Engaging a new wave of supporters
Since we are always looking for new ways to engage supporters, we were excited when Liz Ngonzi, and Dick McPherson approached AMREF USA to serve as the case study for their class at New York University (NYU). The class, Online and Mobile Fundraising, asked the students to evaluate our current efforts in these areas, and to provide suggestions for improvements on resource and community building. Staff member Sam Hindels visited the class and briefed the students about AMREF USA's current efforts, and how the students’ work might be incorporated into our plans for the upcoming year.
The students’ hard work is now complete. We have been so impressed with some of the suggestions that we would like to highlight our three favorites.
Alexandra Seegers wants us to develop a broader concept of how to develop and engage a community, regardless of the channel (Facebook, Twitter, Blog) they prefer. She had a few suggestions about how to accomplish this. She encouraged us to make branding consistent across all channels. And, gave us advice on how to use our website more effectively to guide people towards these communities.
Nicole Carroll reminds us that we have won great awards for our on-the-ground work, and have been recognized for our financial efficiency. It is imperative for us to ensure these recognitions are easily seen on all our channels. When an interested party finds us, these awards and recognitions add credibility to our organization, and increase the likelihood this party will become a supporter.
Deborah Silver's suggestions were quite specific. Rather than just telling us that we should be doing A or B, she provided tactics to accomplish the suggested strategies. Her ideas about improving the donor experience on our website were particularly helpful.
Learning from the next wave of great fundraisers helps ensure AMREF USA is able to continue bringing better health to the people of Africa. We want to thank Liz, Dick and all of the students - not all of which have been mentioned. We greatly appreciate all of their hard work.
