Nonprofit Bridge

Managing an organization’s web presence no longer focuses only on the main web site, which many constituents may never visit.  An online presence consists of:

• main web site
• organizational blogs
• Facebook cause / page
• twitter posts
• email marketing messages
• AND what constituents are saying about organization in their own blogs, Facebook pages, twitter posts etc.

When I seek to learn more about a nonprofit that I’m not already familiar with, I use the main web site only as a starting point.  It’s usually much easier to get a feel for a nonprofit’s culture and philosophies by reading its blogs (if it has them!) and social networking sites.

But as many of my colleagues have noted, it’s vitally important to listen to what others are saying about your organization.  This will tell you much more than if you only rely on your web analytics to learn which pages on your web site are attracting the most traffic.  Even if you aren’t able to generate regular content on Facebook, Twitter etc., participating in conversations will show you how effective your outreach is and whether you need to tweak your marketing efforts.

Social networking may not be for everyone (yet), but keeping abreast of what others are saying should be part of every nonprofit’s strategy.  If you are able to maintain a presence on Facebook and Twitter, make sure the messaging is appropriate for each forum.  Simply replicating the same content everywhere isn’t the right approach.

Addendum 10/12/09 on the growing importance of social networking  – Why email no longer rules in online communications.   Blue State Digital disagrees.  I concur – it’s always best to use a combination of approaches and email clearly still deserves a prominent place at the table.

Addendum 10/29/09 – Many new thoughts on while email may be changing, email is not dead

While the daily newspaper may be a dying breed, I still find reasons to read the Wall Street Journal on my daily commute.  A few interesting items from yesterday’s edition:

• Tech Giants Ramp Up Their Online Offerings – Many large technology companies have resisted the move to online applications since they are often less profitable than traditional software.  It also requires firms to incur expenses (e.g. servers) that previously were paid by customers.  Unlike installed software, revenue from online products is spread over longer time periods, but may not last if customers don’t continue to use the product.  Except for financial software (Quicken) and sometimes MS Office, I use almost all online software now, yet online software still represents a small piece of the market.  But similar to the case of online donations vs. offline contributions, the market share is increasing rapidly – online software sales are rising more than 40% annually compared with 3.4% for all software.  Ultimately, companies will have to adapt since this is what many consumers want.
• Playing Well with Others -  While this article focuses on the relationship between marketing and R&D, its principles also relate to the benefits of collaboration which I’ve discussed previously, especially important when implementing online campaigns.  For example, does your nonprofit “make sure that everybody recognizes the value that each department brings to the process – and how one side complements the other”?  In many organizations, each department has its own goals and staff are evaluated by how well those objectives are achieved.  But the most important goals usually require many areas to collaborate, something which is still not a part of many organization environments.  It’s important to “get out of your silos” and “focus on the customer.”  In nonprofits, this can easily be translated to viewing your organization as the constituent does – as one.

Finally, are you making the most of your online communications channels?  Nten offers some useful examples of organizations that are doing it right in Online Communications That Don’t Suck. If you decide to embark on a web site redesign, Tech Soup offers Tips for Designing (or Redesigning) a Nonprofit Web Site.  My tip – even though it can be challenging to get everyone to work together (see above), make sure you include all stakeholders throughout the process.  Otherwise, you’ll end up with a site that no one is really happy with.  (And don’t forget to ask real constituents to provide input and feedback, don’t just ask others in your office.)

A few nonprofit organizations I’ve spoken to recently have told me that in the light of the financial crisis, they are reconsidering the need for positions responsible for online communications, particularly the web site.  In a recent survey by the DMA Nonprofit Federation, respondents expressed an expectation for smaller gifts and fewer individual donors during the upcoming holiday season.

