We Were There: 2011 Nonprofit Technology Conference
Spending 3 days with a bunch of compassionate folks who just want to talk about tech, baby, isn’t bad at all, as we found out last week at NTEN’s Nonprofit Technology Conference. More than 2,000 Twitter, Facebook and text addicts descended on the Washington, D.C., Hilton and proceeded to break the Internet (OK, not completely), but it didn’t matter too much—there were so many others ways to connect. Here are 18 things we learned about how to use technology to raise funds and awareness and wanted to pass on to you:
9 No-Brainers of Web Design & Usability
- Use fewer photos of higher quality on a site, rather than lots of low-quality shots.
- It’s okay for pages to scroll, even long ones. Just keep the important stuff above the fold.
- If a website is pleasing to your internal staff, chances are it’s not doing its job for your audience.
- There’s no need to overhaul a site often, just a refresh every 3 years will do.
- Think outside the box, but don’t break usability conventions and confuse users.
- Make an emotional connection; offer something before you ask for something.
- See what your top 20 most viewed pages are and build your site architecture based on that.
- Use explicit language in your navigation, don’t be vague and never use jargon.
- Don’t offer up what you want to provide; offer what the audience wants.
Standing room only
When It’s Time To Change…
- The theme of this year’s conference was change—with a plenary delivered by Dan Heath of the best-selling Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard. One tactic: focus on the bright spots. “Analyzing problems comes naturally—analyzing successes doesn’t,” says Heath. By simply figuring out what’s working and continuing to do that seems like a no-brainer, but most organizations don’t think that way. Question to pose at your next planning meeting: “What are the ingredients of our biggest success?”
Campaign Strategies
- To create buzz-worthy communications and campaigns that will capture people’s attention and imagination: funny beats slick. Riff on what the Web loves at the moment (aka YouTube trends). Say it visually. And if it looks expensive, it may turn donors off.
- Using before-and-after images is a powerful way to evoke emotion—which is what drives us to take action (like donate!). So whether you’ve rehabilitated an injured animal or redecorated your kennels, don’t just tell…show.
- Karen Uffelman, Director of Client Strategy at Groundwire, presented the benefits of segmenting your community using six different levels of an engagement pyramid. Check out this link for details on what each level means (i.e. Facebook fan vs. donor). The crowd in the room was pretty jazzed by this model, brainstorming cool ideas on engaging folks at each level.
Engagement Pyramid
Shake Your Money Maker
- Nonprofits are often afraid to ask for donations. ASK! And then say thank you.
- Your site’s donation page provides opportunities to learn about your donors’ interests and why they are supporting you. Add multiple-choice fields to your donation form:
Ask WHY they are supporting your org’s mission
Ask them to ID their interests among your projects and initiatives
- Use stats wisely. Studies on human psychology show that giving is irrational and emotional—so you may be losing folks with subject lines and copy filled with big numbers and stats, fundraising appeals with ‘asks’ made in a data-driven, rational way. Focus on one meaningful stat, one animal’s story—and how your donors can make/made a difference for that one animal.
How Can We Help You?
- Have you checked out Volunteer Match.org? Use it to find volunteers for just about any task at your agency—such as helping you collect and analyze your Web traffic using a program like Google Analytics.
- If you have a blog, ask your volunteers to blog with reports from the field—but rein them in and ask them to be specific about what they are doing and its impact. This boosts their engagement with you, provides a connection to their friends, and gives you content from a fresh voice.
Reporting by Brenna Jennings, Web Microsite Manager (brilliant mommy blogger on the side); Valerie Sheppard, Director, E-Learning (resident mine sweeper who can find that buried link on some website you mentioned in passing 3 months ago); Elyse Orecchio, Associate Editor, Internet Communications & Social Media (owns the “best-ever Facebook status writer” title), and Pune Dracker, Director, Content & Editorial Services (thinks there’s a LOLcat and dorky music video to go with everything).
NTC 2011 was attended by 2,008 techies and numerous penguins. (If someone can explain the penguins, please tell us in the comment box.)
