8 Solid Reasons All Non-profits Need a Web Site

A nonprofit organization can take advantage of the Internet for at least eight purposes:

publicity
public education
fundraising
volunteer recruitment
service delivery
advocacy
research
communication

Let us look at brief examples of each of these uses in turn.

Publicity

Good sites gain attention. Attention or awareness is exactly what all non-profits need... it accelerates fund-raising efforts, and enhances all the following essential needs:

Public Education

There's a fine line between grabbing the public's attention and educating the public about an important social problem or cause.

Whatever the mission statement of your non-profit organization is, it needs to be presented with clarity to the various "publics" that all non-profits must influence if they are to be successful.

All organizations have several different "publics" which they must influence in a positive way in order to achieve their organizational goals.

Some of these "publics" are:

-centers of influence
-community organizations
-government officials and departments
-other non-profits
-volunteers
-donors
-etc. etc.

A properly constructed and strategized web site can reach all of these "publics" cost effectively and with immediate "calls-to-action.

Fundraising

Large sums of money are now changing hands over the Internet. One early barrier to online fund raising was the perceived insecurity surrounding online financial transactions. With dramatic improvements in online secure data transmission, this is no longer an issue.

Now there are multiple ways for donors to make direct donations without worrying. Several companies offer secure methods for performing online financial transactions.

PayPal and Amazon now provide free mechanisms for the proper transmission of credit card donations to non-profits... eliminating the need for the non-profit to own and manage their own credit card merchant account... and saving the organization on transaction fees.

Another advantage of online credit card donations is that they are usually for larger amounts... and given more often during the year.

The biggest single benefit of a well crafted non-profit web site is the fact that you are now opening up the entire online world... almost a billion users (and growing) worldwide... to your organizations needs and goals. It is not unusual for organizations to recieve substantial donations from complete strangers living in foreign countries. These folks will have found you on the world-wide-web, feel an affinity to your goals... and donate money using your online form and their credit card.

Building a donor database allows the organization to "go back to the well" seeking additional donations for specific projects, needs, or general support.

Volunteer Recruitment

Volunteer recruitment and management is a well developed and proven use of the Internet. The Internet allows for a new and powerful way for people to support nonprofits by becoming virtual volunteers. Virtual volunteers have more control over their time and the ease of working from home because they take advantage of the convenience of online communication.

All the factors that motivated volunteers face-to-face still operate forcefully over the Internet. A spirit of community and personal relationships thrive abundantly in cyberspace. Of course, many nonprofits have effectively used their web presence for recruiting volunteers that show up on their premises. Recognizing volunteers... a vital component of developing a strong volunteer is made simple and easy through a web site.

Service Delivery

Our economy is increasingly based on the timely exchange of information, All successful non-profits must deliver the right information to the right person, at the right time.

A web site is a powerful way to deliver services for those organizations in the business of providing people with information. Since this includes almost all non-profits, the need and benefits of a website accessable 24-hours a day, seven days a week, become obvious.

Advocacy

To mobilize people around an issue, an organization must get the word out quickly and provide people with convenient tools for responding. Because it's so easy to update a web site and have the vital details available instantaneously, the web is a perfect way to encourage people to act on issues that greatly concern them. Timely action alerts can be sent via email to various organization maintained data bases ...instantly.

It's easy to respond to a call for action when one can email one's legislative representatives or link to other volunteer bulletin boards on the Internet. Cross linking with other like-minded organizations provides a "synergy of action" that would be impossible with a well crafted web presence.

Research

Research may take many forms. An organization may wish to keep up with legal, political, scientific or other mission related developments. Alternatively, it may wish to learn about grant getting opportunities.

Two excellent starting points for almost any kind of searching are Google and Yahoo. Probably the best directory devoted entirely to nonprofit organizations on the web is the Action Without Border's web site. This includes a page of foundations and links offering grant opportunities. Cross linking with these organizations provides a wonderful networking opportunity and usually leads to additional opportunities for all the linked organizations.

Communication

It would be hard to overemphasize the advantages, cost savings, or numerous virtues of email. Email offers the best of the phone and the mail. It is as fast and as reliable as the phone, while compensating for the frailties of human memory by preserving a written record, as does the mail. Further, email allows for asynchronous communication, meaning that one can read one's email on one's own time, rather than having to play telephone tag. Of course, it also encourages clarity of expression by remaining a form of *written* communication.

Web sites facilitate email correspondence when they make publicly available the email addresses of organization staff. Sites can offer options which make sending a message as convenient as filling out a form. They can also invoke an email mailer on many browsers when the visitor to a site clicks on the right button. If you are worried about getting too much email, more than you have time to answer, consider discarding any mail delivered by the US Postal Service and using the time you save to answer the few email messages you are lucky enough to receive. They will likely be more valuable, more interesting and you will be able to respond to them more quickly with better results than most of your incoming "snail mail". :-)

In summation... the strong benefits enjoyed by all non-profit organizations, from the development of a custom website, are many and varied. A strong web presence provides a solid economic basis for additional revenues (donations), cost savings, and enhanced services to members, volunteers, and the public at large. Since most non-profits are understaffed... the dramatic labor savings and management efficiencies gained with a comprehensive web site can mean the difference between success or failure... growth or survival!

