#FUNDRAISING: Mobile Platforms For Donations Have Pros & Cons
That mobile communications devices like smart phones and tablets are the platform-of-choice for most people around the globe is a truism. Ever more business is being conducted over such devices as well, especially over tablets − and by ‘business’ we mean logistics, orders, and purchases, not just business calls.
Nonprofits have appreciated the impact of mobile devices for their work as well. The Red Cross’s famed text-to-donate drive after the Haitian earthquake of 2010 stands as one of the best-known early examples of such fundraising. But as the platform grows in scope and matures in form, what are some of the options out there that fit best with your nonprofit’s needs?
| Category Campaigns, Cause Marketing, Communications, Cross-Post, Crowdfunding, Donor Acquisition, Fundraising, iPad Apps, iPad/Tablet, iPhone Apps, Marketing Budget, Measurement, Mobile, Mobile, Nonprofit, Technology for Nonprofits, Volunteerism | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#FUNDRAISING: Does Your Nonprofit Need Help Keeping Up With Its Growing Donor Base?
OpenPetra’s Client Screen
Just this past week Idealware published its 2013 Field Guide to Software for nonprofits and charities. The staff at Idealware demarcate a number of areas that nonprofits and software developers have been collaborating, such as social-networking management, and gives reviews and how-tos on some of the solutions in the market. The book can be had via Amazon ($25) or directly from Idealware’s site ($20).
As you know, though, MKCREATIVEmedia has been tracking software developments for our clients for a number of years now, and we want to share some recent developments in the field of Customer Relations Management software (CRM). In particular, we have found some open-source and free platforms well worth considering to manage your donors and volunteers.
| Category Campaigns, Client Roster, Communications, Cross-Post, Desktop Apps, Development, Donor Acquisition, Fundraising, How-to, iPad Apps, iPhone Apps, Major Gifts, Measurement, Mobile, Mobile, Nonprofit, Project Management Tools, Research, Reviews, Site Administration, Software Review, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits, Volunteerism | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#HOWTO: Let Your iPhone Connect You To Volunteers & Deserving Projects
Apple has not always been a forthcoming corporation when it comes to providing outreach for nonprofits and charities. Many lamented the early iterations of the iPhone for not allowing fundraising applications due to iTunes Store’s stingy policies. Indeed, nonprofits were not even allowed to develop apps if any money were expected to change hands. Though policy has not changed (and Apple still demands a $99 fee to have access to the storefront), many nonprofits are finding ways to leverage the iOS platform of the phone without running afoul with Apple’s lawyers. MacLife‘s A.J. Dellinger offers a compendium of eight such apps that use the iPhone’s OS, and we wanted to highlight a few of those apps to give you a sense of the directions developers are marking as they write software for the nonprofit sector.
| Category Advertising, Advice, Advocacy, Campaigns, Cause Marketing, Communications, Cross-Post, Crowdfunding, Fundraising, How-to, iPhone Apps, Marketing, Media Review, Mobile, Mobile, Nonprofit, Reviews, Social Marketing, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits | | 1 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#SOCIALNETWORKS: Questions & Answers Can Be Shared On Quora
The Latin term ‘quorum’ (pl.pronoun: ‘of whom’) has almost no connection to what the term means in Anglo-American law, namely: “the minimum number of members of an assembly that must be present to make the proceedings of that meeting valid.” Without digging too deeply into the Oxford English Dictionary, the term evolved from Norman circuit courts in late-medieval England as the scribes noted the names ‘of whom’ appeared as witnesses of and jurors at trials. The term has been appropriated by the social-networking/question-posing site Quora. The site has been around since 2010, but it has really taken off in the last few months, and we wanted to introduce you to it before whenever the next apocalypse is due.
| Category Advice, Civics, Community, Cross-Post, Education: General, How-to, iPad Apps, iPhone Apps, Mobile, Public Media, Resource, Reviews, Social Media, Social Networks, Software Review, Technology | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#HOWTO: Keep Your Facebook Page Updated While Mobile This Holiday Season
Mobile Facebook for the new year.
