NTEN CHANGE: Engaging Major Donors With New Media

ISSUE FOUR · DECEMBER, 2011

chanGe A Quarterly Journal for Nonprofit Leaders

inside this edition:

Feature: Multiple Constituent Groups, One Database? How To Track Everyone Who’s Anyone to You PAGE 12

Tracking Constituents in One System Fight Colorectal Cancer CASE STUDY:

PAGE 18

Tracking Constituents in Two Systems Sarah’s... An Oasis for Women CASE STUDY:

PAGE 20

feature story: from outcomes to impact Plus: A Case Study from Greenlights for Nonprofit Success [ PAGE 4 ]

Tracking Constituents in Many Systems Earthjustice CASE STUDY:

PAGE 22

inside:

ISSUE FOUR · DECEMBER, 2011

plus: What’s Hot/What’s This?: Google+, Theory of Change, Livestreaming pages 16, 19, 21 Infographic: Mapping Your Website Ecosystem page 23 DIY Nonprofit Technology NTEN experts translate best practices into stepby-step directions PAGE 29

Tech Across Your Org Inspiration and examples for the expanding role of tech at your org PAGE 25

Leadership Cheat Sheet: Calling Dr. Nerd? page 43 Community Question: Is Your Org Failure-Friendly? page 41

Feedback: How Are We Doing? page 30 Infographic: The 2011 Nonprofit Industry page 45 Video: Cloud for Nonprofits page 35

Tech Tips for EDs: 5 MustHave Tools page 40 The “Ask Deborah” Podcast The CTK Educational Series presents Deborah Elizabeth Finn PAGE 17

Leader Profiles How do you lead your org through change?

PAGE 36

All content is produced and submitted independently from, and without influence by, sponsors or advertisers. All content is published under the Creative Commons License: AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported.

WELCOME

by ANNALIESE HOEHLING

managing change at their organizations, and you won’t want to miss the Leadership Cheat Sheet. Find inspiration in our Tech Across Your Org articles, and give your eyes a rest while listening to the askDeboThere has been a lot of talk lately about how much data rah podcast. And there’s even more!

Thank you for subscribing to NTEN: the world is producing and consuming now—in this year Change, A Quarterly Journal for Nonprofit alone, we’ll have created the equivalent of 57.5 billion Leaders – and if you have a few minutes, 32 GB iPods worth, according to Mashable. please tell us what you think of it.

If you found your way to this journal on And we’re doubling our data every two years. This issue of the web or from a friend and want to learn more and subNTEN:Change provides some strategic guidance for how scribe (for free!), please visit us online here: your nonprofit can turn all that data into impact. http://nten.org/NTENChange In our feature article from Julie Macalik and Greenlights for Nonprofit Success, you’ll get direction for, well, turning Annaliese Hoehling, Publications your data into direction. The article tackles the questions: Director, NTEN, annaliese@nten.org I how can you make sure your organization is achieving your desired outcome? How can your data help you make better organizational decisions? And Idealware’s feature article L Measuring will help you work through the tough decisions about colYour Soc Discover NTEN: Change Success ial Media lecting and tracking data about your constituents: who do Discover a wealth of you need to collect data about? Who else? Should you track valuable information for them all in one place? You’ll even get an exercise to use for nonprofit leaders your own organization’s decision process.

O Read Online: Bookmark this The data theme continues in some of the other sections page in your browser now! of this issue as well, including the DIY articles on taking O Download & Print: Find the button to download control of your data and turning data into stories about your the issue to PDF, or use the button to print up! cause; and don’t forget to read the case studies of how three O Access on Your Mobile: Open the url on your smartorganizations are collecting and tracking data. phone or mobile device—use “zoom” mode to help with But this issue isn’t just about data. Be sure to read what readability! our Leadership Academy graduates have to say about

from the editor

NONPRO FIT

TECHNO

LOGY LEA DER

PROFILE S

Each parti cipating orga tive Dire nization is ctor technology-re (or non-technica represented by the l Leadersh Execusponsible from Acad ip staff ) staff pers and one emy parti on. In this cipan

section we ts in their QUESTIO hear own word N: How s. organiza much of tion is the tech focused mission nology on help vs. at your ing What obst just keeping your orga you meet you help you acles are in the r nization way of achieve technolo running? your miss gy that ion? can t’s diffic

THE NO NPROFIT TECHNO LEADER LOGY SHIP AC ADEMY WEEK ON IS A LIN

FEATURE

ult to ing us mee say how much tech nology is t our miss running. focu ion vs. just We keeping our sed on helpour website depend on email organizat for ion works. Our and social media keepday to day operating organization’ , while s us I’ve come s operating in touch with our to realize netbudget is that finan since we minimal, are a 100% ce is not the volunteer homes, it limiting factobut orga is r— growing orgatime that is the limit nization working from ing facto our use of tech nization, and we r. We are need a young, nolo that one cruc gy. The Tech Acad to constantly evol ve our emy has ial factor new tech helped me is training, nolo realize our organizat gy, and ensure therewhich will help adop tion ion to take are more Kate Skeg skilled peop of responsib ility g, Social le in Media Man for our technolo Dare to Dream: gy ager use.

Get

9E TRAIN ING PROG DESIGNE RAM D TO HELP NO LEADER NPROFIT S UNDE RSTAND MANAGE HO W TO TECHNO LOGY TO MEET TH BOTH EIR BA SIC OP NEEDS ERATION Educate CASE AND ME d! Latina AL STUDY Confere ET THEIR ike man

BY CHR nce y others, MISSIONS our IS BERNAR running.

IDEALWA As we build technologyD,main ir articles . futurthe ly keep RE e foun

for technolo’ URLs s the org how dation we many peogy thatand the are looking n ove ple cliccan impr track the “In my ked our se link to the ms,scom about the mind, I need on them. syste to see mupercen press and buil lots and lots of t,” d NTEN:aud people watchin she said. “Ho that CHANG to care E · SEPTEM e to get g our foll nestly, ienc BER 2011 to · PAGE 28 at this owers What point we’ that 10 them, or content is wor go up.” re just kin click to depth, see mo g to inspire peo the org re? ple To aniz to follow by com analyze ation assi par and Twi ing the SF Pub gned an inte that more intter wit outlets h that of lic Press’s acti rn to research . it vity on similar Fac organiz “We wan ations and ebook ted to wat term loo media ch how man sely—to see how our compet itor retweeti y times they wer many times s—I’m usin ng others’ the e retweete y were g that found that con the info hot-button tent, things d, how often posting, traffic. rmation the like y top For wha were tha to try to some tever reas ics and open-e t,” she said to . oth out wha figure others wer er topics. I on, people donnded polls got “We t mor wanted be the would what we e doing, and to sort ’t seem to resp e best the of qua balance ond tho —at wh The org ught was hap numbers we reco ntify what point do at pen anizatio rded rein the the dat peo n is still ing.” ple get forc a that’s We don ed trying confuse been gath on our ’t want to dec soc to overwh d about wha While convers ial media team ered. “We hav ide how to act t’s elm our atio e much mothis is a good followe com to do diff ns about that , and I’ve ask a couple of peo on star re data rs.” ed them wis eren to ple she cou t, LaHood said help h tly,” she we ers do, to hav us decide said we are said. “Bu had a better sen ld be trackin she kn what we’ e some doing alre . “A lot of wha it a littl g and t se of wha it’s re e. goin purely more.” ady. We t we’re g t and howmea In resourc see just may “On Tw es tha ure how particular, it to be need ing othbeen pos itter more wou man to tweak ld be par t keep us fr tha y people nate—w ticularl tities we ting content from n Facebook, ho fou com think wou other new for examp “We exis nd the org e to events— y useful anizatio ld be of le, or ulti t bec public interest s orgs or other we’ve interest ause we’re servn through soc ma ,” she said loca withou journa ial m ing this . “We’re l ent lism mission using give.” funding. We wan ,” she said , “but we t the con can tent to inspire pe

By Andrea Berry Director of Partnerships and Learning for Idealwar e

NTEN CHANGE

SEPTEMB

ER 2011 · PAGE 14

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 3

NTEN

: CHAN

GE · SEPTE

MBER

2011 · PA

naviGation tips Getting to Articles Online: • Click on the titles in the table of contents to go directly to those articles • Find the drop-down menu in the upper-left of the top navigation bar to jump to articles from anywhere in the journal • You can also use the arrows in the center of the top navigation bar to advance a single page or to jump to the front or back of the issue (click on the page number display in the middle to select a page number to jump to).

Reading Off-line: • Use the to the right to download to PDF • Or use the to print selected pages (or the entire issue) Interacting with the Articles Online: • Use the button on in the top navigation bar to zoom in on text for easier reading • You can also use the sliding zoom tool in the upper-right to increase and decrease the zoom by increments • You can switch to single-page view for easier reading—just click on the top navigation bar • Some text will “flash” when you first turn to a page. That is a live link to more information on the web. bonus tip: right-click those links and choose to open in a new window or tab, so you can keep the article open as well.

Share with Colleagues: • Use in the upper-right on the top navigation bar to open the drop-down menu of your share options NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 4

FEATURE

From Outcomes to Impact A bird’s eye view of the nonprofit sector gives us a two-dimensional view only: inputs and outputs. Raising money and spending money. If we dug deeper, however, we would see that there has been a shift in emphasis on whether nonprofit programs are really making a difference.

By Julie Macalik Plus: A Case Study provided by Greenlights for Nonprofit Success NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 5

OUTCOMES TO IMPACT Efficiency and effectiveness are indicators of success, but they cannot replace true impact. Outcomes focus on whether programs are really impacting the community.

Outcomes measurement is an excellent tool to measure progress toward meeting your mission, but what if you were able to take that one step further and position your organization for long-term success?

