Happy (belated) Mother's Day to all those moms out there!

With help from my colleagues I just did a quick roundup of some great Mother’s Day email and web campaigns that organizations used to encourage engagement around the holiday. 

Here’s the quick summary with links to examples.  Post your ideas and additional campaigns in the comments.

Create a Mother’s Day Campaign Site
The Ploughshares Fund created a great Mother’s Day Campaign Site with landing pages, content and rich imagery that asks visitors to honor their mothers by giving the gift of peace.

Tie American Mother’s Day to Issues of Mothers Around the World
The International Rescue Committee ran an email campaign that encouraged people to consider making a donation to honor “mothers and their families who are caught in the crossfire of conflict.”

CARE ran an email campaign with similar messaging that led to a strong donation form allowing people to send their mothers CARE-themed eCards after donating.

Encourage People to Act in Honor of Strong Women in THEIR Lives
Planned Parenthood ran an email campaign that leveraged the notion of intergenerational strength to encourage donations.

Appeal with Celebrities Talking About their Mothers
Susan J. Komen Foundation’s Policy Alliance sent an email campaign featuring actor Ricardo Chavira who lost his mother to breast and cervical cancer when he was 16 years old.  In the email donors are directed to take action on an advocacy campaign encouraging Congress to create a special cancer coin. 

Market Gifts that Give Back to the Organization
Save the Children ran an email campaign to encourage people to buy Save the Children themed roses or bracelet to honor their mothers and support the organization.

National Public Radio created an online store geared to Mother’s Day gift ideas.  They drove traffic to the store with an email campaign.

One of the things I really love about working with non-profit organizations is their passion. Very few people, if any, get into the non-profit sector because of the big paychecks or the lavish lifestyle. More often than not, the people who are involved in these organizations are there because they really believe in the cause and mission that their organization supports and promotes.

That being said, one thing that often disappoints me with nonprofit organizations is the lack of that passion and conviction in the content on their websites. I have to admit that I am pretty ardent about content, so maybe I'm a harsh critic. However, websites are a visual medium. Not unlike their print-based brethren, they rely heavily on a combination of visual design and content to convey the voice of the organization. When the combination of these two components doesn't accurately represent the organization, the purpose of the website and the mission of the organization is often lost.

Remember that, just like those of you that work for nonprofit organizations, people who donate to and advocate for these organizations are passionate about what the organization is doing, too. So highlight the great things your organization does that differentiates it from other organizations in the same vertical. Talk about who donations help, not just how they are allocated. Share volunteer experiences. Get excited about what you are doing, and spread that excitement all over the content on your site. Get a content strategy together to make sure that what you say on your site represents your organization, not just another website. Your passion and your dedication are important and inspirational - you've got a lot to say, and we want to hear it!

Additional Links
Check out the following links for more information about this topic:
Winning Content Persuades, Not Manipulates
Turn Usable Content into Winning Content

But some of the most interesting developments in the analytics world are actually around qualitative user data, such as that collected through tools called Web Use Recorders. These tools record individual browsing sessions to give you a more qualitative view, from your constituents' perspectives, of your site: where their  attention is drawn, what content is overlooked, how they scan your homepage.

So now what?, you ask. If our traffic data doesn't tell us "why," isn't always accurate, and isn't "just the numbers," why do I analyze this data at all.

The answer: Triangulation with other user research methods and data sources. Traffic data is a critical - but singular - pillar of user research. Without alternative techniques like user interviews or surveys, usability tests or focus groups, even the best-laid plans of metricians and analysts can only answer part of the eternal question:

Who are our constituents, what do they want, and why do they do what they do online?

1. Pick something that reinforces your organization's brand.  If you don't really have a brand or your brand is not a good one, you'll have to start somewhere else.  Your domain name doesn't need to be your organization's name, as long as it reinforces your brand.  Also, avoid using your organization's acronym unless it is your brand, like the World Wildlife Fund at www.wwf.org.  If someone further than 100 miles from your office won't recognize it, neither will anyone in Sandusky (unless of course you're within 100 miles of Sandusky).

Unless your organization's reach is local or regional  and very well known, it's unlikely that your acronym will get people to your site.  Northport Baptist Church at www.nbc.org probably thought it was a good idea to grab what appears to be some good online real estate, but I'd suggest that it's likely a confusing domain name.

2. Pick something meaningful.  The National Trust for Historic Preservation, has launched its new site at www.preservationnation.org.  While it breaks some of the rules mentioned later, it is consistent with its brand and is memorable.

3. Pick something without room for ambiguous interpretation.  Make sure whatever you pick could not possibly be misinterpreted as something else.  What do you think exists at www.denrescue.org?  It's not a wolf advocacy organization, it's the Denver Rescue Mission (which helps people who are experiencing homelessness).  Enough said.

4. Pick something that's not too long.  I think that four syllables should be the max for any domain name.  Preservation Nation (above) breaks that rule, but is otherwise pretty good.  Consider future needs for domain names for your web presence.  If you expect to have affiliate or program elements like ma.easterseals.com or www.jointogether.org/ca/

5. Pick the best real estate you can afford.  For your corporate site, be sure to buy your domain name using the .org top level domain.  The others (like .net, .mobi. and .us) usually aren't great ideas for your main site unless your organization's mission suggests it like Free Press at www.freepress.net. If you have a program site, a .com domain name is often good, like Free Press' other site www.savetheinternet.com.  Be prepared to spend more than the annual domain name registration fee if you need to buy your domain name from someone else who owns it.  I usually won't pay more than $1,000 for a domain name unless it's REALLY key to your web presence.

So those are my rules, anyone want to argue these?