The high importance of technology to the not for profit sector,  and the desire to keep apace of the rapid changes in digital communication, were clearly reflected as nearly 200 delegates, comprising  senior managers and executives of 126 membership and charity organisations, attended the IRIS NFP Roadshow at the Royal College of Surgeons in London on Tuesday 7th February 2012.

They gathered at the event organised by IRIS NFP Solutions - suppliers of integrated software, services and infrastructure to the not-for-profit sector – where partners and consultants, including global technology players Microsoft and IBM, laid out their vision for the future of technology and what it may mean for the sector. There was also an accompanying exhibition, where delegates were able to view many new initiatives and share their challenges.

Overall feedback from delegates was extremely positive. David Combes, Director of Knowledge & Information Systems at Action for Hearing Loss, commented: “It was a very worthwhile event, and so good to see a partnership-based approach to meeting the needs of the NFP Sector.”

The day started with the views from two keynote speakers on how digital technology was impacting membership organisations and charities.

Rob Smith of Indigo Blue talked of “another revolution” to match the impact of the digital revolution.  He saw the rapid growth of “cloud” applications as a “game changer” for the way we all work and how organisations source technology. Also, he warned that the growing number of “online communities”, such as common-interest groups on sites like LinkedIn, was creating a new threat and real competition to long-established membership bodies.

Simon Morrison, Director of Marketing and Communications at the Institute of Fundraising echoed this theme, saying that digital and mobile technologies were “changing the way charities work”  by offering new and exciting opportunities to fundraisers to have more  personal, integrated, experimental and collaborative engagement with stakeholders. He cited examples of how mobile and text giving and the use of social media was enabling charities to reach and engage with new donors, particularly in the 18-24 years old demographic,  traditionally viewed by fundraisers as a difficult to reach audience. According to the IoF figures, text-giving had increased 12% in the past year, against a background of an 11% decrease in overall fundraising income since 2008. 

The day continued with presentations from other IRIS companies and key partners, such as NetXtra, QAS, Transoft, IRIS Exchequer, Orbis and Communicator, describing how their products and services were meeting the new challenges and being applied in all aspects of the sector’s activities, covering online and email communications,  automated workflow,  through to data quality and integrity.  Solutions included automated verification of emails and mobile numbers at point of entry, through to ground-breaking tablet based and web-integrated solutions to support an increasing mobile and disparate workforce.

Jim Adam of IBM explained how the vast increase in data available to organisations from the communications explosion presented a real challenge but how the use of analytics was helping top companies use this data to make more informed decisions.

Mark Bloodworth of Microsoft presented his organisation’s vision of the future, in which there will be more pervasive displays and innovative, and more natural, human – technology interfaces, facilitated by touch and motion sensors. A glimpse of this future was seen when Paul Sparkes of IRIS Exchequer talked about the pioneering work IRIS had done with Microsoft on finance applications delivered through tablet and touch technology.

 “I believe it was a high value day for all those involved, with real buzz as suppliers and consultants shared their visions and concerns.” said David Pinches, Director of Product Management & Marketing at IRIS NFP Solutions. “ We were delighted to involve so many of our key partners and I think the high level of attendance and positive feedback we received reflected not only the importance of technology, but also how IRIS and our partners, as key suppliers in this market,  are able to provide innovative solutions to meet the fast-changing needs of our customers.”

Copies of the presentations given on the day can be downloaded at http://not-for-profit.iris.co.uk/iris-nfp-roadshow-2012/agenda.aspx

It means using all the latest technology,doesn’t it? I asked myself this question at the the annual conference of the Institute of Fundraising London Group. This was weeks ago, but two ideas have been going round my head in opposite directions ever since.  I spent two days listening to a selection of the capital’s most with-it fundraisers, and although the sessions offered a wide range of topics, these two coherent and consistent themes emerged: an integrated campaign can yield great dividends, but the direct approach is still the top earner.

What do we mean by ‘integrated fundraising’? Just as there is a recognised need among database specialists to keep revisiting the definition of CRM, so it can be helpful for fundraisers to spell out what they mean by this phrase.  Speakers at IoF London made clear that it is much more than running campaigns across multiple departments and multiple channels, as modelled in the table above.  It is, (like CRM actually) a cultural paradigm requiring campaign managers to involve as many stakeholders as possible in the fundraising mix. The Battersea Dogs Home rehomer with a story to tell about dogs given new homes after months in solitary, and the visually impaired volunteer rattling tins for the GLFB were just two examples on the day of how the direct experience of the charity’s work can create an emotional connection with the donor that elicits the highest and most frequent gifts.