A nonprofit can track its outputs by counting the numbers of people served or the numbers of units of service provided. While critical and valuable, outputs tend to focus on the actual “outputs” that come from organizational activities (e.g. numbers served) and are only one type of metric.

These are the most basic measures of what a nonprofit does.

An example of an output is “48,000 different individuals receive emergency food assistance from the Capital Area Food Bank in any given week.”

There are many uses for the data generated from output measurement; however, many organizations track this information because they are required to and because it is fairly simple to collect. Nonprofits are often accountable to foundations and other grant-making organizations that measure this information for program reporting requirements. But in order to better tell your story, everyone in your organization should understand how these numbers are related to the overall effectiveness and quality of your programs.

An example of an outcome for Capital Area Food Bank might go something like this: “Our programs and services reduced the number of families who went hungry by providing food and grocery products to more than 355 Partner Agencies in 21 Central Texas counties.” This metric focuses

more on the degree to which the meals served by the food bank reduced hunger in the population served by the food bank and partner agencies. The output is what the nonprofit agency did; the outcome is the ultimate result they achieved at the end of the day: in other words, how the world is different because they exist.

This type of measurement allows organizations to increase their capacity to evaluate the extent to which they are achieving their intended results and create a plan to measure their programs. Outcomes evaluation looks at the impacts and benefits to clients during and after participation in your programs.

Measuring Impact

The first step in starting to measure your impact is to identify the major outcomes that you want to examine. In order to be successful in this step you will need full management support and a dedicated key project lead for your team. This person will take the helm on laying out tasks in a sequence, informing other staff of their roles and assignments, and output is providing assistance to peoWHAT YOU DID. ple as they complete their parts of the evaluation. The OUTCOME IS standard nonprofit data come from fundraisWHAT HAPPENS points ing, communications, proAS A RESULT OF grams, and finance, so consider these sources when WHAT YOU DID. gathering your team. For NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 6

OUTCOMES TO IMPACT example, a representative from the fundraising department can make sure you consider when your funders’ reporting cycles are so that you are producing outcome measurement results at a time that aligns with their requests for information about your programs. Also, those most directly affected should provide meaningful participation, so don’t forget about your front-line staff directly involved in providing services.

Next you will want to select the outcomes that you want to examine and prioritize them. For each outcome, specify what observable measures, or indicators, will suggest that you’re achieving that key outcome for impact. After you have made your selection you can then identify what information is needed to show these indicators. There are many types of technology and other management tools available to assist in this process, and now is the time to take stock of your technology and the tools you are going to use to track your data. Decide how information can be efficiently and realistically gathered utilizing the different methods that are best for your organization including: Surveys - Consider what features you will need. If you’re just O find out more looking to get your feet wet with about online a quick survey, one of the many survey options free or low cost online tools will here. do the trick. In fact, a more sophisticated survey package could be considerably more difficult to use. On the other hand, if you’re looking for survey software to support rigorous research, the more advanced packages are more likely to have the features you need.

Interviews and focus groups - The desired outcome of this type of method is to solicit data without any influence or bias. This also allows you to develop a relationship with clients or other key stakeholders and get a full range and depth of information. One benefit of focus groups is the ability for participants to feed off each other’s energy and bounce ideas off one another. Consider using an outside facilitator to help develop questions and protocol and to help identify themes from your data.

Documentation Review - Looking at internal records like applications, forms, procedures, and finances allows you to get an impression of how programs operate without interruption and identify new methods of collection.

Databases - Nonprofits can use these tools to track O read this article data in real time and report about creating on results. Internally they your nonprofit can assist in managing perdashboard formance at the departmenO view this recorded tal or affiliate-level using webinar about dashboards and benchmark data, dashboards, progress over time. and tracking and After the data is collected, reporting on your organize the information outcomes into similar categories (i.e. concerns, suggestions, strengths, etc.). From here you can identify patterns and themes to help you categorize and analyze data according to the indicators for each outcome.

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 7

OUTCOMES TO IMPACT Develop a Plan

Now that you’ve gathered and analyzed your data, you can begin to develop your strategic plan. When it comes to brainstorming goals, keep it simple. Four to six meaty, well-defined goals will be plenty to keep your organization busy (with meaningful, impactful work, of course) over the next three to five years. It’s healthy to dream big when goal-setting, encouraged even, but when it’s time to put pen to paper (or perhaps more accurately, fingers to the keyboard), SMART goals are best.

Implementation

With your strategic plan in hand, teeming with SMART goals, you’re now well-positioned for the implementation phase. In short, implementation equals action. This doesn’t mean that you have to lose the thoughtful, intentional quality of the planning process. A plan that outlines specific objectives and tasks toward achieving your goals is a plan that will position your organization for long-term success. The process of data gathering and long-term planning can be an intense one, but there is an opportunity to build on that momentum during the implementation phase. Below are several keys to success for implementation Hold each other accountable. Many nonprofits charge a subcommittee of people with leading the planning process. This group is not responsible for all of the planning; rather, they are responsible for keeping the process moving forward. Implementation is no exception. A small task force gives board and staff a primary point of contact for both questions along the way and progress reporting toward your goals.

S M A R T Specific

Measureable

Achievable

Goals that are specific are far more likely to be achieved than general ones. Know the answers to the following questions (among others): What resources will be needed to accomplish this goal? Who will be involved? How will this impact other programs and services?

For each goal, include specific criteria for measuring your progress and ultimately, achievement. Concrete metrics help reassure you that you’re headed in the right direction and, more importantly, give you a clear indication of when a goal has been accomplished.

Set goals that you can actually accomplish in a finite period of time, but don’t sell your organization short when it comes to goal-setting. Encourage “stretch goals” that will require you to grow and develop in order to achieve them.

Realistic

Realistic goals are closely linked to achievable ones.

Think about the likelihood of your goals actually being completed in the timeframe you have designated, not only in terms of resources available, but also considering your current board and staff capacity.

Timebound

If your answer to, “When can we realistically accomplish this goal?” is, “Someday…” then your goal is not timebound. Set goals with a specific target end date, as well as check points along the way to maintain excitement and momentum.

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 8

OUTCOMES TO IMPACT Implement in increments. Planning for your organization’s future can be exciting, and often organizations find themselves tasked with completing 80% of the work for their 3-year plan during the first year. Don’t be a hero!

Strategic plans are long-term for a reason. Space out your objectives and tasks in a way that makes sense, and implement incrementally. Also, consider sequence when plotting out tasks related to your goals. For each objective ask: “What needs to happen first before we can move forward?

Stay flexible. Long-term planning is valuable, but the reality most of us face in the nonprofit sector is one that includes frequent change and many moving parts, from grant funding cycles to legislative changes. Know that your plan is a blueprint for moving forward, but just as you’re free to decide that you don’t really need that fourth bathroom, so too are you free to update your organizational blueprint to accommodate changes that come your way.

Measure success as you go. Keep track of your progress along the way, both in qualitative and quantitative ways.

This is helpful for keeping your board and staff engaged and inspired along the way, and it’s also a great way to communicate with your funders, the community, and other key stakeholders.

The bottom line is organizations need to set aside time to gather data, learn from the results, and reflect on the measure of progress. Doing so will help the organization achieve better results and assist in future planning. Preparation and planning is a key part of the outcome measurement process.

The better the planning, the more impact the outcome measurement will have on your organization and your organization’s impact.

CASE STUDY: IMPACT IN PRACTICE As organizations continue to recognize the increased importance being placed on demonstrated impact, they are responding to this shift by rethinking the way they do things.

One example is Greenlights for Nonprofit Success, a Management Support Organization (MSO) in Austin, TX, that serves a five-county area in Central Texas. A nonprofit itself, its mission is to strengthen nonprofits for extraordinary performance and impact.

In its own strategic planning process in 2010, Greenlights developed a priority goal of increasing the impact and effectiveness of individual nonprofits and the Central Texas nonprofit sector. As a step toward achieving that goal, the organization has begun developing a consulting practice area in performance measurement and impact evaluation as a way of helping other nonprofits measure and communicate their impact to key stakeholders.

Explore Austin, a recent client of Greenlights, is an organization that immerses at-risk inner-city youth into a six-year program that combines mentoring with outdoor exploration to build confidence, character, and a sense of responsibility for themselves and their communities. Their consistent focus on program success had led to success for participants quickly after its 2006 founding, but the organization’s own operational excellence was not on their radar.

As Explore Austin matured and started reaching more young people, it recognized a need to begin focusing on developing

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 9

OUTCOMES TO IMPACT the organization itself, and accordingly asked Greenlights to conduct a comprehensive evaluation and assessment and make accompanying recommendations to provide objective, useful data upon which to base key decisions that could strengthen the program model and guide the development of infrastructure that needed to be in place for future growth.

Greenlights presented a diagnostic report, logic model, and proposed evaluation model to Explore Austin, which used these materials as a guide moving forward. Within months, they drafted and approved new board member roles and responsibilities prior to recruiting new board members. Also based on the recommendations, Explore Austin implemented new risk management policies and procedures, redesigned its Web site and promotional materials, and created a formal communication structure with its partners.

Explore Austin hired new staff, moved into a new office, and added database/fundraising infrastructure and necessary programs. In addition, the organization created a comprehensive, building-block curriculum and enrolled staff in appropriate training. All of these decisions were based on the data and the plan they developed through the assessment and strategic planning process.

Explore Austin now has over 65 boys in the program, a 90% increase from previous years, and the board has also committed to starting a program for at-risk girls. In addition, the number of volunteer mentors has increased by 30%; the board of Directors has doubled in size; and donations have increased by over 50%.

Most importantly, however, parents, teachers, and students report a higher level of confidence, satisfaction, and effectiveness in the program. That is impact in practice.

