Exploring Donation Appeals in Top Not-for-Profit Websites

Abstract

This study explores the donation appeal strategies employed on forty-seven of the most successful nonprofit organizations` websites. Through examination of the structural elements and textual content of each site, Hypotheses linking fundraising performance to the use of active solicitation, relationship building strategies and emotion/value-based themes were tested. Based on this analysis, no specific, consistent patterns of traditional, web-based marketing oriented solicitations commonly found in for-profit sites emerged. However, when the analysis was expanded to include affective responses and value perceptions of the sites as evaluated by a panel of subjects in an attempt to capture themes depicted through pictures and other non-textual means, a link between these responses and fundraising performance was detected. Together, these results suggest opportunities exist for more direct and aggressive solicitation of donors through the web.