There is so much to cover on this topic that I will continue to do it in parts. Each part can be implemented with the right skills (if you have a content management system like Joomla!, Drupal, Wordpress, Chasimba and Plone - these are not the only ones but they all have a very similar functionality) or if you have the right person (a web designer) or you can compensate with alternatives which we will discuss too.
Websites are funny things, owners want them to be "pretty". Now there is nothing wrong with a well designed, graphically appealing website but if you can't be found by the search engines and there's no life on the site - potential donors/ volunteers/ funders will lose interest very quickly. Placeholders or sites that contain just enough information to get by and whose information never changes will not bring any return.
Online Donations Option
In my experience 50% of our donations have come through random acts of kindness. (of course also on the fact that the public is able to find our website easily and then likes what they read - which we will cover later - like I said there is a lot to learn). It also means that when volunteers have left us/ on the way to us or someone hears about us - without having to pick up the phone or log into their bank account, they are able to make a donation. 80% of people, according to statistics ( and I don't know how accurate those statistics are) want to pay with a credit card online. After all what person who is based in Canada wants to arrange an international transfer? This way in the comfort of their home they can then make their payment.
With an online donations option - you can refer people to your website for donations even on social networking sites like Facebook. You can use the same technique in your newsletters or any online Internet based options. It doesn't mean that you take off your bank details but you want to make it as easy as possible for individuals to make a contribution.
Now I DO NOT advocate any of these products or get a commission from them, I am purely listing them for information purposes only. Some online payment systems include the following:
Paypal
Monsterpay
Payfast
Setcom
There is some administration involved like verifying that the bank account actually belongs to the organisation, normally some identification documents, but once its done - you have a tool of fundraising that happens with very little effort.
Let me know what type of online payment system you use and what your experiences have been.