Of course, it’s not just about the next gift. It’s also about the range of ways that an engaged person can support the charity and ensuring that they have every opportunity to do all of them. I would say ‘cross marketing’ in old speak, but it can also be indirect, so it’s about ‘maximising touch points’ and being ‘demand led’ not ‘supply led’ encouraging and facilitating ‘pull’ not just old fashioned ‘push'. Now you should be thinking about websites with video stories, mobile apps with incentives to go viral, not just Twitter and Facebook but and Yammer and Sprout.

But here’s the thing.
Along with the widespread agreement that integration is key, there was another story – the real revenue earning activity is still derived to a very great extent from the warm list. You may say, isn’t online giving up very strongly? Well it is, but even in the US, 92% of giving is still offline, and online is still only really strong where it is supported by mass news media. For most charities, last year’s volunteers, last year’s participants, the regular donors – these are still the bread and butter.

Every cause needs new donors, and new technology is a great way to attract new segments, but the bed rock is still the direct approach to the warm supporter.  Yes, do as Guide Dogs do – get your lottery ticket purchasers thinking about legacies and your volunteers thinking about regular gifts. In other words, practise careful nurturing and growth of the contacts on the fundraising database. Key-note speaker Mark Astarita said it too in another way, when he asserted that

"UK fundraising will ride out the tough times better than most countries (especially the US where the main model is still the annual pledge!) because UK fundraisers understand regular giving".

 Well I would say that wouldn’t I, working for a database solution company as I do?

We all recognise the importance of making giving as easy as it can be, but do we put it into practice? In competing for sizable donations, are we missing a golden opportunity by not chasing loose change?

Collecting Boxes can be seen as “old school” and not innovative enough, something that large and smaller community charities used to use – but I strongly believe they have as much relevance today as they always did.

We are still some way away from a world where we only pay with pin numbers and plastic, or even just waving our cards near a sensor to pay for goods. From supermarkets to smaller and independent retailers, a collecting box can easily accumulate a reasonable income in a location with a mediocre footfall (I’ve observed averages of around £14 in a 2 month period, in a small retailer in a small town).

Collecting Boxes are more than just a vessel for collecting small change, aren’t they? They help raise awareness of your organisation, getting your name out there and you aren’t even paying an advertising fee or rental space. Are you printing certificates to show how much your holders have raised for you? If you do, and they are sized and presented correctly, these are often placed in public view or on notice boards – yet more free advertising and awareness raising. All this, and you get the contents of the box too!

Nearly half of respondents to a recent survey conducted by ICM research (on behalf of Ronald McDonald House) charities say they would donate spare cash if collecting boxes were more accessible. I’ve observed this is even more prevalent amongst the young.

But, there has to be a down-side, right? To administer and manage Collecting Boxes correctly, it takes time and effort, and if you get it wrong it can be very damaging. Using Volunteers to manage this process is ideal, but there needs to be continuity and clear guidelines/processes, as recording information in a spreadsheet may not be enough. Sending out boxes with no supporting information can lead to them being full and no-one knowing what to do or how to contact you. If you don’t check-up on boxes, they can be full and stored away, only to be lost or opened and emptied into someone else’s box. And, the ultimate error in my opinion, if a retailer can’t take your box now, but offers to take it in a month or so, don’t just ignore them. You may believe that because they can’t take the box now they don’t matter, but they do – and they can often remember. If they recall they agreed to take a box and no box arrives, it can tell them you don’t need the money and you don’t need their help. That’s a very public message that is unwise to portray.

However, don’t be disheartened. The IRIS Donor Strategy collecting box management module is designed to make that as easy as possible. Through Campaign Calls it can help you place boxes in the best locations. It reduces administration by producing the paperwork (placement letters, thank you letters and certificates automatically, but in a professional and personalised way). It can help you predict when boxes may be ready for collection, and handle requests to delay the despatch of boxes without additional administrative overhead.