ONLINE RESOURCES • More overview and resources from Civic Partnerships on Strategic Planning and Measurement • More resources on measuring outcomes from The Nonprofit Outcomes Toolbox • Free Assessment and Planning tools from the Innovation Network • Understanding the difference between Outcomes and Outputs (a diagram and overview from University of Wisconsin Extension) • An Example of a Strategic Plan (Managance Consulting) • Another Sample/Template for a Strategic Plan (from the Strategic Planning for Dummies book)

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 10

THE NEXT REVOLUTIONIS REVOLUTION THE REVOLUTION REVOLUTION OF FREE. FREE. FREE

FREE

FREE

ONLINE FUNDRAISING TOOLS

DONOR MANAGEMENT

SOCIAL NETWORK FUNDRAISING

Welcome to the new generation of online fundraising. A generation that demands more for less. Over 35 free online fundraising tools, one central access point and free merchant bank account set up. Free changes everything.

www.ClickandPledge.com | 866-999-2542

FEATURE

Multiple Constituent Groups, One Database?

How to Track Everyone Who’s Anyone to You

By Laura Quinn, Idealware NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 12

TRACKING EVERYONE SINCE MOST ORGANIZATIONS DON’T TRACK JUST ONE TYPE OF CONSTITUENT, THE IDEA OF A SINGLE DATABASE FOR ALL OF THEM — DONORS, VOLUNTEERS, CLIENTS, EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS, ADVOCATES AND EVERYONE ELSE — IS SOMETHING OF A HOLY GRAIL. The ability to easily see how all your constituents interact with your organization, and with each other, makes for an attractive, ideal vision of what a database should be.

In reality, a single constituent database usually means some sort of compromise. If your nonprofit tracks a wide variety of constituents but doesn’t need very deep functionality in any particular area, it’s feasible. But if you need to keep tabs on more complex data—like tracking stock gifts from donors, matching volunteers with volunteer opportunities based on interests and availability, and the case notes, histories and outcomes of the mental health services provided to clients—you’re not likely to find a single system to fill all your needs.

If there’s not much overlap between particular constituent groups (for example, your clients aren’t likely to be donors, and your donors aren’t likely to become clients),

there may not be enough of an upside to a single database to make it worth your while. For many organizations, multiple systems can be a better fit.

But how do you determine which is the right solution for your nonprofit? We’ve designed a short exercise to help you decide.

Know Your Audience

The first step is to identify all the constituents you deal with on a day-to-day basis. These are the people you need to track. It’s likely you’ll have not just donors and clients, but volunteers, alumni, event attendees, partners, press contacts and other groups. Include them all.

Then, choose the constituent group that’s most important for your organization to track—we’ll call them your “Critical Constituent.” For most organizations, this will probably be either donors or clients. (If you have two or three key constituents, you can repeat the exercise for each, but choose one to start with.)

For each of the other constituent groups you identified, determine: • Their relationship to your Critical Constituent—how likely are people in one group to be in the other? Might they move between them?

• The complexity of the data you need to track for them in addition to what you’re already tracking for Critical Constituents—the basics, like name, address and contact information, is probably the same for both, but there’s likely to be additional information.

Using donors as the Critical Constituent for our examNTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 13

TRACKING EVERYONE

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 14

TRACKING EVERYONE ple, let’s compare them to volunteers as the other con- IF THERE’S stituent group. Are volunNOT MUCH teers likely to become donors, or vice versa? OVERLAP Might a volunteer also be a donor? Neither scenario is BETWEEN YOUR unusual for many organizations, so we could call these CONSTITUENT two constituents highly GROUPS, IT'S related. As we consider other constituent groups— PROBABLY NOT press contacts, for example, or legislators—we’re likely WORTH IT TO to find far less overlap.

Next, let’s consider the HAVE ONE complexity of the data we’ll DATABASE. need to track for volunteers that we don’t already track for donors. This might include the types of projects they’d like to help with, when they’re available, and their history volunteering with the organization. Because there are more than a few additional fields, this falls somewhere between medium- and high-complexity, depending on the specifics.

Once you’ve defined how complex and related each constituent is, plot your constituent groups on a chart for a look at your overall constituent picture.

Read Between the Lines

Let’s say your groups mostly cluster toward the right side of the chart. This means you don’t have extensive additional needs on top of what you already track for Critical Con-

stituents, and tracking them all in a single database almost certainly makes sense for your organization. You should be able to customize a database optimized for your Critical Constituents to fit everyone else, too.

But what if you have a cluster down in the lower left hand corner that shows you have some difficult-to-track constituents that aren’t particularly related to your Critical Constituents? You’re unlikely to find a system that effectively supports substantial functionality for both types of constituents, and given how little they relate to each other, there may not even be much benefit in trying to shoehorn them into a single database.

In this case, you’re probably better off with more than one database—but how many do you need? Remove the Critical Constituent from the equation and repeat this exercise just for the constituents grouped together in the lower left hand corner. Are they related to each other? Do you need to track similar data for each of them? Again, if they don’t overlap significantly, more than two databases might make sense.

Things get more complicated if you have constituents floating in the middle of the chart, or even worse, in the upper-left corner. If that’s the case at your organization,

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 15

TRACKING EVERYONE

Wrapping it Up

The vision of a single database is attractive, but the reality might be neither practical nor cost-effective for your organization. Should you track all a sinGle your constituents in the same system? Only if it makes sense DATABASE IS for your particular situation. At the end of the day, that’s not easy ATTRACTIVE, to know.

If there’s a compelling reason BUT THE to combine everything, and the REALITY benefits outweigh the risks and cost, the dream of a single dataMIGHT NOT base is a viable possibility. But that dream requires BE PRACTICAL achieving some strategy and forethought— otherwise, your dream of a sinOR COSTgle database might just become EFFECTIVE. an implementation nightmare.

livestreaminG

What’s this?

start weighing the possibilities and tradeoffs. It might prove difficult to incorporate these constituents into the same system as your Critical Constituents. Is it worth the effort and expense?

Consider whether multiple systems can be integrated so key data flows from smoothly between them through an automatic data feed. Integration is often expensive and complicated, but it can be a great solution to thorny data problems like this.

Livestreaming events is increasingly becoming a popular way to share content with remote audiences. It is surprisingly simple and affordable.

There are three main parts: the source, or camera that you use to capture video and audio; the encoder, which is software that you use to produce the live video; and the player that viewers will watch the video on. your source can be as simple as a mini-dv digital camcorder, or even a webcam that you can connect to a laptop via USb. There are many free and low cost options for encoders, a simple web search should pull up various options.

When searching for a player, we suggest you start by checking out Livestream.com, a great site that allows you to produce a livestream on their channels, or embed a player on your own website.

Ustream.tv is another great option for nonprofits; much like youTube, it allows users to set up a “channel,” with specific programs that are then archived for post-event viewing as well.

While livestreaming educational content is an obvious choice for many nonprofits, a livestream of events or fundraisers can also help your organization broaden its reach. Livestreaming gives your community of supporters another way to participate if they can’t make an in-person event, or something to share with their networks who may not otherwise participate. Learn more about livestreaming options for nonprofits here.

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 16

askDeborah Podcast: What is HIPAA and How Does it Affect My Organization?

The CTK Educational Series presents Deborah Elizabeth Finn as she dives into her vast network of nonprofit and technology professionals to answer complex questions in simple terms and help nonprofit organizations increase their capacity through technology.

In this episode, Deborah goes to colleague Gavin Murphy. Gavin Murphy is the co-founder and president of Annkissam, a professional services firm dedicated to helping mission-driven organizations with their operations and technology.

Annkissam has grown steadily since its beginning in 2007, and has worked with about 50 clients in a dozen states. Mr. Murphy has spent his career consulting to a wide range of organizations, with a focus on designing and developing systems for nonprofit health and human services organizations.

Answers are delivered in 5 minutes in a candid and informative tone. Find more askDeborah episodes and other educational materials at www.communitytech.net CLICK THE BAR TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST (AND SIMPLY TURN THE PAGE TO STOP LISTENING).

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 17

CASE STUDY

by CHRIS bERNARD, IDEALWARE

“For providers, we’re trying to track their communications with us—how they are referring, how they’re participating in resources, things like that—and connecting with them on that level. We don’t have quite as much to track, because they’re the means to get to the patient, and that’s our core goal.”

True to its name, the Alexandria, Virginia, based To a lesser extent, the organization also tracks nonprofit supports patients and their families volunteers. “We don’t do straight volunteering so much, just a yearly event—a lobby day—and anyas they navigate dealing with colorectal cancer, one who registers or interacts with us is in [the and pushes for changes in policy that improve database],” she said. “There’s also information research. about advocacy action—but if someone goes to the website and wants to ask an advocacy ques“We’re the squeaky wheels for colorectal cancer,” said tion, it goes through a different process than if they ask a Judi Sohn, VP of Operations for Fight Colorectal Cancer, medical question.” summing up the organization’s mission succinctly.

Because the information collected about providers was In terms of critical constituents, donors are extremely far less complex than that for patients, Fight Colorectal important to the organization. Sohn said staff want to know Cancer chose to maintain their collection of data about their as much as they can about them. But there are, in fact, two different constituent groups in a single database, Sohn said. other major audiences they track in parallel.

The organization uses Salesforce.

