Nonprofit Fundraising Goes Mobile
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Challenges facing Nonprofits, and how to embrace such changes by going mobile.
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Nonprofit Fundraising Goes Mobile
- 1. Giving on the Go Nonprofit Fundraising Goes Mobile
- 2. ‘Mobile devices are rarely beyond 4 feet of the people who own them’ ‘1 in 5 visits to the American Cancer Society’s website is from a mobile device’ *Get What You Give Blog, Why Mobile Matters: The Stats, Fundraising Success Mag, 3/13/12
- 3. Tracy-Ann Palmer Chief Growth Officer tpalmer@billhighway.com Happiness: Making a difference Gaining wisdom Embracing life
- 4. Steve Robert Chief Information Officer srobert@billhighway.com Happiness: Small Business Community Pure Michigan
- 5. Who is Billhighway? Michigan-based Finances are all we do Nonprofit focus 3,500+ clients Processed $6 billion+ Redeployed $125 million+
- 7. Nonprofits Face Fundraising Troubles 37% of charities raised less in the first three quarters of 2012 than last year Fewer people are giving and are giving less 64% of charities report a modest to great increase in service demand *Source: Guidestar survey results, article by Holly Hall, published in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 11/15/12
- 8. The Time for Mobile Fundraising is Now
- 9. Leverage What Works Only online and special events fundraising increased more than 50% Fundraisers who used mobile technology raised up to 180% more funds *1st bullet – Source: Nonprofit Fundraising Study, 4/12 **2nd bullet – Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) ***Graphic – Pew Research Study, 9/12
- 10. Well-Balanced Fundraising Plan For a healthy revenue stream, mix together the following: Major Gifts Foundation Grants Annual Fund Campaigns Events Direct Mail Mobile Fundraising
- 11. Faith-based organizations Choose the Right Mobile Fundraising Flavors Arts organizations Education associations Community foundations Colleges, trade schools & K-12 institutions Youth & Athletic programs Political parties and social change groups Professional membership associations
- 12. Text to Give Text a keyword to a designated number 25383 Create an awareness campaign ASPCA Animal lovers text the word “ASPCA” to 25383 to donate $5 to rescue efforts
- 13. Text to Give Pros Anyone with texting can do it Charge applied to mobile phone bill The right nonprofit can raise millions The American Red Cross raised $32 million for Haiti in the month following the 2010 earthquake
- 14. Text to Give Cons Expensive Small donations only Donations realized 30-90 days out Limited donor data *Source: “5 Real Challenges for Nonprofit Texting Campaigns,” by Geoff Livingston, 2/4/10, Mashable.com
- 15. Text to Give Vendors mGive (mgive.com) Connect2Give (connect2give.com) Give by Cell (givebycell.com) Mobile 2 Give (mobile2give.com) Mobile Cause (mobilecause.com) Other: • Twilio (twilio.com)
- 16. Scan to Give Download code reader application Scan the QR code app Redirect to mobile website Susan G. Komen for the Cure used QR codes in print ads for their Passionately Pink campaign
- 17. Scan to Give Pros User-friendly, fast Higher donation amounts Capture donor data Get funds in 2-3 days Cost effective Free apps
- 18. Scan to Give Cons Donor must download QR code app Awareness campaign needed Reliability
- 19. Scan to Give Vendors Click & Pledge (clickandpledge.com) LevelUp (thelevelup.com) QR Code App Generators: Kaywa (qrcode.kaywa.com) BeQRious (beqrious.com) GoQR Me (goQR.me) Other: • Tago (tagomobile.com)
- 20. Mobile Card Readers Plug into phone or tablet jack Swipe credit cards Select giving amount Authorize payment St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Tri Delta use mobile fundraising across 138 chapters nationwide.
