GiveMN.org promotes Paperless Giving
Guest post by Jeff Achen, Interactive Media Strategist at GiveMN
Digital fundraising is off to a great start in Minnesota with GiveMN.org. GiveMN.org is a new website where anyone can donate money, run a fundraiser for his or her favorite nonprofit, or raise money as a nonprofit. GiveMN’s mission is totally in sync with Paperless Choice in helping Minnesotans move nonprofit fundraising efforts in a paperless direction. But, it is a strong network of local relationships that has been the real key to success of this online giving effort.
GiveMN’s History: A Paperless Trail
GiveMN started in 2008 with Minnesota Community Foundation’s recognition that new tools and technologies were enabling exciting new ways to give. It also came down to a clear choice: to lead, follow or get out of the way. But, the Minnesota Community Foundation and the platform itself are only half the story.
We partnered with Razoo.com to build the GiveMN website. They built a site that included program-level content, social media integration, and terrific tools for donors.
One of the most important partner bases was the core funding and outreach group, which gave the effort credibility. Our great group of core partners, including the Minneapolis Foundation, United Way and others, reached out to all their nonprofits, which then reached out to all their donors and at every point in that progression people were being asked to participate by an organization that they really trusted and with which they already had a relationship.
We also contracted with MAP for Nonprofits, a nonprofit organization that provides technical assistance and support for Minnesota nonprofits, to spearhead an incredibly successful outreach and training campaign leading up to GiveMN’s launch. MAP’s outreach to nonprofits was complemented by a public relations campaign aimed at educating donors on the value of paperless giving online—for them and for the nonprofit.
Give to the Max Day
The focal point of all this launch activity was Give to the Max Day on November 17, 2009, our first major giving appeal. The Saint Paul Foundation, Minneapolis Foundation and Bush Foundation committed $500,000 in matching contributions and paid the transaction fees so that 100% of all donations went to the nonprofit organizations. And, the three nonprofits that received donations from the most individual donors received cash prizes: $5,000 for first prize, $2,500 for second, and $1,000 for third.
Give to the Max Day was a phenomenal success. We helped Minnesota nonprofits raise more than $14 million in a truly statewide effort. We had a record 38,778 donors make donations, surpassing the wildest expectations of everyone involved. 3,434 nonprofits benefited on Give to the Max day with an average of $4,077 per nonprofit. In a single day, GiveMN surpassed the volume of most of the leading online giving web sites.
What Lies Ahead
While we are still early in our efforts, we believe the future of GiveMN as a paperless choice looks promising. Ninety-seven percent of donors surveyed after Give to the Max Day indicated they are likely to use the site again and we saw another $1 million in transactions come in the month following the launch event.
From a strategic standpoint, we believe the success of GiveMN comes from marrying amazing technology with trust-based, local relationships. Local content and local partnerships give GiveMN a credibility and pull that a lot of the national e-philanthropy platforms lack. From a paperless standpoint, it really does take offline trust and relationships to make an e-philanthropy marketplace work. GiveMN is a testament to that and we hope that it will continue to be.
