John Kenyon - Nonprofit Technology Educator & Strategist

The Arts and Mobile Marketing

I am honored to be featured in a new special report from Musical America Worldwide entittled "Mobile Marketing: The Arts In Motion".

The report includes wonderfully helpful information for performing arts organizations about engaging audiences via mobile, mobile options, vendors and - best of all - case studies of organizations using mobile.

Analytics and Texting

Two of the points I make in the report are about using analytics and being thoughtful about texting.

A review of your website metrics is helpful when building a mobile-friendly site. The analytics can tell you what pages are most popular among those accessing your website via mobile devices. This helps you make sure those pages are included in your website's mobile version.

Being thoughtful about texting is important because mobile is so personal that unwanted texts can feel like an invasion of privacy. Simple announcements, such as tickets going on sale, the release of a season's schedule or a "Save the Date" announcement for special events like fundraisers are some the more appropriate ways I've seen arts organizations using text.

Reports

The report is full of useful advice and examples that every arts organization should see. Thanks to Susan Elliott and Dina Gerdeman for incuding me. The Muscial America Special Reports page also has links to other good reports on fundraising, ticketing and other issues important to arts organizations.

You can read the report in sections online here or download the report here (pdf)

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How Users Interact with Mobile Marketing Campaigns

Opinion: QR Codes and Foursquare Not Worth Nonprofits Time

I am seeing changes in the technology world that lead me to believe that QR codes and Fourquare are not useful tools for most nonprofits.

I often include a section in my nonprofit technology trainings about "up and coming" technology trends for nonprofits and one year ago, both of these tools were included, but about 6 months ago I stopped including them. From what I've been reading, I think nonprofits don't need to put effort into these tools anymore.

QR Codes

QR Codes, those little boxes that look vaguely like barcodes have been appearing on everything from restaurant menus to bus stop ads and even on Mercedes cars. As I mentioned to a colleague last year, in my experience, if a technology is too difficult for your grandmother to understand, it is not something that is going to catch on with a wide audience. So far the data I see has supported this.

QR codes have seen very low levels of uptake from consumers (estimates range from 3 – 12% of folks having used a qr code once, repeat numbers are even lower). As this article from Invoke describes, the issues are that they create a barrier instead of a simplified user experience and the effort outweighs the benefits. Personally, I deleted the QR code scanner from my smartphone months ago and have not missed it once. If you followed the link to the story about QR codes in Mercedes cars above, you saw they reported that even that application would be obsolete in a few years.

Recently this image on the right went around on Facebook, which sums up my feelings.

Foursquare

I used to be a regular Foursquare user, checking into places via my smartphone, earning badges and seeing where other folks in my network had been. Ever since Facebook added their own check-in feature, however, I have not used Foursquare. Even when I did, I struggled to see much widespread application for nonprofits. It made some sense for nonprofits with a physical location, like a museum or store, but beyond that it was just another channel to maintain added to the many other communication channels nonprofits are tasked with maintaining today.

A Business Insider article from January reports on PrivCo saying Foursqaure will fail buy the end of 2013.

Where to Focus

So while I don’t have anything against Foursquare or QR codes, as I see their usage flat or declining I strongly urge nonprofits to put their limited resources into tools and technologies that are proven to have an impact and staying power. Most nonprofits would do better putting resources into improving their content, website and email communications along with select social media channels. Thinking about your nonprofit's strategy for mobile devices is a much more solid investment for those interested in the leading edge.

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RIP QR Codes

Interactivity in Technology Training

Effective technology trainings need to be much more than listening to an expert speak, especially when the class runs for 6 hours. There is so much valuable knowledge and experience among the participants, it is important to promote ways to get them out of their seats and help them interact.

Recently I presented a Masterclass in Technology Planning for the 2013 Connecting Up conference in Australia. I used several techniques to promote interaction among the participants. The classic is the "share pair" where you have two people pair up to share their thoughts. I like using an active share pair - not just turn to the person next to you and share - but get up, get your feet moving, meet someone new and share with them. I used this several times, once in the beginning when I asked folks to think about 1. What they needed to learn about for their organization and 2. What they personally wanted to learn about. I gave them a few minutes to think and jot down their answers, then had them stand up, find someone at a different table and share. It's wonderful to see the room erupt in conversation when you do this. This also helps folks think about what interests them, rather than just what their job requires, so it adds a nice personal slant to the days learning.