“One is the patient community looking for resources,” She cited the application’s ubiquity, as the enormous user she said. This includes people who have or have had colon community means an equally healthy support community. cancer, as well as those who have known people with it. The While the vendor targets other is the healthcare providers that are the sources of corporate users more than at-a-Glance: information for them. nonprofits, it’s still wellfiGht colorectal “There’s some overlap between them, but mostly they’re suited for her organization’s cancer completely different groups in terms of what we’re trackneeds. “It’s easy to work ing,” Sohn said. “For patients, it’s interactions, questions O $1 million budget with,” she said, “and easy to they’ve asked, their participation in webinars, communicafind developers to work with O seven staff tion history, healthcare history, and things like that. it. It’s such a large universe.”

trackinG constituents in one system

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 18

by CHRIS bERNARD, IDEALWARE

They’ve been using it since 2006 to track all constituent data, all financial data, case management, advocacy organization contacts, email lists and statistics, and more.

“We do webinars and move the information we got from the webinar to Salesforce to track sign-ups and surveys and other information,” she said. “We do have information that may live in other places, but 99 percent of the time, it’s only there because that’s where it first went in.

Then it goes into Salesforce, which is our database for nearly everything.”

There is a limitation to the single database, and Sohn said they use a separate e-commerce system for people who purchase fundraising bracelets or awareness materials. “We do track in Salesforce that someone purchased something, but the system we use “We have has a not-veryinformation robust Salesforce so THAT MAY LIVE integration, things like sales tax management IN OTHER and inventory is PLACES, BUT IT too weak and not worth the effort.

EVENTUALLY As long as we are not duplicating GOES INTO any information, it’s not an issue.”

SALESFORCE.”

GooGle+

What’s hot?

CASE STUDY

Since it’s late June 2011 launch, Google+ has become one of the hottest buzz words in Nonprofit Technology. Google+, the newest social network to join the scene, offers basic social network features (like video, image and thought sharing), but has a few unique features as well.

Most notably, Google+ lets you place your friends in “circles.”

Users can create multiple circles and place individuals in as many circles as apply. When posting to a stream, simply select which circles to share that information with, allowing users more control over who is able to access the information that you post: audience segmentation.

Another great feature of the platform are “hangouts,” essentially: free group video conferencing. by clicking the “start a hangout” button on the side of your stream, you’re taken to a second screen where you can add specific circles or individuals to your hangout. Note that you’re limited to 10 participants at a time.

Google+ has also launched a feature that could have multiple uses for non-profits called “ripples.” Clicking on the upper right corner of a post brings up a drop drown menu; if the post has been shared you’ll have the option to “view ripples.”

Clicking this link brings you to a graphic representation of how the post was shared across networks. When you hover over a specific user’s name, you’ll also see what they said when sharing the post. It’s a great way to identify not only why folks are sharing your content, but who shares most frequently and has the most influence: nonprofits can identify the members of their community who are championing their cause. you can read more about how nonprofits are using Google+ here, and here.

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 19

CASE STUDY

by CHRIS bERNARD, IDEALWARE

revenue relies on donors, and the rest is earned income. We’re tracking their contact info, their gift dates, their participation in events.”

Until recently, staff tracked everything in Excel. Or at least, they tried to.

“That didn’t work well,” Otey said, being In St. Paul, Minnesota, Sarah’s is a home for women diplomatic. “There were no email addresses, really, no regular newsletters, no giving in transition—sometimes referred to as a “supportive We had zero ability to really figure housing program” that provides housing, a community, history. out who was giving and how to customize or safety and the basic necessities of life—as well as specialize messages or asks or anything like that. No direct mail campaign or anything like referral and direct advocacy services—for the women that.” who live there.

About a year ago, Sarah’s underwent a leadership change, and both the executive Always at capacity, the nonprofit’s 29 residents come from director—which is more of a services-focused position—and such difficult life situations as domestic violence, war, torthe associate director positions changed hands. Both Otey ture, and displacement from their home countries. and the new executive director have seen the value of techAssociate Director Hilary Otey said the organization nology in their careers, and made it a priority to bring Sarah’s works with a wide range of community partners to provide more in line with current capabilities. They researched and the services its residents need rather than providing them in evaluated options for a donor relationship management datahouse so that “when they move on, which is the goal, they’ll base and a separate system to manage the direct advocacy have those connections, support systems and empowerment.” and referral services they In all, staff tracks 23 different “person types,” Otey said, provide. including the residents, volunteers, community organizations at-a-Glance: “Because we had such varand partners, financial donors, and others. The nonprofit is sarah’s… an oasis ied needs and a strong desire affiliated with the Sisters of St. Joseph Carondelet, and there for Women for a high level of customizaare other faith-based organizations with which it maintains O less than $500,000 tion, as well as a goal to move relations—and therefore needs to also track. budget everything to a web-based “An important constituent—I’m not sure I’d call them ‘critformat, we decided to go with O four staff ical,’ because we have so many groups that are important— Blackbaud’s eTapestry and would be a donor,” she said. “About 80-90 percent of our

trackinG constituents in tWo systems

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 20

by CHRIS bERNARD, IDEALWARE

Community TechKnowledge’s Apricot,” Otey said. “We’re in the process of getting those up and running now, so we aren’t far enough along to determine the pros and cons.”

Staff use eTapestry for donor relations and communication management—basically, tracking all contacts, relationships and gifts, and sending electronic newsletters. Apricot until serves as a “resident management system” she said—basically, a case recently, management database.

“It’s not completely set up yet,” STAFF Otey said. “The big benefit is that TRACKED it’s totally customizable, but it takes so much staff time to create EVERYTHING all the user-defined fields. With a handful of staff, it’s tough to get IN EXCEL. that up and running.”

The two systems aren’t inte- OR AT grated at all, and there’s no need LEAST, THEY for them to be.

“The only need I would see for TRIED TO. that is, when a resident who is being tracked in Apricot moves out, then she would be put into the eTapestry,” she said. Former residents are still valuable to the organization in many ways, and receive emails and newsletters and sometimes act as volunteers or donors.

However, with just 29 residents living at Sarah’s at any one time, it’s not difficult to enter the appropriate information manually.

“I’m sure our tracking will become more complex, and our reporting will become more sophisticated as I become more comfortable.”

What’s this?

CASE STUDY

theory of chanGe What is a “Theory of Change”? It’s a road map that articulates the perception an organization has around what the required building blocks are to reach a complex goal. While we approach every goal with a theory of change, the complexity of the goal is what determines the need to formalize it or not. There is no need to document a theory of change for sending out that newsletter, but more complex missionoriented goals such as alleviating poverty or healthcare for underserved communities can benefit from it.

A theory of change includes ideal outcomes, an assessment of current reality, and the elements needed to bridge the gap between the two. More importantly, it makes explicit the values and assumptions that shape the understanding an organization has for the theory. A lack of clarity of the values and assumptions behind an informal theory of change increases the potential for differing “understandings” to impact an organization’s ability to cohesively implement the actions of a more tactical document such as a strategic plan.

Explicit values and assumptions also make it easier to communicate with partners and stakeholders around your work.

Find more information and examples online here.

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 21

CASE STUDY

by CHRIS bERNARD, IDEALWARE

“Blackbaud CRM and Convio don’t integrate seamlessly,” Campbell said.

“Right now, we have to do a lot of manual synching. “We put the most effort into tracking donors, and I think that’s for a Peter Campbell, IT Director for the environmental law firm Earthjustice, said his organization sees both clients couple of reasons.

“One is that there are good systems for and donors as key constituencies among many, including tracking donors, and it’s expected that an organization of our size, which depends list subscribers, advocates, legal contacts, vendors, on donations, will use them. Litigation is trustees and other groups. more of a document-management challenge, so prioritizing CRM on the program While he likes the idea of a single database that tracks so side has been, historically, of lower importance,” he said. many different groups comfortably, Earthjustice currently Campbell is hopeful that Earthjustice will evolve in the uses separate systems. area of data management. “Our current strategic planning “We use disjointed systems to track them,” he said. “On process is highlighting the need for more production of the fundraising and advocacy side, we use Blackbaud and metrics and better data management,” he said. “There are Convio, but they’re not well-integrated. Blackbaud’s ECRM cases to be made for CRM to play a larger role in our legal product doesn’t support the advocacy functions that we work, as, when you boil it down, all of our work is peoplerequire. On the legal side, we use an archaic legal case-mancentric. But we have a lot of work to do before we tackle the agement system that was designed to support commercial dream of doing it all in one database.” litigation, not our less-structured mix of clients and cases.

He said he feels his organization faces many of the same We end up tracking the contacts that aren’t in our issues as other mid-sized nonprofits. “There are a lot donor/ECRM databases in Outlook Exchange.” of smaller organizations struggling more than us because we One of his previous employers, a Goodwill, used Saleshave sufficient budget and force as a single database for all constituents, but the comstaff to address the problem,” pany model there supported it. “At Goodwill, we tried to see at-a-Glance: Campbell said. “We recogpeople holistically, as a vendor could also be an employer, or earthjustice nize that we have to be dataa customer could also be a donor,” he said.

O Budget: about $25 centric, and we’re “At Earthjustice, there’s less natural crossover among our million developing the plan to get constituents, so the holistic view is desirable, but not as O 200 staff, 10 offices there. compelling.”

trackinG constituents in many systems

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 22

Mapping Your Website Ecosystem What does it take to build a feature-rich website?

Every website is different, but here are some of the players and types of software you’re most likely to encounter.

START S TART HERE! Your Y our Int Internet ernet P Public ublic Someone Googl Googles es you you or ent enters ers browser. yyour our URL in a br owser w r.

Website W e ebsit e Analytics Aw website ebsite anal analytics ytics ttool, ool, lik like e Google Analytics, un-Goo ogle Anal ytics, helps yyou ou un derstand what’ss w working der stand what’ orking on yyour our site improve. sit e and what you you ccan an impr ove.

Constituent C onstittuent Manageme Management ent

Online Pa Payment ayment

Broadcast Br roadcast Email

When som someone meone ttakes akes action on site, keep yyour our sit e, yyou’ll ou’ll want tto ok eep track them Constituent tr ack of th hem in a Cons tituent Management System.

