E-Philanthropy: is it a fundraiser's dream? - written on the web

Matrix: The Magazine for Leaders in Education, April, 2001 by Odvard Egil Dyrli

It is also difficult to predict how effective your online fundraising will be. The major pitfalls to fundraising online include depending too much on Web sites to bring in funds until they prove their worth. Also, failure to publicize the sites among the giving communities may result in not getting enough attention for the money invested. Citing URLs in newsletters, mailings to alumni, and on letterheads are good ideas. Giving users "value-added" reasons to keep coming back, such as class news, is also beneficial. An outstanding example is Harvard Gateways (www.aad.harvard.edu) that received more than 350 gifts online the first year. The Duke University site (www.giftrecords.duke.edu) has an onsite counter showing over 25,000 visitors in less than two years, and a relatively modest site at Mississippi State University (msuinfo.ur.msstate.edu/annual) recently raised over $20,000 for its annual fund.

The Site-Building Process at Mount Holyoke College

The goal of the Campaign for Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass., is to raise $200 million in gifts and pledges by 2003, and according to Rachel Cartmell, the Associate Director of Development for Communications and Stewardship, the Web site (www.mtholyoke.edu/campaign) was one of the last elements added to a multifaceted campaign that has already raised $170 million.

The Mount Holyoke Web pages therefore have the "look and feel of the campaign and the same consistency of message," Cartmell said.

"Former staff member Tim Toffoli designed the original campaign site in the spring of 1999 after he left the college to become a principal of Sonic 9 Marketing, a Northampton, Massachusetts-based Web design and marketing company. Shortly thereafter the capacity to make online pledges was added to the site, and last summer it became possible to make online gifts by credit card."

The campaign site describes clearly how funds will be used for endowment, current operations, new initiatives, and academic programs. It includes personal messages from the president and campaign co-chairs, a newsletter with fundraising highlights, and offers multiple giving options.

The site also presents a timeline of notable events from the college's founding in 1837 to the present, and includes descriptions of current projects and links to various giving clubs. Cartmell says that the new site has received 17,000 hits and is serving a supporting role in fundraising for the college, but concluded, "We're still learning about online giving."

Sites Worth Seeing

The following are selected models of Web-based fundraising sites at colleges, universities, and two-year schools throughout the nation. In addition to promoting online giving, each one also offers features that make it worth visiting.

University of California: Los Angeles,
Los Angeles, Calif.
Campaign UCLA
(www.campaign.ucla.edu)

Campaign UCLA is an unprecedented fund-raising effort to secure $1.6 billion by the year 2002, and this well-designed site presents a variety of giving options including unrestricted gifts, pledges, gifts of endowment, appreciated securities, matching gifts, and gifts of real estate and personal property.