Today, I was reflecting upon my earlier post about recognizing donors and supporters with new media. Perhaps the pensive pause is due to a lovely handwritten thank you card from World Vision. Most certainly not new media, the card is an interesting argument for understanding and knowing an audience base.
A nonprofit with a Washington State U.S. office, World Vision works in almost 100 countries in sustainable international development, disaster response and U.S. anti-poverty projects to create better lives for children worldwide. Spending 86.7% of funding on program expenses, this Christian-based organization notes in its vision statement that it serves “all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.
Beyond the excellent work the organization does, I like that it reaches its audiences on multiple levels. The handwritten card denotes time,an incentive for certain levels of donation and customer consciousness. Looking into World Vision’s web content, it is clear that the organization knows their audiences, where they click and meets them there.
A video and interactive map compose much of the landing page, but don’t overshadow nice orange tabs to programs, sponsorships, galleries and slide shows. Without overwhelming an audience member of any generation or web 2.0-savvy, World Vision presents great content. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube channel links mark the top of the page, but don’t clutter any content.
Marketing Strategist David Meerman Scott looks to reaching various audiences as crucial to any online marketing. he notes that knowing what is important to your target demographic is key to success.
Here is World Vision’s recent YouTube Video requesting donations for Haiti featuring Hugh Jackman:
What are your thoughts? Should large nonprofit organizations switch completely to online marketing methods? If you are a donor, what correspondence and/or marketing reaches you best? If you work for a nonprofit organization, what methods of outreach compel the greatest response?
sarahkassel
