How to Measure the Success of Online Fundraising Using Key Metrics

Here’s a good article from Philanthropy News Network about online fundraising campaigns. The best part, to me, is the section on building relationships.

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
Getting to know donors by building a profile of
their interests and online interactions with the organization helps develop a
loyal online relationship that, in turn, drives ongoing support. Consider these
metrics when tracking results in relationship building:

  • Percentage of the email file providing a detailed personal profile —
    Detailed profiles about constituent interests, geography and other demographics
    allow an organization to segment its list and target constituents with relevant
    information.
  • Email open rate — This shows what percentage of all message recipients
    actually opened it – indicating how well an organization is engaging and getting
    through to its constituency.
  • Email click-through rate — This metric is the percentage of email
    recipients who clicked on a link within the message — such as a donation form,
    petition or survey — showing how effective the email is at stimulating
    recipients to take action.
  • Email forwarding rate — This rate indicates how important the
    organization’s messages are to each constituent based on how often constituents
    forward them to friends and family.
  • Response rates to surveys and polls — Surveys and polls enable constituents
    to provide feedback and additional information about themselves. Measuring the
    percentage of recipients who fill out surveys indicates how many are open to
    developing a deeper relationship with the organization.
  • Opt-out rates on email newsletters — This measures the number of people who
    unsubscribe to the organization’s emails. It is important to minimize the
    opt-out rate to maintain a list of engaged constituents, and to avoid getting
    labeled as a spammer.

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