Tag Archives: online strategy

Be Proactive Not Reactive

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Early in my career I worked on a help desk where I assisted co-workers with a variety of technical questions and problems.  Although I’ve progressed to higher level roles, I often find that my work takes on some of the same characteristics of when I was on the help desk – solving problems and dealing with emergencies that arise.

While everyone has to engage ‘crisis management’ occasionally, this shouldn’t be the only mode of operation.  It’s also important to be proactive, to anticipate situations that may come up in the future and not only to react to those that have already occurred.   Here’s a few tips on how you can apply this idea for online campaigns:

  • Prepare an online communications calendar, and start to prepare messages well in advance of when you will use them.  It’s OK to repurpose content in multiple channels, but the content / tone in your blog, for example, shouldn’t be the same as you present in Facebook or Twitter.
  • If you have engaged outside consultants to help with web development, keep all stakeholders informed of how things are going throughout the process, not only when you’ve realized that you may not be able to meet your deadline.
  • Leave some room in your schedule for last minute requests that will arise, but don’t let them become the only thing you work on.  Sometimes you may need to say no, and explain what other requests will go unfulfilled if you shift gears.
  • Map out a strategy of how you will talk to constituents.  Put together a special ‘welcome series’ to new email subscribers but also keep to your commitments if you’ve promised to send a monthly update to past subscribers.  Pay special attention to the info@yourorganization.org mailbox.
  • Think of creative ways to engage your audience in conversation;  ask for feedback, ask a question, offer a survey etc.  The more you can learn about your constituents’ concerns and interests, the more targeted and effective your communications can be.

Unless you work in a hospital emergency room, take some time each day to plan how you can help your supporters to feel more connected with your cause.  Don’t fall into the trap of simply responding to whatever comes into your email box and attending meetings.  Try a different approach this week.

How Not to Implement Online Strategies

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Below are excerpts at my planned presentation at next week’s NY Fundraising Summit, where I will be speaking in the session Online Fundraising: Harnessing Technology to Build and Maintain Relationships:

When developing online strategies for your nonprofit, be careful if you hear any of these ‘assurances’ from your colleagues:

  • Everything is being done over the Internet, we don’t need much Information Technology staff. – Whatever vendors or products you decide to choose, you still need someone to not only select the best product for your organization’s needs, and then once it’s implemented, manage the relationship with the vendor.  Expecting any online product to just ‘work’ without some ongoing tweaking is a recipe for disaster.
  • We can get a better deal if we hire web designers from overseas – While it’s a good idea to hire the best web person you can find wherever they are, be careful about basing a decision strictly on economics.  Working on a web site overhaul involves much give and take during the design and implementation process, and email isn’t always sufficient to insure that the deliverables match the goals.
  • We don’t need to do a formal evaluation – I’ve worked with this person / vendor before. – What works for one nonprofit may not work for another.  In addition, making a decision based on a personal contact may backfire if that person suddenly leaves for a new opportunity.
  • Vendor says we can connect our online and offline systems and they will help us to do it. – As I’ve discussed in my recent post, Reporting Across Multiple Systems, integration can be a mine field.  Beware of any vendor that says this is easy.  Ask to speak with other clients who have already connected their systems successfully – and are using the same products your organization is.
  • Vendor suggests we should do things differently – Before speaking to any vendor, make sure you’ve outlined your requirements.  If you’ve done this, and the vendor questions your specifications and recommends a different approach, ask why.  Unless they can give you a satisfactory explanation – and provide alternatives that have worked well for other clients, find a different company to work with.

I will post my presentation after next week’s summit, which will take place Wed, June 3 and Thu, June 4 in New York City.  Hope to see some of you there.

Building a Successful Online Team

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Many nonprofits struggle with where to put responsibilities for developing online strategies within a traditional organization structure.  EchoDitto, an organization which provides a wide range of services to nonprofits, has provided  Building an Effective Online Team which highlights the five most crucial positions required for maintaining and growing your organization’s online presence.  While few organizations will choose to staff exactly in this manner, this provides a useful guide to the most important roles in developing online strategies.

In my position, I blend many of this roles, but overall the ‘Internet Director‘ is probably the best description of what I do.