As nonprofits add staff to their organization or focus on multiple ventures at once – it can be difficult to keep the same level of awareness when it comes to projects. As a result, projects take longer to complete, work suffers, and nonprofits may feel disconnected from their co-workers and fellow volunteers.  Asana hopes to solve these issues with their work management solution that enables businesses and charities to track and manage their projects while ensuring their staff stays connected.

In Use:

I had the chance to interview Mark Arnoldy, Head of Customer Success at Asana. Arnoldy brought a unique perspective to the interview – as he was formerly an Asana user prior to heading up the Customer Success team at Asana. As CEO of Possible, a global healthcare nonprofit – he began using Asana in 2011. Through the tool Arnoldy was able to connect members of his organization, submit grants more efficiently, and track projects throughout the organization. In a blog post on Asana’s website he wrote, “Over time, it became the single source of truth for everything we did, from writing grants to running meetings to tracking patient care.” He believes it is the best decision he ever made as CEO.

Asana is similar to a project management platform, but Arnoldy refers to it as “work management” tool because you are able to do much more than just manage projects. “We service through coordination,” he explains. He goes on to say that Asana lets companies create clarity, a timeline, and actionable results through their solutions such as building roadmaps, messaging team members, onboarding new staff, track campaigns, and streamline processes.

Asana can be pricier than their competition but along with offering a free basic package for up to 15 users – they also offer nonprofits 50% off Premium and Business plans making it more comparable to other management platforms. They also have a dedicated customer service team that helps nonprofits get started with the tool. For smaller nonprofits or charities wishing to try out the tool – Asana’s basic plan comes with unlimited projects, messaging, tasks and file storage along with 100+ free integrations like Adobe Creative Cloud, Tableau, Google, and Microsoft.

Technology Used:

Asana can be deployed on the cloud. It is also compatible with both Mac and Windows; iPhones an Androids. As stated before, Asana integrates with over 100+ solutions making projects and universal reporting easy and efficient.

Ease of Use:

Asana is easy to use once you get used to the software. When users log in they are brought to a dashboard that lets them track on-going projects, message colleagues, and manage tasks.  Asana offer help in the form of  webinars, documentation and videos. They also provide nonprofits with a dedicated customer service team to help them navigate the platform.

Arnoldy told me that while working at Possible, Asana enabled his organization to advance their mission but it also contributed to a better inclusive culture and environment – especially because he had staff all across the world. “So many nonprofits have been disappointed and let down by trying to adopt a new software that is cumbersome” so he was pleasantly surprised when Asana was able to deliver.

Recap:

A work management tool, Asana helps nonprofits streamline projects all in one place. The easy-to-use dashboard allows users to track projects in real time, message their co-workers and report on key metrics. Along with being able to manage projects Asana comes with universal templates which allows nonprofits to save time offering companies the ability to be agile even if they are juggling multiple grants and projects at once.

Advantages:

• 50% discount for nonprofit organizations who purchase the Premium or Business plan
• A dedicated customer service team for Nonprofits
• Easy-to-use interface
• 100+ integration
• Ability to streamline projects

Disadvantages:

• Pricier than their competition
• Reporting tool is lackluster

My Opinion:

The many positive reviews on Asana speaks for itself. The company has a lot of happy customers who love the ability to streamline their projects and communicate with their colleagues in a user-friendly platform. I also appreciate the 50% discount for nonprofits. While it may cost a bit more than Asana’s counterparts it doesn’t seem like users mind paying the extra money since the tool itself is robust – offering tools and services other platforms don’t.

A few customers noted that the reporting capability is lacking. The only negative instance I could find within the tool was its reporting capability. My only suggestion to Asana would be to work with their customers to create a robust reporting tool that meets their needs.

EveryAction brings together multiple platforms to make up one robust CRM (customer relationship management solution) that is trusted by over 15,000 nonprofits including the NAACP, Feeding America, and the Special Olympics.

In Use:

CRMs are crucial for any mid-large size nonprofit who wants to use their time efficiently. With a CRM like EveryAction, all of their donor information is at the tips of their fingers. They can save time by logging into one software as opposed to logging into multiple different platforms. With EveryAction a charity can access their volunteer and donor lists, create emails through their marketing automation tool, manage events, and visualize and report results.

