New ideas are exciting. We love to get calls from lead companies that are going after a vertical nobody seems to be doing. It is risky but exciting. Most businesses are not familiar with buying leads and if you are introducing the concept to a vertical that has never seen it before, it can really be an uphill battle. It takes a lot of education to make sure the lead buyers end up with a positive ROI on that first lead purchase or the first will probably be their last. It can be done though and I hope lead companies continue to push for new markets. Sometimes trying a new angle can be healthy and that is what I am going to propose below for lead generation for charities.
Charities need to focus on lead generation as much as any typical business. One could even argue that they need to work harder at their version of "sales" because the people charities are selling to are not getting anything tangible for their money. Most charities rely on donors to give more than just money. A charity needs donors to give their time. Fund raising events, hands on work for the charity, and manning the phones all take a large commitment of time. Another element I would like to focus on is exposure or maybe marketing is a better term. This may be the easiest and cheapest way to get help from a charities' donor base. Fads seem to go in and out but we have all seen bumper stickers, ribbons, and bracelets all pushing one charity or another. I believe charities should take that idea and bring it to donors' websites.
I am under the assumption that most charities' largest donors are business owners or people in high ranking positions with their employer. These people probably have the say, or at least a say, in what their company website looks like and what does and does not go on it. I propose that charities ask these people in control to volunteer some of the space on their website. Let's pin a charity ribbon right there on the website. Using what we are calling a hyperlink tab at ContactUs.com, this can easily be accomplished.