Professional Development, Budgets, and Goals – Part I
I just recently finished speaking at the CASE District VII Conference and I was thrilled to be asked and like [...]
Hey man, I’m fundraising for this awesome charity
How many times have you gotten the phone call or email that says “Hey man, I’m raising money for XXX [...]
Before facebook… there was Friends Asking Friends
In 1999, an idea based on online greeting cards changed peer-to-peer fundraising forever. Do you ever wonder where you’d be [...]
What’s our vector, Victor?
This past weekend, I did something epic. Monumental. Life Changing. I finally saw Airplane! on the big screen. I would [...]
10 Tips to Jumpstart Your Nonprofit Social Media Plan
10 Tips to Jumpstart Your Nonprofit Social Media Plan from Convio, PayPal and the ASPCA [...]
Quality, not just quantity
Recent changes at ISPs and Gmail make it more important than ever that you segment your house file and pay attention to your subscribers' behavior. [...]
Single Channel Communication is Dead
Direct mail is dead. Email is dead. TV and radio are dead. Face to face is dead. Telegraph is dead. [...]
Eeyore’s Guide to Event Fundraising
This post explores opportuntites to engage users who choose note to participate in fundraising events. [...]
What is your web site’s visual hierarchy?
What catches your eye when you look at your web site’s homepage? What is the first thing you see and the first thing you want to click on? These are questions we almost always ask during a usability test to ensure our visual hierarchy is coming through clearly and consistently. Think of the visual hierarchy as the pecking order of a page’s content, providing cues as to what’s most important. If your organization wants, first and foremost, to bring in donations, then a compelling ask should rank high in your list. Maybe you’d rather get visitors to take an action alert or read a new study you’ve published. Your visual hierarchy should reflect your organization’s goals, whatever those may be at the time. Take a look at the Blockbuster web site. Since Netflix arrived on the scene, one of their goals is likely to obtain subscribers to the DVD-by-mail program. From their homepage, the first thing I see is the “Try it free” button on the “Movies Delivered” promo. The “Learn More” for Blockbuster On Demand also stands out, which is likely reflective of another one of Blockbuster’s goals. The Jewish National Fund site also demonstrates a good visual hierarchy. My eyes are drawn to the “Donate” button in the top navigation bar and the graphic in the “Plant a Tree” promotional box, both of which are major goals for the organization. Many of you may be so used to looking at your web site that you may not see a visual hierarchy anymore. Or, the one you do see may be artificially influenced by what you know is most important. In that case, have a friend take a look at your site and tell you what they see first. You could try a “5-second test” where you display the homepage for 5 seconds, then close it and ask your friend to write down what they remember. If their list does not correspond to your organizational goals, then consider rearranging the page or redesigning certain elements. You’re likely to see more clicks and actions taken as a result. [...]
Spring Cleaning Your Website
Getting a handle on your website clutter can be a lot like spring cleaning your closet. And sometimes, you have to throw some pieces out. [...]