According to their website, Covenant House saw an 83% increase in Giving Tuesday fundraising from 2019 while Audubon saw a 39% increase in annual fundraising revenue.

“My organization uses Everyaction [sic] as our CRM. They have recently made some upgrades so now we are able to house all of our fundraising, volunteer management, and digital communications in one system,” Anastasia O., a Campaigns Director wrote on Capterra, a software reviews and selection platform. She adds, “They also have some cool twitter and email integrations that make it really easy to create online actions for people to take and helps us engage our volunteer base more effectively.”

Ease of Use:

Many reviews on Capterra claim that EveryAction is easy to use sighting tech support and customer service as exceptional. They’ve also noted that the platform itself is intuitive. Other reviewers on the site think that the CRM is cumbersome.

EveryAction also has a variety of trainings and support that users can utilize such as Email/Help Desk, phone and chat support. They also have both live webinars and webinars on-demand that users can utilize to learn more about the product.

Technology Used:

EveryAction is Cloud based which means there’s no agent that will slow down your computer and take up space. It also means that it’s accessible anywhere – whether you’re working remotely on vacation or you need to check something while you’re out.

Recap:

EveryAction is a CRM tailored to the needs of nonprofit organizations. Housing many features and tools within their platform – EveryAction aims at being the one-stop-shop for all a non-profits needs. While the starting price of $109 is pricier than other CRMs in the nonprofit space – they do include quite a few features that makes can make it worthwhile for a charity. For instance, attendance tracking, calendar management, email automation, and donation tracking.

Advantages:

• Main customers commend the customer service and the training materials available
• Stacks up nicely against their counterparts
• Multiple tools and features that users can utilize

Disadvantages:

• The price tag could discourage small-medium nonprofits
• Integrations can be challenging when moving from one CRM to EveryAction
• Reporting is limited

My Opinion

I think if you’re a medium-large nonprofit or business in general – investing in a CRM is a good idea. A CRM lets you store all of your data in one place to make it easier to access. I think where EveryAction falls short is that some of their features are just “ok.” Reviews on Capterra mention that the reporting can be limiting. But where EveryAction accels is that their customer service seems to be exceptional. I do appreciate that not only do they have a chat feature, but they have assets that users can utilize from webinars to videos to learn exactly how to use the program.

After working as an accountant, CPA and CFO for a number of years - founder and developer of Grant Budget Manager, Rick Perrin began to consult for Wisconsin Early Childhood Association and found that they had unique budgeting needs. He quickly learned that this problem wasn’t unique just to this nonprofit. In fact, all nonprofits small or large face the same budgeting and forecasting issues due to the uncertainty of grants and the continuous fluctuation of donations. With his background in finance he set out to create a tool that would make budgeting and forecasting easy for small to mid-size charities.

In Use:

Nonprofits rely on grants and donations to keep them afloat throughout the year. It’s what allows them to pay their staff, invest in infrastructure and help the constituents that they serve. But grants and donations can’t always be counted on – and grants start and stop at different times of the year. An organization could have $10,000 in grant money coming in, in April, but only $5,000 coming in, in September. But like any business, that same charity has similar monthly expenses in April as it does in September. That’s why it’s so important to manage their budget monthly but also forecast what they’ll need in months to come.

Unlike similar products, Grant Budget Manager was created for nonprofits. It works directly with QuickBooks and many other accounting systems for a seamless integration.  Unlike similar software that charges a set-up fee on top of annual fees, Grant Budget Manager requires a one-time implementation fee. Perrin did this to relieve nonprofits of the burden of having to budget monthly fees into their forecasts.

Technology Needed:
Grant Budget Manager currently sits on prem and is compatible with a PC. The program has an encryption key built into it to protect a nonprofit’s data and prevent data loss.

East of Use:

The implementation of Grant Budget Manager takes about 20 hours, most of that time is working with the client and their employees to show them how the platform performs. Once the platform is installed, Perrin is confident it will save charities both time and money.

