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FutureFund, the company I run now, is a completely different organization than Square or Weebly, where I worked before. The biggest difference? Rather than a typical B2B startup, we exist to assist K-12 school groups raise funds, which suggests we work primarily with nonprofits.
It may look like an odd selection for someone with my resume to enter the nonprofit sector, but I’m grateful for my experience in big tech because it actually was an asset. Applying some of the things tech firms do well can assist nonprofits do a lot more good.
Here are five lessons your nonprofit can learn from the tech industry to more effectively fulfill its mission.
Lesson 1: Don’t settle for less
The number one thing that frustrates me about nonprofits is that they do not strive for excellence. Startups strive for excellence because they exist in a more competitive world.
The mission of a nonprofit is not technology; it is a social good. Yet nonprofits often do not select cutting-edge solutions or best-of-breed tools. They do not look at the landscape and find the simplest ways to realize their goals.
As a result, many platforms are becoming outdated. They don’t accept Apple Pay. Their sites don’t work on mobile devices. Some ask you to make use of browsers like Internet Explorer that not exist. All of this makes it less convenient for donors to support your work.
Tech firms understand that stagnation happens when you don’t innovate. When I used to be at Square, we were at all times iterating and testing latest software to make sure our solution was the most convenient option for our customers—because we knew we wouldn’t be in business without them.
Lesson 2: Use data to make decisions
It’s good to be guided by your values, especially as a nonprofit—but don’t ignore the data at your disposal. Unfortunately, many nonprofits don’t use data to make decisions, even when it’s available.
FutureFund provides a good example. Let’s say you’re a school group using our platform to run a donation campaign. The platform helps you to specify preset donation amounts ($50, $100, $200, etc.). But how do you know that these are the right amounts? Do you test to seek out out? Do you compare amounts raised in similar campaigns (which is easy to do with our reporting tools) and discover variables that make a difference?
Analytics is the lifeblood of virtually every successful tech company, because technology is only nearly as good as how people use it. Nonprofits can profit from adopting the same mindset: Your mission is only nearly as good as the amount of support you possibly can create, so it’s best to at all times be testing and refining your approach.
Lesson 3: Keep Your Message Consistent
Apple. Tesla. Google. I need not describe their logos—they pop into your head when you read their names. That’s the power of building a strong brand.
Small nonprofits lack branding and marketing. Many don’t write well, don’t have a logo, or even use consistent colours. Look at a university and you’ll see otherwise. However, branding also needs to matter to nonprofits because it helps potential donors recognize you and encourages positive associations.
Branding also ensures that when you permit, other people in your organization can proceed to profit from the resources you’ve created. This reduces the work required when there’s turnover in the organization—which happens all the time in nonprofits like PTAs, since key positions often change hands from 12 months to 12 months.
If you don’t build a brand that may sustain itself, you’ll have to rebuild it over and another time, which kills your momentum and drains your resources. This is a bit easier if you’re a school group, because we provide logo and branding services — but it might be devastating for nonprofits in other sectors.
Lesson 4: Motivate Your Audience
Startups are actively courting customers, but many nonprofits struggle to get people to donate. Having a cause that matters is just the tip of the iceberg.
At Square or Weebly, we were continually asking ourselves what we could do to encourage user adoption. What could we do to indicate those who our solutions would impact their lives and make it easier for them to make a decision?
You can do the same with your fundraising campaigns. For example, schools using FutureFund can enable corporate matching to effectively double donor contributions and robotically provide tax-deductible donation receipts.
Lesson 5: Share your successes
This ties into lesson three above. By and large, most tech firms are social media friendly in a way that nonprofits are not. They are not shy about using viral channels. They publish, share, and signal their successes to extend their reach.
Nonprofits are inclined to be more old-school, but that wastes potential. Emails are great for thank yous, but a post that gets likes or comments is 10 times more invaluable because others can see it.
An effective nonprofit has a greater impact
The nonprofit world is competitive, too, even if it doesn’t at all times feel that way. The success of your mission depends on your ability to speak your message, reach potential donors, and attract them to your cause—the same way startups market themselves to their customers.