- 21. Mobile Card Reader Pros Fast, easy, fun Give any amount Get funds in 2-4 days Receipts via email or text Free or low-cost reader Low transaction fee Donor information can be integrated into CRM
- 22. Mobile Card Reader Cons Must download app Platform dependent Requires additional hardware Most effective when face-to-face
- 23. Mobile Card Reader Vendors Billhighway’s Give (billhighway.co) Intuit Go Payment (intuit.com) PayAnywhere (payanywhere.com) PayPal Here (paypal.com) Square (square.com)
- 24. Mobile App Debate: HTML 5 vs. Native HTML5 Native Development Agnostic Specific Distribution Universal App Store (s) Discoverability Search Engines Marketplace (s) Feature Richness Limited Optimal Performance Good Great Monetization Custom Integrated Availability Internet Everywhere Answer: It Depends. (Web-view when you can, native when you can’t; hybrid for the rest.) *Reference: http://www.html5rocks.com/en/mobile/nativedebate/
- 25. Mobile Optimized Websites Nonprofits need to be Readable on a mobile phone able to reach donors Abbreviated content wherever they are…donors shouldn’t Link to full website have to wait until they sit down at their computer to get information about you or make a donation. The Remington Group
- 26. Mobile Optimized Website Pros Quick to load Easy to read and navigate Facilitate donations Processed in real-time Any amount Low setup cost Check Out: m.nature.org m.goodwill.org m.savethechildren.org
- 27. Mobile Optimized Website Cons Specialized skills Duplicated efforts Always Changing Fickle Browser Support
- 28. GoMo by Google NetRaising Mobile Optimized DudaMobile Website Resources HTML5Rocks.com SquareSpace (CMS)
- 29. Mobile Apps The YMCA has a Y Angry Birds, anyone? Finder application that allows users to find a YMCA near them. Locations are pinpointed on a map, and options are given to view details, get directions, visit the website or call.
- 30. Mobile App Pros User friendly Just a tap away Rich experiences Easy updates
- 31. Mobile App Cons Expensive!! • Initial & Ongoing Proprietary Languages Platform Specific • iOS, Android App Store Approvals
- 32. Mobile App Developers AppMakr (appmakr.com) Atomis Axis (atomicaxis.com) Detroit Labs* (detroitlabs.com) My Pocket Nonprofit (mypocketnonprofit.com) The App Developers (theappdevelopers.com) Vectorform* (vectorform.com) *Based in Michigan
- 33. The Happy Ending
- 34. Questions? Use Q&A or Chat Panel
- 35. Mobile Fundraising with Billhighway Give December 5th at 2 pm ET A better way to accept donations anytime, anywhere • Download the App • Collect Donations • Do More Good CRM integration Register on our website
- 36. Start a Conversation 248.273.0074 sales@billhighway.com billhighway.co twitter.com/billhighway www.facebook.com/billhighway
Notas del editor
- [TAP] Good afternoon and welcome to our Giving on the Go, Nonprofit Fundraising Goes Mobile webcast, brought to you by HandsOn Tech Detroit and Billhighway. Before we begin, please be aware that the phone lines are muted during our presentation. Please use the Q&A or Chat panel to enter your questions at any time during the webcast. We’ll answer as many questions as we can at the end of the presentation, for everyone’s benefit.
- [TAP] These stats were taken from David Balcom’s keynote at the 2012 Nonprofit Mobile Day in Washington DC earlier this year. David is the managing director of digital platforms at the American Cancer Society.http://www.fundraisingsuccessmag.com/blog/why-mobile-matters-the-stats
- [TAP and Steve] Introduce yourselves individually and give a brief bio – professional overview.
- [TAP and Steve] Introduce yourselves individually and give a brief bio – professional overview.Hi, I’m Steve. I’m the CIO at Billhighway, I’ve been with the company nearly 10 years now and have led all aspects of our technology group, from writing code to supporting data centers – most recently leading the development of our mobile fundraising app Give, which we’ll talk about a little later.