Managem ent Sys tem.

Online payments ar are e oft often en handled handl ed by pages that llook ook like website, are lik e yyour our w ebsite, but ar e actually created actuall t ll lly cr eatted d by b another vvendor. endorr.

Even if yyou Even ou use a differdifferbroadcast ent vvendor endor ffor or br oadcast email, yyou ou should sstill till be able people abl e tto o llet et peopl e sign up

Website W ebsiite Host ebsit Domain R Registrar egiistrar You Y ou setup yyour our w web eb b addr address ess with a domain rregistrar— egistrar— like Network Solutions lik e Netw ork Solut tions or GoDaddy.. The rregistrar GoDaddy egisstrar points people site peopl e llooking ooking ffor or yyour our sit e tto o web host. yyour our w eb hos t.

Your Y our w website eb bsite liv lives es on server—a a serv er— —a secure secure ccomputer omputer cconnected onnected internet —that’ss tto o the int ternet —that’ typically provided typic ally pr ovided by website aw ebsit b ite host h host ffor or a

DONATE

SIGN UP FOR E-NEWS

monthlyy ffee. monthl ee.

Your Y our W Writers riterss Editors and E ditors Your Y our visit visitors ors come come to to see interesting int eresting sstuff, tuff, so o your your sstaff taff ccomes omes up p with ccompelling om mpelling p g articles photos… articl es and phot oss…

LOGO

Website Content Here

Content C onten nt Management Manag gement System S ystem m (CMS) …and pos posts sts them tto o the website Content w ebsite thr tthrough ough a Cont ent Management System Managem ment Sys tem.

You publish content from your CMS. It shows up in one or multiple places across your website according to rules you’ve pre-established in your CMS.

through website. ffor or it thr ough yyour our w ebsite. e

Your Y our CMS might provide integrated pr ovide int egrated email, payment ttools ools or other ffeatures eatures thatt live web liv e on the same w eb host—or hos t—or yyou ou might separate use separ ate vvendors endors ffor or those. hose.

Social Media Social media—lik media—like e Facebook, YouTube, F acebook, Y ouTube, Twitter—can or T witter—can llet et news yyou ou pull p ne ws and pictures into pictur es int o yyour our site potentially sit e and pot entially llet et yyou ou sstart tart a ccononvversation. ersation.

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 23

“I want to be suree that we we do o more more than just teach ach you you something g– we show you ho how applyy it to your work.” w to appl your day-to-day day w ork.” k” —Andrea Berry, Learning erry, Directorr of Partnerships Partnerships and d Lear ning

Whatt do you What you uw want ant tto o learn learn ttoday? oda ay?

This is Andrea.

This ea. In the coming months months, ths, she’ll lead trainingss management systems,, email on donor manag anagement systems mail fundraising and social media decision making, just three hree of the many Idealware offers.. All of ourr trainings—lik trainings—likee our courses Idealw lware offers articles packed research ar ticles and reports—are reports—are pac ked with th original researc h VPDUWW DQG DQDO\VLV WWR KHOS QRQSURÀWV RI DOO D VL]HV PDNH PDNH VPDU software. decisions about out softw are.

To trainings,, commission T o register for or online trainings mmission us to train network, learn yyour our netw ork, k, or just to lear n more about Andrea and Idealware www.idealware.org. the rest of tthe h Idealw he are team, visitt www w.idealware.org.

+HOSLQJ 1RQSURÀWV +HOS 0DNH 0DN 6PDUW 6RIWZDUH 'HFLVLRQV 6RIWZ

TECH ACROSS YOUR ORG: IT GOVERNANCE

WHY I.T. GOVERNANCE IS IMPORTANT FOR SMALL NONPROFITS A common misconception is that IT governance is only for big enterprises. In the nonprofit world, technology can be both boon and bane. Sometimes it feels like we are beholden to it, sometimes it enables us to accomplish wonders that we would have never thought possible in the past.

Ensuring that there is a strategy for technology selection and adoption, as well as an assessment of the potential risks associated with the technology or data it will handle, are core elements of IT governance for small organizations.

Technologies should be selected based on their ability to support the strategic objectives of the organization, not because they’re “cool” or “the newest thing.” The increasing ease of access to technology by the public, and decreasing resistance to usage, make it easier for us to leverage technology-based solutions and have them adopted by our constituents and donors.

However, we also have to balance the benefits of new technology with the risks it may pose to our financial, operations, or compliance activities. These are the risks that ultimately impact our programs and ability to achieve our mission. So the risks must be assessed and mitigated by executive leadership and program managers in conjunction with your IT staff/service providers. Strategic selection, adoption, and risk management are core, and don’t have to be complex, for small nonprofits. If your organization, big or small, is using technology and you don’t have good IT governance, you can’t say that you have good governance. This doesn’t mean that you have to micro-manage your IT staff and service providers. It just means that you need to have better oversight of their activities to ensure that your IT is aligned with your mission—and that you are maximizing your ability to leverage IT to contribute to achieving your mission.

When strategically governed, IT shifts from an operating cost to a strategic investment. When effectively managed, IT costs can be minimized and the risk of IT failures mitigated—whether associated with an individual project or our core operating infrastructure. When efficiently deployed, IT enables us to accomplish more with the same limited resources and to provide new and innovative services without a huge capital outlay. When synergistically integrated, IT extends our reach to our donors, constituents, and volunteers, making them feel more a part of our organization and enabling us to better achieve our mission.

Donny C. Shimamoto, CPA/CITP Intraprise TechKnowlogies, LLC

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 25

TECH ACROSS YOUR ORG: MAJOR GIFTS FUNDRAISING

ENGAGING MAJOR DONORS WITH NEW MEDIA After 25 years of traditional fundraising, I was well-versed at communicating with donors using standard mail, printed documents, telephone, and ultimately by composing and submitting detailed grant proposals. I was reluctant to pay attention to social media, which seemed frivolous to me three years ago.

Using social media for major gift fundraising and planned giving has been viewed somewhat skeptically by the traditional fundraising community. Major gift fundraisers—including planned giving professionals – tend to focus on older individuals whose careers are established: their children have left home, their financial obligations are reduced, and they have the means to consider making significant charitable gifts.

As social media use began to increase among older generations approximately two years ago, however, using social media to communicate with them about nonprofit projects and issues started to make more sense. No longer viewed as a “toy” for young people, social media and new technologies have truly become a communications lifeline for all ages.

My first invitation to create a Facebook page and be “friended” came from a donor whose family has contributed significantly to several of my nonprofit projects, in the seven-figure range, in fact. After considering how important this person is to me and my nonprofit projects, I took the leap. I haven’t looked back since.

Jamie Carracher of Edelman Digital notes, “older people are among the fastest-growing demographics online. Social network use among Internet users 50 years old and older has nearly doubled to 42% over the past year …. in the U.S. alone there are nearly 16 million people 55 and older using Facebook” (Mashable Social Media, April 6, 2011). Jim Jansen of Pew Internet & American Life Project reports that “95% of those in households earning over $75,000 use the Internet and cell phones” (November 24, 2010).

So how should we reach major gift donors? The techniques are similar for donors at any level. “Cross-pollinate”: be sure your website, e-mail and printed publications include links to your social media venues. Develop a thoughtful social media communications strategy to regularly discuss your nonprofit’s mission, financial needs and most pressing issues. Consider developing cause-specific apps for even greater depth of discussion. Actively seek donors out and ask them to “like” your Facebook page, or to join groups you’ve established using other forms of social media.

The bottom line: donors are receiving more requests than ever. While waiting for that critical, in-person meeting, consider informing and engaging them using social media and new technologies. In the end, these methods make life easier on everyone – grant maker and grant seeker. For more information, you might enjoy reviewing a workshop presentation that Holly Ross of NTEN, Kristen Schultz of Crescendo Interactive, Inc., and I created for CharityChannel (October, 2011).

Carolyn M. Appleon, CFRE carolynmappleton.wordpress.com

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 26

This is the pink ribbon.

This is the pink ribbon that was worn by the survivor.

Who shared her story on Facebook.

So that friends and family would donate.

Through a social fundraising page.

That was powered by

COMMON GROUND™

Behind every bit of good your organization does, there’s a story of what made it possible.

8S PIEVR LS[ WQEPP XS QMH WM^IH RSRTVS½XW EVI YWMRK 'SQQSR +VSYRH XS QEOI XLIMV QMWWMSRW TSWWMFPI ZMWMX

www.convio.com/missionpossible

TECH ACROSS YOUR ORG: PROGRAM INNOVATION

TECHNOLOGY IS NOT A MAGIC BULLET It’s a tale as old as time. No matter what area your organization focuses in, no matter how many people work there, no matter how much money is coming in the door, one thing remains the same across the board: there’s always too much to do, and never enough time or resources to get it all done.

Sound familiar? It’s a common frustration shared in our community.

With that in mind, and with the incredible breadth and depth of tools available to us in 2011, it’s often tempting to think of technology –whether it’s outward facing, like social media, or internal infrastructure, like a CRM– as a magic bullet. It’s the buzz word that leaders always want to hear, and often throw around without much thought as to what it actually means.

At the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), our mission is to better the lives of the over 2 million new veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. With such a geographically and demographically diverse population, there’s only so much we can do from our two offices and 40 staff members.

Two years ago, we faced a dilemma as we entered into a new partnership that would provide thousands of vets tickets to baseball games, NASCAR races, and more. Up until then, tickets and gives like that had been a one-off that would involve an email to the local area and a staff member’s time sorting through responses, RSVPs and requests.

It just wasn’t a sustainable process – and we needed to turn it on its head.