Recap:

Founded by Perrin, Grant Budget Manager is a tool that’s built for nonprofits. It works with excel to help charities manage their budget and forecast future spend. With a 36-month timeline it allows nonprofits to manage long-term grants and their multiple-year budget. The platform also allows clients to run reports, analyze key results, allocate costs, and quickly update their finances. With different dashboards available, clients can see where they stand in the present and what their future expenses may look like.

Advantages:

• Unlike other accounting tools, Grant Budget Manager is built for nonprofit organizations
• The platform costs a one-time implementation fee while other competitors charge an implementation fee plus annual fees
• Integrates with QuickBooks and other accounting systems
• Has an encryption key built in to protect against data loss

Disadvantages:

• Located on prem and for PCs only
• Grant Budget Manager is a newer software so there aren’t very many reviews and testimony about the product yet

My Opinion:

Just by talking to Perrin for a short amount of time, it’s clear that Grant Budget Manager was a labor of love (1500 hours of programing to be exact). This robust platform sets out to solve all of the unique problems that nonprofits face in terms of budgeting and accounting.

Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to your nonprofit software. Complex accounting and donation platforms can lead to complicated set-up processes and procedures that might not benefit your organization in the first place. That’s why Software4Nonprofits created two simple programs for their users – their DONATION program to keep track of donors and donations and their ACCOUNTS program for basic bookkeeping functionality.

In Use:
Small to mid-sized nonprofits and churches who primarily wish to keep track of their donations or utilize basic bookkeeping and fund accounting functionality benefit the most from Software4Nonprofits programs.

DONATION Program:

Software4Nonprofit’s DONATION program allows organizations to record donors and gifts while also issuing receipts to supporters. Users can access different types of reporting that makes it easier for charities to track one-time contributors, current donors, and all contributions by date, name and amount. When speaking to Software4Nonprofits founder Dan Cooperstock, he wanted to make it very clear that this software was not a full-featured fundraising software. If you are interested in a fundraising platform he recommends a “full-featured and customizable fundraising program.”

In terms of pricing, Software4Nonprofits offer a free LITE version, and free 60-day evaluations of other full-featured versions. Support for the LITE version is $20 a year after the first month, and support and upgrades are included for the first year with the purchase of the other versions. From there the purchase price is either $100 or $180 depending on the version chosen. The LITE version allows for up to 100 donors per year. With multiple versions available and a 60-day free trial, charities and churches can find the right version for them.

ACCOUNTS Program:

Like the DONATION program there are different versions of the software depending on what a charity is looking for. A nonprofit may start with a standard version and then upgrade over the years as their organization grows. “Initial pricing for ACCOUNTS is $130 to $220 depending on the version and again subsequent year support and upgrades costs are half of the initial price,” Cooperstock explained.

Unlike traditional commercial accounting programs like QuickBooks or Quicken, users can track income and expenses while also having a simple and completely automated fund accounting. Like the DONATION software, users can also take advantage of different reports such as income statements, balance sheets, and detailed transaction reports.

Technology Used:

Software4Nonprofits can only be installed on Windows desktop apart from the OnDemand version. Because this version is controlled by secure remote control, it can also be used on Macs.

While there are no direct integrations, users can export their data and upload it to their CRMs like Constant Contact or QuickBooks.

Ease of Use:

Nonprofits can access multiple introductory videos that teach users exactly how to use each software.  There is also an expansive FAQ page and Help file that covers everything from problems using the program to installations. Users who are still having issues can email Software4Nonprofits or call them for support.

Recap:

Software4Nonprofits was created as an easy solution for churches, charities, and nonprofits to solve for basic donation and accounting needs. It was important to Cooperstock to create a software that was easily accessible to anybody including volunteers with minimal experience.

Advantages:

• DONATION program has a free LITE version that many charities and churches can utilize
• The programs are easy to use and there are a plethora of documents and videos to help an organization learn how to use each program
• Export documents and upload to your CRM
• Fairly priced

Disadvantages:

• The only cloud-based program is their OnDemand version
• The software is only available in English
• If you do not have accounting experience, the ACCOUNTS program may have a learning curve

My Opinion:

The biggest advantage of a software like Software4Nonprofits is that they know what they are. They are a simple solution for charities and churches to upload DONATION and track income and expenses. The program doesn’t promise to be the next QuickBooks or fundraising tool – in fact Dan Cooperstock makes it very clear that they’re not. If you need a way to keep track of your spending, donors, and DONATION – these programs can help. With different versions of each program – small-to-mid nonprofits can pick the best version for their organization to get the most benefit.