As the Christmas Season approaches, most of us will be taking a bit of much-needed downtime from our nonprofits and charities. Many will also be traveling to see family as well. Unfortunately, the concerns of nonprofits and charities do not take holidays, and you might want to keep people updated via Facebook on what your organization is doing in the holiday season. Facebook has been striving to make inroads into the mobile market over the last number of months, and so we wanted to give you a few tips for getting access to your charity’s page via your mobile device. And even if you are stepping away from Facebook to spend more time with the egg nog, having mobile access to your account should be a resolution (and one of the easier ones to achieve) in the new year.
| Category Campaigns, Communications, Crowdfunding, Education: General, Facebook, Facebook, Geo-Location, How-to, iPad Apps, iPhone Apps, Marketing, Measurement, Mobile, Mobile, Nonprofit, Project Management Tools, Public Media, Public Relations, Resource, Site Administration, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networks, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#GRANTS: Verizon Foundation Offers Support For Environmental & Educational Nonprofits
Countless members of nonprofit and charity staffs use Verizon as their cellular and/or internet (and/or cable) provider. But did you know the Verizon Foundation also supports such nonprofits and charities with grants in money, kind, and service? The Foundation focuses on issues pertaining to K-through-12 education, health care, and sustainability/environmentalism, so if your organization is involved in any of these fields, you should reach out and touch them (Er, wrong service. And century.). Here’s how.
| Category Civics, Community, Education: General, Environment, Fundraising, Grants, Grants and Funding, Healthcare, How-to, Mobile, Nonprofit, Technology for Aging, Technology for Nonprofits, Tools | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#VIDEO: Rob Wu of Causevox Tells Us About Developments In Online Fundraising (Part II)
Earlier this month we posted our first interview with Rob Wu, co-founder of the online fundraising and social-media platform Causevox. We wanted to talk with him because Causevox was rolling out the latest version of its platform in late September. Our conversation proved so interesting that we couldn’t contain it in one post, so today we bring you part two of our conversation with Rob.
In particular, he stresses how nonprofits like OneGirl.org in Australia participated in the development and refinements that brought about version 2.o. And why the rollout of 2.0 has proven to be a surer success than having a single big launch. Let’s take a look.
| Category Advertising, Advice, Cause Marketing, Communications, Community, Crowdfunding, Design, Development, Donor Acquisition, Education: General, Fundraising, Grants and Funding, Interview, Marketing, Marketing Skills, Mobile, Mobile, Nonprofit, Project Management Tools, Public Media, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networks, Storytelling, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits, Video Interview, Web Design, Webinar | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#COMMUNICATIONS: NFC Means More Than Paying By Mobile Phone
Wave-&-Ride to replace Swipe-&-Ride?
Near Field Communication has been around for a few years now, though the most popular mobile device, the iPhone, does not (yet?) carry the necessary transmitters to take advantage of it. The technology requires its own dedicated chip to send and receive data. Thus far, Google’s Android phones have been taking the lead in the US economy, but one of the more pulsating rumors about the iPhone 5 is whether it will contain said chip. The web consensus seems to be ‘probably not yet’, but as people become ever more aware of what NFC can do, then Apple will surely enter the market.
| Category Advertising, Banking & Finance, Communications, Marketing, Mobile, Mobile, News and Current Affairs, Nonprofit, Reviews, Social Marketing, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#FUNDRAISING: Presidential Candidates Ramp Up Mobile Giving
With the (delayed) start of the Republican Convention in Tampa earlier this week, the really officially serious campaign season starts. For the next 10-odd weeks, most American start to focus on the candidates, their platforms, and their messages. There has been much talk about the low level of discourse that has driven the campaign thus far, but − unlike Senate debates in the 19th century − no one has been caned.
This is the first post-’Citizens United’ national election, so the astute political junkies are paying attention to the money flow from corporations and unions that need report their large donations until after the voting has been counted. But what about at the other end of the giving scale? This is also the first national election that offers opportunities for texting donations to candidates. How might that change the fundraising landscape?
| Category Advocacy, Campaigns, Cause Marketing, Civics, Communications, Community, Crowdfunding, Events, Fundraising, How-to, iDevice, Marketing Skills, Mobile, Mobile, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Nonprofit, Politics, Social Marketing, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#SOCIALMEDIA: IOC Struggles To Corral First “Social Olympics” In London
Click on image to visit Infomous.com
The Opening Ceremonies went off without a hitch. Security concerns have been allayed thus far. The weather hasn’t been too bad. For Americans, we’ve had a few sub-par performances in the pool and on the gymnastics apparatuses, but so far, so good.
