About the Report: The 2011 Online Giving Report combines annual multi-year giving data with the Blackbaud Index of Online Giving to provide a comprehensive look at trends in the nonprofit industry.

1. Online Giving Up
In 2011, online giving increased 13 percent when large international affairs organizations were removed from consideration. More than half of the organizations considered for the report experienced a similar growth rate. Large organizations grew by nearly 9 percent and medium organizations grew by about 13 percent in 2011. Smaller nonprofit organizations grew by nearly the same amount when compared to 2010 figures. Due to the Hatti earthquake, online giving in the international affairs sector was down 55 percent in 2011 over the previous year. However, the Japanese earthquake and tsunami had little impact on online giving trends in 2011. Nearly 35 percent of online giving for 2011 came in the final quarter of the year, a similar trend for most charitable contributions. December remains the strongest month for online giving.

2. Trends By Sector
The education sector experienced the greatest growth in online giving in 2011, making up just over 26 percent of all online contributions. Online giving in the education sector has spiked 40 percent in just the past few years alone. Higher education groups come in second with just over 21 percent of all online giving for nonprofit organizations in 2011. Arts, culture and humanities follows with just over 13 percent. Human services closely follows with just over 12 percent. This is followed by environmental and animal-related organizations, public and society-related organizations and healthcare. All sectors showed growth, except international affairs.

Note: Religious nonprofits are excluded from the annual report at this time.

3. Smaller Nonprofit Organizations Lead the Pack
Larger nonprofit organizations experienced significant losses in the first four months of 2011. This was due to several major international disasters which took the focus away from nonprofit organizations. Larger nonprofit organizations saw an increase later in the year, but this was not enough to offset the first quarter drop. Smaller nonprofit organizations tend to more resistant to outside influences such as natural disasters. For this reason, smaller nonprofit organizations posted significant gains in 2011. These numbers were boosted by strong showings in the education sector. Medium-sized organizations showed solid growth as well. Larger organizations posted strong 3rd and 4th quarter gains.

4. Donation Trends
Nearly 50 percent of online donations to nonprofit organizations were up to $1,000. Approximately 43 percent of online donations were $1,000 or more. Just 3 percent of online donations exceeded $10,000 in 2011. The largest single online donation in 2011 was $260,000. This was a significant increase from the single largest online donation of $100,000 in 2010. The average online donation of $1,000 or more in 2011 was $1,200. This is down slightly from 2010 figures. Nearly 90 percent of the nearly 3,000 online organizations considered for the report had at least one online donation of $1,000 or more in 2011.

5. Big Growth Among Medium Nonprofit Organizations
Outside factors drew a serious blow to larger nonprofit organizations in 2011. This leaves smaller and medium organizations to pick up the slack. Smaller nonprofit organizations showed impressive growth in 2011, but still down from the 35 percent spike seen in 2010 over the previous year. Medium nonprofit organizations, however, showed significant gains in every quarter in 2011. Medium organizations are those with annual fundraising efforts between $1-10 million. One reason given for this trend is the way medium nonprofit organization focus their resources when it comes to seeking online donations. Medium organizations tend be more likely to launch campaigns targeting multiple audiences by using multichannel strategies.

The report stresses the need to place an emphasis on retention by engaging previous donors and focusing on year-round campaigns to avoid the end-of-the-year crunch many nonprofit organizations face each year.

What is the future of nonprofit storytelling? How is it going to change?
I recently found myself reading Robert Fuller’s Somebodies, Nobodies and the Politics of Dignity, a book about hierarchy and what he calls “rankism”, and the explicit and implicit ways we all abuse our large and small privilege and power as people, more or less without exception.

I believe non-profits will have to continue to look at our assumptions of service, at our assumptions of benefit, and find stories that re-contextualize perceptions about who is helping whom. I like the phrase, “if your helping me liberate myself is not about your own liberation, then I do not need your help.” A very post-colonial sentiment, and the fact that patronization is still an issue with many processes of non-profit service, one that our stories as non-profit leaders, and and non-profit workers, still needs to explore.

How can nonprofits find the right medium/channels to share their stories?
My main tip is that deep and powerful stories require solemnity and reverence to absorb. Most contexts of media do not invite serious engagement about the issues that we are trying to tackle as non-profit professionals. One of the reasons documentaries, non-fiction books, and in-depth personal reflections are powerful is they force us to stay in the story long enough for the issues to be worked through and absorbed.

New media skimming, with messages that we think are appropriately bite sized, may not actually be doing much more than making us feel generally connected to the idea. I no longer believe they are what motivates engagement. You cannot Facebook your way into social change.