If you’re looking for a simple, intuitive way to track your donors and gifts – I would recommend trying out the 60-day trial to see how you like it.

There are hundreds or even thousands of reasons to fundraise. It can be because you want to help people get through problems such as medical bills or fund a nonprofit mission. You can also fundraise to help individuals hit by a disaster. No matter the reason for fundraising, the only key to success is having the right fundraising ideas. Without the right fundraising strategy, you will not succeed in any cause. To help you develop the right fundraising strategy, here are six fundraising ideas that you should consider.

1. Needs-based crowdfunding

You don’t get it if you don’t ask. That should always be in your mind. Therefore, instead of keeping silent about your cause, you should go out there, tell people about it, and ask for support. If you want to fund a specific cause or a nonprofit project, be proactive and crowdfund for it. Make people understand what your nonprofit is all about and why you need money. If people know nothing about your charity, they will not help you in your cause. Start a crowdfunding campaign and explain the need for funds. With the right crowdfunding strategy, you will get the funds you need for your cause. So, please don’t be shy about it.

2. Host a dine out for charity

Dinner for a cause is always attractive to most people. You can take advantage of people’s liking for food by partnering with a local restaurant for a charity dinner. Invite your supporters for a meal and ask the restaurant to donate some of the night’s proceeds for a cause. You can accompany this by setting up a charity page where those who cannot make it to the venue can contribute small donations. This approach gets your nonprofit into the community and allows you to meet your supporters and other people and establish a strong relationship with them.

3. Volunteer give-a-thons

Like the Giving Tuesdays, give-a-thons allow you to engage your volunteers within a specific set date. It allows a nonprofit to harness the donors' enthusiasm by organizing a fundraiser and getting people involved while building relationships with the volunteer community. A give-a-thon is a high-energy event that allows people to enjoy a few hours of fun and giving. This allows volunteers to meet new people and interact with the community.

4. Matching gift campaigns

This is a great source of money for nonprofits. Matching gift campaigns is a popular method of raising money by incentivizing donations with donations offered by partners. As you seek funds for your campaign, work with a major donor or partner with a business to secure a matching gift. This method excites donors and bolsters your fundraising efforts.

5. Special funds

Start a special fund where people can donate whenever they want. Explain what the special fund is all about and why it was started. Explain how this fund will help you further the cause and how it will further the mission and vision of your nonprofit. Make the special fund as transparent as possible and use donation-tracking tools.

6. Sponsorships

It is sometimes vital to give tangible things instead of cash. Donating in kind is more immediate, and donors can quickly determine how their donations will be used. You can create a fundraising program that encourages people to donate in kind. For example, if your nonprofit’s mission is to help animals find a shelter, you can encourage the volunteers to help locate animals and find them homes. Ask them to participate in bringing animals to safety or even taking some of them to their homes if they have a space.

Since March 2020, teachers and schools have faced a host of challenges involving COVID-19. From student connectivity to conducting group discussions online, remote learning has been a learning exercise: an exercise for nonprofits—namely, public schools—in redefining education and the approach teachers take toward shaping the classroom experience.

In some cases, the pandemic has strengthened this experience and made teachers more resilient. Still, the consequences of remote education, the costs exacted onto the mental and physical health of teachers and staff, are serious.

We surveyed 284 educators in July 2021 to better understand the pandemic’s impact on educators across the country. Here are a few key findings.  

Teachers Are Experiencing Mental and Emotional Challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic has put pressure on countless relationships, including the professional relationships between students and teachers. When asked about the biggest challenges that teachers faced over the past 18 months, many respondents highlighted problems connecting with students and helping them emotionally during the pandemic:

• 4 percent of teachers worried about students struggling emotionally.
• 9 percent of teachers struggled to create bonds with students and their families.
• 7 percent of teachers worried about their own mental or physical health issues.

