How did you get into the business of financial and fundraising consulting?

I had been involved with business and with non-profits for years - as owner and management. Upon my return to Israel from shlichut, I decided to add consulting to my skill set, and it eventually became my full time business.
 

How did Danny Siegel influence you in this line of work?

Danny Siegel was my biggest influence for the non-profit world. Danny's unique approach to giving, to fund-spending, to overseeing non-profits, and creating relationships with them have all become part of what I do. (And what is appreciated by my clients!)
 

How do you go about deciding whether or not donating to a particular charity is appropriate for a given donor?

Donating precious sacred Tzedakah shekels is, when done right, a very personal thing. I try to match donors to the best Mitzvah heroes (those Tzedakah giants doing great things and doing them efficiently and effectively).
 

What techniques do you use to persuade donors to give more, or to give to places you deem more worthy?

I do not persuade donors to give or to give more; only to give to appropriate places. I show them the facts and that is usually enough to convince anyone. If people knew that their Tzedakah shekels were being wasted and not used properly, they would immediately stop giving to that place. My job is to make sure that the people and places I endorse are 110% "kosher".
 

How do you decide where to take donors who are looking for places to donate?

I match people and places of interest to the interests of the donors. It could be by subject matter (immigrants, youth at risk, elderly, etc.) or geographical location (border towns, development towns, Jerusalem, not Jerusalem, etc.) or even something as simple as 'where my shekels will make the most difference'.
 

What kind of organisations are most large donations going to?

Most large donations (and small ones too) wind up with poorly run organizations. I would estimate that 85% of all donations are given to poorly run organizations. Most donors just don't care enough to check. If a businessperson wanted to buy an existing restaurant, would s/he go at lunch time and see how many people are eating there? Would that be sufficient? Or would they check the finances to be sure that everything is being done right, and being done efficiently and effectively? When you give Tzedakah money, you are buying Mitzvahs. Why do it poorly?
 

How do you determine the most appropriate social media strategy for a given charity?

I think the basic package is appropriate for all - Facebook presence, Twitter account, a blog, and perhaps a Wikipedia page.  Some need more intense work and need it more often. It depends on their budget and their needs.
 

What are common SEO mistakes you find charities making?

Assigning an intern to do anything internet related; not taking their website seriously - not updating it, not using it as a calling card, not making it easy for donors to donate, etc.
 

Do you use usability testing as part of your website development process?

I have been in web development since 1995 and before there was a name for it, I always made sure that others could see what I did AND use what I did. I learned from my web mentor, Ken Zwiebel, that it had to be intuitive, easy to use, user friendly, cool, and most importantly, tested - tested on different types of computers with different browser windows and software versions and by different people. If you are going to do it, do it right.
 

RANKED #1 ON GOOGLE:  Arnie's Tzedakah Adventures - http://www.draimanconsulting.com/draiman_tzedakah_adventures.htm