Start with a strategy to expand your reach to potential supporters

Guest post by Cassie Bair and Jenifer Snyder

The U.S. is going mobile. Even as people increase their number of mobile devices, many nonprofits are still hesitant about adding mobile to their organization’s initiatives. Misconceptions such as which tools are available through mobile for data collection, engagement and fundraising cause nonprofits to incorrectly believe that mobile can be a lot of work with little return.

The fact is, mobile is no longer just an exciting new addition to fundraising or engagement, but a tool that supporters expect you to have. The data around mobile proves it is a worthwhile venture for many nonprofits – beyond times of disaster. More than 20 percent of a typical organization’s web traffic comes from a mobile device. (Do you know your number?) Those users are generally more engaged online, through SMS, and donate via text as well as in other ways.

Before the thought of adding yet another piece to your fundraising puzzle becomes too daunting, here are a few important points about mobile from the mGive Foundation.

Mobile brings the world right to your donor

1You become a part of your donors’ world. Mobile phones are the centralizing point for many people’s day-to-day activities including social media, photo sharing, email, phone calls and text. People determine what information they want to receive via mobile – and how – and because of this, are very likely to stay engaged with a cause to take action when prompted. The power of how that technology can be used to benefit your nonprofit is truly just starting to evolve.

In order to reach the potential supporters you have at your fingertips, you need to have a fully integrated strategy – and mobile tools that can effectively do the job. Mobile technology is evolving, empowering supporters to cross communication channels and ultimately bring offline experiences online. With the power to post to social media from a text message or link to the mobile web from an email, to a multitude of other options—mobile is expanding the reach you have with both prospective and current supporters at all times.

Engage your next live audience through mobile

2Capture donor information and then add the info to your database. Asking people to fill out a form or to take an online poll still works in the traditional sense, but what if you could capture the information via mobile? Even better, what if you could collect the data shared in the heat of the moment vs. only when someone is online? Then use that data to drive awareness, giving and more when you combine it with information you already have about your supporters?

Organizations can use mobile to conduct polls, receive live feedback at events, track open rates of text campaigns, generate ROI for social media through giving apps and social sharing options, plus so much more.

In addition, nonprofits can gain a broader and deeper understanding of their supporters when combining mobile behaviors with more traditional information probably already housed in your CRM system.

Mobile is a pivot point for influencing supporter behavior

3The mobile device is a hub of activity for many people in the U.S. If your supporters own a mobile phone, they likely have a smartphone or will soon. Most probably use it for text, to visit websites, to post to social media sites, to email, to share photos and videos – and occasionally actually use it for phone calls.

If you could determine what supporters are doing, how they are doing it, when they are doing it and then ask for them to take action through mobile, you may be surprised at the results. So collect what you can, when you can about mobile behavior to run more robust reports and drive additional engagement.

It’s easy to find out how much a mobile donor likes you

4Mobile engagement creates a more personal relationship between you and your donor, but it’s also a relationship that you can measure. When your organization sends out a mobile call-to-action, the feedback you receive is more immediate and complete, allowing you to tailor your fundraising strategy for better results. By measuring opt-ins, click through to links, donations, and even opt-out numbers, you can more closely monitor the temperature of your donor pool, to create tactics that resonate.

Capitalizing on this mobile revolution is not just about increasing mobile databases or building more robust donor profiles, it’s about finding better ways to change the world. It has never been easier for donors to help those in need with just a few clicks on their mobile phone. Mobile allows everyone to become an everyday philanthropist and for your organization to benefit from the results.

Not sure where to get started with a mobile strategy? First, start by changing every form (online and offline) to capture a mobile number. Chances are, that’s the information you are collecting anyway but you may not have it labeled correctly in your system. If your data is only as good as what you put into your system, you sure want to make sure you are putting it in correctly!

Once you start collecting mobile data, start reviewing the profiles of donors and supporters with mobile numbers flagged in your system. You may be surprised at the trends around age ranges, giving rates, volunteer hours and more. That valuable information will guide you down the path of an effective mobile strategy for your organization.

The post How nonprofits should capitalize on the mobile revolution appeared first on Socialbrite.

3 steps to developing a responsive website

Imagine for a moment that a supporter of yours is having dinner with one of their friends (let’s call her Amanda).

The cause you support comes up in conversation, and because Amanda is passionate about the work your nonprofit does, she pulls out her iPhone to show her friend.

But there’s a problem.

Your website is not looking so hot. Not a good first impression.

Now obviously Amanda will be able to overcome this hurdle because of the trust she’s earned with her friend. But why put hurdles in front of your core supporters to begin with?

What is responsive Web design?

A responsive website means that the content (pages, text, videos, photos) automatically resizes in response to the particular device a viewer is using.

For example, you can easily view my johnhaydon.com website on an iPad, iPhone or browser, as shown below.

Why is responsive Web design important?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock with no Internet access, you’re probably well aware of the prevalence of mobile devices like iPads, iPhones and Androids. In fact, more than half of the 1 billion people using Facebook access it from their mobile device.

In addition to the increased use of mobile devices, there’s also change in behavior. More and more people are engaging with websites across multiple access points.

Finally, having a responsive website means that users won’t need to pinch, tap or squint in order to view your website. Again, hurdles.

Three steps to developing a responsive website

After you’ve determined that your website needs to be more responsive, you should follow these three steps:

Have clear objectives for mobile

1Be clear about the purpose of your website on mobile devices, beyond the readability factor.

Ask yourself if a mobile user would have different needs than someone accessing your site through a browser.

For example, people visiting a museum might want to easily browse showtimes and buy tickets on their iPhone. Having those pages prominently displayed on your mobile site would increase the likelihood that those transactions would occur.

Think about proximity, location and ease-of-use for mobile. Be clear about what you’d like mobile users to do when they access your website. Are these goals different for people using a browser?

Choose an approach

2There are generally three different approaches to achieving a responsive website:

• Create a mobile site – Creating a mobile site means creating a completely separate website for mobile devices. The great thing about creating a separate mobile site is the user experience. Since the site is designed for specific dimensions, the content will be easy to view and interact with. The downside is the expense and work. However, if you use WordPress, you can use a plug-in called WP Touch which automatically renders a mobile site, and allows you to select which pages to display on mobile devices and which pages to hide.
• Create a mobile app – A mobile app that contains your website content can create even a better user experience then a mobile site. Users can access your content off-line, integrate location features, receive push notifications for any updates, and integrate much more tightly with Facebook and Twitter on the iPhone. The downside of a mobile app is the cost and maintenance, although there are ways you can DIY.
• Create a flexible width website – This is the easiest and cheapest approach to creating a responsive website. This website uses the flexible with approach, meaning that it automatically resizes in response to the device.

If you use WordPress, most commercial themes like Headway and Woo Themes are responsive out of the box. If you don’t use WordPress, here’s a great article on coding a fluid width into your website.

Test after launch

3You certainly want to test your mobile site before launch, but you also want to test afterward. The reason is that you have very little information (beyond your hypothesis) for how people will actually use your mobile website. Testing your mobile sites after they go live will help you improve it much faster.

What to do next

The very first thing you should do is open up Google Analytics and look at the “Devices” report (under “Mobile”). This will show you the most popular mobile devices people use to access your website (as shown below):

After you have this information, take a look at how your website looks on these devices. Then, with this information you should sit down with your colleagues and discuss the possibility of making your site more mobile friendly.

So, tell us: How response is your website?

The post How to make your nonprofit site more mobile-friendly appeared first on Socialbrite.