Additionally, teacher workload was frequently cited as one of the biggest concerns among educators. More than two-thirds (67.6 percent) of teachers reported high levels of stress from being expected to do so much extra work. Heavy workloads are nothing new to teachers, but our survey highlights how much more work remote education has caused.

Educators Continue to Overcome Obstacles for their Students

Despite the added stress and emotional burdens that remote or hybrid education creates, many educators are still passionate about what they do. Forty-three percent of respondents said the challenges posed by remote learning never made them rethink their profession. If students had to learn remotely again, almost one-half (47.9 percent) of educators still wouldn’t consider changing their careers at all.

Respondents were eager to talk about what is going right in education right now. The COVID-19 pandemic changed how teachers communicate with parents and opened the door to new outreach channels. Families and teachers are able to get on the same page to benefit the child’s education.

Additionally, teachers are strong. They are smart. Despite the circumstances, they have overcome the countless challenges thrown at them. Almost 85 percent of respondents said teachers have adapted to the unique circumstances.

Good Things Can Come from the Pandemic

While most Americans are eager to put the pandemic behind them, there were some positive things to come out of the past year. First, this was a tremendous test of remote learning, which has the potential to improve education in the future. Half of educators (47.9 percent) believe remote learning technology can help students learn, but it hasn’t happened yet. Meanwhile, 73.9 percent of say remote education opened up a new segment of learning for students.

Additionally, there are some positive takeaways from the pandemic that educators will use moving forward. The creative communication methods used with online instruction can be brought back to the in-person classroom, while educators can continue to focus on the mental health of students.

It’s important to hold on to the positive advances caused by the pandemic and to apply them to future school years.

We Should Learn from the Past Year

For teachers to effectively support students, they need to feel supported as well. They need physical resources and mental health care. Remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic placed a significant amount of stress on the mental health of teachers. They were expected to work long hours to help students while also caring for the emotional needs of families.

Moving forward, there needs to be a continued emphasis on the well-being of educators. This can prevent burnout while giving teachers the strength to build students up to become their best selves. 

Casey Meehan, founder of Epic Presence: a Philadelphia-based provider of research and intelligence to several of the world’s largest technology companies. 

Fundraising is not an easy task for many nonprofits. It often demands creativity and tweaks from the traditional approaches that potential donors have gotten used to. As a nonprofit leader or a fundraising organizer, you have used approaches such as auctions, mail marketing, or walkathons. However, as we head to another important nonprofit season, here are six fundraising ideas to consider that may increase your fortunes and take your fundraising initiatives to the next level.

1. Virtual charity run

Hosting a charity run is often one way of attracting sporting enthusiasts and bringing your supporters together to run for a particular cause. While it may attract many people, it is also a lot of work. It requires proper event planning and working in different capacities to secure permits, get sponsors, and coordinate activities. However, there is a better way to host a charity run. You can try a virtual charity run event where supporters sign up to participate through websites. They can pledge the miles they like to run and the amount they are willing to donate. They can do so at a gym, a treadmill, or other means.

2. Host a monthly giving campaign

Although one-time campaigns are great, the problems or causes cannot be funded entirely by one-time donations. Some donors would want to offer monthly support to help your nonprofit further its mission and fund programs. This is where monthly giving campaigns come in. Tell your donors how vital their recurring donations are and convince them to commit to giving monthly. Break it down to them what their contribution does and show them what it helps your campaign achieve.

3. Run a Calendar contests

Having a calendar contest is one of the ways to get donations. This type of fundraising is an excellent way of incorporating peer-to-peer fundraising into the plan of your nonprofit, which will help you pick donors and, at the same time, raise awareness. You can create a fundraising page and have entrants share their photos to make a case for them to be featured in the calendar. The participants will then request their family and friends to vote for them by donating.

4. Host a 24-hour donation drive

Giving days can be lucrative if used well. They only need proper planning and projections, and you are ready to host them any time you choose within 24 hours. Rally your supporters to give on a meaningful day to your nonprofit and secure a matching grant for the day. You can do this within 24 hours. The urgency created by such a short deadline can motivate donors to help you raise the needed amount in the shortest possible time and increase your donations.

