The pdf below contains an overview of our website traffic for 2013, beginning in April when I set up the Google Analytics tracking code. I'll be talking with Gary about how we can leverage this information with potential business sponsors and members.  

From April through Dec 2013, we had:

• 12,080 unique visitors making 18,559 visits, viewing a total of 35,930 pages
• About 35% of our visitors are repeat visitors. 
• The most traffic by far in May, corresponding to Bike to Work Day
  
• The top 4 locations for our visitors are Hartford, West Hartford, New Haven, then New York.
• The 5 most visited pages, after the home page, were Discover Hartford, Bike to Work, News, and BTW Event Locations.  
• The individual membership and join pages combined would rank in the top 5 or 6 most viewed pages. (The individual membership page was created separately after we launched our business membership program.)

One big reason for our branding work is to position ourselves better to expand our base of members, donors and sponsors. 

As we starting framing what we do in ways that resonate better with more people, we'll also be taking a look at our financing systems.  Donor (and member) retention is a key factor to focus on. 

Here's a useful one pager from Network for Good about laying the groundwork for donor retention. Highlighted text indicates areas where we need to improve.  Please take a look! (Click to read)

A cycling enthusiast who is a nonprofit director and recent transplant from Massachusetts recommended "The Agitator" as an excellent source for nonprofit marketing and fundraising practices.   The article below is good fodder for us to begin the year with a cohesive fundraising strategy. 

The article notes key indicators for nonprofit performance, what they mean for the organization, and how to start thinking about improving them.  The indicators apply to members as well as donors.

• Lifetime Value of Your Donors [and Members]
  
• New Donor, New Member and Existing Donor & Member Retention Rates
  
• Second Gift Conversion
  
• Upgrading/Downgrading/Revenue Trends
  
• Lapsed Donor/Member Reactivation
  

Please read on for details ...
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Old Year Numbers For New Year Decisions

Posted By Roger Craver On January 9, 2014

It’s fashionable these days for many nonprofit fundraisers and their consultants to claim they’re ‘data-driven’. Problem is, most focus on the ‘data’ part of the slogan; few understand the requirements of the second word — ‘driven’.

I’m making this observation again at the start of the year because if you haven’t already done so, now is the time you should have some Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) from 2013 in hand to drive your 2014 actions.

Here are my candidates for a basic set of 2013 KPIs every fundraiser needs.

• Lifetime Value of Your Donors. You’ll need this fundamental and critically important metric both for setting goals for 2014, and again, for measuring how well you did in lifting value in 2014.

[Tip: If you or your consultants want to be rewarded on performance, this is the metric that ultimately matters. It’s a mystery to me why most organizations don’t set this as the basic performance standard. Almost anyone with electricity can figure out what to print and mail, sign a purchase order or run a spreadsheet. Few understand that improving value is the ultimate test ... to say nothing of how to do it.]

• New Donor and Existing Donor Retention Rates. No use pouring in all those acquisition dollars only to have them flow out the bottom of a leaky retention bucket.

• Second Gift Conversion. How long did it take and how many first-time givers make that all-important 2nd gift — a sure-fire harbinger of retention and, ultimately, Lifetime Value. What steps did you take in 2013 and what are you going to do differently in 2014 to up the number of new donors making a 2nd gift?

• Upgrading/Downgrading/Revenue Trends. How did you do in 2013 compared to 2012, and what different or additional actions will you take in 2014 to drive the trend lines up? [Our 2013 revenues increased 27% over our 2012 revenues.]

• Lapsed Donor Reactivation. Every organization has some leaks in their retention bucket, but few pay as much sophisticated attention to re-capturing/restoring donors to active and continuing involvement and commitment. Here’s a great KPI for perhaps thinking about how better spend some of your acquisition budget.

No matter how you get the essential performance indicators for 2013, please get them ASAP. Then, go to work immediately using this information to help plan, steer and drive your 2014 results and make it the best year ever.