Not sure what to do about online fundraising? Use our tips below to figure out what steps to take in finding online fundraising success. For more tips to help you weed through some of the more popular strategies, see ICL’s free report, Reality Check: How Grassroots Environmental Organizations Are (or Are Not) Raising Money Online.

1. Treat your email list as King. Email addresses have the most value to you in online fundraising. Use every opportunity to collect them and utilize many different collection methods. Some examples include petitions, pledges, surveys, downloadable materials, eNewsletters, and a sign-up box on your web site home page.

2. Make sure your website is attractive and easy to navigate. Convio reported in 2009 that 61% of donors visit a nonprofit’s website before giving them any money. In this age, your website is a testimony about your organization’s capacity – its image, focus, and who is involved. A functional and good looking site has a direct effect on offline contributions. If you can add a donate button, online contributions can be supported too.

3. Get started right away. Even if you don’t have much time to invest in online fundraising, jumping into it now will help you reap rewards. Updating your website regularly, sending emails as part of your mid-year appeal, and sending out an online newsletter are all ways to get started with online fundraising. There will never be a perfect time, so do what you can now to build for success later.

4. Keep up the personalized touch. As e-communication becomes the staple, personal communication, like picking up the phone becomes uncommon. Let people know they are important to you. Follow up your email asks with a phone call. Personalize emails with names and other specific references. If you are using an email service like Constant Contact or Vertical Response, consider tailoring your “from” line to someone’s name rather than the name of your organization.

5. Use social networking with realistic expectations. Social networking sites like Facebook have yet to yield a lot of money for most small to mid-sized environmental nonprofit groups. The best use of Facebook and Twitter is to drive traffic to your website, where visitors can learn more about you and begin to form a relationship with your organization.