Presentation for the Foundation Center in NYC Mar. 23, 2012

1. Why your nonprofit needs
a mobile website
…and how to create one
Foundation Center NYC
Mar. 23, 2012
Norman Reiss
Nonprofit Bridge
nreiss@nonprofitbridge.com
@nonprofitbridge

2. How constituents learn
about your organization
•
Hint – how you view site is probably not how your constituents do
© Nonprofit Bridge - Foundation Center -
Mar. 23, 2012

3. Do we need a mobile site?
Check your web statistics to learn
what platform your constituents are using
© Nonprofit Bridge - Foundation Center -
Mar. 23, 2012

4. Stats on Mobile Usage
US mobile users
• 44% have smartphone
• 25% use ONLY their phones to access web
• 13% of all web traffic is from mobile devices
• 30% of emails are opened on mobile devices
These percentages are increasing every year
Source – Blue State Digital
© Nonprofit Bridge - Foundation Center -
Mar. 23, 2012

5. Is mobile right for your org?
• Who are your constituents; what are they like?
• What resources can you commit to mobile?
• What do you want constituents to do?
• How will mobile relate to other outreach efforts?
• How will you measure your efforts?
© Nonprofit Bridge - Foundation Center -
Mar. 23, 2012

6. Top 3 Reasons to Go Mobile
• Your visitors are increasingly mobile
• It’s likely that constituents will want to access
your content while on the go, e.g. at events
• * You’re already planning to redesign your
website OR you’re putting in a new content
management system
© Nonprofit Bridge - Foundation Center -
Mar. 23, 2012

7. Planning a website redesign?
• Use a CMS (content management system) that
can generate mobile friendly content
• Ask about responsive design (see below)
© Nonprofit Bridge - Foundation Center -
Mar. 23, 2012

8. Approaches to Go Mobile
• Mini site with key content, engagement pages
• Engagement only – donation form, email
signup, event participation
• Selected pages from main site
• Full mobile website (expensive)
• Responsive design (expensive – more later)
© Nonprofit Bridge - Foundation Center -
Mar. 23, 2012

9. Should you have a…
Mobile website or app?
Generally, you will get more return from a mobile website than from
an application, which requires users to do more work
Website or Facebook page?
You will need BOTH
Many constituents will go to Facebook before they visit your web page
© Nonprofit Bridge - Foundation Center -
Mar. 23, 2012

10. Great nonprofit site examples
Humane Society of the US Planned Parenthood US Holocaust Museum
`m.humanesociety.org m.plannedparenthood.org www.ushmm.mobi/
© Nonprofit Bridge - Foundation Center -
Mar. 23, 2012

11. Best practices for mobile websites
• Simplify design and navigation
• Limit use of images
• Feature fresh content prominently
• Link to mobile social media pages
• Must have mobile optimized donation form
• Speed of loading content is critical
try Google Page Speed to test your site
© Nonprofit Bridge - Foundation Center -
Mar. 23, 2012

12. Remember…
• Designing for mobile forces you to focus on
your key messages
• Assume you will only have your constituents’
attention for a few seconds
• Don’t forget to TEST in the most common
phone and tablet platforms
© Nonprofit Bridge - Foundation Center -
Mar. 23, 2012

13. Resources
• Convio Guide to the Mobile Web -
http://conviosummit2011.com/?wpfb_dl=480
• Home Page Design Slam: Taking It Mobile
http://conviosummit2011.com/?wpfb_dl=582
• Social Media for Social Good – Heather Mansfield
http://www.amazon.com/Social-Media-Good-How--
Nonprofits/dp/007177081X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332214268&sr=8-1
• 33 Nonprofit Mobile Websites
http://nonprofitorgs.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/22-nonprofit-mobile-websites/
• Mofuse.com (mobile CMS)
http://mofuse.com/
• Why You Should Design for Mobile Now
http://nonprofitbridge.com/2011/10/why-you-should-design-for-mobile-now/
© Nonprofit Bridge - Foundation Center -
Mar. 23, 2012

14. Questions?
Norman Reiss
Nonprofit Bridge
nreiss@nonprofitbridge.com
@nonprofitbridge
© Nonprofit Bridge - Foundation Center -
Mar. 23, 2012