5. Giving Tuesdays

The most critical day in fundraising for a cause is giving Tuesday. Often stylized as #GivingTuesday, it is one of the key events online, which activates the power of people and corporates in the country to unleash their charitable selves to transform the communities, not only in the US but across the world as well. As a nonprofit, this is a great time to rally the supporters of your cause to contribute any amount they can towards bettering the lives of others.

6. Gaming for a cause

Many gaming enthusiasts would love to contribute to a cause. Sadly, many nonprofits have no program for such groups, mainly those that fall under the millennial demographic. Unlike other groups you have to spend vast sums of money to reach, the coveted millennial demographic is easy to reach through digital gaming. You just need to meet them where they are, and games are one such way of getting to them.

As a person who has been in the nonprofit sector for a while, you already know the importance of donors and proper planning. Unfortunately, most nonprofit professionals lack adequate strategies to boost their fundraising efforts. According to Donor Search, more than 88% of all funds in nonprofits come from just 12% of donors- major donors.

As we move closer to 2022, the events that have taken place between 2019 and the present might have a far-reaching effect on these major donors. This may affect your funding and campaigns in the coming year. You will therefore need a concrete strategy to handle these issues. Here are a few things you need to consider going forward.

1. Stay in touch with the donors

They say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, and that is exactly the case with donors. With the pandemic, you need to call your donors, volunteers and sponsors to check on them and ask how they are doing. Show kindness and stewardship to your donors because it is the right thing to do and to make them feel that you are with them all the way regardless of what they are going through. Staying in touch with your donor base also allows you to understand who will be able to contribute to the cause and the possible amount you might get from them. Spend time this summer making calls to show donors that you care about them and appreciate their efforts and support. Small gesture as it may seem, it will help you retain your base and get more through referrals.

2. Ask for feedback

Just like making calls to inquire how donors are doing, feedback is another critical strategy for maintaining your donor base. Solicit donor feedback regarding your past fundraising events and how they were organized. Encourage communication and consider feedback from the donors or potential donors. Implement the views that are reasonable and explain why certain things were done or not. Use methods such as welcome email series, email survey, donor focus groups or ask questions when donors make their visits to your organization’s offices.

3. Motivate donors to give

Motivation is crucial in fundraising. It increases the number of donations and encourages donors to participate more. Be transparent and show them how their donations have helped in different areas. Share stories on how their past contributions have impacted society and why more needs to be done to increase the reach. This might touch some people who might increase their donations.

4. Build trust

 Trust is critical in fundraising. You can build trust by accounting for all the resources donated and giving your donors reports on what you have done with their resources. Trust is the leading factor that retains donors at 40%. It is followed by the impact of the charity (31%), financial ratios (28%) and others such as relationship with the charity. Make time for activities that build and nature trust. In addition to raising money from donors, accompany it with a concrete strategy and seek feedback on what your donors or stakeholders think about the charity.

As you plan your 2022 fundraising strategy, always know that your success or otherwise might be due to the strategy you have. Note that in most cases, donors are not to blame for the success of fundraising. Rather, it is a result of poor strategies by charities. Put the donor at the centre of your strategy and develop a donor-friendly framework that caters for the need of each one of them. Use the feedback from the past fundraisers as a starting point and address all the concerns raised before. This will guarantee you a better year ahead.

You can now say “Alexa make a donation to_____” and have Alexa use your Amazon pay account to make a donation up to $5,000.  Currently, this program is only available to select charities that have been invited by Amazon. However, it is likely that this program will be a hit with both donors and nonprofits, so it is something that you should have on your radar for the upcoming year. 

Another high tech trend to watch for 2020 is the rise in giving via a blockchain platform. A blockchain platform is  a public ledger relying on globally distributed historical transactions to prevent tampering and fraud. 

Blockchain was designed to offer a higher level of transparency for transactions. Many donors wish to know that their donations are going directly to the charity that they have selected for the express purpose of funding a certain project. A blockchain giving platform can give them that piece of mind. 

BitGive’s GiveTrack is an example of one such platform. BitGive shares detailed real time information about the financial and project status of the charities that they work with that are accepting donations via GiveTrack.

Global Giving is a crowdfunding platform designed to help small nonprofits raise awareness and money. Global Giving is also a nonprofit, which means it understands what nonprofits need to run a successful fundraising campaign. 

