Online Tools for Web 2.0 Fundraising

AlumniFidelity’s fundraising pages are perfect for events like an annual campaign. The pages are often used with charity runs and walks. They offer more customization and personalization options than Facebook or Network for Good, so you can really get your organization’s branding out there.

AlumniFidelity will help an organization set up a page, but it does take about a week. A 7.0%-7.5% fee on all donations covers administrative costs. After you have registered your organization on AlumniFidelity, supporters can create a page to fundraise for you. Your supporters can personalize a text description, or you can require them to use standard text issued by your organization (though this is discouraged). Supporters can add pictures or a video of their own or from the organization. They can give their page a title, and the organization can add the organization’s logo, and change the page colors to match the logo. In the example above, the woman is raising funds for the Arthritis Foundation and has titled her page, “One Joint at a Time.” She has added a picture of herself, a description of why the cause is important to her, and a YouTube video created by the Arthritis Foundation.

In terms of the page’s look, you’ll see a "Donate" button without having to scroll down at all, which makes it easily accessible to page viewers. Above the "Donate" button are two others: "Spread the Word," which allows you to email the page to friends, and "Start a New Fundraising Campaign," which lets a user set up his or her own page.

Finally, the “Manage Your Appeals” section is a great way to organize your email contacts and manage your communications. The system tells you the last time you reached out to each potential donor. Once someone has made a donation, the system reminds you to send them a thank-you email, and tracks who has already been thanked.

AlumniFidelity’s processing fees of 7.0%-7.5% make it more costly than both Facebook Causes and Network for Good.  It also requires a greater time commitment for setup, but after that, weekly maintenance time is low.  AlumniFidelity’s advantages include lots of opportunities for branding and personalization, making your page’s “look and feel” truly unique.  (In other words, it doesn’t look like you’ve simply added your logo to a Facebook page.)

Explore AlumniFidelity by clicking here: http://www.alumnifidelity.com/