Boost Donations for the Holidays, Google’s New Privacy Tools & 1-Click Donation Forms

This newsletter has been following political advertising on FACEBOOK since the Cambridge Analytica story broke. And the controversy hasn’t stopped since. With Twitter’s announcement that it’s banning political advertising, the focus is now on FACEBOOK.

My feelings about this are too mixed to fit into one bite-sized intro. But banning political advertising outright isn’t a real solution. This hurts new, upstart candidates who need a way to get their message out. The real issue, in my opinion, is exactly what makes FACEBOOK advertising so attractive in the first place: the ability to hone in on a very specific audience. (It’s especially appealing to budget-strapped nonprofits trying to reach a certain demographic or potential donors).

Unfortunately, it’s also what makes political advertising so problematic. It’s hard to debate what politicians are promoting there if you can’t actually see the other side’s ads. I doubt the answer is as easy as “more visibility,” but it’s a start.

‘Tis the Season For Giving

You are probably sick of hearing aquaintances floundering for small talk remark on how the holiday season starts earlier each year, so I’m going to cut to the point. Thanksgiving is coming, and you really need to figure out your year-end digital fundraising. While this article is directed toward boosting holiday sales, it also applies to boosting holiday donations! I absolutely love the advice to use Google Search Ads to build an audience and use Facebook to close them.

How Data and Personalization Work Together

Direct to consumer companies have found overwhelming success by tapping into “the idea that we’re all fancy and special enough to have something made just for us.” How can we apply this tactic to nonprofits? With data, of course! Even if your organization isn’t ready from Netflix-level personalization, you can still use your data around messaging, content, promotions, and events to better cater to your audience. This piece from Adobe’s CMO.com has a collection of case studies where nonprofits took very doable steps at personalization, customizing everything from app push notifications to website content.

New Privacy Tools To Protect Your Data

Data helps us do a lot of things, but that doesn’t mean we want ALL of our personal data, search history, and real-time location out there for everyone to see and use. Here’s an article from the New York Times on how to stay a bit more close-lipped with the help of new privacy tools from Google. To access these tools, head here!

The Case (Study) For 1-Click Donation Forms

EveryAction, along with Stagecoach Digital and the National Audubon Society, released a case study a few months back looking at the impact of 1-click donation forms on email fundraising. There are some pretty interesting findings here. One thing’s for sure… 1-click actions can really help bolster online fundraising. If you want to learn more, you can download the case study here.

How Much Do You Really Know About Digital?

Rounding out the newsletter today is a fun quiz to test your digital know-how! Pew Research Center created the test and when you finish it, you’ll be able to check how your answers compare to those across the country. A little healthy competition, anyone?