Of course, if you are already in the community, and have been engaged by the issue from whatever level, they are fantastic as information sources and mobilization strategies, and do lead to successful motivation to take a given step. I generally believe superficial memes invariably create superficial commitments, and powerful stories come from much work.

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Joe Lambert is the founder of the Center of Digital Storytelling. For 17 years, he has traveled the world helping little groups of people make little stories. Joe loves story work with people because he thinks every human has some piece of gold inside themselves that is capable of changing the world.

Catch Cara Jones on storytelling trends, the first part of our three part storytelling series.

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TechSoup’s third annual Digital Storytelling Challenge (TSDigs) is on this month, and we want you to submit!

It’s simple: Create a one-minute video or five-photo slideshow capturing your organization’s mission, passion, and hard work and enter it by February 29. A panel of judges – including award-winning documentarian Marc Smolowitz, Raven Woods of Netroots Nation, and the folks from the Story of Stuff – will pick the best videos and photo slideshows to win technology for your org, donated by our generous partners. An additional award will be given to audience choice winner.

Serious technical skill is not necessary, and we have loads of resources to get you on track, including learning opportunities, recorded webinars, and blog entries sharing knowledge from experts in the field. Visit www.tsdigs.org today to find out more and get your story in by February 29!

Guidelines and Timeline

• Challenge is open to all social benefit orgs and free agents for good, regardless of 501(c)(3) status or location
• Create a one-minute video or five-photo slideshow capturing your impact and mission
• Upload to YouTube or Flickr and submit your video or photos by February 29
• Return to www.tsdigs.org March 5 – 9 for online community voting of audience choice award
• Winners of terrific award donations announced on March 28 at awards screening ceremony in San Francisco and Second Life (stay tuned for details!)

Remember that video is quickly becoming the content people are spending the most time with online these days, and digital stories are a powerful way to share the passion and hard work your organization has for its mission.

Your friends at TechSoup.
community@techsoupglobal.org

Stories that turn up the emotional volume
With thousands of websites and new videos created everyday, getting information off the internet, in the words of Mitchell Kapor, is like “taking a drink from a fire hydrant.” While audiences will no doubt continue to be bombarded with information in forms we can’t even imagine yet, the fact that human beings are hardwired to respond to emotionally resonant stories will never change.

In order for nonprofit stories to stand out amidst the noise, they will need to be more character driven, more vulnerable, more humorous or otherwise emotionally poignant.

Stories that involve employees and clients as storytellers
I recently read a story about a TV news reporter from Kentucky who covered a bank robbery with his iPhone and was able to turn an edited piece into his station in 20 minutes. I see this “citizen journalism” trend carrying over to the nonprofit space as employees are becoming storytellers and learn to shoot video, take stills and write blogs to share on their websites and social media channels. I see the same trend reaching nonprofit clients as well.

In tough economic times, nonprofits can’t always rely on hired crews or even their own employees to tell the stories as they happen so clients are becoming journalists themselves. I’m currently working on a piece about a nonprofit developing educational materials in Afghanistan and relying on video shot by Afghans to tell the story. We’re also involved in a year-long documentation of a nonprofit financial literacy program in which the clients themselves are snapping pictures for key moments we can’t be there.

Stories that say more with less
As online attention spans decrease, I expect that video will continue to be the medium of choice to share emotionally compelling content in the shortest amount of time. As such, nonprofits will need continue to learn to speak “video.”

But even this language has its limitations. Recent studies show that as many as 44 percent of viewers will click away after the first minute. While nonprofits audiences may prove more patient, their video will still need to aim to pack the biggest punch in the shortest amount of time possible.

Stories that involve donors
As nonprofits look to attract new donors in these economic times, they will need to not just tell compelling stories but pay attention to how their stories intersect with the stories of their donors. Donors don’t just want to hear the stories a nonprofit has to tell. They they want to know how they and/or their story fit in. One way we’ve engaged donors is through crowd funding that has allowed our donors to choose which stories they want told based on what they are passionate about. When they contribute $50 or more, we list them as a “supporter’ or “producer (for $100+) in the film credits.

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Cara Jones is an Emmy Award winning writer, reporter, and producer with great passion for using video to tell compelling, inspiring human-interest stories. She has more than a decade of experience in broadcast journalism. Cara founded Storytellers for Good in 2009 to help nonprofits tell stories through video.

Cara also recently posted about how to get started in nonprofit storytelling.

Creating Your Own Website
The first thing your nonprofit should do is put together a website because if you don’t have a website, then you don’t exist (in the mind of donors). Use it to explain your cause, how you make an impact, and how others can get involved. In addition, include ways that supporters can get in touch with you, either through email, phone, or social media. For organizations just starting up, Bellstrike offers an affordable option.

