With over 3,600 different platforms, vendors, and tools for marketing, communication, and fundraising available to organizations, navigating the online landscape can be more than intimidating.
So where do you start? How can you get the most out of your online outlets?
The three spheres of online fundraising
When it comes to your assets, there are three spheres of fundraising: paid, earned, and owned.
The “paid” sphere includes pay per clicks, search engine marketing, digital advertising, and social media.
Whereas the “earn” sphere includes search engine optimization, links from other organizations, other websites and, of course, your engagement and the way you’re leveraging social media from a content standpoint.
Essentially, you’re gaining additional traction and exposure by using platforms you don’t quite own but you’re not necessarily having to pay for. A good example is owning the dominant positions in search results for your brand, your organization, and your URLs in order to drive traffic to your website.
And lastly, the “owned” assets are just that – the things you literally own, including your email list and communications, the audience that you’ve acquired and are communicating with on social media and, of course, your own website.
Social media
While social media may sometimes feel like rented farmland, it is indeed real estate that you have to invest in today to continue to grow an audience and maintain a presence. It’s important for your brand, growing your donor base, and communicating with those who feel strongly about your organization. Social media is truly critical!
Not to mention your ultimate homestead: your website. Here you have your activities, your audience, and ultimately, the communication and engagement necessary to make more impact.
For more insight on effective online fundraising strategies, be sure to check out Tom’s Dunham Institute course, Key Principles for Online Fundraising.
More Insights from Dunham+Company: “Social Media Usage: The Numbers Are In!”