After studying how other businesses and organizations distribute large quantities of goods, and after weeks of brainstorming and strategizing, the Rucksack was born. At its core, the Rucksack is essentially a Ticketmaster for vets.

Our members log on, see what’s available, claim their rewards, and then get to have a great afternoon at a ball game – and it’s all automated, thanks to the data O click here to and constituent manageview the recorded ment behind the website we webinar about built with Salesforce. iava’s innovative The Rucksack has truly project (nten revolutionized how IAVA members access it works, and it continues to for free, or, find the evolve and change as our slides under the needs do. It’s technology “materials” tab). that allows us to do what we already do, but better and faster.

Technology for the sake of itself will not get you very far.

Sure, you might end up with a flashy Facebook app, or a database solution that does the bare minimum you need, but is that improving the work you do on a daily basis or is it only adding more work to your plate? It’s a question that needs to be asked from the Executive Director’s office down to the cubicles in Intern Alley. Without a strategic goal identified before diving headfirst into something new and flashy, you won’t be doing you or your cause any favors.

Meghan Teich, Director of Digital Engagement IAVA NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 28

DIY NONPROFIT TECHNOLOGY

There are multiple ways to do so. One way is to give your staff an incentive to ask. I recommend creating a contest to see how many email addresses your organization can collect over a given time period. Everyone likes to win, so make a game of collecting email addresses and get your entire organization involved.

You should also advertise the availability of your newsletter at events. At your event, ask people when they check-in or register if they would like to be added to your email list.

GROWING YOUR EMAIL LIST I’m often asked questions about how to build an email list of donors, supporters and members to communicate to. While you may put together the best looking and most compelling email campaigns ever, without a permission-based list of people to receive them, your messages can go unseen.

Fortunately, there are a number of simple ways to build and maintain your email contact list so you can reach the people your organization covets the most: your loyal donors, supporters and members.

1

Ask in person: When your donors or members come into your nonprofit or attend one of your events, are you asking for their email address? Letting them walk out the door without asking is equivalent to losing a valuable asset. Why not ask?

2

Add a Join My Mailing List box: Make the Join My Mailing List box a key feature on your website so that it appears prominently on just about every page.

Through search engine queries, you never know where people may land on your site. Adding the box to every page ensures that no matter how a visitor finds you, he or she will have an opportunity to join your list.

3 4

Link to your signup page: Going beyond your website, put links to sign up for your newsletter in the emails you send and in the signatures of your staff email accounts.

Promote upcoming issues of your newsletters via social media: Another way to get people to sign up for your mailing list is to provide a teaser for an upcoming mailing on your Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts.

A quick “Want to know more about Topic X? Sign up for our newsletter” with a link to your signup page will compel people to join.

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 29

DIY NONPROFIT TECHNOLOGY

5

Set expectations: Whether you’re asking for an email address face-to-face or online, it’s important to set expectations for the person signing up. Give people a visual so they can see what they’re signing up to receive.

An easy way to accomplish this is to show supporters a recent email, either with a color printout of your newsletter or through links to your email newsletter archive.

When asking someone to join your list in person, phrase the question like this: “Would you like to sign up for our monthly newsletter for upcoming events and other information?” This sets the expectation that those signing up will receive something from you on a monthly basis.

A similar effort should be made online. Tell people when they’re signing up exactly what they will be getting and how often. This way, subscribers are not surprised when your first email arrives. I also recommend that you send a confirmation email to new subscribers joining your email list. The message should reiterate what the recipient has signed up for and include a special “thank you” for being such a loyal supporter.

6

Contacts are a valuable asset: Your list isn’t going to grow magically without prodding. Make sure you engage supporters and members whenever and wherever you come in contact with them – be it in your office, at an event, on your website, in your regular email correspondence or on your Facebook Page. At every turn, you, your staff, and your digital presence should be directing supporters to join your email list.

Find more list-building tips in our Learning Center.

ALEC STERN, VP STRATEGIC MARKET DEVELOPMENT, CONSTANT CONTACT, @ALECSTERN

ISSUE ONE · MARCH, 2011

CHANGE

Board Collaboration at NPower Michigan vy board tech-sav a Even will need time and training to adapt a new tool 19

CASE STUDY:

Nonpro fit Leader s A Quarte rly Journa l for

CHANGE

INSIDE THIS EDITION:

ISSUE TWO · JUNE, 2011

PAGE

A Quarte rly Journa l for Nonpro fit Leader s

INSIDE THIS EDITION:

A Multi-Channel Online Campaign TechSoup shares lessons learned from their Digital Storytelling Initiative CASE STUDY:

PAGE 23

What 1.9 Million Donors Tell Us About Online Fundraising From Network for Good's Katya Andresen

PAGE 11

FEATURE STORY: BOOSTING ON BOARD COLLABORATIthrough the

End-of-Year Fundraising Campaign M+R Strategic Services shares lessons learned with Oxfam America during 2010 PAGE 23

CASE STUDY:

us Idealware's Chris Bernard takes getting your board considerations and the options for the sky's the limit tools, right the With rating. collabo 4] [ PAGE r. togethe do for the work you can

FEATURE STORY: FACEBOOK FOR VOLUNTEERS

Show Me the World Make this the year you harness video for your cause, say See3’s Michael Hoffman and Danny Alpert PAGE 12

Idealware's Chris Bernard tackles the tough question of whether Facebook can be an effectiv , 2011 e volunteer · SEPTEMBER recruitment and engagement tool. [ ISSUE THREE PAGE 5 ]

CHANGE y A Qu art erl

No npr ofi t Jou rna l for

Lea der s

Y: CASE STUD

CASE STUDY: Facebook Recruitment at AVP Idealware’s Chris Bernard takes us behind the scenes

PAGE 19

ss SF Public Pre ia social med

On measuring for outreach

EDITION: INSIDE THIS

PAGE 21

CHANGE

ISSUE FOUR · DECEMBER, 2011

A Quarte rly Journa l for Nonpro fit Leader s

en IT Nonprofit Gre r ofte Jennifer Wo dmap for provides a roateam to a r you g guidin ce—and greener offi PAGE 5 bottom line

INSIDE THIS EDITION:

Feature: Multiple Constituent Groups, One Data Base? How To Track Everyone Who’s Anyone to You

Measuring t Engagemen Chris Idealware's uments one doc d nar Ber ok ebo Fac 's org n PAGE 25 paig cam

Y: CASE STUD

RING ORY: MEASU FEATURE ST MEDIA SUCCESS AL to CI SO YOUR s what and how Berry explain

PAGE 12 CASE STUDY: Tracking Constituents in One System Fight Colorectal Cancer

PAGE 18

rea Idealware's And mission. [ PAGE 14 ] r measure for you

FEATURE STORY: FROM OUTCOMES TO IMPACT

Plus: A Case Study from Greenlig

[ PAGE 4 ]

hts for Nonprofit Success

CASE STUDY: Tracking Constituents in Two Systems Sarahs... An Oasis for Women

PAGE 20 CASE STUDY: Tracking Constituents in Many Systems Earthjustice

PAGE 22

HOW ARE WE DOING? This journal is a new resource from NTEN for nonprofit leaders, and we want to make sure we’re delivering content that is relevant, helpful, and easy to access. Please take just a few minutes to tell us what you think: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NTENChange1

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 30

DIY NONPROFIT TECHNOLOGY

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR ORGANIZATION’S DATA Decentralized data entry is efficient and is the only practical approach at some organizations. But the more people you have entering data the more problems you’ll have with quality control. If no one’s in charge of quality control, you’re going to have a database full of garbage.

It’s a tough problem. Here are a few approaches (other than locking down data entry):

1

Policies. You need clear data entry standards. For instance, do you spell out “Boulevard” or abbreviate it as “Bl” or Blvd”? Do you use punctuation (N Main St or N. Main St.)? If your database has a separate “sort name,” what are the rules (does The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation get sorted under Hewlett or Foundation or…)?

Some of those standards should be managed by your database.

For example, it shouldn’t allow AA as a U.S. state code or let you make up titles for people (e.g., it should allow “Mr.” but not “Mister”). You can find sample data entry policies online here or by doing a web search like “data entry manual”.

2

Security. You need to control who can make changes and what they can change. Who can change a mailing address? A phone number? An email address? (And no one should be able to modify or delete a gift after it’s been posted.)

3 4 5 6 7

Training. No one gets access to change data without training on your policies. Training should be targeted to role. You don’t need a week of training to enter a contact report.

Monitoring. Someone (or multiple someones) needs to review new and changed entries.

Retraining. When people make mistakes, bring it to their attention. Some organizations make that person fix the mistake. If they continue to make mistakes, you need to retrain them and be prepared to take away their data entry access.

Automation. You should at least run reports regularly to look for errors. You may be able to automate some fixes. You might also use vendors to perform cleanups like merge/purges on duplicates.

Acceptance. Some things have to be fixed by your office or by Development Services. No one is going to fire an effective fundraiser because she’s bad at data entry (although they might get her an assistant who will handle the entry). Also, don’t forget that some things are out of your control: donors will give online and misspell their own names, or leave the caps lock on.

ROBERT WEINER, ROBERT L. WEINER CONSULTING TWITTER: @ROBERT_WEINER

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 31

DIY NONPROFIT TECHNOLOGY

TURN DATA INTO STORIES Data is so much more than a stack of numbers or a server filled with client outputs. It can justify the work that your organization is doing, help others understand why it is critical, and offer exciting new ways to motivate others to help solve the problems your organization is working on.

Here are 3 ways to tell your stories with data.

1

Speak With Numbers: Sometimes, it’s best to just let the numbers speak for themselves. Numbers are a universal language. You can make a big impression just by presenting them clearly, and in context with your other content.