Email Your Supporters
When you put together your nonprofit’s website, you should include a place for your supporters to share their email address. From there, you can keep your followers up to date on any fundraising opportunities or events with an email blast. Doing this will keep everyone involved and in the loop when it comes to important issues, events or ideas that affect your nonprofit. Look at services like MailChimp and iContact that help you do this.

Using Twitter
Twitter is a relatively new social networking tool that can be used to start conversations with people that you normally would not reach. It is a great tool for providing basic information about your services, events and fundraisers, but it can also be used to directly interact with your supporters. Retweets from supporters will push your nonprofit’s name and ideas to a wider audience, allowing you to increase your followers and meet your fundraising goals.

Using Facebook
As one of the largest social networks on the Internet, Facebook is a mainstay in today’s world. Like Twitter, Facebook can be used to interact with your supporters and followers. You should use the site as a way to make announcements regarding upcoming fundraising drives and engage your friends and followers with interactive postings and content. Be sure to set up links on Facebook to your main website and Twitter, as well as a way for them to subscribe to your email updates.

By using a combination of the above techniques, you can bring in a larger audience for your online fundraising needs. Get started with building your channels today.

Color theory is the study of how different colors, as well as mixtures of colors, impact an individual. A great deal of marketing and scientific research has gone into improving our understanding of which colors speak to our donors, and which colors do not.

Using the correct combinations of colors on your website, you can create an emotion that contributes to your overall message, as well as appeal to the naturally aesthetic sense of the audience. On the other hand, an odd or misplaced mixture of colors has the potential to distract or discourage users from staying on the page and supporting your cause.

Colors on the Color Wheel
First, it is important to understand the relationships between basic colors. These are often broken down into the color wheel. While it may seem like a grade school task, this is an important part of marketing and graphic design.

The primary colors, determined by their place in the visual spectrum, include red, blue and yellow. These form the three corners of a triangle on a color wheel. Between these lie the secondary colors; violet between red and blue, orange between red and yellow and green between yellow and blue. Finally, the tertiary colors, like red-orange and blue green, consist of a mix between a primary color and secondary color.

Using this structure, every possible color can be filled in between these basic points. You can then use these points to determine complimentary colors, or colors that work well together and are aesthetically pleasing. These colors may lie adjacent to one another on the color wheel, or can even be far apart from one another on the wheel. For the non-experts, there is a wide range of tools to determine which colors will work well together. Many, however, first choose a base color by decided between a warm and cool color scheme.

Warm Colors vs. Cool Colors
One of the most basic rules of color theory involves the difference between warm and cool colors. Warm colors include reds and the more earthy and natural tints, such as tan and brown. Cool colors, however, fall in the real of green and blue. Many people also include desaturated colors that fall close to grey. Depending on the type of organization, you will want to choose between the two schemes.

Warm Colors

• Encourage passion
• Speak to our primal natures
• Are reminiscent of love, kindness and joy

Cool Colors

• Have a calming effect
• Connect with reason and logical pursuits
• Remind the audience of rain and the oceans

Choosing the correct message to send to your audience may determine their ultimate decision to contribute to your fundraising campaign or move on.

Expanding on the Theory
The distinction between warm and cool colors, as well as the idea of complimentary colors, is but the tip of the large study on color theory. Many people study these ideas for years as part of their design or marketing education. You can, however, make use of these theories without undergoing such a rigorous process.

Take advantage of a color selection tool, like Colour Lovers. This online platform allows you to find complimentary colors, as well as see the pallets created by other artists. You are even able to sort by popularity to find the perfect scheme for your nonprofit fundraising website.

Apply these ideas to your website’s color scheme, as well as your other marketing publications. You will find that you communicate better with your donors and, as a result, receive a better response. Moreover, improving the aesthetic appeal of your online fundraising website furthers the credibility that your nonprofit organization receives.

“CauseVox is easy to set up and easy to maintain. They also have lots of great tools and tips available that got our campaign going.” ~ Jed Dembrowski, United Way of Norman

This case study discusses how the United Way of Norman’s “No Shave November” campaign raised over $16,000 through their CauseVox fundraising site. In addition, their campaign strategy, techniques, results, and lessons learned from their campaign are discussed in detail.

About the United Way of Norman
United Way of Norman strengthens the Norman, Oklahoma community by empowering each person to change lives. For example, one of their recent successes include a partnership to establish a new program to close the gap in out-of-school services for middle school students.

No Shave November Campaign
The No Shave November campaign was a month long campaign organized by the United Way of Norman. More than 40 men agreed to ditch their razor for a month to raise funds. These supporters not only ditched their razor, but also created fundraising pages to raise support and awareness from their friends and family.

In total, the United Way of Norman raised over $16,937 in donations through 440 donors. More metrics in the “Key Metrics” section below.