- [TAP] Billhighway is based in Troy, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. We are a provider of cloud-based financial management software. At Billhighway, we live and breathe nonprofit organizations. It’s been our focus for over 13 years to bring integrated payment processing, accounting and online banking solutions to nonprofits in one, easy-to-use application. We currently have over 3,500 clients and over 243,000 end users of our software. Think of end users as your organization’s members or donors. We have managed over $6 billion in transactions and helped our clients redeploy over $125 million back into their missions, making quite a social impact.
- [TAP] Imagine you are the director of a soup kitchen, and you have a large group of corporate volunteers assembled to help serve the hungry. After the meal is served, you speak to the volunteer group about how much your organization relies on volunteers and donors to offer meals to people who would otherwise go hungry. As the volunteers file out the door to return to their busy lives, you hand each a packet of information that includes a donation envelope and you personally encourage each person to give.The donation envelope may or may not make it back home to a pile of mail and other paperwork to be looked at later. What could you have done to capitalize on the good feeling the volunteers experienced while they were at your soup kitchen? Thanks to innovations in technology, nonprofits have a variety of options to choose from that allow them to capture donations at the point of greatest impact.
- [TAP] Guidestar survey conducted of 500 groups, reported by Holly Hall, featured in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, November 15th, 2012http://philanthropy.com/blogs/prospecting/half-of-nonprofits-face-fundraising-troubles-in-2012/36240
- [TAP] It’s clear nonprofits need help raising more money to fund their missions. Let’s take a look at some positive trends in online and event fundraising.
- [TAP] 1st bullet: The Nonprofit Fundraising Study, released in April 2012 by the Nonprofit Research Collaborative reported that online fundraising and special events were the only methods that increased by more than 50%. All other methods of fundraising decreased, including grants, direct mail and major gifts.Graphic: Now pair this increase in online donations with a September 2012 Pew Research Center study that found that 85% of Americans have a cell phone and 45% have a smartphone. 2nd bullet: Lastly, the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) reported that fundraisers who used mobile technology raised up to 180% more money than those who didn’t. It’s becoming clear that mobile tools play an integral part in the lives of fundraisers today.
- [TAP] Every nonprofit relies on a variety of methods to bring in revenue. Major gifts, grants, annual campaigns, events, direct mail – they are all part of the mix. Mobile fundraising is just one ingredient that fundraisers can add for a diverse revenue stream.Mobile giving may seem like it should be part of online fundraising. The important difference is in how the donor interacts with online versus mobile giving options. To make an online donation, donors are often alone at their computer and have decided to make a donation well before the moment they actually perform the transaction.Mobile giving is a different experience altogether for the donor. Mobile fundraising happens most often when the donor is actively engaged with the nonprofit’s mission and feels motivated to give in the moment. It’s important to point out that as with any fundraising activity, it’s all about the execution. So as we go through the different options available today, keep in mind how your organization might fit mobile into your overall strategy. All of the options will take resources to execute them properly. Think about those within your organization who would be part of the planning process.
- [TAP] Now we’ll take a look at five popular options for mobile fundraising, and the pros and cons of each.Aprox. 10:30am.
- [SR]Text to Give allows anyone with a cell phone to text a predetermined keyword to a designated number, often referred to as short-codes. The keyword can identify the nonprofit’s name or purpose and pre-determined donation amount. The carrier in return will charge the user for the donation on their phone bill and pass proceeds on to you.The nonprofit is ultimately responsible for creating an awareness campaign to get the word out. One example of a popular text-to-give campaign is The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. You can text the word “ASPCA” to 25383 to automatically donate $5 to their rescue efforts.-----Things to consider: Text-to-give campaigns work really well for disaster-relief nonprofits or large scale organizations with a substantial marketing budget.
- [SR] Some of the benefits include:Anyone with texting capability can do itDonations are charged to users cell phone bill (no credit card required)The right cause, with the right message at the right time - can raise millions of dollars!The barrier of participation is low, and nearly everyone with a cell phone is an eligible donor.For example, the weekend after the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010, the American Red Cross raised more than $10 million through its text to give campaign. By the following Monday, that number had reached $22 million, and totaled $32 million within one month.The key is a campaigns ability to raise awareness.It helps to have an event, such as a celebrity request, concert, or unfortunately a catastrophe to compel people to donate en masse. But, be careful, repeated solicitations in general communications can repel potential donors.
