Donor software can help launch ministry nonprofit organizations into a more technologically advanced mode of operations. With a unified system of donor management software options, ministries can increase their accessibility to constituents and raise more funds.
The 2014 Nonprofit Technology Staffing and Investments Report surveyed over 780 members of various nonprofits to determine their processes when it comes to advancing technologies, staffing IT departments, budgeting and managing. The results indicated that leading organizations, classified as nonprofits that consider themselves innovators proactively investing in strategies that make them more organized and informed on sector trends, were three times more likely to include technology in their efforts than struggling nonprofits. Interestingly enough, these leaders did not overwhelmingly spend more money or have more members than the strugglers.
On average, the nonprofits involved in the survey each employed 4.4 staff members solely focused on technology. Leading organizations had roughly nine times more technology staff than struggling groups. Though this figure may be influenced by the size of the nonprofit, the important ratio to consider is that of the number of technology staff compared to the number of organizational staff. Leading nonprofits had about two organizational staff members for each tech person, while struggling nonprofits had about ten organizational workers for each tech.
The strong spike in data staff indicates a rising need for more support when it comes to interpreting the effectiveness of certain campaigns, social media postings and marketing efforts. Up from an average of 1.7 data staff members in 2013, larger leading nonprofit groups now employ an average of 4.3 staff for data.
What do tech staff do?
Technology and data staff can help with the implementation of new methods of obtaining donations online. For instance, social media giant Twitter recently introduced a button that followers of different businesses and organizations can click to make a purchase straight from the tweeted message. According to Twitter’s blog, the new feature brings organizations much closer to their followers and patrons through sales of items not available anywhere else. After simply hitting the buy button present within the tweet, additional facts come up about the product. Then, consumers can input their payment and shipping information.
How does the buy button help NPOs?
The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported that as part of this new function, Twitter hired new team members to their corporate social-responsibility department in an effort to better support nonprofits and good causes. DonorsChoose.org plans to sell shirts through Twitter with a back-to-school theme to raise money for classrooms.
It’s an incredibly fast and easy method of purchasing products that can help fund nonprofit goals. However, it will be important for nonprofits to insert the button into their tweets very strategically, in a way that allows them to track progress. Simply posting a buy button may be enough to prompt a donation, but without tracking the conversation between nonprofits and their constituents, it will be hard to improve the methods used and better understand donors.
The key to effectively taking advantage of these new donation opportunities is correctly implementing them. Expanding the technology staff on board at a ministry nonprofit and supporting them with donor software can dramatically improve results and help grow a larger donor base. Ministry software offers users better ways to keep track of donor contact information, giving history and communication preferences. It seamlessly integrates into a ministry’s website, so visitors feel like they are still interacting with the organization, rather than a third-party operating system.
Donor management ministry software makes it easier for technology staff to manage daily operations for nonprofit organizations and interpret donor trends. Without it, ministries may fall behind the most current technology and miss out on quality donors.