Campaign Techniques
During the campaign, the United Way of Norman used several techniques to reach their goal.

Made It Fun - Asking supporters to raise money can be tough, even if they believe in the cause. It is important to make fundraising fun. The United Way tried to keep all of their messaging for the campaign a little tongue in cheek, including sending out messages from some great bearded men like Chuck Norris and Mr. T, which gave the campaign personality.

Make It Easy – The United Way sent out multiple messages and pictures to the fundraisers so they could have resources for their fundraising appeal. The online tools from CauseVox also made it easy for fundraisers to set up and update their personal fundraising pages. These automated tools made it easy to keep track of campaign goals and sustain momentum.

Get Creative – The United Way sent out messaging featuring Abraham Lincoln, Kenny Rogers and many others. Many of the individual fundraisers made promises for hitting their goals also, such as pies in the face, dying their hair and shaving their beards into weird shapes. The staff made beard growing a competition, giving out prizes for the best beard and the most money raised.

Buy-in - Each fundraiser had to start off their campaign by donating $20 themselves. This ensured they were engaged in the campaign from the beginning.

Share Ideas - One of the campaign fundraisers was bringing in more donations than others. United Way staff documented how how he was doing it, and shared ideas with other fundraisers.

Volunteer Leadership – The campaign recruited a small team of volunteers that led the charge. Their enthusiasm and excitement were pivotal in motivating the entire group of fundraisers.

Keeping Focused – Some fundraisers were not as comfortable with fundraising as others, but still wanted to show their support. It is important to encourage these individuals and keep them motivated too. They are valuable in spreading the message about how your nonprofit makes a difference.

Campaign Results
By the end of the campaign, the United Way of Norman raised $16,937 through their customized CauseVox fundraising site.

Key metrics of the campaign include (rounded figures):

• Total number of fundraising pages: 47
• Fundraising pages that raised $10 or more: 40
• Highest amount raised on fundraising page: $4241
• Average funds raised per page: $423
• Average online donation size: $38
• Total number of online donations: 441
• Facebook “Likes” on the campaign site: 51

Lessons Learned

Plan Ahead – The United Way of Norman went into this campaign without much planning; a volunteer had the idea about two weeks before they started. Thanks to the tools and tips at CauseVox, they were able to pull it off easily. But a lot more people could have been involved and more money raised with better planning before the campaign.

Set Goals – Since this was a first time campaign, the United Way didn’t know how well it would go. The staff started out with a $5000 goal, but increased it several times as they reached their goal easily. It’s also important for each individual fundraiser to set a goal they’re comfortable with. Not everyone can raise $1000, and an unattainable goal can be discouraging instead of motivating.

Ask Everyone – Getting people involved was a lot easier than expected. Many men who never had a connection with United Way of Norman before signed on to grow a beard.

Build momentum - A campaign like this relies on word of mouth. Everyone with a beard was a walking billboard for the campaign. Organizers also created buttons for all the guys to wear. They sent out sample messages every week for the participants to send via email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Keeping the individual fundraisers engaged and motivated was very important and had a huge impact on the campaign.

From a population set of campaigns (outliers removed), we picked the top 15 highest grossing campaigns that CauseVox has powered.

In total, this sample set raised $1,203,072 in donations with an average raise of $80,205.

After examining what type of media was embedded on their fundraising sites, we found that over 90% of these campaigns used video. The campaign that raised the least did not use a video; they used a static photo instead. There is a strong positive correlation between using videos and raising more funds.

As related to the type of video, the top three highest grossing campaigns had impact stories. None focused on detailing the nonprofit’s programs, but rather focused on the impact of their work.

Impact stories share the unique story of one individual whose life has been touched by the nonprofit’s work. In these videos there is often a clear before and after that builds tension, hooks viewers and demonstrates what’s at stake.

For online fundraising campaigns, the average length of a campaign video is 121 seconds.

• @nonprofitbridge: Advice for #nonprofits – don’t focus on what you do; focus on who you do it for
• @ekornblut: “Your organization is not the protagonist”: good advice from @ListenInPict on nonprofit video storytelling
• @fdncenter: With the advent of digital tech,social media,storytelling has become democratized
• @marahverse: On audio…collect your source materials & be prepared. High quality voice over goes over much better than crappy music
• @fdncenter: Your job is to catalyze your audience to be story-sharers.
• @amyrsward: “People are the new engines of influence” – that’s why digital storytelling is so powerful!
• @thomasnegron: If you want to convey a high quality video on a budget, then focus on good audio.
• @fdncenter: Average length of video 121 seconds (via @robjwu) for online
• @nonprofitbridge: Advice for #nonprofits – don’t focus on what you do; focus on who you do it for

Read all the highlights by click here. Download our free digital storytelling ebook.