•
The internet consists of an infinite number of websites and web pages all competing against one another for attention. Your headline is one of the most important ways to attract interest and inspire visitors to give your profile page the time of day. Here are a few tips to help you create a great profile headline!
Make it unique
There are hundreds of people who have needs just like you. Consider what makes your situation unique and different from all the rest. For example, let’s say you recently lost your job. Being laid off work is not enough to compel interest as many people lose their job. However, let’s say you recently lost your job just in time for an unexpected emergency that knocked your socks off! A bad headline would sound something like this “Lost my job, need help”. A unique headline would sound something like this “Lost job in time for sudden medical emergency, drowning under bills”.
Make it memorable
Incorporate personality and flavor into your profile headline. Give your profile headline a voice! Here’s a great example of an impactful headline that one of our members uses: “Sometimes you give a little, sometimes you need a little”!
Be descriptive
The purpose of your headline is to communicate the nature of your profile. Avoid being ambiguous about your need such as, “Desperately in need of help?” Help for what? Be specific about your situation. For example, “Single mother of three boys recently lost job”, or “Unexpected medical emergency, now struggling to make ends meet”
Your headline can either make or break the success of your profile. Make sure your profile headline is different, catchy and provides enough information to visitors about the nature of your need. For more profile tips be sure to check out our previous post, The Power of Pictures!
Do you have any creative suggestions? We’d love to hear from you… please share your brainstorming ideas here!
Tags:
headline,
profile tips
•
We noticed that many of our members fail to take advantage of their photo album. Pictures are your most powerful asset and can speak volumes more than anything you write on your profile. Why are pictures so powerful? Pictures are great because they’re engaging and they put a real human face to your profile. Donors in particular want to feel as though they are connecting with a real human being, not a computer screen. In fact, we’ve found from experience that Recipients who post pictures on their profile are 100% more successful at fund raising than those who do not post any pictures. Here are a few tips to consider when uploading photos to the media section in your profile:
1. Post clear pictures
There’s nothing worse than a blurry profile picture! Make sure that your profile picture is clear and you can be easily identified. Avoid using pictures that have been taken too far away, or where your back is to the camera, or even worse… half your face is missing from the picture altogether!
2. Avoid posting pictures of inanimate objects, scenery, or logos
Objects, scenic landscapes and/or logos are very impersonal. People can’t connect or relate to pictures such as these. Avoid them at all costs. Donors want to connect with real people, not a scenic pond or Pizza Hut!
3. Post tasteful pictures
Select your profile pictures carefully. The pictures you choose to share with the community can seriously make or break your chances of successfully fund raising. Consider what your profile pictures communicate. Donors are less likely to donate to a Recipient who does not take their profile pictures seriously. The best types of photos are family-centric and communicate sympathy. Often the best pictures conjure up feelings of emotion such as a photo of the whole family together including Rover!
4. Post lots of pictures!
The more pictures you post of yourself and family, the more insight you provide viewers. When Donors can view pictures of your whole family, your trip to the Grand Canyon, your son’s 2 year birthday and last year’s Memorial Day picnic with Aunt Sue… they feel as though they know you better. Pictures really do speak a thousand words!
We’d love to hear from you, what are some other tips to improve your profile?
Tags:
pictures,
profile tips
•
Happy Friday everyone! Just touching base regarding a few things in our community:
Firstly, we’d like to thank all of you who have responded to our profile tips. We’re noticing that many of you are posting pictures, updating your biographies, changing your headlines and completing your requests! Nice turn around peoples, nice! Our site is slowly coming together with your help. By ensuring that your profile is completed, you help us make our site more appealing to newcomers.
Secondly, you may notice that every month we feature three new members on our home page. We choose these guys specifically because they’ve done an excellent job on their profile and detailing a clear and to-the-point Request. If you’d like to see yourself on the front page of MicroGiving – make sure that you send in your supporting docs, that your documents support the Request you make, upload a nice, smiling mug shot of yourself (or your family if you prefer), include lots of great pictures in your photo album, complete your bios, and be sure to include a catchy headline!
Thirdly, we’d like to congratulate Rayhawk one last time. Rayhawk is our latest addition to the MicroGiving Team. For those of you who didn’t get a chance to read our Newsletter posted last Wednesday – Rayhawk is our Official Community Leader. You can go to Rayhawk with questions, concerns, or any suggestions that you have. We’re very pleased to have her officially aboard =)
Fourthly, we realize some of you are having difficulty knowing what to send us regarding your supporting docs. All we need are items that can prove your need is legit! For example, if you have a medical expense… send us a letter from your doctor verifying your medical need. If your roof is leaking, send us pictures of the damage. Everything you need to know is detailed in our FAQ section, which we encourage you to read. To learn more about the kinds of documents to send us, check out our FAQ!
Last, we’re putting together a testimonials page. If you’d like to be included drop us a message at support and tell us why you love MicroGiving!
That’s it for now… have a smashing weekend, but don’t get too wild and crazy!
Tags:
profile tips,
rayhawk,
supporting documents,
testimonials,
Updates
•
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