Later in the day, after talking about options for using the Cloud, I had folks share one new way their org might use the cloud. One of participants brought his laptop over to share with two folks how he had moved his infrastructure to the cloud, a wonderfully concrete example from a peer that really opened up their thinking.

My class was happening simultaneously with Beth Kanter's masterclass (she shares her insights in her Trainers Notebook post here). We used two ideas that Beth has been incorporating for some time in her trainings. The first was to give folks nametags and have them write a word or two about what they would be taking away from the class or and "aha" moment they had. Participant Marchelle McMath, shown here, is an example - she learned about the importance of prioritizing her many tech projects. We then had folks find someone from the other class and share what their name tag meant. We had folks do this three times with three different folks.

We then were able to use the tags for a "walking debrief", where folks again found a new partner and we left the hotel, walked along the promenade next to the beach and as they walked they again shared what their takeaways were and heard from the other person what they had learned. It was a great way to cross-pollinate the learnings and for folks to find similarities around areas such as culture change, addressing resistance, and prioritizing. I heard some great conversations happening during the walk - and we had them switch partners half way through to get yet another perspective. Of course we then took a picture of us and our combined classes to share.

So as you plan your next technology training session, think about ways to get participants moving and sharing their knowledge, their questions and even their struggles - it makes for a much richer experience than sitting and listening to a "sage on the stage".

 

Related articles

Trainer's Notebook: The Art of Good Openings and Closings

Should Nonprofits Prioritize Mobile Over Their Website?

A recent report by the UN agency International Telecoms Union "ITU World in 2013" found that by the end of 2014 there will be more mobile subscriptions than people in the world (Read the BBC report or Download the pdf). The report predicts that the current level of 6.8 billion subscriptions will pass 7 billion next year. There are 7.1 billion people on the planet.

The same report found that only 2.7 billion people - around 40% of the world population - is online. Europe had the highest penetration (75%) followed by the Americas (61%), Asia (32%) and Africa (16%). ITU secretary-general Hamadoun Toure said "Two-thirds of the world's population, some 4.5 billion people, are still offline. This means (they) are still locked out of the world's biggest market".

So what does this mean for nonprofits trying to meet constituents where they are? Most of the mobile subscribers don't have "smartphones" but many have "feature" phones that allow them to use texting and some limited applications. So while apps are not the place most organizations should start, mobile and texting strategies require attention. (Flickr photo: garyknight)

My advice to nonprofits about where to put their effort when it comes to online presence over the last few years has generally been: 40% to their website, 40% to email and 20% to social media. So if they had 2 hours a week to devote, they would on average devote around 50 minutes to website and email and 20 minutes to social media. This has always been a very rough guideline, as each nonprofit is unique - some organizations have their website in good shape and can/need to devote more time to the other areas.

As I have watched the number of nonprofit supporters who access websites, read email and use social networks on their phones increase, I have increasingly been recommending a greater emphasis on mobile. This includes a mobile friendly website, emails optimized for mobile viewing, greater attention to social media and the new channel of texting.

In a world where significantly more folks have mobile phones than internet access, it may be time for mobile strategy to deserve more attention from nonprofits. This is especially true if your organization works in Asia or Africa where a majority of folks still are not online.

Should you prioritize mobile over your website? Not yet, because a website is still the transactional hub for most organizations online. But I think that all nonprofits would do well to devote time to thinking through a mobile strategy - having a mobile-friendly website, testing emails for being mobile-friendly and thinking through how they might use text. As the trends mentioned above indicate, your audience might be more likely to find you or engage with you via mobile than through a traditional website - you want to be ready when they do!

There are some great resources about mobile strategy on the NTEN website (webinars, recordings of sessions from past Nonprofit Technology Conferences, blog posts, etc.). The recent article by Stanford Social Innovation Review "Six Mobile Marketing Strategies for Nonprofits" is also a good place to start.

