With technology, your nonprofit will raise more money

NonProfit PRO recently published a study called “2018 Nonprofit Leadership Impact Study: A Look at the Challenges Nonprofit Leadership Faces and How to Address Them”. One of the findings of that report was the fact that:

• 63 percent of those who responded to their survey stated that digital fundraising accounted for less than 20 percent of their total revenue.
• Twenty percent of the respondents said that digital fundraising accounted for 21 to 30 percent of their total revenue.

Not prioritizing technology is a missed opportunity!

Why Mobile Devices Matter

I say it often, mobile, mobile, mobile. It’s all about mobile devices, and in today’s fast-paced environment, even in the nonprofit sector, the organizations that are succeeding are those that are ditching traditional fundraising solutions and embracing technology entirely. especially and including mobile technology.

As reported by August Ash on global mobile facts, in October 2016, there was more traffic on mobile to access the internet than on a desktop. Additionally, as stated in the article, “By 2019, mobile devices are expected to represent 79% of all web traffic. This could mean that only 20% of the time people spend on your website will be from a desktop computer. “

Mobile matters. Period. And nonprofits that don’t optimize their websites for mobile devices or invest in technology will be left behind. Donors searching for your organization are likely to do so on a mobile device, and if your site is not mobile ready, they will close in seconds.

Why Mobile Devices Matter to Nonprofits

Unfortunately, old habits die hard and the nonprofit sector tends to resist change. The attitude of doing things the way it has always been done is alive and well in the industry. However, technology is driving nonprofits to change, and as technology and mobile devices become more ingrained in our everyday lives, it will be much more difficult not to adapt to change.

The reality is that donors and supporters expect instant gratification and communication that fits the way they operate. Social media and the digital world have made demand a regular occurrence in our lives.

The NonProfit PRO study also rightly suggested that we live in a world of rapidly developing and advancing technology. So it stands to reason that those organizations that do not prioritize and focus on investing in technology will find themselves further and further behind in due course, including in fundraising. Why should a donor who spends most of their time communicating and doing business with their mobile device (including paying bills or donating to charities) have to support a group that is not keeping up with the times when that there is likely to be another city with a similar mission that has embraced the technology?

If you don’t believe that technology is an essential aspect of a nonprofit operation in the digital age, you are proving that you are old school and cannot think ahead or adapt to change.

We are not in a place where we should say that mobile devices and technology should supplant other fundraising techniques, such as face-to-face fundraising. However, nonprofit leaders should seriously consider at this juncture how they will begin to integrate technology into their overall operations and fundraising as well. Yes, it means having a mobile-ready site is vital, but it also includes thinking about how to use platforms like Facebook to raise funds.

Ensuring that technology is an essential element of your marketing and fundraising mix will open up more opportunities for brand awareness and marketing dollars.