6 Ways Nonprofits of All Sizes Can Leverage Technology

Nonprofit organizations can use technology in many different ways. Digital fundraising, for example, is easy with such. Ensuring transparency in the process is also critical. Organizations need an effective way to reach as many people as they can. Yet, all the processes need efficiency and proper streamlining.

Our article will look at 6 ways nonprofits of all sizes can leverage technology.

How Nonprofits Can Leverage on Technology

1. It Starts With a Digital Platform

A digital platform is critical for a nonprofit organization. A good website is important for:

• Creating brand awareness and ensuring visibility for the different projects.
  
• It allows the nonprofit to expand its reach beyond its geographical location.
  
• It increases interest in the different activities of the organization.
  
• The site is crucial for building credibility.
  
• The organization can use it to collect donations.
  
• A website is a fantastic platform for engaging with different stakeholders.
  

The nonprofit organization must pay attention to the different elements within the website. It’s essential to choose the best website builder for nonprofits, create or purchase a pre-made design element pack, and have a mood board to ensure that the website will consistently showcase the nonprofit’s brand identity. There are still other factors that must be considered when creating a website, but the above-mentioned are some of the most important things you shouldn’t miss. 

Ensure a good user experience for better interest and engagement. It will also have an impact on search engine optimization (SEO).

2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Everything about the activities of a nonprofit depends on strong relationships. They must have such with the different stakeholders. Such include donors, staff members, and even vendors. 

Managing the different requirements and tons of data can be tedious. Imagine trying to import all the information into a spreadsheet or Word document.

A customer relationship management system (CRM) can help with so many functionalities. It helps keep track of the different processes. The nonprofit can also generate relevant reports for the stakeholders. 

Managing the different components can be difficult without the right tools. A CRM system provides that portal that can help ensure efficiency in the processes. Most of the tools are customizable to the specific needs of the organization. You can handle tasks like:

• Grant management requires tons of internal and external approvals. You must also stick to specific guidelines to get them.
  
• Gift and donor management focusing on how you get the donations, how much you are getting, and how you can get more.
  
• Management of volunteers, which is critical in most nonprofit organizations.
  

3. Technology for Fundraising

Once the organization streamlines its data management, the forecast goes to fundraising strategies. Managing that requires proper use of technology to streamline and expand the processes. 

With the right tools, nonprofits can open many channels for more donations. Collecting donations is also easy. No more mailing or sending couriers with the cheques. The right apps on the website bring so much convenience. They can donate using their mobile device or desktop appliance. 

Report generation is a simple click away. It helps increase transparency in the processes. Donors can also manage their accounts. It eliminates the need to have a relationship manager on call 24/7.

Peer-to-peer fundraising involves nonprofits calling on supporters to raise money on their behalf. It increases engagement with the activities of the organization. The nonprofits can tap into new networks for useful collaborations. 

It helps to have the right tools to help with peer-to-peer fundraising. The organization keeps track of relationships and can send personalized and targeted emails.

4. Technology for Marketing

The right marketing strategy depends a lot on data. It helps to know more about the donors. It allows for easier targeting and message personalization. Nonprofits can use the different channels to expand their reach.

It is important to understand which platforms the stakeholders use. Mobile devices, for example, are fantastic for easy access to information. The use of mobile devices allows for quick access to information.

Social media has also provided a fantastic platform for nonprofits. Fundraising efforts can go viral very fast.

You may have come across the ice bucket challenge fundraising campaign by the ALS association. Many social media fans jumped on board resulting in high engagement with the cause.

What was the final result, you may ask. Well, the campaign raised $115 million, not a small sum by any means. 

Technology can also make it easier to manage events. Nonprofit organizations depend on such for stakeholder communication and fundraising. The right technology can help with some of the key tasks. 

You can handle things like auctions, registration, and tournaments with the right software. Best of all, you collect data that you can use for marketing purposes later on. 

5. Instant Communication

Nonprofits depend on transparency to build a solid reputation. In return, they can attract more donors to support their causes. Report generation and presentation, if done by hand, can take a long time. There could also be errors. It can make donors doubt the credibility of the organization.

The right technology eliminates all that. The nonprofit can generate and share real-time reports with specific stakeholders.

Statistics, case studies, on-going projects are all a click away. The nonprofit needs the right metrics and analytic tools in place. It makes it easy to illustrate the success of their efforts.

6. Collaborative Efforts with Peers Using Technology

Nonprofit organizations can create from their own technologies. Collaborative efforts with supporters and the community is a good step. A good example is the TechSoup Business model. 

The company has partnered with Amazon, Microsoft, and other corporations. They offer nonprofits different business solutions,  discounted software, and other technologies. 

Such collaborations can be beneficial for nonprofits, as they enjoy the technological world. It will also lead to better coordination of their innovation efforts.

Final Thoughts

We have shared 6 ways nonprofits can leverage technology. A website is critical for building brand awareness. It is also the platform the nonprofit will use to communicate with the stakeholders. 

A proper CRM will help with data collection and analysis. Such data is critical for targeted and personalized marketing efforts. 

Technology helps with achieving higher efficiency. It also helps with streamlining the processes within the nonprofit organization.