Training with Beth Kanter: Time for Reflection

Next week Beth Kanter and I are teaching simultaneous master class sessions prior to the Connecting Up conference in Australia, hers on social media and mine on technology planning. I'm very excited that we worked together to find a way to bring the classes together at the end of the day to cross-polinate the learnings from the day and give them some time to reflect.

It is so important to give folks you are teaching time to digest and reflect on the knowledge you are sharing. I know when I began to do a lot of education I felt that I had to spend the majority of the time sharing information - mostly talking with some discussion. What I have learned from Beth and other educators is how important it is to give students time to think about the information you are sharing and how they can apply it.

Exercises where they can apply what they just learned - even in a brief exercise - goes a lot further in helping them digest and really learn the information, which does not happen as well by them just listening and taking notes. By asking folks to share with each other what they have learned and what they plan to do with the information, it not only helps it stick for them, but provides others with reminders of the content and ideas about application.

Whenever you are building an education session, whether online or in person, try not to have just stream of information from you to the students and some discussion. Try to include activities where students can process and act on the information you give them, then time for reflection. I know when I am a student, time to work with the knowledge I'm gaining and reflect on ways to apply it makes the expereince much richer and more valuable.

Nonprofits and the PICNIC error

PICNIC error - "Problem In Chair Not In Computer" is defined on Wikipedia as "slang in technical circles... that implies a lack of computer savvy on the part of a user". While critics of the term argue that the issue actually arises from systems not designed intuitively, there is another issue common in nonprofits that contributes to it as well - lack of technology training.

The latest NTEN Nonprofit Technology Staffing and Investments Report includes data on this issue. Of the many interesting findings in the report, one is that responses "indicate that nonprofits feel relatively confident that they have the tools to do their every-day work, but are less confident about having enough skilled staff or training to effectively use their technology for their work."

Adequate training and support are key to getting more "bang" for your technology "buck". Staff wasting effort trying to create reports that could be done easily if they had the training are just one example I have run across many times in my nonprofit technology career.

This issue also relates to examining work processes. Why do 6 of the 8 staff in an organization need to enter data from a donation in 8 different places? Ususally because the organization has not stopped to look at their business processes. How many times have I heard "We've always done it this way" or "That was how the person before me taught me how to do it". Spending some time making sure you have the best process in place can free up time best spent elsewhere. Applying technology to a bad process usually results in a slightly faster bad process, not the significant increase in efficiency that creating intelligent processes can have.

Nonprofits have limited resources to spend on technology. Two of the best ways to improve your return on investment are:

1. Invest in regular technology training that helps you use the tools in efficient and effective ways

2. Examine business processes and do your best to eliminate inefficiencies

There are lots of resources for good training on nonprofit technology. Once you identify what the needs are, search through the offeriengs of NTEN, TechSoup Global, Idealware and the many other online (and local!) resources to help you make better use of your technology dollar. GIYF (Googling is Your Friend)!

So let's not be quick to blame the person in the chair for the error, when some training could go a long way to reducing those errors. Build those skills and everyone benefits.

Online Data Privacy

Online data privacy is an issue for anyone who puts personal information online. This includes posts to Facebook, email, docs or anything stored in the cloud. Ever since I had the pleasure of doing a presentation about online engagement for the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse I have been more aware of the issues facing nonprofits when it comes to protecting their data online.

I very much like this report from the Electronic Frontier Foundation that rates various companies on how well they do protecting user privacy. If your nonprofit uses on of these services to store data, you should be aware of how much (or how little) that company does to protect your privacy.

I urge nonprofits to protect their data in smart ways. If you have sensitive data or are working on poltical change, it might not be a good idea to store that information online. Always keep a backup of your online data in your hands in case the internet goes down, or in case the service provider goes down or out of business.

If you are looking for more information, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse has a nice section of resources about online privacy and Electronic Frontier Foundation has great information as well.

Go forth and stay safe online!