Thom Reece is the CEO and Senior Consultant for On-Line Marketing Group... a Hawaii based Direct Response Marketing Agency and Web Site Development firm. His articles have appeared in DM News, Home Base Business Magazine, Opportunity Magazine, Cleaner Times, Profitable Glass Quarterly, Advertising Express (India), and he is a regular columnist for Money 'N' Profits Magazine. His website... On-Line Marketing Resource Center ...( http://www.e-comprofits.com ) is visited by thousands of internet marketers daily. Thom can be reached at: 808-929-7377, Fax: 808-929-8711, or by email at: thom@e-comprofits.com

---

Now, Even A Monkey Could Easily Accept Online Payments

I just came across this web site called PayDotCom.comAfter reviewing... Read More

How to Explode Your Database Marketing And Back-End Sales To Increase Your Bottom Line Profits

Set up multiple simultaneous marketing campaigns with database marketing automation... Read More

Success is a Process, Not an Event

We all need a little inspiration once in a while,... Read More

How to Make Money Online...Driving your Car.

Here's an alluring income generating strategy, that's widely adopted by... Read More

Add-on Sales - The Key To Success On The Web

Question: Can you guess the cheapest way to make a... Read More

Resources for Starting an Online Business

Anyone trying to start an Online business needs to have... Read More

The Relation Between Internet Marketing Education and Profits

Many people join internet business opportunities online blindly. By this... Read More

5 Fast Ways to Improve Your Website

Building a website is easy. Building a successful e-business is... Read More

Creative Offline Website Marketing Techniques

Although the vast majority of website traffic is the direct... Read More

Attract More Orders

Attracting More Orders! Jump Starting Sales! Sky-Rocketing Profits! Whatever you... Read More

How Knowing Your Customer via Direct Marketing Helps Your Online Business to Prosper

What is direct marketing? Put simply, direct marketing is a... Read More

Take the Guesswork Out of Niche Marketing

Many of us learn from the Gurus that we should... Read More

Online Marketing & Promotions: Joint Ventures Super Secrets Revealed

What is a Joint Venture?How can this online marketing and... Read More

The Right Internet Marketing Articles Strategy is a Game of Links

Do you know the secret or internet marketing strategy behind... Read More

Local Search Makes Your Business a Big Fish in Your Local Community

The Internet Contains Billions of Website Pages - All Clamoring... Read More

Online Sales : 10 High Decibel Tricks To Magnify Your Sales

Online sales is like a fine art and you have... Read More

The 3 Big Points to Selling Successfully on the Web

Building a home internet business on the web can seem... Read More

How A Change in Perspective Can Help You Make More Holiday Season Sales: Pt. One

Some sites are perfect for the Christmas season - their... Read More

Internet Marketing On A Budget

Establishing a web presence on the internet is based on... Read More

How To Profit From HOT Niche Markets - Every Time!

Do you want to learn two proven niche marketing business... Read More

The Google Toolbar & Search Engine Optimization

Like many other useful toolbars out there so is the... Read More

9 Secrets to Kick Your Internet Marketing Efforts into Overdrive

Let's face it, most of us know the basics of... Read More

5 Steps to Achieving Success in Marketing

1 Planning:When starting your marketing strategy, it is wise to... Read More

7 Simple Steps To Web Wealth

A lot of people and companies have websites. They also... Read More

Online Sales: 10 Mind Boggling, Electrifying Tricks To Ignite Your Sales

Do you want to unleash a tsunami of sales at... Read More

Advantages Disadvantages Of Internet Marketing: The Good The Bad And The Ugly

The Advantages Disadvantages Of Internet Marketing are many.A few Advantages... Read More

Seven Ways to Keep Earning After Youve Completed the Sale

So you've just sold another digital product; things are going... Read More

Marketing Your Business - How Do I Adapt To The Internet?

The way we do business is changing rapidly. From VOIP,... Read More

What The Internet Owes Me

What does the internet owe me for all my hard... Read More

Four Steps To Eliminate Frustration and Turn Your Online Failure Into Internet Success

OK, you've been bustin' your butt trying to make money... Read More

Ten Simple Tips To Create A Money Magnet Web Site!

Staying awake at night wondering how to pump up your... Read More

Are You Limiting Your Income?

When first starting out in internet marketing, I was afraid... Read More

Develop Enormous Recurring Income Online Starting Today

If you're like me, you'd rather work smarter than harder.... Read More