- [SR] Some things to consider.Text to Give is relatively expensive:Setup fees with wireless partners (mGive and The Mobile Giving Foundation) can range from $3,000-$10,000Cost for the short code – unique short codes can take weeks to setup and are the most expensive option. Shared codes are cheaper. Monthly subscription fees apply – often in the hundreds, if not thousands/mo ($350 - $900)Higher than average transaction fees – 3.5% - 5%Small donations only – often capped at $10. Whereas the average online donation in 2009 was $92. Since donations come through the donor’s cell phone bill, it can take 30-90 days for the money to reach the nonprofit and a small portion may never be realized, due to carrier billing issues, fees & disputes. There is also no mechanism to capture valuable donor information like email address.In Sum, Text to Give has the lowest per-donor value there is. One new online donor is as valuable as about 14 new text donors. The figure is similar for new direct mail donors and all other media.----In addition, small profits are often locked out of participating: Wireless industry has set strict standards on obtaining a unique short code, including of a minimum of $500,000 in revenue to participate in a text-to-give program. Other requirements may include 990 tax returns, copies of bylaws, and in some cases audited financials. This can of course be avoided by using shared short-codes offered by many providers on the next slide, but limit the branding potential and flexibility for use.*Source: “5 Real Challenges for Nonprofit Texting Campaigns,” by Geoff Livingston, 2/4/10, Mashable.com, http://mashable.com/2010/02/04/non-profit-texting/
- [SR]Text Messaging remains a compelling way to engage your audience, and Text to Give may play a role depending upon your needs.Here are a few of the popular Text to Give providers. Additionally, if there is anyone attending that may be interested in incorporating SMS into a new or existing application, I’d encourage you to take a look at Twilio. While not a specific solution for Text to Give, it can help you incorporate SMS into your existing donor experience. You can send receipts or reminders via text with no upfront cost, and only a penny per message. They also have support for short-codes if you want to get creative.
- [SR] @ 10:40 – 10 minutes in.Scan to Give leverages QR Codes.QR Code stands for “Quick Response” (think of it as an improved barcode, that your phone can scan to automatically launch a browser to a predetermined website.) You’ve probably already seen these and they can be another way to engage a mobile audience.Like text-to-give, scan-to-give campaigns capitalize on the prevalence of cell phones, notably SMART phones in use today, as they require a QR App to use. If you’ve seen QR codes or used them, they are the foundation of scan-to-give technology.To get started with QR Codes:You create a unique image, which is linked to a website you provide. (you can also have codes QR play a video, send a text, or call a phone number.)You then publish the image any way you like; in print, online, etc.For donors to use, They must first download a reader application on their phone. Once scanned, the donor can be redirected to a mobile optimized website that provides the option to make a donation, read more information about the nonprofit, or both. Susan G. Komen used QR codes in their Passionately Pink campaign which helped raise money for breast cancer research. When scanned, the donor is taken to a mobile website that featured a video, prominent donate buttons and ways to sign up to walk.------ QR Codes were originally designed for the automotive industry, in Japan by Toyota to track vehicles during the manufacturing process. QR codes provide larger storage capacity compared to standard UPC barcodes. There’s a fair amount of science involved in QR codes, if your interested in learning more I encourage you to look it up on Wikipedia.
