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Did you know TheSite.org was run by a charity?
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in General Chat
Hello :wave:
Here at TheSite Towers we're thinking about how we make YouthNet (the charity behind this website) a bit more visible. If you've got a few minutes it would be great if you could help us out by thinking about the following questions. As people that use the discussion boards your views will be especially useful on this :yes:
A bit of context...
As a charity, our fundraisers are starting to look at how we can raise funds through individual giving. That means the kind of one off or monthly donations that people give to charity - it also includes things like the sponsored marathon events. Lots of charity websites now have a ‘Donate Now’ button somewhere on their websites to make this process easier.
So...
Did you know that TheSite.org (the website these boards are part of) is run by the charity YouthNet? If you do, how did you find out?
Should it be easier for people using TheSite.org and its services to find out more about the charity YouthNet?
How would you feel about having a more prominent or obvious ‘Donate Now’ button on TheSite.org? Where would it be most appropriate to put it?
Thanks in advance
Here at TheSite Towers we're thinking about how we make YouthNet (the charity behind this website) a bit more visible. If you've got a few minutes it would be great if you could help us out by thinking about the following questions. As people that use the discussion boards your views will be especially useful on this :yes:
A bit of context...
As a charity, our fundraisers are starting to look at how we can raise funds through individual giving. That means the kind of one off or monthly donations that people give to charity - it also includes things like the sponsored marathon events. Lots of charity websites now have a ‘Donate Now’ button somewhere on their websites to make this process easier.
So...
Did you know that TheSite.org (the website these boards are part of) is run by the charity YouthNet? If you do, how did you find out?
Should it be easier for people using TheSite.org and its services to find out more about the charity YouthNet?
How would you feel about having a more prominent or obvious ‘Donate Now’ button on TheSite.org? Where would it be most appropriate to put it?
Thanks in advance
0
Comments
I think the main issue for YouthNet is that the YouthNet corporate website is more designed for stakeholders rather than users. The corporate website contains all the boring information about funding partners and company accounts and everything. I'm not sure YouthNet can make the website more accessible for service users without either weakening the website as a corporate marketing tool or weakening the different brands that YouthNet operate. TheSite, Do-It and Lifetracks all have fairly disparate target demographics and I'm honestly not sure that they can be linked.
I think it's a good idea to explain a bit more on TheSite front page about who is behind the charity. It might give the advice some more legitimacy, given how many dodgy websites there are now. But it's a fine line between being legitimate and being a Government mouthpiece (which is where Frank falls down).
I'd be fine with having a more prominent 'donate now' button. I'd have one on the front page, one on the website bumper and maybe even a sticky on the boards. Perhaps some more case studies about what the money gets spent on would help. I like the case studies the Youthnet corporate website has (well, obviously I do;)) but it's not always clear exactly where the cash goes.
I honestly dont think I can expand on what Arctic Roll has posted, apart from that I'm not a case study, but I possibly should be
:yes:deffo!
I did know YouthNet was behind TheSite, but I'm pretty sure it took me quite a long time to realise that. It might well have been the first time I won something and I got the compliments slip in with the package. Up til that point it had never really crossed my mind. I don't think raising the profile of the charity would undermine TheSite at all - if it were a government agency then that would be different and would run the risk of starting to raise doubts as to the validity of what's being said, similar to Frank, but as a charity it's fine.
I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be easier for people to find out more about YouthNet, I only found the corporate website a couple of months back through exploring round the Royal Parks half marathon pages - and I'm probably more inquisitive along those lines than most. You could always do something really simple, like add a link in to the bit at the bottom of the page to where the copywright YouthNet stuff is to the corporate site.
I can't imagine a 'Donate Now' button would get you a massive amount of income, as generally the users of this site probably aren't in general likely to do so mainly because of the demograph and spare cash not often going hand in hand, but I can't see any problem with having one. Don't make it any bigger than the section tabs across the header S&R, H&WB, HL&M etc. Or maybe think about adding an 'About Us' section, with a bit about the Charity, it's aims, it's motivations, who it works with, and how to donate.
(And then there's the whole topic about how long I spent trying to work out who on the boards was the case studies).
It would make it easier for people to want to fundraise for you, as well as wanting to donate.
I guess someone could word it better than me, but im aiming at some form of user empowerment and awareness of what they may have directly contributed to, either by a vote on what to put it towards, or by a thankyou from thesite/youthnet.
For example if you want to buy a new life support machine for a kids hospital ward, and you need £20k (I'm making up numbers) it gives people something a) they can relate to, a lot of people have children b) a quantifiable amount to aim for (I'm making up a set part of a whole, not abottomless pit) and c) gives people an idea of the kin dof work you're doing and helps them get excited.
Just an idea.
http://www.youthnet.org/support-us/donate-now/
:yes: I'm more likely to donate if I know what exactly this money is going towards.
E.g 'For £x we can answer x number of askTheSite questions', or 'for £x we can reach x number of young people through live chat sessions' - that kind of thing?
Thanks for all your replies so far - just thought I'd bump this to see if anyone else had any other thoughts?
:thumb:
I'm just trying to say you need to sell yourself like the african famine charities do, like £x's buys x vaccinations etc. Maybe not that drastic or anything, but try and break down recent projects undertaken and stuff like that and attempt to quantify it.