Grassroots.org

We often bring you stories from our nonprofit members and how they're maximizing their website strategy, but today's story is about our own success, specifically with Google Adwords. Getting our campaigns to convert in the past was difficult, and we quickly realized how crucial it was to use our Google Grant funds efficiently.

Thanks to the guidance and recommendations from Eric Mohr of EBM Direct Marketing Services LLC, we were able to find a way to boost our visibility. Eric is not only professional and very knowledgeable, he took time to explain every step and change to us so we understood what was necessary to improve our campaigns. Here's how it happened, and how you might be able to benefit from what we've learned.

EBM Direct Marketing Services LLC is a digital direct marketing company recently certified as a Google Certified Partner in Search Marketing. We specialize in generating revenue for companies through efficient use of performance advertising solutions. Our solutions encompass on and offline marketing channels because we realize customers and prospects interact with you in such a manner.

As a nonprofit organization, Grassroots.org received a Google Grant for in-kind advertising. Grassroots retained us to maximize their Adwords search marketing advertising. If you are unaware of this Grant and would like to apply, please fill out the Google Grant online application. Search Marketing is an efficient marketing tool to acquire new donations you should be using to its maximum advantage. Search Marketing is a totally quantifiable advertising medium. If handled correctly, you can calculate precisely your return on investment for each dollar spent. In these difficult economic times, that is a powerful benefit.

For the past 9 months our company has handled all Grassroots.org's Adwords campaigns. We inherited an existing Adwords account structure requiring a complete over hall meeting Google’s best practices standards. This included such realignments as:

• Reorganizing the entire account into separate campaigns for each service.
• Testing various creative against a baseline control for each ad group.
• Identifying top performing keywords within each ad group.
• Creating a A/B test for one of Grassroots landing pages to optimize conversion performance
• Reconfiguring performance based on conversion rather than Click through Rate (CTR).

These changes resulted in an improvement in the overall performance. When we began, the average CTR was under 2%. Now, some campaigns have reached as high at 6%. We also refocused performance based on conversions. The most recent analytic reports indicate an increase in conversion rate from an historical .36% up to 1.40%. In short, individual campaigns are more tightly focused around an individual service. This translates into higher rankings and lowers Cost per Click. This is due to the fact that Google rewards advertisers that provide the most relevant search results.

While our company continues to provide search marketing expertise to Grassroots, our company offers a lot more. We recognize that customers and prospects interact on and off the web. Therefore, we provide a range of on and offline marketing solutions. Although marketing channels are always changing and new channels emerging, we try to keep abreast of relevant channels we think are important.

Our current marketing solutions include:

• Search Engine Marketing
• Search Engine Optimization
• Email Marketing-Constant Contact
• Solo Direct Mail
• CRM/DMTraffic-a relationship marketing platform providing one to one email and direct mail campaigns through variable data printing
• Video Production
• Mobile Text and Video Messaging
• Call Tracking Analysis
• Web site development
• Social Media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter)
• Promotional Products/Corporate Gifts

Please visit our website, www.ebmdirectmarketing.com for information about EBM Direct Marketing Services LLC. Or you may call or email us at 516 874-7839 x801 or [email protected] respectfully. You can visit our facebook page and “like us” at http://facebook.dj/ebmdirectmarketing. We post a lot of interesting information we think is relevant in the digital marketing space.

If you are looking to increase your donor contributions or membership, please call us. We can help. We will put the same skills to use for you as we have implemented for Grassroots.org. If you currently have a Google Grant needing a company to run it efficiently, please contact us. If you do not have a Google we strongly recommend you begin the process to obtain it. If approved, it will represent to you found advertising dollars.

Often running more than one mission-driven program, nonprofits would agree that assistance for their own organizations is hard to come by, but very rewarding when they do receive it. Here's a karma-filled story from Heaven's Helpers, one of our latest nonprofit member organizations.

Since February 2007, Heaven’s Helpers has been committed to providing a hand to those facing a crisis or extreme poverty. We recycle clothes, linens, household items and furniture and donate them to clients referred to us by social services agencies, churches and schools.

One of our current projects is a program for kids and teens called “Got Your Back”. All children and adolescents who have been removed from their homes due to fire, natural disaster, domestic violence, or were placed into foster care receive a backpack filled with clothes, underwear, pajamas, a book, and a stuffed animal.

We are also launching a program for women returning to the workforce and unable to afford interview clothes. Each participant receives one interview-appropriate outfit, including purse, shoes and other accessories. After she successfully finds a job, she is given four additional work appropriate outfits.