- [SR] So some of the highlights of giving through QR codes –The process is fairly user friendly, low cost and fast to setup. It is also easy to track usage.Donors are not tied to a single donation amount, they can donate as much as they like.Donor information is captured through the [mobile] website and can potentially be synchronized to your donor management or CRM system for further communication and outreach campaigns.There are two common ways to accomplish “Scan to Give”; use a ‘management platform’ that provides comprehensive tools such as QR code generation, mobile webpages, analytics and payment processing or you can opt for a DIY solution, using a freely available QR generator and your existing online donation website, hopefully already optimized for mobile.Either way, funds are typically deposited in the nonprofit’s account in 2-3 days versus 30-90 days for text-to-give campaigns.Fees range from free, to your typical ecommerce rates of 2.75-5% depending on provider. Scan-to-give is best executed in a print or direct mail but we are seeing it more frequently online and within mobile apps.
- [SR] Challenges with Scan-to-Give include:Not everybody knows what a “QR Code” is.Donors must first download a QR code reader before they can scan it. As with text-to-give, a considerable amount of effort needs to be put into a marketing campaign to drive awareness. Besides the initial novelty, when someone first discovers QR Codes - there needs to be a compelling reason for somebody to “scan it.”Know Your Audience and manage expectations.A popular fundraising website did an article earlier this year stating: “Donors aren’t using QR Codes Yet.” http://www.futurefundraisingnow.com/future-fundraising/2012/03/donors-arent-using-qr-codes-yet-are-you.htmlIt went on to say..Only 16% of women have used QR codes.Worse, only 7% of people age 50 and over have used them.Those are important demographics
- [SR]Here are a few vendors who offer QR payment solutions as well as a few QR Code Generators, which you can use for free.A few best practices:Short URLs create cleaner codes (longer url’s create more complex codes which may affect reliability, such as on reflective surfaces)Consider using urlshorteners such as bit.ly, they create short links and offer usage analytics (for free.)Larger codes are more reliable. 1”x1” being the smallest size that is considered reliable in virtually all conditions.Generous Quiet zone. The border around your QR code is known as the quiet zone. If the dimension is too narrow, code may not resolve.Above are especially important for:Reflective Surfaces (magOutdoors (may fade, become obscured)Irregular surfaces (like side of a curved beverage container)Low light conditionsColorful QR codes--------QR Codes: Inexpensive Fundraising for NP Tech: http://janetfouts.com/qr-codes-fundraising-nptech/22 Ways Nonprofits are using QR Codes for Fundraising and Awarenes Campaigns: http://nonprofitorgs.wordpress.com/2011/01/24/22-ways-nonprofits-can-use-qr-codes-for-fundraising-and-awareness-campaigns/5 ways Nonprofits can use QR Codes: http://www.frogloop.com/care2blog/2011/8/9/five-ways-nonprofits-can-use-qr-codes.htmlHow to use QR codes for fundraising: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-use-qr-codes-for-fundraising.html
- [SR] @ 10:50Next Up we have Mobile Card Readers.Mobile Card Readers have become all the rage, and for many reasons. There is still a powerful affinity to the physical relationship one has with “swiping” their credit card – just ask my wife.Square has been a pioneer in the space, offering the ability for anyone to be able to accept payments via credit card.In a nutshell, most mobile card readers today attach to mobile phones and tablets through the earphone jack. An accompanying “app” integrates with the reader to create a mobile Point of Sale (POS) terminal, allowing you to quickly accept donations via credit card.A key difference from text and scan-to-give is that the phone or tablet through which the donation is made belongs to the nonprofit or volunteer rather than the donor. In other words, a representative of your organization will have the app already installed and can use it at fundraising events, in person.A credit card is then swiped through the card reader to make a secure payment.
