7 Steps to Overhaul a Digital Program
	Posted by Guest Blogger at Mar 21, 2013 07:03 AM CDT

This post was written by guest author Jennifer Huckleby, email marketing and online fundraising specialist, Grizzard Communications Group.

The digital environment is constantly changing. Grizzard client Union Rescue Mission (URM) came to us in 2011, and requested a strategic plan for integrating the mission’s online and offline fundraising. They saw the need to update their existing digital program to stay current, and felt that integrating their digital strategy would help boost revenue, raise awareness and increase engagement. We provided URM with seven approaches to boost their existing digital program, which included the recommendations below. They are helpful guidelines for all nonprofits.
 
(Editor’s note: The digital overhaul of the URM website was just awarded the Interactive Media Awards “Best in Class” Award in the Nonprofit category, with an overall judging score of 486 out of 500.)
 
1. Make your website user-friendly
 
The challenge:
The website lacked clear focus, a clear call to action, and overall strategic direction.
 
The solution:
Evaluate and enhance navigation and information. Users want to be able to move through a website quickly to find the information they are looking for. The navigation should be consistent and simple so that users understand where the link will send them. Generally, any page on your site should be reachable within two clicks from the home page. Keeping the user experience on your website friendly to its visitors ensures that any inbound traffic you gain through outside channels will not go to waste.
 
2. Create an interactive, online gift catalog to increase engagement
 
The challenge:
Existing donors and potential donors want to know how their support, small or large, is helping the organization achieve its mission of helping those in need.
 
The solution:
By creating an interactive, online gift catalog, donors can choose a gift that directly impacts the people who count on URM for help. This is a visually impactful way of showing someone how much a gift of $25 can help one person or $75 can help three people, ultimately engaging and raising donor and non-donor awareness and revenue.
 
3. Enhanced digital tools
 
The challenge:
URM did not have anything in place to track online, data-driven analytics.
 
The solution:
Grizzard applied code to all aspects of the website to measure and track all types of metrics, including site traffic, website performance, mobile analytics, conversion rates, and more. Having a full set of performance metrics available has empowered URM and Grizzard to quickly and easily evaluate the effectiveness of messaging, marketing channels, and individual tactics.
 
4. Streamline the email program
 
The challenge:
The existing email program had a lack of direction and consistent frequency, and it needed to be incorporated into an integrated program.
 
The solution:
We analyzed the existing email program and applied best practices, an integrated strategic calendar, testing plan, and redesigned the template format.
 
5. Create a more robust blog
 
The challenge:
A sporadically updated blog was giving the URM site the appearance of being stale.
 
The solution:
Create a strategic plan to regularly post and provide new information and integrate with other online and offline marketing components as available. It’s important to not only make posts but to look for opportunities for new topics and contributors, and to look at the number and type of comments to evaluate how your audience is responding.
 
6. Update website imagery
 
The challenge:
The website was not regularly updated, ultimately not reaching its maximum return in online investment.
 
The solution:
Update the website more frequently with new images to keep visitors interested.  Adding new images regularly keeps the site fresh and encourages visitors to come back and see what is new. Routinely changing content, text and graphics builds site traffic and repeat visitors. In addition, search engines typically give higher rankings to sites that are updated regularly.
 
7. Audit social media program and enhance outreach.
 
The challenge:
As social media is new and changing, URM asked Grizzard to help find new ways to engage with their constituency and optimize communication.
 
The solution:
Create a social media calendar to consistently post, add images and respond to current events. Following a calendar will ensure that your organization is leveraging its other online and offline marketing content (thus increasing efficiency), and constantly engaging and raising awareness about the organization with its constituents.
 

Merging URM’s online and offline presence was not only important but also beneficial. As a result, URM saw an increase of more than $60,500 (15%) in online giving in the first quarter after their digital overhaul, comparing October to December 2011 revenue to 2012.