Related links:
NTEN
Creating a Communication Plan
50 Things to Do on Facebook
Upcoming Nonprofit Tech Events
Tags: Dan Heath, donations, Facebook, Fundraising, social media, technology, website design, writing
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Kathleen McDonald Says:
Guys! That’s the very famous Linux penguin, beloved of software developers and network admins everywhere. Let me put it this way: he’s the techie world’s answer to Maru the Box Cat.
Kate Says:
Thanks for the report! (As for the penguin, first I thought of Linux, but he doesn’t really look like the Linux penguin!)
Emily Garman Says:
Aaaaah, SO JEALOUS that you got to go to NTEN! Thanks for sharing all the good info. It’s really interesting how much things change–I was at a conference in Texas this weekend, talking with animal welfare folks who were pretty frustrated that as soon as they get comfortable with something on Facebook, it changes!
Our whole industry is changing, as well. What worked 10, even 5, years ago may not work today. That’s hard for some of us who have been in the “business” for many many years! But to reach today’s adopters and donors, we have to be nimble and keep up with the trends!
I thought it was really interesting what you said about buzz-worthy campaigns, that “funny trumps slick.” I think it was only last summer that I was at the HSUS Taking Action for Animals Conference in DC and they were showing research that the public responded most strongly to spay/neuter PSAs that were emotionally compelling, and they were turned off by “funny” ads. (like the “animals in your community are dying” message was more compelling than the “don’t let her be a tramp” message). I was surprised at that! (It probably depends on what you’re promoting, whether to be funny/emotional/logical, etc.)
That brings me to another point you brought up that was really good. We all tend to think that we are like other people; if I like my website, and I understand it, well, so will other people. We often think, “I don’t like ads like that, or I don’t respond to xyz, so nobody does.” but I know that I have found that I’m OFTEN wrong about that!!
We are so intimately involved with our industry, with animal welfare, that we forget sometimes that people don’t know all the things we know, they don’t see things the way we do. So be sure that whatEVER you are doing–print, web, etc.–have some “non-animal people” take a look at it. Don’t take it for granted that people “get” what you are talking about.
I saw a statistic that the most-read and most-shared status posts on Facebook average a 2nd-grade reading level. So we have to make sure that everything we write and put out there is really clear and simple. (not “dumbed down,” just accessible).
Anyway, thanks again for sharing this good stuff. I hope to make it to the next NTEN and see y’all there!
Kate Says:
Kathleen — I want to apologize if my comment looks like it was correcting/criticizing yours! Your comment wasn’t posted yet when I posted mine about the penguin.
Caryn Ginsberg Says:
Emily’s comment that what works varies in different situations is right on.
When I worked with HSUS as strategy consultant on the spay / neuter project she mentioned, we learned that people see S/N as a serious medical procedure. That’s why the humor didn’t fly. It would be as if you saw a medical clinic using humor to promote vasectomies or getting your tubes tied! Not exactly a laughing matter.
That’s why research – not only to understand different campaigns but also to get past our own biases as members of the field – is so important. If you’re not familiar with Humane Research Council, please do check it out at http://HumaneResearch.org.
I’ve also got some free articles on marketing available at http://www.priority-ventures-group.com/Resources …but more importantly I’d love to hear from YOU about your marketing successes. I’m working on a book about effective animal protection advocacy using social marketing. If you’ve gotten better results by thinking of people as customers for change, using research, targeting different groups (segmentation) or measuring your impact, I hope you’ll consider contacting me at cginsberg@Priority-Ventures-Group.com 0r 703-524-0024. Of course I’ll be including examples from my good friends at the ASPCA, but this seemed like a great chance to reach out to folks who are interested in best practices.
Thanks to the team for the great summary of the conference. Lots of good points here!
Kathleen McDonald Says:
Hey Kate — No offense taken at all! And you’re right that the penguin in the photo is not the official Tux, the Linux mascot. For anyone who is new to this bit of techie silliness, Wikipedia has photos and more than you will EVER need to know about Tux: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tux.
Ryan Ozimek Says:
Hi ASPCA friends,
The penguin you saw was Phil the Penguin, an accidental techie trying to make his way through the non-profit tech world. Phil’s a huge fan of open source software, and definitely blushes when he’s mistaken for his famous friend Tux.
You can learn more about Phil at http://www.accidentaltechiesrule.org
Cheers,
Ryan