We received our own donation and help through the Grassroots.org Toolbox, Heaven’s Helpers was able to create a manageable site using the web builder and through collaborating with Southeastern Louisiana University’s web design students. This partnership gave students hands-on experience with designing a professional website, and we look forward to using more resources and collaborating to further develop our online fan base!

Visit our site to find more information!

Jenice Heiman
Volunteer Director
[email protected]

As one of our African nonprofit members, HOPE Children's Foundation Africa is educating Ugandan youth as well as the online community with their site. Read their guest post below to find out how.

Hope Children's Foundation Africa is a charitable organization in the Kawempe Division of Kampala, Uganda. Our vision is to support the health, education and safety of the orphans, widows and other vulnerable groups in surrounding communities. We also have an international team working hard to ensure the charity extends support to African communities in Canada and the UK.

HCAF's most popular program is the Education Support Program that assists children in these African communities. Most families in Kawempe face extreme poverty, and there is a high level of HIV/AIDS. We believe every child has a right to an education, because through basic education families are empowered to improve their quality of life and develop their communities. HCFA assists children of Kawempe by sponsoring their entire educational experience. We currently have 100 children participating in our Education Support Program, and 79 of them are attending school and being supported with other free scholastic needs. We’re working on finding sponsorships for the remaining 21 children in our program. A donation of $60 sponsors one child through an entire semester of education (4 months), including school fees, materials, uniforms and school meals.

Grassroots.org's Toolbox provided us an opportunity to present our work online, which essentially educates and attracts potential supporters worldwide. Most recently, we connected with a Grassroots.org volunteer to help design a website for our new volunteer initiative that aims to match our own volunteers at work sites all over Uganda.

We extend our thanks to the Grassroots.org team for the wonderful services they are providing to our communities!

Ochieng Kennedy, Vice-chairman
Catherine Oliver, Project Manager
HOPE Children's Foundation Africa
www.hcfafrica.org

Our latest video is a thoughtful theory of how change comes from within the family structure. Watch as Alim Muhammed lists the steps it takes to make some real shifts as he uses sports to reach the youth in the Los Angeles area.

Alim Muhammed was born in Los Angeles, CA and currently a single father of his daughter Sumayyah and son Ayinde. In 1994, Alim founded Smiley’s Bookstore in Carson, CA. Immediately after launching the store, he self-published the “Science of 7” in 1995. Alim is a motivational speaker, health consultant and metaphysician with 30 years of experience working with inner-city youth in LA. Most recently, he formed the nonprofit, 3-D Sports Academy, which uses sports as a tool to reach the family structure by placing an athlete in a unique sports environment that provides skills beyond the athletic world. Along with his work at 3-D Sports Academy, Alim also published “The Spiritual and Mental Dimensions of Basketball” that same year.

Email Alim Muhammed for more information on 3-D Sports Academy!

Don’t miss the technology and nonprofit news that everyone’s buzzing about. From the super-useful to the sort of weird, we round up the week’s most retweeted stories every Friday.

Want these updates in real time? Follow us on Twitter.

Are you tuned in to your social media? Mashable explains how you can be all ears in 10 easy steps.

WildApricot is back with August's free nonprofit webinars. With over 40 this month, be sure to squeeze in at least one!

A newly released framework from Microsoft UP will help battle any resistance to adopting technology at your nonprofit.

If you're feeling indecisive when it comes to social media, download a free copy of this must-have guide from Idealware.

And if you're still unsure, join these free Social Media 101 webinars sponsored by Small Act for some live advice!

Photo courtesy of Kate Ter Haar, Flickr.

Whether you're new to social media or simply need a refresher of the basics, Small Act is sponsoring a series of free webinars to Grassroots.org members to help you brush up! During this entire month Small Act, the creator of Thrive, a tool that recently landed Grassroots.org’s Tool of the Week award, will hold one free webinar a week on Social Media 101.

Interested in attending? Check the schedule below and click a date to register:

• Wednesday, Aug 4, 2010 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EDT
• Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT
• Thursday, Aug 19, 2010 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT

Space is limited and exclusive to Grassroots.org members only, so snag a spot and join us!

Non-members can apply to Grassroots.org via our online application.

