Last updated on June 6th, 2023 at 03:39 pm
Running a non-profit organization is an important role. Much like being the CEO of a for-profit company, the leaders within a non-profit have a desire to grow their reach. While their focus is different, many of the business methods to get there are similar. Non-profits have marketing departments, social media teams, and call centers. They may not be focused on the bottom line, but the bottom line still matters if they want to continue doing their mission. They have donors and constituents instead of customers. While all of these things are similar, many non-profits can be slow to adopt new technology trends. Some of it may be related to finances, but others are stuck with outdated ideas about reaching donors and constituents. So here are 8 technology trends that nonprofits need to use.
Social Media
It’s important to know who your most likely donor base is and to get on the social media platforms where they are. If your donors are all older, then Facebook is likely a good platform to focus on. If your target donor base is much younger, you might find more results in reaching them with your message on a platform like TikTok or Instagram. Hiring a team to help you create an effective social media strategy is critical. You’ll need people who can stay on top of trends and create effective hashtags.
SEO
Search Engine Optimization helps rank your website against those with similar content. If you want people to find you online on the first page of Google or one of the other search engines, then SEO matters. Some ways to improve your SEO are to find the keywords you want to rank for. For instance, you might want to show up first when people search for churches in New York City or animal shelters in Dallas. Focus on creating good content for your website and working those keywords naturally into your pages. Additionally, it’s important to ensure you have pages that load quickly for you SEO to be the best.
CRM
Customer relationship management systems are vital for nonprofits. These help manage donor information, client information, constituent information, and more. Systems designed for nonprofits operate differently; the key to finding a great CRM is to look for one designed specifically for nonprofits in your field. For example, a church management solution like Pushpay is designed with features specifically for the ministry. This particular CRM helps church leaders oversee online giving, safety check-ins for children’s ministries, volunteer schedules, and helping members of the congregation connect with each other.
Influencers
Using influencers is a controversial topic when it comes to businesses and nonprofits. On the one hand carefully selecting a social media influencer to get your message out to the world can expand your reach. On the other hand, some donors don’t appreciate the idea that your non-profit would pay someone to share. So, what can you do? It’s important to find influencers who are already passionate about what you do. If you run a homeless shelter, find local people who are willing to promote events from time to time.
Some influencers won’t ask for pay, or they will ask for a nominal fee, like $25 for a post. Other influencers may ask for a percentage of donations that come in from a certain campaign. For instance, if they are promoting a walk, and their page rakes in $25K, maybe their cut would be 5-10%. Don’t be afraid to explore the use of influencers in your non-profit marketing campaigns.
E-Statements
Going paperless not only helps the planet, it also helps your nonprofit’s bottom line. Allow your donors the opportunity to opt-in to going paperless. This means that most of your communication with your donors will be via email or an online portal on your website. This can help long-term as you grow and scale to keep your printing costs low so there is more money to focus on other areas.
Video
It’s true that video killed the radio star, but it’s also squashing static content online. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok thrive on video content. And their reach far exceeds that of regular posts on Facebook and Instagram. Even if you’re not good at video marketing, even if you don’t have a professional video crew, it’s critical to jump on the video trend with your non-profit. Share about what you do, how you got involved, how it’s helping the community. Get on the platform where you want to share video content and start watching videos to see what the most popular ones do and say. You’d be surprised about how far a simple story can take you online.
