Spring Fever and #17NTC

If you’re a nonprofit tech nerd like me, you spent the first spring weekend in March, not enjoying the glorious cherry blossoms that DC is famous for, but in a Woodley Park hotel at the 2017 Nonprofit Technology Conference hosted by NTEN, sharing and learning the latest in digital marketing and technology strategies from the best practitioners from across the US and Canada, all 2300 of them!

From IT gurus, to social media scientists, to online activists and email marketing mavens—there was something for everyone and more than enough great information to go around.

Here are a few things I remember from the whirlwind three days of sessions…

Donors Carry Mobile Wallets

Etore Rossetti from Save The Children, along with Kimbia and PayPal shared a wealth of learnings in the session Welcome to the Future: Mobile Wallets, Payments, and Philanthropy. Save the Children has been at the adoption forefront of mobile wallet technology, ranging from PayPal to Apple Pay, and even Bitcoin. The advantages of mobile wallets and payment technologies are clear:

• Convenience. Your donors can give immediately when your mission moves them.
• Security. The technology associated with mobile wallet solutions ensure that the transaction is authentic and secure, reducing risk to both the donor and your organization.

Even if your organization isn’t as large and sophisticated as Save the Children, you should plan on adopting PayPal and Apple Pay this year (if you have, congrats!). With a little planning, you can enable your donors to channel their passion for your mission into an immediate gift, wherever they are.

“As a first time attendee, 17NTC was a great experience for me. The educational content was extremely valuable and the community of people in attendance was engaging and supportive in regards to helping me maximize my experience. I look forward to attending future conferences!”

—Meg Ferguson, PS|PS Digital

Steal Shamelessly

In their session, Steal Smart: What Nonprofit Fundraisers Can Learn from For-Profit Digital Marketers, Disabled American Veterans, Sierra Club, and CDR Fundraising Group presented their case studies on how nonprofit marketers can use best practices from B2C digital marketers.

Did you know that approximately $4 trillion worth of merchandise was left in abandoned shopping carts in 2015? Disabled American Veterans was able to convert 28% of visitors who abandoned their donation forms into making a gift by integrating Cart Stack (www.cartstack.com) into their donation process. If you’ve set up your organization’s online donation form, you can ‘steal’ this idea from DAV. A small technical investment will likely pay off if 28% of your potential donors follow through with their online gift.

Ever received a birthday email from your favorite retailer on your birthday? What if your donor received a thank you email on the anniversary of their first gift to your organization? Check out the session collaborative note at http://po.st/17NTCstealsmart for more great personalization ideas that you can use in your email program.

“The energy, wide variety of programming, and welcoming, fun atmosphere were inspiring. I’m already applying what I learned to client campaigns. And I’m going to 18NTC in NoLa for sure!”

—Bonnie Catena

Could your digital program use an extreme makeover?

PS Digital presented a session with one of our awesome clients, First Book. Susan McCullough, the Senior Director of Development at First Book joined us to talk about Getting Your Digital House in Order. And what better time to do that than Spring? it’s time to look at your web presence, make sure you clean your database house, “remodel” your email campaigns, and get prepared for an exciting year of fundraising. Check out some of our tips at http://www.slideshare.net/ProductionSolutions/2017-ntc-getting-your-digital-house-in-order.

Even as a full-time nonprofit technology practitioner, I learn something new from our clients and the #nptech community every day. If you ever want to discuss the topics above or geek out on digital marketing in general, drop me a line.