Unless the issue is how this so-called “First Social Games” is going. The social media events have not gone quite like fans, competitors, or International Olympic Committee members had thought it would − all for different reasons. Indeed, the biggest security dust-up has to do not with fears of terrorists, but fears of unwanted mention of sponsors by athletes and/or their supporters. Is the IOC fairly trying to protect the Olympic ‘brand’ or are its members greedily limiting expression through social media? And does anybody else really care?
| Category Advertising, Blogs, Case Study, Communications, Events, Facebook, Facebook, Geo-Location, Marketing, Marketing Skills, Media Review, Mobile, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Opinion, Politics, Public Media, Public Relations, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networks, Technology, Twitter, Twitter, Video, YouTube | | 1 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#FUNDRAISING: Consider Moving Online Donors To Direct Mail Giving
Tap into a steady growth of new online giving
Social networks can be so important for communicating with folks who support (or will support) your cause. The high speed and low cost of such outreach can offer huge dividends, but mostly those dividends are paid in good will and spurring interest. Online donations are certainly growing, but as a recent report from Blackbaud demonstrates, long-term support and larger donations still mostly come from responses to direct mail, even if initial support comes online. The effort for any nonprofit, therefore, should be to develop interests and first donations online, yet also to strive to engage those donors with direct-mail appeals to keep the support coming. What are the numbers to back up this strategy?
| Category Cause Marketing, Community, Development, Donor Acquisition, Fundraising, Marketing Skills, Measurement, Mobile, Mobile, Nonprofit, Planned Giving, Planned Giving, Report, Resource, Social Marketing | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#SOCIALNETWORKS: Let’s Check In With Foursquare For Nonprofits
Checking in on the iPhone
We have talked about Foursquare, the social network and geo-tagging software that offers opportunities to share your experiences at businesses and organizations of all types. The platform is a comparative newcomer, having been launched by Dennis Crowley and Naveen Selvadurai in 2009. But as of this April its membership has swelled to over 50 million. Unusual for a social platform, Foursquare’s members are pretty evenly divided between men and women and between US and worldwide users.
Communications consultants have been eager to find ways to leverage Foursquare’s appeal for nonprofits, so let’s see the interesting things that have been developing over the last year or so.
| Category Advertising, Branding, Cause Marketing, Communications, Community, Crowdfunding, Fundraising, Geo-Location, How-to, iPad Apps, iPhone Apps, Marketing, Mobile, Mobile, Nonprofit, Public Media, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networks, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#DEVELOPMENT: Social-Networking Is Good, But Conversation-Building Is Better
Difficult to say that social networks have already grown to be mature means of communication. Moreover, some platforms shoot wide and far (vis Facebook for everyone), while others target a specific subset of the social-media community (vis Epernicus for the scientific community). Figuring out how to negotiate those platforms can seem daunting. But we have some advice that might help ease the stress of trying to reach everyone. Don’t try to reach everyone. Well, it’s not quite that simple.
| Category Advice, Advocacy, Blogs, Campaigns, Cause Marketing, Communications, Community, Crowdfunding, Development, Facebook, Facebook, Fundraising, Marketing, Marketing Skills, Measurement, Mobile, Nonprofit, Public Relations, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networks, Storytelling, Twitter | | 1 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#TECH: Microsoft Surfaces To Shake Up Tablet Market & Challenge iPad…Someday.
We really like the keyboard idea
Full disclosure: We at MKCREATIVEmedia are pretty Apple-centric, even though we are aware that many of our readers are using Microsoft products to access the blog. So when we heard that Microsoft want to enter the tablet market, we thought, “well, that’s about two years too late.” But we also wanted to see how Microsoft handled the announcement/release and what they wanted to bring to the market − and we wanted to keep an open mind.
The Microsoft Surface was announced this week, and − unlike ‘iPad’ − we really liked the name. In fact, on the surface, the new Surface has lots going for it, not the least of which are the millions of schools, nonprofits, corporations, and individuals who already have a Windows computer and who might be more comfortable waiting for a Windows-built tablet before jumping into the market.
Unfortunately, even the early reviewers at the Microsoft Event are not so sure that’s what will happen.
| Category Advice, Case Study, Communications, Design, Event Review, Events, Hardware Review, iPad/Tablet, Marketing, Mobile, Opinion, Reviews, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits, Video | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#SOCIALNETWORKS: What Makes Pinterest So Engaging? It’s So Simple.