- [SR] Popularity of Mobile Card Readers has grown significantly in the past two years,and has quickly become the “go-to” solution for mobile commerce, including fundraising – primarily because its so convenient. People are carrying less cash – similar to how online Bill Pay has reduced (if not eliminated) the need to write checks. Because of this, and the rise of loyalty/reward cards – many people just prefer to pay with a credit or debit card. How often have you heard “I don’t have any cash” or “I’d love to contribute more, but I only have a $10 bill” - ??A study of credit card use at McDonalds when they first began accepting cards found that people spent 47% more when using credit instead of cash!Some highlights we’ve observed using Mobile Card Readers at charity and fundraising events include:It’s fast and easy to use – a donation can be captured in less than 1 minute.It’s engaging and fun for both the donor and the fundraiserThe donor can give any amount they likeThe nonprofit has funds deposited into their bank account in 2-4 business daysThe donor can elect to receive a receipt via email, text message to their phone, or bothThe card readers are often free, encrypted readers can cost up to $30 eachTransaction fees are low, usually between 2.5-3%
- [SR] In order to begin with a mobile card reader, the fundraiser must first download the app, order their card reader and wait to receive it in the mail. For larger fundraising organizations, multiple card readers may need to be ordered and shipped to different locations.Card reader applications are platform specific, meaning a dedicated “app” is required for Apple, Android, Rim and eventually Windows.Each provider has a unique reader, some are more elegant than others but each requires you to plug it into your phone to “swipe” a credit card. This can present a challenge for some people with an incompatible case, requiring you to remove it before use. It’s surprisingly just how personal a phone case selection can be. Something also to be mindful of, in the event you forget, lose or break the card-reader, the app should be able to provide another means of collecting the payment, whether scanning the card or entering the card number manually.Mobile card readers tend to be most effective when nonprofits connect face-to-face with donors, as it adds a human element, giving an opportunity for conversation and purpose. Examples might include charity walks, auctions, volunteer and donor events, or other community gatherings. Security is always a popular topic, you want to make sure no information is ever stored on the device, all data is properly encrypted and meets PCI security standards – including an encrypted card-reader. This means, the credit card information is never used in an un-encrypted manor, which has become the industry standard.
- [SR] Here is a whos-who list of Mobile Card Reader Vendors.One distinction I’d like to make, the Billhighway Give app was designed exclusively for fundraising, with unique capabilities not found in other products, such as:The ability to create and track payments to a campaign goalYou can also run multiple campaigns at the same time, keeping track of fundraising progress and goals separately. Campaigns can be customized with your logo, images and event detailsDonor information can be fed into an organizations donor management or CRM system for proper constituent managementOptional use of Gamification, which can be incorporated to encourage participation, creating competition between groups toward a larger goals or accomplishmentsLeaderboards can report progress toward goals and highlight achievementsThese have become important differentiators when choosing a mobile card reader for your needs. Most provide features specific to retail operations, or peer-to-peer exchanges, not necessarily enriching the fundraising experience.
- [SR] Before we get into the last two flavors of Mobile Fundraising, I’d like to contrast them briefly. At a high level, HTML5 allows you to build a mobile-optimized website that can be viewed on any device, with a single effort. On the other hand, native apps (the kind you download from the “app store”) – require you to build specific applications for each platform, that means you need to have people that know how to build apps for Apple, vs. Android vs. Microsoft – each with a different programming language and distribution model. The plot thickens from there and I don’t necessarily want to get into the technical minutia, but it’s important to understand these differences..[review matrix]Think about: Where are your visitors coming from today?And wherewould you like them to come from tomorrow? Are there specific goals you want to accomplish that would require certain functionality?It really is question only you can answer.A few Noteworthy examples:Pandora goes HTML5 – fall 2011LinkedIn Hybrid – fall 2011 (node.js & html5)Facebook goes Native– summer 2012----------Always Improving:html5: offline storage, geo location, canvas graphics, video/audio playback - widespread adoption on modern smartphones)Hybrid Options:PhoneGap (Adobe influenced)Appcelerator (Gartner Visionary Company)Space is evolving quickly. Both web & native; hybrid is decent compromise. Performance:Native apps don’t have web runtime barrier. They run closer to metal, taking advantage of performance boosters such as GPU acceleration & multithreading. Web is getting there, but most apps don’t require “bleeding edge 3D graphic processing.” Web Optimization techniques and best-practices readily available. (example: gmail, amazon, twitter, etc.)Monetization:Native: App sales, in-app subscriptions, advertising – standards availableHTML5: service offerings, SaaS, subscriptions, advertising, sponsorships, etc. (same/similar to traditional web)
- [SR] @ 11amMobile Optimized Websites aren’t necessarily new – but there importance is shifting from being a luxury to a necessity.Mobile devices with internet capabilities are now outpacing computer sales. Younger generations are discovering the internet for the first time, via smart phones. This expectation of anytime, anyplace availability is challenging IT departments to keep pace. Consumer habits are increasingly influencing how organizations have to engage their audience, it’s no longer a one-way broadcast medium, users have a voice and their using it. And, if you can’t offer a compelling mobile experience, they won’t stick around to wait.Today’s buzzword for mobile website optimization is HTML5 – its everything from a web standard to rainbows and unicorns, depending on who you ask. The promise is largely around creating a website that adapts to the users screen – whether it’s a tablet, phone or laptop. In the old days, developers would create different versions of the website based upon the users device – often simplified versions of the parent website with limited functionality over a slow connection. Today, because of powerful, high resolution devices with good connectivity, a rich experience can be had (and is expected) by all.
