Silvers surfers catch the fundraising wave
Howard Lake | 24 May 2007 | News
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.
ASI Europe provide membership and website management software solutions for not-for-profit organisations.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.