Why fundraise online?

You may have noticed that more and more fundraisers are being managed online. If you are weighing the costs and benefits of an online fundraiser, this article is for you.

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Benefits of online Donation Campaigns

1) You can accept payments instantaneously from donors anywhere in the world.

2) You can share your campaign virally on social media, exposing your campaign to friends of friends of friends... You never know where your next big supporter will come from!

3) Donation campaigns are interactive, engaging, and highly-persuasive micro websites. They can be customized to show photo albums, stream video, show recent and top donors, and post how close you are to the goal. Unlike a standard payment form, donation campaigns are set up to sell your cause, inspiring more generous contributions.

4) You can accept payments on-the-go with the mobile app. Most people don't carry cash - but now you can still accept one-off donations from friends, colleagues, and anyone else you inspire along the way.

5) You save on labor. Cash and check accounting takes a heavy toll on volunteer resources. MemberPlanet automatically generates payment reports that can easily be exported to Excel.

6) Capitalize on donor's interest NOW by removing friction. Have you ever wanted to help or contribute, but had to put it off because you didn't have cash, a checkbook, or stamps and an envelope on hand? Did you actually end up remembering to donate later? Even the smallest inconveniences will cause some donors to postpone payment and forget about your campaign. Accepting credit card payments online or on-the-go on the mobile app will allow you to cash in on these opportunities.

7) Accept recurring payments. Your donor might want to be generous, but not be able to commit a huge payment right away. Recurring payment options allow your donors to make small, ongoing contribututions that fit into their budget, but add up over time. This also is a fantastic way to stay connected with your donors as your group or cause grows and evolves.

Costs of Online Campaigns

1) They aren't free
You will pay a small % of your donations to the Donation Campaign site, and a credit card processing fee to a site like PayPal, and (sometimes) a flat monthly site fee. (Unless you choose MemberPlanet! We only charge a site fee, never a PayPal fee!) To see a cost-comparison of online donation campaigns at the top sites click here

This extra cost (anywhere from 4-12% of gross earnings) is enough to make many small groups shy away from using online campaigns. Some groups compromise by using a basic online payment form in lieu of a full campaign. Depending on the nature of the campaign, this may be a reasonable option. In fact, many users have come to MemberPlanet for exactly that, due to our competitive transaction rates. However, in our experience, donors contribute more generously to full campaigns, as they are set up to be highly engaging and persuasive.

Expert tips:

1) Consider asking your donors to pay the convenience charge. MemberPlanet allows you to pass the convenience charge on to donors, allowing you to keep more of what you make. In our experience, most donors are happy to absorb this cost.

2) Keep taking cash and checks! Just because you now accept credit cards doesn't mean you have to stop accepting your old payment methods! Let you donors know they can still make a paper payment, but that they also have the option for using credit card or e-checks. Accepting more payment options should only increase your donor pool and overall donations.

You have a lot of great choices for online donation campaigns, but we're pretty sure you'll choose us. Here's why:

MemberPlanet isn't just the most affordable option for donation campaigns, we are also the best value.

Regardless of whether you choose to use a donation campaign or a simple payment form, joining MemberPlanet for your fundraising efforts will give you access to a whole dashboard of tools and capabilities to launch it to it's fullest potential. Unlike any other donation campaign site, MemberPlanet provides you with a whole suite of tools to organize, motivate, and inspire your group or donor pool. From custom branded email campaigns to online event management, ticket sales, and surveys to website hosting and photo-sharing - we do it all. AND, we will bend over backwards to see that it's done right.

Contact us at successteam@memberplanet.com to learn more about your donation campaign options, and the other amazing group management tools on MemberPlanet.