- [SR] Many mobile sites combine advocacy with donation portals. Here are a few that are done well. Try typing these into your phone’s browser if you’re looking for a few good examples.If you haven’t yet had a chance, ask your web team to provide some analytics on user traffic and devices over the past 12-18 months. I’m confident you’ll find a growing trend of mobile devices – even if the site isn’t yet mobile optimized. Take a look at your bounce rate – that’s a marketing term for people visiting your website, but leave rather than continue to view other pages.To accomplish mobile donation processing from a website, is similar to what you likely already do on a non-optimized website. In the end, its just a web page – however, you do want to pay special attention to the device they are using. For example, if they are visiting from a phone, they are unlikely to want to complete a long form with lots of data-entry fields, requiring them to type on a small keyboard. Instead, increase the font size, minimize input, and capture only what’s absolutely required. Get creative – focus on the experience, if its done well, it will be a frictionless process that people don’t have time to stop and think if they like it or not – the experience will pull them through and conclude with “that was easy.”
- [SR] Aside from the effort involved, its really hard to think of negatives associated with mobile optimization.While it does require your web team to update their skills to take advantage of new techniques, you can often build on what you already have, incrementally updating sections of the site for mobile optimization.The challenge is keeping pace with change. It’s hard to keep up with all the new devices coming out; ipad 3, or mini, Android tablets, Microsoft Surface.If you haven’t already, now may be the time to start thinking about a CMS platform, let them update and support the technology – you worry only about content.Most of this can often be done with existing staff, if you have it. If not, might be time to familiarize yourself with companies that can help, we’ve listed a few on the next slide.-----Depending on what you have now, how old it is and who supports it – will likely influence how quickly you can optimize your website for mobile. If you already use a Content Management System (CMS) – it’s possible you already have mobile support, or just require a minor update to enable it. If you have a large custom website, consider migrating only the highest value assets first, things like:The landing page (if possible) – ensure a good initial experienceAuto-detect for mobile devices, redirecting if necessary (with a link back to the full site of course)Identify the top 3 places people go on your site, address those first:About, Contact Us are often easy to migrateTry to differentiate. If your current online donation process leaves you uninspired (or in effective) – here’s your opportunity to give it an overhaul.
- [SR] Here are a few mobile website resources you might want to consider.GoMo offers various resources to help you build a mobile site from scratch, or find developers that can help take you mobile. NetRaising is interesting, as they focus specifically on building websites for mission-driven organizations.DudaMobile - attempts to create mobile optimized websites from your existing site.HTML5Rocks.com – founded by mostly Google developers, it’s a site that promotes web design best practicesSquareSpace – is a CMS platform, just like WordPress or Drupal, that has mobile optimized templates available.