Global Giving also understands that small nonprofits don’t have a large budget, so there is no application fee to join the  Global Giving platform. There is no monthly subscription fee, however Global Givings has a 3% transaction fee along with a sliding scale support fee of 5-12% of collected donations. 

The site offers a host of training and support options for nonprofits that join the platform. There are webinars, training libraries, workshops, one on one phone consultations or site visits.  The platform has tools like gamification and incentives to increase donations. 

The platform offers all the standard fundraising campaign tools, including metrics, donor engagement, social media integration. What it also offers is opportunities to partner with large companies for matching grants, or specific giving programs with the company.

know your audience in order to determine if live streaming is right for your nonprofit. The people you want to engage through a live stream have to be savvy enough to access your video feed so that they aren’t overwhelmed or frustrated by the experience. Beyond this point, your decision should come down to value—both to the viewer and to your organization.

If your organization is exploring adding a livestream to your next event there are a few things that you should consider. First, is your event the type of event that makes for a good livestream. 

The purpose of the livestream is to generate enthusiasm and excitement from those who are unable to attend in person. The event you are live streaming has to be visually interesting enough to keep your online viewer engaged. The most successful live streams are based on events that have an element of excitement to them. Is your event a fashion show? Will there be cute animals?--you can never go wrong livestreaming cute animals.  Also, if your event includes a celebrity guest that you know people who were unable to attend in person would love to see, 

After determining if your event is right for a livestream, it’s time to consider if your intended audience is right for a livestream. If your audience is comfortable using Twitch, YouTube or social media, if you chose to livestream via Facebook than live streaming is a good idea. If your audience is not comfortable with those platforms it doesn’t mean that you can’t do a livestream it just means that you may not get a huge return from the event. 

Next, it’s time to plan your livestream events content. Think of your live stream as the modern equivalent to a charity telethon-except instead of broadcasting on TV your using the internet. A telethon doesn’t consist of a single still shot of the action and neither should your livestream. 

Create a content script. If your are doing a fashion show consider doing interviews with the models or designers (or stores that donated the fashion). Have a host roving the audience,anything to spice up the broadcast. Remember you want to keep the excitement going. 

Many livestream apps allow your organization to collect donations directly from the livestream platform, so make sure your call to action is clear. 

EveryAction wants to be everything to every nonprofit. This cloud based platform offers fundraising, advocacy, organizing and digital all in one package. 

For fundraising, you can use the platform to create a simple donation page for your website. You can also use the platform to track major gifts, pledges and other donations. And, you can run an online auction with it as well. 

Get all your advocacy done with social matching and listening which lets you monitor and track influential supporters and it has an advocacy module that makes it easy for you to turn your advocates into donors. 

Organize your supporters with the built in tools to manage your volunteers and coordinate your canvassing or phone bank events. 

The digital portion lets you build multi channel ad campaigns. The platform includes data visualization tools so you can make use of all the various data sets that your organization accumulates. 

Nonprofits can make the most out the remaining giving days in the year, reports The Nonprofit Times. 

You’ve survived Giving Tuesday – and hopefully come out of it with a nice boost of donation revenue for your nonprofit.

Read article on The Nonprofit Times

New Story, a nonprofit that focuses on using tech to build affordable housing, plans on having 50 new homes erected a Mexico community by the end of 2020. 

A giant 3D printer built two houses in an impoverished, rural part of Mexico last week, breaking ground on what will be the first 3D-printed neighborhood in the world.

Read article on Fox 2 Now

According to the Biz Tech Magazine, integrated giving is one of several technology trends that will impact nonprofits in 2020. 

Nonprofits have a lot on their plates. Charitable giving took a hit last year, declining for the first time since the Great Recession, forcing organizations to do more with less.

Read article on Biz Tech Magazine

Mobile friendly devices help contribute to the success of #GivingTuesday, reports Biz Tech Magazine.  

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday are all behind us, but the long Thanksgiving weekend isn’t over yet. Many will be digging deep into their pockets again today, but not for themselves—this time, it’s for Giving Tuesday. 

Read article on BizTech Magazine