Latest / The Nonprofit Podcast / Ep 182| The truth about nonprofit online presence nobody tells you!

Transcript

Ep 182| The truth about nonprofit online presence nobody tells you! · The Nonprofit Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: When is the last time you search your nonprofit's name online?
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_01: Most of us don't do that very often, but it might surprise you what shows up when you do.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_01: Old event listings, outdated contact info, or donation pages you didn't create can still appear in search results.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: The Nonprofit Podcast, powered by DonorBucks.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Jenna Lynch, Education and Community Engagement Manager here at DonorBox.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_01: Each week we share practical information, clear insights, and inspiration to help you raise more, reach further, and drive real results to take your nonprofit to the next level.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: Last week, around 1.4 million nonprofits discovered that a third-party fundraising platform had helpfully set up fundraising pages for them without their consent.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_01: It wasn't a scam, but it was unexpected, and it upset some folks, and it raised an important reminder for all of us.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_01: Your organization's data, like your EIN, name, logo, and mission statement, already lives in many, many public online places.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_01: Some of that is helpful.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: It builds transparency, gives you visibility, but sometimes it means your organization appears online in ways you didn't plan.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: And here's the twist AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity are now deciding what people see first about your nonprofit.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: If what's online about you isn't accurate or controlled by you, it's not just a branding issue anymore, it's a visibility issue.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: So today we're talking about how to see what's out there, why it matters for your year-end campaign, and how to make sure you fully own your fundraising process and donor relationships.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_01: Every nonprofit has a digital trail.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_01: Some of it you built and some of it just kind of appeared.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_01: Sites like Candid, Charity Navigator, and Great Nonprofits automatically publish your organization's information.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: That's part of transparency, which is good, right?
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: But that data doesn't stay in one place.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_01: It gets picked up by search engines, shared on other sites, and sometimes used to create donation pages you didn't actually want.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_01: Now, most of this isn't harmful, but it can lead to confusion.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: A donor searches your name, finds three different donation links, and thinks, wait, which one's real?
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: And you want that answer to be crystal clear.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: In our earlier AI visibility episode, Raj Hegday put it perfectly.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: He said, We're moving from searching to asking.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: Donors aren't typing keywords anymore.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_01: They're asking AI tools for the best nonprofits to support or the most impactful food pantries near me.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_01: These tools then choose who shows up.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: And if your data isn't structured or trusted, you might be invisible.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_01: Y'all, that's the new landscape.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: AI tools pull from structured data, directories, and verified mentions to decide which nonprofits appear in their results.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: So if there's an outdated or unauthorized page floating around, it's not just confusing your donors, it's confusing the AI that's now shaping how donors find you.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_01: And that's why owning all of your fundraising assets, your fundraising process, and your donor relationships is so important.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: You should know exactly where your pages live, who's giving through them, and how you're following up.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: When you have control of your donation forms, your data, your communications, you can make sure every single supporter's experience feels like it's coming directly from you because it is, and not a third-party website.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: And that's how you build trust that lasts beyond a single gift.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: So, how do you actually check your digital footprint?