Pinterest was released as a private beta in March 2010, which makes it something of a late-comer (or the ‘second generation?) of social networking platforms. Its mission was “to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting,” and its modus operandi was to encourage people to ‘pin’ whatever they found interesting online to their own boards (e-bullentin boards, if you will). Within two years, Pinterest claimed over 11 million users, making it the fastest site/service to break 10 million subscribers.
How has use in Pinterest exploded and why might a nonprofit want to establish a presence on the site? The simplicity of administering and advertising your organization’s interests make it well worth the effort. Let us show you how:
| Category Advertising, Advice, Advocacy, Blogs, Cause Marketing, Communications, Community, Dashboards, Design, Fundraising, How-to, iPad/Tablet, iPhone Apps, Marketing, Marketing Skills, Mobile, Newsletter, Newspaper Article, Nonprofit, Pinterest, Public Media, Public Relations, Resource, Reviews, Site Administration, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networks, Software Review, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits, Web and Print, Web Design | | 1 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#COMMUNICATIONS: Is Your Organization Moving At The Speed Of Mobile?
With the rise of the smartphone and its ability to be the computer for millions of people around the world, mobile technology is becoming more powerful and less expensive every few months. And with those technological changes come changes of habit and expectation. One of the changes we and many others have commented on is the rise of text messaging as a medium not only to spread-the-word but also to raise funds for nonprofits and charities. The response to the American Red Cross’s texting campaign to deal with the horrors of the Haitian earthquake of 2010 is usually seen as the watershed event.
How has the nexus between cell-phone use and fundraising been strengthening over the last couple of years?
| Category Advice, Advocacy, Boomers, Campaigns, Case Study, Cause Marketing, Communications, Crowdfunding, Development, Fundraising, iDevice, iPad Apps, iPad/Tablet, iPhone Apps, Marketing, Mobile, Mobile, Newsletter, Newspaper Article, Nonprofit, Public Relations, Report, Resource, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networks, Technology, Technology for Aging, Technology for Nonprofits, Volunteerism, Writing | | 1 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#SOCIALNETWORKS: Twitter Continues To Expand Through Mobile Devices
The Pew Internet and American Life Project has brought us valuable statistics and reported notable trends in internet use over the years, and a recent report focused on the growing use of Twitter as a means of social networking. Twitter could be described as a social networking platform that punches above its weight class. Twitter turned six this past March, and by its own accounts has some 140 million users sending some 340 million tweets a day. For the sake of comparison, Facebook has over 900 million.
Yet Twitter’s political and cultural impact is almost equivalent, even if it has only 15.5% as many users. Note the ‘Arab Spring’ as a ‘Twitter Revolution.’ How does Twitter have such an oversized geopolitical impact? The same reason local nonprofits should be developing a presence on the social network.
| Category Advertising, Advice, Advocacy, Campaigns, Cause Marketing, Civics, Communications, Community, Crowdfunding, Development, Fundraising, Geo-Location, iPad Apps, iPad/Tablet, iPhone Apps, Marketing, Marketing Skills, Mobile, Mobile, Newspaper Article, Nonprofit, Public Media, Publications, Report, Resource, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networks, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits, Twitter, Twitter | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#TECH: Scott Lenger Encourages Mobile Planning For Nonprofits At NTEN 2012
Last week Don Akchin posted an insightful interview with John Kenyon of NTEN about some of the trends he sees in social outreach and technology for nonprofits. On Don’s final question about upcoming developments, John stressed the fact that mobile communications are the next wave nonprofits have to be preparing for:
One thing I keep hearing more about and seeing more evidence about is mobile. If folks are keeping on top of their website analytics, every week they are seeing an increase in the number of folks accessing their site via a mobile device. A couple of things go along with that change. One is creating a mobile version of your site that is a pared down version and designed for mobile devices. The other is to be aware of the kinds of people using mobile devices and how they use them.
Mobile was a major topic at NTEN’s annual conference this past April in San Francisco, and they have been posting videos about that very topic so we all can share in the knowledge. What is your organization doing to prep for mobile?
| Category Advice, Advocacy, Cause Marketing, Communications, Crowdfunding, Design, Fundraising, Geo-Location, iDevice, Interview, iPad Apps, iPad/Tablet, iPhone Apps, Marketing, Mobile, Mobile, Nonprofit, Public Media, Site Administration, Social Marketing, Social Networks, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits, Video Interview, Web Design, Webinar | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#TECH: Why & How To Send One Text Message To Your Nonprofit’s Constituents
Ever more people want to communicate with their mobile devices, and they want to communicate on their mobile devices with text messaging. The distinction between those under about 25 and those older is striking − with the under 25s responding to emails, and even aural phone messages, with text. But even those who actually make calls with their cell phones find text messaging a convenient way to share practical information quickly.
