Charities Going Online

If you are part of a charity organization, you may have noticed the recent trend of offering online donation. You may hesitate to follow suit with your charity because you believe going online is too impersonal, too unsafe, and too complicated. Yet, withholding from this trend only hurts your charity’s prospects, as more people in history are donating to charities because of online donation’s visibility, convenience and security.

Online donation has proven to yield more monetary gains than donating through strictly checks and cash. The most attractive selling points of the Canadian economy remain convenience and efficiency, and the increasing number of people opting to shop or bank online reflects this state of affairs. It only makes sense that many charities are choosing to go online and capitalize on this unprecedented cash flow.
Online donation reaps many advantages for both large and smaller-scale charities. First, it hugely boosts a charity’s visibility because it becomes part of the World Wide Web rather than remaining in a limited area and operating scope. For this reason alone, the charity will likely generate greater donation numbers. High web traffic ensures more people view the charity and have the opportunity to donate.
The most successful online charities understand that safe transactions are crucial. They maintain safety in their online donation by using encryption software on their websites. This software “locks” the website when the donor enters his or her personal information, and scrambles the donor’s personal and credit card information before it is sent out on the Internet. The best-known version of this software is Secure Socket Layer (SSL), known as the industry standard. Furthermore, charities that store donor information on an online network use blocking technology such as firewalls to ensure donor privacy. They also make sure to regularly update their anti-virus software to prevent hackers.
Now that you see how online donation can be both fruitful and safe, you may wonder how to go about it. Many charities purchase software designed to accept online donations and operate extra features such as customized donation forms. Other charities use a third-party vendor to handle payments. However, you should bear in mind that employing a third-party vendor may turn away donors because they know the vendor will receive some of their money. Conversely, the charities that learn to use their own software often find it worth their while because they fully control the software and do not pay third-party fees. Many versions of this software also allow them to sharpen their professional image by offering customized options. Donors, likewise, will be more willing to contribute when they know their money will be handled exclusively by the charity.

Installing online donation can be both challenging and intimidating, but will lastingly reward your efforts as you watch the donations pour in.