Charity Water, an organization that raises money to build wells in Africa has learned the lesson. Look how elegantly they tell the story of the need for fresh drinking water, and the difference their programs are making.

2

Tell your Story, Literally! Sometimes the best way to explain your data is to do just that - explain it. Using video explanations of even simple charts and graphs can help website visitors quickly get the big picture - and arms them with an understanding of the data that lets them explore and discover more confidently on their own.

Hans Rosling, the dutch economist famous for his TED Talks that reveal the insight we can gain from data, has popularized the approach. And even better, through his collaboration with Google, he’s made his data visualization software available to everyone through GapMinder.com, and now through Google Spreadsheets Widgets.

3

Reveal Change: Many of the stories we’d like people to understand are centered on revealing the real, longterm impact of a problem or a solution over time: what is the trend you want to stop, or what is the change you’re making?

The impact can become obvious when you reveal the significant change in data in a visual way, whether you are revealing conditions that are worsening, attitudes that are changing, or the improvements your organization is making.

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 33

DIY NONPROFIT TECHNOLOGY

chanGe A Quarterly Journal for Nonprofit Leaders

Editor Annaliese Hoehling

Designer Philip Krayna

Publications Director, NTEN

Neuwirth/Krayna Design

Editorial Advisory Board Debra Askanase

John A Kenyon

CEO and Engagement Strategist, Community Organizer 2.0

Chris Bernard

Nonprofit Technology Educator & Strategist, John A Kenyon Consulting

Senior Editor, Idealware

Kivi Leroux Miller

Britt Bravo

President, Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com

Big Vision Consulting

Julie Macalik

Barbara Buswell

Membership & Engagement Manager, Greenlights

Executive Director PEAK Parent Center

Gavin Clabaugh Vice President & CIO Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

My favorite example of this technique is the Descry Project’s Obesity Epidemic visualization. By using the simple metaphor of t-shirt size to represent a US State’s obesity rate, and making them “grow” over a two decade period—we can quickly see how America’s waistline has ballooned since 1987.

Read the expanded version of this article – with more tips and examples online here.

KURT VOELKER, CTO, FORUM ONE

John Merritt Vice President of MIS, YMCA of San Diego County

Laura Quinn

Martin Dooley

Executive Director, Idealware

IT & Operations Manager Center for Resource Solutions

Amy Sample Ward

Deborah Elizabeth Finn

Ash Shepherd

Nonprofit Technology Strategist and Consultant

Project Strategist, NPower Northwest

Paula Jones

Senior Account Executive, Donordigital

Membership Director, NTEN

Michael Stein

Director of Technology and Administration N.C. Center for Nonprofits

Advertising: Contact Holly Ross, NTEN’s Executive Director, regarding advertising in NTEN: Change

Permissions & Inquiries: Please give credit to all referenced or re-published content according to the Creative Common license: Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. Example Attribution text: “First published in NTEN: Change (http://nten.org/NTENChange), SEPTEMBER 2011, CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-sa/3.0/).” More information about the journal can be found at http://nten.org/NTENChange/Press

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 34

WHAT DOES THE CLOUD MEAN FOR NONPROFITS? AN NTEN MINI-DOCUMENTARY

This fall NTEN held a Nonprofit Cloud Summit in San Francisco, where attendees discussed the opportunities and challenges that cloud technology solutions offer to nonprofits. Watch this mini-documentary to hear from attendees, who came from local nonprofits.

CLICK TO PLAY

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 35

NONPROFIT TECHNOLOGY LEADER PROFILES

Each participating organization is represented by the Executive Director (or non-technical Leadership staff) and one technology-responsible staff person. In this section we hear from Academy participants in their own words.

QUESTION: How has your organization dealt with change in the past? What challenges or stumbling blocks did you encounter? What are things you think you can do in the future to help staff adopt technology change?

o the nonprofit technoloGy leadership academy IS A 9WEEK ONLINE TRAINING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO HELP NONPROFIT LEADERS UNDERSTAND HOW TO MANAGE TECHNOLOGY TO BOTH MEET THEIR BASIC OPERATIONAL NEEDS AND MEET THEIR MISSIONS.

ur organization has dealt with change in a few different ways in the past. Some of the challenges that are faced are finding the expertise to guide some of the changes and trusting vendors to set realistic goals and follow through.

In the future, things we can do to help staff adapt technology change include doing small pilot projects (if it fails, it fails small, if it succeeds, do a full deployment), keeping it as simple as possible, and clearly communicating how the technology change will help us achieve our organizational and personal goals. jason shim, director of the Board Waterloo film Group

W

hen I came to our organization five years ago, I believed that folks were in tune with what was needed in using technology for a variety of tasks. I made a big mistake in thinking that if the organization provided the time for training and offered professional training that staff would be excited

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 36

NONPROFIT TECHNOLOGY LEADER PROFILES

about the opportunity. Only one staff member took advantage of the training in word processing, spreadsheets and email.

The rest plodded along using the computer as a glorified typewriter.

Fast forward to today . . . we made knowing how to use technology an integral part of our application and hiring process.

The addition of new staff members willing to utilize the tools gave others the freedom to take risks as well.

The most important thing that I have learned is that you work with employees where they are and move them along the continuum in using technology. Training is just in time and in the manner the employee determines works for them. elaine roberts, executive director south dakota parent connection, inc.

i

t’s hard to comment from a historical perspective, since I’ve only been here at the WCBA since January. I can tell you that “Change” has probably been the key marker of my time here, and the staff has been incredible with accepting it.

I think the most important parts about change are: • Getting excited about it: remember what the end result is going to be, not the process to get there • Compiling input from various sources: experts, member/volunteers, and the staff who will be utilizing the change on a daily basis. Make sure that all stakeholders have a chance to think, consider and offer feedback • Be ready for a few hiccups or failures along the way, and don’t let them define the entire project.

Whitney von haam, executive director Wake county Bar association

W

e are moving our database functions to a custom webbased application, which will be very different for our entire organization. We are trying several techniques to minimize the stress caused by this change and increase buy-in: 1) involving the staff in the process by meeting with them multiple times to gather their input 2) providing gift cards to staff that offer written feedback (either positive or negative) about the project 3) providing t-shirts to staff as their department “adopts” the new application 4) asking staff to complete a post-implementation survey as new modules are rolled out 5) reporting progress in periodic emails to all staff 6) reporting progress in monthly staff meetings dayna delavergne, director of it foundations for laity renewal

W

e are a very small organization so our changes have been pretty smooth. While it depends on the particular people involved and their resistance to change, in general, I think smaller organizations have the flexibility to adapt more quickly or easily. Either way, communication is critical: ensuring everyone’s feedback is heard and considered, taking time to plan implementation and providing support along the way. hilary otey, associate director sarah’s . . . an oasis for Women

o

ver the past few years, we have been through a tremendous amount of change—from a complete board

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 37

NONPROFIT TECHNOLOGY LEADER PROFILES

transition in 2008 to having staff need to lay off 68% of staff in 2009 (due to recession). I TO SEE THAT took on this position right after the layoffs happened. IT’S NOT JUST Staff were a little shaky after BETTER FOR THE all of that because they felt extremely vulnerable. I have ORGANIZATION, had to really work with IT’S BETTER FOR them to ensure they are constantly getting informa- THEM. tion and feel they have a full and transparent picture of what is going on. It has not been easy but we have slowly gotten back on our feet and are strong again as an organization. We have a great board and a strong team of staff. Key to helping them embrace change is really communicating relevant and timely information to them and involving them in discussions.

With regards to technology change, it is similar. The key is working with them to understand the change, how it impacts their work and our mission, and helping to alleviate any fears or concerns they have. As with any change, some people really step up and help lead it, some take a while longer, and a few may never fully embrace it. marisia Geraci, executive director heifer international – south africa

W

e try to be as proactive as possible when change is coming. That means sending out advance notice

emails, holding staff meetings to talk about it, and going through training when appropriate. The biggest stumbling blocks are when people don’t buy-in to a new system. Change is always difficult since it’s different. Until people accept the new system, they are constantly fighting it. The best thing is to promote the benefits of the new technology. People need to see that it’s not just better for our organization, but it’s better for the individual user. adam pomerantz, director of finance and administration, WinGs for kids

t

he biggest technology change that the Foundation had since I’ve been here was implementing a completely revamped website. In the process of developing the project, all program staff were asked how we see our website becoming more effective. I thought this was a very good way to deal with change. However, this process was only conducted individually with each staff. I think it could have been even more beneficial if there was also an open dialogue between everybody to bounce some ideas around and get feedback from each other.

Right now, we are in the middle of deciding on a new grant management system. This time, we asked everyone individually what they expect and think about the project but also involved all staff, along with the executive director and president, in one conversation about how we foresee the different uses of the system as a team. phuong pham, communications coordinator the vilcek foundation

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 38

TECH TIPS FOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

5

MUST-HAVE TOOLS FOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

from holly ross nten’s executive director As an Executive Director, I especially love talking to other leaders about technology. No matter what prompts the conversation though, it almost always circles back to the same place: productivity.

For the ED, the ultimate win for technology comes when we get even 1% more efficient. That’s all it takes. See how easy we are to please? So, for my fellow nonprofit leaders, here are the technology tools I can’t live without.

1

Evernote – As the leader, I have a lot of things to keep track of – from human FLICKR CREDIT: LOVEBUGSTUDIOS resource to program to fundraising to, well, technology. It’s exacerbated by the fact that it’s a 24/7 job. I have some of my best ideas while washing dishes, and I find some of the best sites while on the train. Evernote lets me organize files, web sites, pictures, audio, and notes, from any device. If I see conference signage I want Anna to use at the next NTC, I snap a picture and save it in my NTC notebook. If I find a great article on IRS cell phone reimbursement policies,

I can clip it straight from the browser into my Operations notebook. I can retrieve these items from my phone, my tablet, my laptop, or any computer with a browser.

