization's
newsletter and archived issues of previous newsletters.
- The organization's current annual report.
- An online brochure.
- An outline of planned giving opportunities
for supporters.
- A regularly updated calendar of upcoming
events sponsored by or related to the organization.
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