Monday, March 5, 2012

LitFest Pasadena


Virtual Book Tour


I'm excited about LitFest on March 17th Drinks, good food and great music will be followed by what is being dubbed “sensual literary surprises.” LitFest is aiming to be a book festival like no other. As its organizers say, “When we talk about cookbooks, you’ll be eating. When we discuss the city’s pub culture, you’ll be drinking. You’ll be performing your haiku while the kids take the lead in a Shakespeare scene.” They are looking to instill a fringe festival spirit, incorporating theater, music, slam poetry, cyberspace and as much more as their imaginative—and (hopefully!) well-funded—minds can create.

The project is supported by the Pasadena Arts CouncilPublic LibraryWriting Project and Light Bringer Project. Participating authors include, but are not limited to, Lian DolanJanet FitchLaurie OchoaGary Phillips and Jonathan Gold.

Did you know that nonprofits with a branded donation page – a page that shows off the organization’s personality and makes giving tangible for donors – can see up to 5x more in donation dollars than a nonprofit with a generic donate page?  Guess what? Not only is the 5x factor consistent, but it can creep up to 6x or 7x during peak fundraising season at the end of the year.  

Note: A branded donation page looks and feels like the nonprofit’s own website, even if it is hosted by a third party.  The page has messaging, imaging and an aesthetic that is familiar to the donor and conveys the organization’s personality and mission.  A generic donation page looks and feels like the transaction provider’s website.  Other than the nonprofit name and address, there is nothing to reinforce the donor’s connection to the organization. 
You can find more insights on giving in the 2011 (and Q4) update to The Network for Good Digital Giving Index.  This Index builds on data and observations from the Online Giving Study (a must-read for all nonprofit fundraisers!) and includes trends and analysis on $138 million in donations to more than 40,000 charities through the Network for Good platform in 2011.  This includes donations to Network for Good’s nonprofit customers through their own websites and donations to other nonprofits through 25 corporate partner websites and Network for Good’s giving portals at NetworkforGood.org andSixDegrees.org

Index highlights include:
• Charity websites with a branded donation page received more donations (5x more!) and at higher average values than those with a generic donation page.
• In 2011, social giving made up 15% of all donations through Network for Good, up from 10% in 2009.
The full Index and accompanying data are available at study website.  You can grab charts, share data and discuss the results!  

Ingrid Cheng
Writer, Activist, Entrepreneur

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