In my view, this is exactly the time to utilize online communications strategies to reach out to constituents, many who have demonstrated in the past will continue to support our causes even during tough economic times.  Below are some ideas to stimulate online fundraising and engagement:

1. Give your web site a fresh look with new examples about how your organization has been effective.  Sharing a personal story is always more effective than a general appeal.
2. As Seth Godin suggests in Flip the Funnel, appeal to your strongest supporters to spread the word about your work.  (Do you have a segment of these constituents already created that you can email to separately from your general email list?)
3. Make sure to thank your supporters often and personalize the messages – don’t just use the default auto responders that come with your software.
4. Find pictures and videos that tell your story, and make them available in places where your constituents are, not only on your web site.
5. Examine your web site statistics to find out which parts of your web presence are receiving the most attention – then actively keep this content fresh and stimulating.
6. Take the time to develop multiple email templates that can be used quickly by non-technical staff – and make sure the branding is consistent with other types of communications.
7. Don’t be afraid to use newer technologies such as blogs and social media.  Not all constituents will respond to the same approach, so why not use many techniques, especially when they can be setup without much financial investment.

Is this the time to cut back?  No, more than ever, this is when online communications is critical to surviving until the financial situation improves.

I’ve learned much of what I’ve learned about ephilanthropy and using online tools for attracting and engaging constituents by participating in webinars from several organizations which are usually provided at minimal or no cost.  Some of my favorites are:

Nten – always has a full schedule of pertinent topics, such as this week’s session on how to get executive buy-in for technology projects.  The most cost effective way to participate is to purchase a block of three sessions or purchase an unlimited pass through 2009.

Idealware is the place to go to learn about software for nonprofits and also offers online seminars.  Try out a free session on Online Communications on a Shoestring next week.

Fundraising123, a service of Network for Good, always has interesting teleconferences available, usually for free,  If you can’t attend at the time they’re given, you can download slides and MP3 recordings and listen to them on your MP3 player, as I’ve recently started to do.

My suggestion: take advantage of the learning opportunities available and make sure that you participate in the discussion, either through online chat or phone chat.  Most presenters encourage interaction, and this is how you will get the most value from the information provided.

In her book Momentum: Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age, Allison Fine asks organizations how well they are handling a new era in online communications:

• Do other people and organizations trust you and your organization? How do you know? How can you increase and strengthen that trust?

• Are you reaching out to new people and organizations to learn with and from them? Do you approach networking as an opportunity to push out your “brand,” or to strengthen a connection with others?

• Do you support and celebrate your alumni and other ambassadors to other groups and communities?

• What information are you sharing with the world? Are there other kinds of information that you could share?

• Are your Web site and other communication vehicles inviting to strangers? Can anyone looking at your information figure out who you are? Which individuals are key?

• Do your materials (your Web site, brochures, plans, proposals, reports) use words that people understand, or language that says that your organization is made up of really smart people?

• Do you think of questions from outsiders as time-suckers that need to be answered, or as the beginning of a conversation?

• Do you ever introduce people for no other reason than the fact that they should know one another? Does that include introducing collegial organizations to potential funders? What are you expecting in return for these introductions?

• Do your participants ever talk to one another about your endeavor without your prompting?

• Can you help your volunteers start their own conversations, have their own meetings, and develop strategies to support your efforts?

• Do you celebrate achievements by other organizations in your network?

• Do your participants (board members, volunteers, clients, collegial organizations) watch you make plans or help you to make them?

In a related article on the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Ms. Fine says: “Today, nonprofit groups are part of a larger network or ecosystem of people, organizations, resources, and information. Relying on old-fashioned, top-down management approaches for setting activist agendas and designing fund-raising and volunteering efforts will lead inevitably to disappointing results.”

How well does your organization meet these challenges?.

The SPIN Project provides a online communications tutorial that offers many suggestions how nonprofits can develop online communications strategies.  Most organizations begin by focusing on their web site, email newsletter, and creating donation forms to provide online fundraising.  But many additional tools are suggested:

• blogs.- can you provide useful content while keeping it current?
• surveys - find out what your constituents are concerned about with a low cost tool such as Survey Monkey
• podcasts - audio or video – can require a “significant investment” of time to create and maintain
• message boards - can be moderated so that content submissions are reviewed before posting
• photography - use a service like Flickr to share images of organization events / activities
• commerce - but how will you handle order fulfillment and deciding what merchandise to sell?

How can you enhance your online fundraising strategies?  Fundraising Success provides many tips.

Whether or not you’re a customer of Convio, you can access resources covering online fundraising, integrated marketing, email marketing and online advocacy.

Finally, for a one page summary of many prominent nonprofit web sites, try Alltop’s Nonprofit page.  You can preview the content by just mousing over the title to decide if it’s worth clicking through to read the full story.