Profile Mistakes To Avoid
First impressions are vital to successful fundraising. You’ve only got a few seconds to catch a Donor’s attention. Make sure you avoid these common mistakes:
>Avoid sloppy, long, desperate sounding requests
Keep the request section of your profile short, clear and concise. It’s important to remember that you only have a few seconds to catch a donor’s attention. When editing your profile keep in mind donors want to know what happened and what you need, cut out all the fluff and keep it simple 
>Avoid using an impersonal profile name
From experience we’ve found that real names are more effective than impersonal nicknames. Real names encourage Donors by making them feel as though they are donating to a real person
>Avoid a common or desperate sounding headline
Your headline is a hook that captures attention and draws people into your profile, so make it catchy. Avoid desperate pleas and begging for help!
>Avoid generic profile pictures
Photos should be of yourself and/or family. Avoid using pictures of inanimate objects, animals or logos etc. Remember the more pictures the better! Don’t forget, Donors prefer to feel as though they are connecting with a real human being
>Avoid a long and rambling Biography
Your biography is a description or account of your life which include aspects of your life experiences, personality, work, education and family. Don’t go overboard on your biography. Provide enough information so that readers have a general idea of who you are. Make sure you check for spelling and grammatical errors! Sloppy biographies are annoying and often dismissed by readers!
>Avoid spelling and grammatical errors
Carefully proof read your biography, story and request section. Errors are distracting and Donors are far less likely to read poorly written profiles. Moreover, sloppy profiles turn Donors away.
We’d love your feedback!
- What are some ways that you can improve your profile and stand out to Donors?
Tags: profile mistakes to avoid, profile tips
30. July 2009 at 1:02 am :
You could write in your journal, that is a great way to make your profile stand out. It lets people know who you are. Also fill out the profile questions, making your profile more complete. I include a link to my blog in my journal also. : )
30. July 2009 at 2:42 am :
In addition to Penelope’s suggestions all of which I agree with I think adding good photos, a good PERSONAL video (not something you pick up from youtube, but something you have put out there) and links to your blogs, social sites etc are good to include. Let donors see you, hear you, learn about you in other settings where you have let down your guard a bit and are more casual…more yourself. I think a donor needs to see more than just a cry for help, they need to see the whole person and family behind the application. Even if they never do go visit your sites, just the offer is enough to say…hey come check me out.
30. July 2009 at 3:00 am :
I think donors have different qualities within, So profile must not too short, and not too long and very detail, proper vocabulary.
I also strongly believed in showing pictures of who you are on your profile. Donors want to see actual pictures of a person animal or pet, before making donation in most and all cases.
Dont be too sympathetic when explaining your cause, just make it very eye catching and keep it real.
Always make it clear to donors, the charity foundation you are affiliated with or member of MG.
30. July 2009 at 3:19 am :
Great suggestions Jamel, I agree
30. July 2009 at 1:56 pm :
I am aware my profile is not at a level that justify me , but we must take into consideration that we are still learning all the basic about online charity fundraiser.so that a area where as every time you go online, you try to do all the exploration that technology offer about online charity fundraiser on all these different portal websites.
Donors are very skeptical and are sometimes open minded, so we cannot be over aggressive when asking for a donation.
Show your appreciation and gratitude to all donors, even if a donor visit your profile and do not make a donation, send that person a thank you message to let them knows that friendship sometimes worth more than money.
31. July 2009 at 8:51 pm :
We knows donors are from all different ethnic background with different views, so i think profiles should have a litte of every thing about who you are, your state of mind, what you represent, and your feelings thoughts towards donors.
We must all bear in mind that donors do their background check online, and not personally in most cases.
A transparent and breif detail background history is always good for your profile for donors to see, express your thoughts and feeling about others in needs, try also to let donors see a first great impression of you when they click on your profile.
2. August 2009 at 1:59 am :
I think your profile’s great Jamal, just keep working on it like you like it to be. Great suggestions Becky, a personal video is a great idea. I was planning to do that once we start our build on my wheelchair-accessible house. I think it will show everybody exactly what their donations are going towards, and theywould feel involved in the process more. I hate that you had some bad feedback from some, but your right trying to raise donations when your disabled isn’t easy and I didn’t have anybody say anything negative to me personally but that doesn’t mean they weren’t mad about it in secret.
To be honest I didn’t decide to raise donations becuase I wanted others to help build me a house, I did it because I found myself in this bad situation and I couldn’t just do nothing about it, that’s not the kind of person I am, just to roll up in a ball, feel sorry for myself and do nothing.
Traditionally I would have gone to work to change my situation but I found myself unable to work for the first time in my life,and it’s a big adjustment.
But I truly didn’t decide to give it a go until I saw a disabled friend of mine raise donations for a computer and succeed. I thought to myself if he can do it, then so can I. My first step was to ask for donations on my profile at Disabled-World, but before I did that I made sure to ask the creator of the website if I could ask for donations on my profile. He was so helpful, he encouraged me to write my disability story and post it as well, he also helped with starting my house fund with a contribution of his own. His contribution really inspired me to never give up and to do more and start a blog, get my story out there even more. I wasn’t sure how much I would raise or even if I would raise any donations at all, but I thought any amount would help. So I was hopeful and I decided to set some goals, it takes time, it takes patience, often their are times when I don’t get any donations, but I try to stay positive and just continue to do the work because I am really determined.
I know your probably the same kind of person Becky and Jamal, you can’t just do nothing, you have to try no matter what any one says. Good luck to all that are trying to raise donations.
2. August 2009 at 7:17 am :
Penelope, in reading about your story, I wonder if you got such a good reception because you did publish first on Disabled World where of course everyone there understands the kind of life a disabled person faces. They would know of course that all the government and social programs people think are available for the disabled are not what they appear. People can grasp and understand your situation and perhaps that is why they were so willing to help you?
What are your thoughts on that?
Do you find a difference in promoting your need on Disabled World compared to any other site?
31. December 2009 at 1:37 am :
Umm, yes, Rayhawk. I feel a great deal of emotional support from Disabled-world for my fundraising compared as to Myspace. Disabled-world did seem to understand better my situation and want to help. It was nice to have a place like that to start out my donations with rather than just start out with myspace with family and friends. But, . . . I did a LOT of hard work, writing my porphyria story, researching my rare disorder, sending in documentations to verify my story and I sent out a donation email to all my friends and family after I got my contribution from Disabled-world.com(therefore I feel like I’ve earned them when I do get donations).
My friends and family were all hurting thenselves and having babies, so no one could donate, unfortunetly. I understand this very well, which is why I came to microgiving to help with my fundraising.