Our July Member of the Month recently launched their new site to better reflect their mission, with help from Grassroots.org Volunteer, Laura Moore of Smallest Decisions. As “a grassroots all-female nonprofit theater company”, Shakespeare’s Sister addresses global issues through productions and embraces social change serving the low-income populations within communities. Their commitment to unite actresses and female directors to produce great new plays and established theatrical works is displayed in their newly created site layout.

Previously a participant of our Faces of Change video series, Artistic Director Kris Lundberg worked with Laura to design something that spotlights their events and engages the community. In addition to professional productions, they have launched an arts advocacy campaign in taking the arts to the shelters. The organization’s Women's Theater Workshop has already had a high success rate in women's shelters. It's focus is to take the skills these women already have and innately possess, strengthen their voices and prepare them for their permanent housing interviews and re-entry into the workforce. Also, their Children's Puppetry Workshop teaches underserved children the elements of story structure through characters they create in the stories they write. Check out more on their brand-new website!

If you've ever felt the need for a social media tool specific to nonprofits, this week's review on Thrive offers a solution and reveals why nonprofits have different social media goals and needs.

As always, our list of web development best practices grows with each new tool we discover! Check the archives for our previous reviews.

What kind of tool is Thrive?
As a “one-stop shop that simplifies, organizes and measures your social media efforts," Thrive manages your social networks while attracting supporters and donors to your cause.

Created by Small Act, a company dedicated to helping nonprofits "make a big impact in social media," Thrive’s user-friendly hub streamlines your efforts. Similar to other tools, you control when you Tweet or update your status on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube (other networks coming soon), target and engage those who care about your work and receive stats on all accounts.

Small Act understands that social media should be about engaging your followers, fans and friends, and that cultivating these authentic relationships helps recruit donors and advocates. That's why Thrive boasts features that sets it apart from other social media tools. With it, you can engage and understand your fan base by viewing entire conversation histories while checking for complete contact and demographic information.

How has Grassroots.org used Thrive?
You may have noticed our latest Tweets or Facebook updates being “sent from Thrive”. We’ve been using it to update our own social media networks and checking how many of you actually click our links! Don’t worry, we only check these stats and browse for relevant nonprofit news to understand how to best deliver useful content to you.

All this is possible through Thrive, but we especially love the ability to tag and write notes about our contacts based on our interactions with them. Doing this recently helped us locate new nonprofits and technology experts!

How should my nonprofit use Thrive?
Geared towards nonprofits, Thrive features granular scheduling, keyword search capability, contact management with tagging and in-depth reporting. What does all this mean?

Use Thrive to help you schedule posts and check all incoming messages, replies, mentions simultaneously. Keep an eye on who is posting what and read the latest #nptech or “education” Tweets. Pinpoint your superfans or donors by organizing your contacts list and tagging them. And with Thrive, there’s no excuse to not know how many people your posts reach every week.

How can my nonprofit sign up for Thrive?
Tell SmallAct about your current social media situation for a free trial of Thrive. Complete this form to start making your big impact in social media. While you're there, sign up for a free demo of the tool in action!

Don't miss out on GrassrootsCamp's free Meetup on SEO tomorrow! We're presenting as co-hosts of the event and invite everyone n the tri-state NYC area to sign up. There are only a few seats left so RSVP to attend and learn some Search Engine Optimization tips!

When: Wednesday, July 7 (starts at 7 PM)
Where: Merc Bar, 151 Mercer St New York, NY 10012 (Back private room)
How: Learn more or RSVP on GrassrootsCamp's website

Since 1995, Alexander Lee has been working to green up your laundry habits as the Founder and Executive Director of Project Laundry List. With a recent appearance on the Stephen Colbert Show and a previous feature in Time Magazine, the nonprofit's successful strategic plan and effective use of technology to promote their cause earned them Grassroots.org's June Member of the Month award!

Initially a student organization project at Middlebury College, Project Laundry List advocates for line drying and cold water washing cycles in an effort to reduce energy consumption. Though the nonprofit has never operated on a robust budget, they continue to land significant media coverage and secure key partnerships, proving that small or medium-sized nonprofits can make a large impact too. PLL's site design reflects their level of professionalism and transparency; scanning the homepage's stunning graphics and direct links, visitors instantly gain an understanding of the organization. Most importantly, their homepage piques enough interest by encouraging visitors to start by calculating their clothing care costs.

Most recently, the nonprofit started using the Toolbox's Language Translation tool and is working with volunteer designer, Stefania, to create a T-shirt design for upcoming online store initiatives. Summer's arrival leaves little excuse for not line drying your clothes--check out Project Laundry List's site to learn how you can start!