In India, one of the pioneers in raising resources online is Greenpeace India. Vivek Sharma, who heads online campaigning for Greenpeace, shares the organisation’s Experience

How many online campaigns have you run and what has the success rate been?

Through our online campaigning work we further the overall Greenpeace objectives to protect our climate system by spotlighting dangers of coal and nukes on the one hand and advocating clean solutions like renewable energy on the other. We work to protect our oceans and are asking for marine reserves and we fight to protect our food by advocating for sustainable agriculture practices and opposition to genetic engineering.

Specific online campaign ‘issues’ fall under this broad umbrella and our supporter, therefore, gets to participate in a very specific ask from us; like, say no to the nukes liability Bill or join us to oppose the tabling of the Bt Brinjal approval process.

We are constantly testing campaigns and it is very difficult to define success in our case, since there are multiple benefits. Since we do not go through acost-accounting process, the intangibles are not accounted for, though we know they are significant. For example, how will one quantify the support of

2,50,000 people, built entirely online, who stand with us against the nukes issue? There is no donor component here, but we’d consider this a success.

Which types of audience are targeted for online giving and are there any season(s) in a year where the giving through online is more effective? Examples, festivals or the pre-tax period...

Clearly, one must have access to a computer to be a participant in our online campaigning. So, being educated and reasonably affluent becomes a filter. Then there is the mode – email or social media and people tend to respond to both modes differently because of the nature of the engagement process.

We have not yet linked our ‘ask’ to festivals and the pre-tax period. This is something we hope to experiment with soon.

Our understanding is that people support us with their money after they are convinced that we represent a worthwhile issue that matters to them and they feel sufficiently inspired by our work to support it with their money.

What are the methods/ tools used to encourage people to donate online? Like social networking, print media, etc...

A secure payment gateway is the key. Confidence in the brand proposition and clarity about what the brand promises is another. We do not use print media.

What does one do after receipt of donation online? How do you communicate with the donor who has contributed to a campaign?

Our online model is the reverse! We share and communicate the campaign with potential supporters and a section of those get to know of our work through that process and is therefore willing to support us with their money. So it is ‘know us and then give us your support’ followed by a continuous (hopefully) vitreous cycle of deeper involvement with us. It is very important to us that large numbers of people support our work and we acknowledge that only a much smaller section will convert that support to financial donation. It is a ladder up ways, and we try to take them through that journey with us.

What are the five common myths about online giving?

Our understanding is that the online giving phenomenon is too new in the country for myths to have built up. The real challenges are bigger than the myth. For example, the payment gateways remain a huge challenge. Though, one myth is that people will give you money only once.

What kind of resources do you require to run a successful online campaign including human

resources?

Ability to tell a great story in a simple way – that’s a pre-requisite. The campaign must be inspiring. Our team, led by a team leader comprises; a writer who is the interface with the world, a web projects officer incharge of technical back-end work, a data analyst who reads numbers, a social media co-ordinator and a web designer.

How do you see the future of online giving as a method for communication and fundraising? What are its benefits?

It is a dynamic world where hard-fought success can be wiped out overnight if one does not stay abreast of technology. From Google’s priority inbox to the surge of FaceBook in India vis a viz Orkut, it is all happening quickly. One has to keep an eye open for opportunities and challenges on a daily basis and try to be on the right side of the trend. For example, what should one do with the emergence of the tablet and the apps-driven phenomenon?

Efficiency is the key of benefit and so is the ability to respond with speed to changes in the external world. After all, our work is situated in the context of the external political reality and we work to influence change for the better with the support of people. As more andmore people (and this will only increase exponentially) move to the online world and make it their primary medium, our outreach increases. In a nut shell, the cost of mobilising a significant number of people online is much lower than attempting that task offline.

Do you notice any difference between how online campaigning is done in India and from the economically development word that is Europe and US? If so, what?

The penetration of the Internet as a percentage of the population is different and within that, one has additional constraints of the dialup/ broadband here in India so the use of heavy images and video has to be really judicious. This is, however, quickly changing with smart mobile phones.