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: Start by Googling your organization's name.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_01: It's that simple.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_01: Test out a few different ways to search.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: So use your organization's full fancy name, your acronym, or whatever nickname people use when they talk about you, and then scroll through the first couple of pages and just see what's out there.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: Hopefully, your organization's official website shows up first, followed by your social media and any press releases that you may have, but you might also see old campaigns, directories, and donation listings that haven't been touched in years, or maybe pages that you didn't even create yourself.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: And if something looks off, don't panic.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: This is what you can do in most cases.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_01: So start with your official profiles.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: Candid and Charity Navigator both let you claim your listing for free.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: And once you do, you can edit your mission statement, update your links, and make sure everything points to your current site.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: Next, if you find a page on a third-party platform that isn't yours, just look for a claim page or contact support form.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: Most sites like GoFundMe or Facebook fundraisers let nonprofits verify or remove listings by providing their EIN and their official contact info, and they usually handle it pretty quickly.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: If it's an old campaign that is yours, however, but no longer relevant, just decide whether you want to archive or update it.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: Outdated donation pages can confuse donors and definitely hurt your SEO.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: So it's better to either redirect them to your current campaign or just take them down completely.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: And then finally, you want to make sure your donation links are consistent everywhere.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: So your website, your social media, your email signature, your blog articles, your press releases, all of those need to have the same link.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: When donors see consistency, they know it's official.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: And that means that your staff needs to make sure that they have the same link in all of their email signatures and communications as well.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: And then next, do a quick AI visibility check.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: Open Chat GPT, Gemini, or Perplexity and ask what are the best nonprofits supporting XYZ cause, so that's your cause, and XYZ City, so that's your city.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: See if your organization shows up.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_01: And if it doesn't, note which ones do and where they're showing up and see how you can get your information up there and current.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: This simple audit helps AI tools learn who you are and where you belong in your general cause area.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: And if you want to take it a step further, make sure your website is feeding accurate data to those tools.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: The easiest way to do that is by adding a basic schema markup.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: And I know that sounds fancy and techie, but it's just a small bit of code that helps AI and search engines recognize your mission, your impact, and the contact details correctly.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I'll share some more helpful resources on that as we're wrapping up the episode.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_01: Don't worry.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: All this being said, why does this matter now?
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: Why do you want to fuss with this as you're gearing up for your year-end campaign?
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: Well, now's the perfect time, if not the most necessary time to do it, because year end is when everyone is looking for you.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: Hopefully they're looking for you.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: Donors are searching your name to double check where to give.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: New supporters are Googling your cause or causes similar to yours.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: And if what they find is clear, it's professional, it's current, it's consistent, they are much more likely to click your donate button.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: And if they find mixed messages, right?
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: An outdated campaign or a confusing listing, they might hesitate.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: And in fundraising, hesitation for sure kills momentum.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: And you only get one chance at a first impression.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_01: So make sure that it's a good one.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: So before your URL campaign launches, take a little time to make sure your online presence is nice and tidy, refresh your homepage with your campaign theme, check that your donation button actually works on mobile, double check all of your URLs, and also remember that AI tools are indexing fresh data constantly.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: If your information is recent, it's consistent, and it's verified, you'll show up in more of those AI-driven discovery moments where donors are deciding who to trust and who to fund.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: This is one of those behind-the-scenes tasks that nobody talks about, but it can really make a big difference in your results.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, once you've done all of this, keeping up your digital footprint is easy.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_01: Set a reminder to check it twice a year.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: Or, you know, better yet, quarterly.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_01: Why not, right?
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_01: You can also set up Google alerts for your organization's name and EIN.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: And that way you'll get an email anytime something new appears online about your organization.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: And if you have a team, share the responsibility.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: One person can check directories, another one can look at AI and search results, someone else reviews your campaigns.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_01: It should not and does not take long, and it keeps your presence consistent and trustworthy across all the platforms and tools, human and AI.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: Now, you can't control everything that happens online, but you can make sure that the story people find about your organization is accurate and easy to trust.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: Before your year-end campaign takes off, give your nonprofit a quick search, fix what's outdated, remove what's not accurate, and make sure your official donation page is front and center.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_01: And if you want help improving your visibility online, we have a free resource for that.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: The AI Visibility Checklist for Nonprofits walks you through quick ways to make your organization more discoverable and credible online.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: And it's such a great and helpful resource.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: You can also go back and listen to episode 165 of the nonprofit podcast titled Why AI Visibility Matters for Nonprofits.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: It's a great follow-up to this conversation and digs deeper into how your online visibility connects to donor trust and search performance.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_01: You can find both of those resources linked in the show notes.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for being part of the Nonprofit Podcast community.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: Your work matters, and we are honored to support it.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: If you enjoyed this episode, share it, leave a review, or subscribe to our YouTube channel.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: Until next time, take that first step and stay inspired.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: That warm feeling when you help someone, it's not just happiness, it's fulfillment.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: And we believe it should be available to everyone.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: From frontline heroes to first time fundraisers.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: Our tools empower you to help others.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: This is our mission.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: This is DonorBox, helping you help others.