Nonprofits are (slowly) starting to take advantage of text messaging as a means to encourage engagement and to inspire giving. One of the first crises/campaigns to get noticed for its use of text was the the American Red Cross’s response to the earthquake in Haiti. But many charities are working up ‘text lists’ to rival their ‘email lists’. The question is, how can a smaller nonprofit easily send out messages to its constituents without contacting them individually?
| Category Advice, Advocacy, Apple, Case Study, Cause Marketing, Civics, Communications, Crowdfunding, Fundraising, Geo-Location, How-to, iDevice, iPad Apps, iPad/Tablet, iPhone Apps, Marketing, Mobile, Mobile, Nonprofit, Report, Resource, Social Networks, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#SOCIALNETWORKS: Let Flickr Tell Your Nonprofit’s Story As It Happens
A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words. And with digital social media, images are becoming both more common and more powerful as platforms such as Facebook and Google+ emphasize the photo and graphic qualities of their social-media networks. A kind of ‘visual economy’ is developing, within which social networks are competing and users are finding ever more refined ways to share their most interesting/compelling/entertaining work. With the ubiquity of smartphones with at-least decent cameras, nonprofits should be encouraging their staffs and volunteers to use those cameras to help tell the story of your organizations good work. One of the best ways to share that story is through Flickr. Let us show you how.
| Category Advice, Branding, Campaigns, Communications, Community, Cross-Post, Design, Geo-Location, How-to, Marketing, Marketing Skills, Media Review, Mobile, News and Current Affairs, Nonprofit, Public Media, Reviews, Social Media, Social Networks, Software Review, Strategic Marketing, Technology for Nonprofits, Video | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#TECH: Mac? Windows? Need Both On Your iPad? Use Both! (Part III)
Is it a Mac? Is it a PC? It's Virtualization!
Over the last few Tech Fridays we have looked at virtualization software that allows you to run multiple operating systems on one desktop or laptop. We covered the concept and the software packages of Parallels and VMWare. Today we discuss the move to mobile devices and how virtualization software can run Microsoft Office apps on your shiny new iPad. If you have been carrying around your laptop for your charity’s business and your iPad for your personal time, you could leave that laptop on your next trip!
VMWare and Parallels offer mobile apps to tap into the traditional desktop/laptop packages we introduced in previous weeks. Along with those we take a look at OnLive, which is expressly designed to make MS Office apps easily accessible on your tablet. Let’s watch them in action.
| Category Apple, Communications, How-to, iDevice, iPad Apps, iPad/Tablet, iPhone Apps, Mobile, Resource, Reviews, Software Review, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits, Tools, Video | | 1 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#INTERVIEW: John Kenyon, @NTEN, Helps Nonprofits Understand and Benefit From Technology
John Kenyon has been helping nonprofits understand and benefit from technology for more than two decades. Before becoming the education program manager for the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) in February, he was a well-traveled consultant and speaker. He was a contributing author on “Effective Online Communications” in the book Managing Technology to Meet your Mission (Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2009. The interview was conducted by Don Akchin, a principal of Nonprofit Marketing 360 and a frequent contributor to the MKCREATIVE blog.
MKC: How did you get started consulting with nonprofits?
JOHN: I started volunteering with TechSoup Global (then known as Compumentor), who connected people with technology skills with nonprofits. I started volunteering to get to know nonprofits, as they are much different animals than for-profits. That grew into a consulting position with a nonprofit in San Francisco, where I started building a technology-consulting practice with a group of affiliates. Then I worked for GroundSpring.org as their training and consulting manager. I went around the country teaching nonprofits how to use the Internet. I was also hired by the University of San Francisco to teach the technology course for their Masters of Nonprofit Administration degree program. All that melded my experience with nonprofits and technology and being an educator.
(more…)
| Category Blogs, Book, Communications, Community, Cross-Post, eBook, Facebook, Fundraising, Interview, LinkedIn, Marketing, Mobile, MySpace, Nonprofit, Pinterest, Posterous, Resource, Scoopit, Social Networks, Special Series, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits, Tools, Tumblr, Twitter, YouTube | | 0 Comments
Written by: Don Akchin