# Silvers surfers catch the fundraising wave

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2007/05/24/silvers-surfers-catch-fundraising-wave/
- Published: 2007-05-24T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Recent research by online analysts Hitwise UK has found that silver-surfers are
set to become the dominant group using the world wide web by the end of this year.
To celebrate Silver Surfers’ Day today, Niroo Rad, managing director of ASI Europe,
is calling on fundraisers to make their websites user-friendly for the older generation.**

As more silver surfers move online, it is vital that fundraisers ensure that they
are considering the older generation to avoid missing out on regular donations, 
particularly given that pensioners traditionally give the most to charity, according
to Mintel in February 2006.

Here are three keys for silver-surfer success:

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**Keeping in touch**

Many elderly people are now going online to get email as well as browse the Internet.
Fundraisers should embrace email as a way of reaching this age group with highly-
tailored content that is relevant to them and will encourage them to interact with
your organisation. Similarly, Silver-surfers are more inclined to want to be part
of a wider community as they have more leisure time for this kind of interaction.
Make sure that your organisation’s website can be a platform for like-minded individuals
to come together and share their experiences as part of an online community.

**The personal touch**

It is essential that donors receive information that is relevant and personal to
them as an individual. Encourage your audience to register on the website so you
can capture information about them and tailor your messages accordingly. People 
are most likely to register when they know that their personal information will 
be used appropriately so make it clear what the information will be used for, what
the benefits of registration are and make the registration process as pain-free 
as possible.

**Keep it simple**

It’s easy to get seduced by a web designer but there is no sense in spending copious
amounts of money employing one to create a fancy site without the right IT infrastructure
in place to support it. Instead, look for a software provider who can provide a 
modular structure that can cater for different audience requirements and future 
expansion at a low-cost. A modular structure is a simple way of ensuring that your
website is easy to use and donors can get to the information that matters to them.
By ensuring that your website is simple to use, the older generation are much more
likely to remain engaged rather than giving up because they can’t find the information
they need.

By creating a website that is easy to navigate, personalised for each donor’s preferences
and where people can easily interact, fundraising organisations will be in a much
stronger position to attract and retain today’s silver surfer generation.

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**[ASI Europe](http://www.advsol.com) provide membership and website management 
software solutions for not-for-profit organisations.**