2

Dropbox – Did I already mention that this is a 24/7 job? Another resource that lets you work on the files you want, when you want, is Dropbox. I save all my presentations into Dropbox, so I can download and edit them on any computer or tablet. I can also email a link to the file to anyone else, like a collaborator on the document or a staff member that needs a copy.

3 4

Expensify – No more lost receipts – and automagical expense reports! That is all, and that is enough.

Tripit – If you travel more than once a month, you need TripIt. TripIt organizes all your travel information into a cohesive file for each trip, keeping your confirmation numbers and locations all in one place. It works on a computer, tablet, or on your phone. It can even send you text message travel updates and reminders.

5

Spotify – OK, it’s not about productivity, per se. But streaming KClark’s new album always makes me work a little faster.

As a nonprofit leader, what technology tools make you more productive? Share your suggestions with us!

Leave your comment on our blog and mention you’re an NTEN:Change reader – and we’ll pick one lucky commenter to win complimentary membership from NTEN for 2012!

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 40

COMMUNITY QUESTION

hoW do you encouraGe your orG to fail informatively?

“Failure is success if we learn from it.”

—Malcolm Forbes Failing informatively – deliberately learning from experiences in order to guide decisions – can help a nonprofit better meet its mission. The challenge of failing informatively is really about shifting the game: expect to fail, and plan ahead so that failures are small, early, and frequent, rather than big, late, and disruptive.

The nonprofit sector is, generally speaking, reluctant to discuss failure. This reluctance is symptomatic of a larger problem: the inability to have a learning conversation with all the key stakeholders, including funders and program officers, nonprofit field staff, and executive leadership, about the failure of a specific program or project. Avoiding admitting failure is a natural human instinct. However, unless organizations are able to talk about failure in an open, honest space, they will be doomed to repeat the mistakes of their past, and possibly the mistakes of other organizations as well. Case in point: we put out a call to the NTEN community to share nonprofit technology failure stories, and got exactly zero responses.

Failure is key to learning and growth. Of course, not all failures are created equal. Experimenting with a new content management system by migrating your whole website before testing it can be a recipe for disaster, for example.

But there is such thing as a good failure. In our experience, a “good nonprofit technology failure” is a learning experience that provides the basis for future growth, efficiency, and impact, without negatively impacting your organization.

As a rule of thumb, fail early and often. Work with people who are open to failing, and embrace the idea of risktaking. Take educated risks early on in a project, knowing that some of them will fail. When they do, acknowledge the failures, make a point of reflecting on what you can learn from them with a minimum of judgment, move on, and try again.

The only way to never fail is to never try anything new.

Technology changes are by definition new – whether it’s

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 41

COMMUNITY QUESTION

new to the whole organization, to one department, or just to a handful of individuals. And taking on that new thing, whether it’s starting to use social media or implementing a new donor management system, involves some risk. There is no way to completely eliminate any possibility of failure.

So what’s a nonprofit to do?

The best way to address the CREATE SAFE possibility of failure is to try to mitigate it somewhat, but SPACES TO FAIL mostly to embrace it.

What that means is that IN YOUR ORG, you have to create safe AND SAFE spaces to fail in your organization, and safe spaces to SPACES TO TALK talk about failure. You can try this in small ways at first: ABOUT FAILURE. hold a departmental meeting and make it clear that any information that is divulged at the meeting a) stays with the participants in the meeting and b) won’t be used punitively. In fact, you can even provide an award for the greatest failure—provided that the story of the failure is accompanied by an explanation of lessons learned, and how whatever caused the failure won’t be repeated.

Once you start to make it clear that your organization won’t punish informative (early) failures, you can start to encourage people to share their lessons learned more broadly within the organization so that others can learn from small, early failures.

Creating safe spaces to talk about failure:

learned, not assigning blame.

• Model discussing failure. Be the first one to talk about failure openly. Make sure to share a key lesson learned.

• Root cause analysis: try to get beyond the symptoms and get to the heart of the failure. Try using a “fishbone diagram” or the “5 whys method” to identify the various factors that went into your failure.

• Maintain confidentiality when necessary, but transparency is best. Don’t air dirty laundry unnecessarily, but share lessons learned broadly in your organization and in the sector at large.

• Stakeholder involvement. It’s helpful to have all parties involved at the table so the discussion can be productive and substantive.

Imagine a nonprofit sector in which technology failures and lessons learned were shared broadly so that no two organizations ever had to make the same mistake. While that vision might be utopic, you can start by creating safe spaces within your organization to talk about technology failures and what you have learned from them.

Marc Baizman, My Computer Guy Nonprofit Technology Consulting, @mbaizman Dahna Goldstein, PhilanTech, LLC, @philantech

How does your organization encourage “failurefriendliness”? Please email publications@nten.org with your answers. (We’ll keep them anonymous if you like!)

Or: Share your tips, examples, and questions at http://facebook.com/nten.org

• Safe spaces are judgment-free. It’s about the lessons NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 42

NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP CHEAT SHEET

nonprofit technoloGy leadership cheat sheet:

CALLING DR. NERD? Keys to having a meaningful “office visit” with your IT staff or consultant.

Talking to a technical solutions specialist is like going to see the doctor. Most people have a preconceived notion of what the treatment should be. However, the best solutions usually come from meaningful dialog about the problem and a discussion of the treatment options.

Here’s how you can help me help you.

Grant howe, @geekbyte

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 43

NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP CHEAT SHEET

Tell me where it hurts. “Doctor, I need some antibiotic” is probably the most common conversation kick-off that patients have with their doctor. Just like antibiotics often aren’t the best course of treatment, the best technical solution to your issues may not be what you think.

Focus your initial discussion on the symptoms of your problem. Is it performance of technical assets? How slow? When did you start noticing this? Tell me about the business processes and workflow and how this fits in. Do your best to help me understand your current state so that I can compare that with the desired results you will be telling me about next.

Tell me what your desired results are post treatment.

“I want to play tennis three times a week without knee pain” is a good example of a desired end state. Seek to articulate what you will be able to do and how you will do it after a solution is put in place.

Looking for a collaboration tool? How will it work with your users? How do they expect to access it? Do you have remote and on-site users? Do some users need more access rights than others? I think you get the gist, but the more you can tell me about what you want to be able to do, the better I can narrow down to a set of solutions we can talk about. Like any good physician, we’re likely to have to do some tests to get some quantitative data on the issues you are seeing.

Discuss and choose a treatment. “Your MRI shows you have a slipped disc in your lower back, here are our options…” Obvi-

ously not great news, but most problems have a variety of solutions. Let’s talk about the top three I have thought of first and we’ll come up with more or tweak them if we need to while we discuss it.

Ask questions about each solution: • What will this cost (in time, resources, and money)?

• How does this solution compare to my original desired end state?

• What other “side effects” can I expect from the solution, good or bad?

• What is the risk of something going wrong or causing damage? Is there a mitigation strategy?

• What are the skills required to implement, and have you done this before? How many times?

Write down the pros and cons of each solution and compare them. Then make a choice based on your analysis. Please walk me through your thought process of making the choice. I want you to be successful, and if you’ve forgotten to consider something, I’ll discuss it with you.

You are also entitled to seek a second opinion and talk to others about the solutions. I encourage you to do so.

Take your medicine. “Take these, 3 times a day…” Many people go through all the effort to make an appointment and visit their doctor, but don’t follow the prescribed treatment. These people usually don’t get results and neither will you if we don’t follow the plan we’ve laid out together. Solutions are holistic; often we see poor results from not following the full plan.

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 44

About NTEN: A Community Transforming Technology Into Social Change Who We Are A community of nonprofit professionals, we aspire to a world where nonprofit groups of all types and sizes use technology strategically and confidently to fulfill their missions. Together, the NTEN community helps members put technology to work so they can bring about the change they want to see in the world.

What We Do NTEN connects members with one another and offers many opportunities for learning and professional development— all so you can focus on achieving your goals and meeting your mission.

How We Do It NTEN helps members, with their diverse job functions and levels of tech comfort and expertise, share best practices, and glean insights from one another both online and off: training, research and industry analysis, regional meet-ups, our signature Nonprofit Technology Conference. As a member, you gain instant access to a supportive community that shares your passions and challenges, as well as to valuable resources for professional development.

Connect Online Networking www.groups.nten.org Whether you’re a webmaster, marketer, executive director, fundraiser, blogger, program manager, or play another role in the nonprofit sector, connect with your peers online. Join our Affinity Groups and social networks, browse the Member Directory, post in our online forums.

Events / www.nten.org/events NTEN’s Nonprofit Technology Conference and local meet-ups bring nonprofit professionals together to share ideas and best practices. Get to know colleagues.

Develop a support network. Talk shop.

Vent. Congratulate. Collaborate. The possibilities are endless.

Learn NTEN Webinars www.nten.org/webinars Changing the world isn’t easy. NTEN members are always looking to learn more about how to use technology to further their missions. Gain a wealth of knowledge without ever leaving your desk through NTEN’s extensive schedule of live webinars and archived events.

NTEN Research www.nten.org/research NTEN collaborates with renowned industry, academic, and nonprofit partners to conduct research on key subjects related to nonprofit technology like IT staffing and spending, salaries, social networking, and data ecosystems.

Our reports and benchmarks studies offer actionable data and invaluable insider information.

Change NTEN Connect newsletter www.nten.org/signup Read how NTEN members are fulfilling their missions and changing the world— and how you can too. The free monthly NTEN Connect newsletter brings you solid advice, success stories, and best practices related to technology and the nonprofit sector.

NTEN: CHANGE · DECEMBER 2011 · PAGE 46