- [SR] @ 11:10 - It appears – the “app store” itself turned out to be the Killer App everyone was waiting for a few years back, when we knew mobile would be big, but nobody understand exactly how big. Today, there truly is an “app” for everything – and as it turns out, its incredibly disruptive.App Stores allow people to discover new things, its become “safe” and acceptable to download random things and install it onto your phone – something you wouldn’t dare do without good reason on your computer. It’s an incredible distribution medium and for large organizations or important brands – your customers likely expect you to be there.For many, this is a good thing. It’s an opportunity to break out of the norm, boring old websites full of legacy baggage – and embrace the hip apple or android devices everyone suddenly can’t live without. It’s a way to further engage your audience, refresh the brand – and drive new revenue streams!
- [SR] Mobile apps are user friendly and always just a finger tap away once downloaded. They offer compelling experiences, in some cases just not possible via the web – whether its multi-gesture, a game, or use of a camera like facetime or skype.It’s hard to deny the impact Apps have had on the mobile industry – as its almost become synonymous with smart phones. Years ago we worried about how many minutes of talk time we’d use on our phone, today its about how much data we consume.Having a presence on a users phone is a personal and powerful thing. We take our phone everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. An App is an extension of your brand, an icon if you will, a reminder of you and your organization and hopefully a periodic call to action – that if done well, becomes a recurring habit with deep engagement.That’s not to say websites can’t achieve similar levels of intimacy, but today there are a few things that can only be done on native apps.
- [SR] Custom mobile applications are expensive to create and can cost anywhere from $10,000 up to $150,000 or more to develop. For this kind of money, nonprofits should ensure that the apps fit into a well thought out strategic plan. Apps need to work on multiple operating systems, Android and iOS at a minimum – and updates can become costly. With new versions of devices always shipping, you need to keep your app up-to-date & compatible. Each platform requires special programming skills. Each has its own nuances around design elements. Each can be a challenge to test, with so many devices that need to be supported. A way to justify that is of course to monetize it. You can charge for the app (but be careful) – it might be best to give it away and find other ways to derive revenue from your audience. Get creative, drive engagement, increase outreach programs, find complimentary ways to add value. Another option that is gaining in momentum is considered Hybrid. Whereas you still create native applications for each platform, but its only a shell, with the majority of its content rendered from HTML5, allowing the bulk of the application to be written once for many platforms, while being faster to update and support.Yet another technique is to use 3rd party frameworks such as Phone Gap or AppCelerator – which can create native applications by traditional web developers. Once you learn the framework and libraries your existing skills can be used to target various platforms such as iOS or Android.
- [SR] If you’re interested in pursuing Native application development, here are a few places to start. You could always attempt to hire mobile developers directly, but be careful, if its not a core competency of your organization.To do mobile well, you’ll need experienced designers, architects, and developers that intimately understand each mobile platform. Often, its cheaper & faster to hire the pro’s There are lots of quality firms around that can help you along… -------Replaced iGivings – for churches (igivings.com)
- [TAP]Once you’ve identified one or two mobile fundraising options that might be a good fit for your organization, we recommend a deeper dive into the details. As a case in point, let’s go back to our soup kitchen story.What if the soup kitchen director had a mobile card reader attached to her cell phone? Rather than hand out donor reply envelopes that she might never see again, she takes out her cell phone instead. As she’s thanking her volunteers, she let’s them know they can double their impact by making a donation right there on the spot. Volunteers step up, cards at the ready. As each volunteer swipes his or her card, a receipt is automatically emailed to the donor and a thank you note is generated. The donor’s information has been securely processed and contact information has been stored. Now, when she gets ready to send out the next soup kitchen newsletter, her new donors will be on the email list.
- [TAP] If you have any questions you’d like to ask our team, please take this time to ask them using the Q&A or the Chat panel.
- [TAP] Our next webcast will be held on December 5th at 2 pm Eastern Time and will feature our mobile fundraising application, Billhighway Give. You will receive an email invitation for the webcast and registration is also available on our website at www.billhighway.co.
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