Today John Kenyon was the opening speaker at our annual Open House program on the topic of Engaging Donors Using Web 2.0 and Digital Storytelling. His session was such a big hit that we asked him to write a guest blog for us for the benefit of those who were not able to attend. You can also access a copy of the Power Point slides that accompanied John's presentation here.
I spoke at the Foundation Center-San Francisco's Open House about engaging donors and prospects. One of the examples I gave in my presentation was about using maps to more closely connect donors with your work. A picture is worth a thousand words and a good visual can have much more emotional impact than a letter with statistics about your work.
As an example, I showed the map used by PlanetHazard.com. When you go to their site you see a list that includes Top Ten Polluters. Clicking on this link brings up a map where you can click on one of the polluter sites to get more detail on the specific pollutant and emissions. Also in the information box is a link to “Map nearby schools and other locations…”. Clicking on that link brings up a map of the polluter site and all of the nearby schools, as shown in this example.
It is one thing for your donors to know there is a toxic site nearby, but quite another thing for them to see that their child is going to school 2 blocks from that site and that their friends child goes to school 4 blocks away from it. This connection helps donors see more clearly how your work affects them and why supporting your organization is important, which is often more likely to prompt a donation than just a text explanation.
There are a variety of free mapping tools including Google Maps, Google Earth, Frappr and the open source Generic Mapping Tools (GMT). If there is information your organization could present to donors online, be it the locations where you provide service, the area of impact of your work, or trouble spots in a region, consider including maps on your website to give donors another way to view your work – and another excuse to donate!
JOHN KENYON is a technology educator and strategist who’s worked with nonprofits for over 18 years providing advice, teaching seminars and writing articles about technology. He authored the Effective Online Communications chapter in the soon-to-be released book Managing Technology to Meet your Mission. John’s consulting practice concentrates on strategic uses of appropriate technologies with a focus on effectively leveraging the internet. He recently helped build and deliver the We Are Media workshop on social media for nonprofits.
He is an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco and has been a featured speaker across the US, England, Australia and online. For updates and to learn more, visit www.johnkenyon.org.