 

Why your nonprofit needs to know about mobile

In May I'll be giving a keynote at Australia's nonprofit technology conference, Connecting Up 2013. In a recent blog post on the Connecting Up site, I share some examples and reasons nonprofits need to engage with mobile technology.

http://www.connectingup.org/blog/why-your-not-profit-needs-know-about-mobile

 

 

Top Five Benefits of Having a Technology Plan

For over 20 years I’ve been helping nonprofits improve the ways they use technology. Whenever I began a new consulting project - be it for a communications plan, a website audit or coaching - one of the first questions I always asked was “Do you have a tech plan?” That’s because no matter how an organization engages with technology, a good plan is the touchstone.

Here are five top benefits I have seen organizations reap from technology planning.

1. Effort Coordination

You wouldn’t send your staff out to help people without a plan, so why approach tech – which practically everyone uses in their job – without a plan? Like a lighthouse in a storm, a good plan helps you steer your efforts and helps you avoid the rocks of uncertainty.

2. Saving Resources

Let’s be real, technology can be expensive and confusing. Quick fixes and short-sighted “band-aids” lead to spending much more than is necessary. The bottom line is that, without a plan, you are being inefficient in your use of resources.

3. Increased Effectiveness

By being thoughtful about how they use technology, I have seen organizations increase the number of people they serve by 20% with the same resources. Planning helps identify and reduce inefficiencies. When staff have the right tools for their job, they are more effective in everything they do.

4. Better Decisions

Every technology planning project I’ve been involved in has resulted in improved data management. It often takes the form of reducing the data “noise” that staff and management deal with, focusing on what data is really useful. This in turn improves their ability to make sound decisions based on data.

5.  More Funding

A good plan connects your mission with your use of technology. For example, if a funder is interested in increasing the amount and quality of mental health services in your community, you can show how funding your technology project will help achieve that goal. It also provides a basis for showing other funders what your technology costs are for projects they fund.

No matter what their age, experience or comfort level with technology, people from organizations of all sizes and types reap these benefits. They are often surprised when I tell them that they already know 80% of what they need to know to be effective in technology planning, because they know their organization’s culture, history, processes and environment.

I’m thrilled to be bringing my knowledge and experience about technology planning  to not-for-profits in Australia through 4 Connecting Up! workshops in March 2012. The workshops will provide the know-how to create a technology plan and an example of a plan to follow. Join us and boost the results you get from your investments in technology. After all, who doesn’t want to be more effective, efficient and better stewards of resources?

Learn more about the workshops here

 

Text and Mobile Basics for Nonprofits: Do's and Don'ts

My colleague Sarah R Moore reminded our students at our recent session on Storytelling Through Social Media - "Remember when email grew to be essential  and many nonprofits wished they had been collecting email addresses all along? This is the same with mobile numbers and texting. Even if you're not texting yet, you want to start collecting mobile numbers now."

Now is the time for all nonprofits to have mobile and texting on their radar. Smart-phone sales have outstripped PC sales and the number of visitors accessing websites from mobile devices is growing every week. The first step is to start including them in communications and technology plans.

There are a variety of interactions people can have with a nonprofit via mobile devices. They can donate, be directed to a web page via QR code, or receive and share information via text.

For donating via text, donations are still limited to $5 or $10, though that is supposed to be changing in the not too distant future. Unless you have the media reach of the recent disasters in Haiti or Japan - or you have access to large numbers of potential donors at a concert or sporting event - this is likely not worth pursuing for most nonprofits. By developing a mobile version of your website that includes the ability to donate you can accept any level of gift, just as you can on your website - but it does require an investment in programming. It is also possible to develop applications (apps) for mobile devices, but there needs to be a clear strategy and reason behind it as this too requires resources to develop.

You've likely seen QR codes in advertisements or other print materials. You can scan the code with your smartphone and it will take you to a website where you can learn more about the person/product/service/etc. The Nonprofit Technology Network has used them on conference badges where the code is linked to attendees profiles. One student at a recent workshop shared that she scanned a QR code on a restaurant menu to get nutritional information and she got sent a coupon for use towards that meal! Unfortunately another student reported being called after scanning a QR code - not a good practice.

Texting is where most nonprofits can start without a large investment. Texting can take several forms, such as occasional text messages to alert folks about events or actions or sharing of information, i.e., texting "BANANA" to a certain code could send back the nutritional information.

Here are some basic DOs and DON'Ts:

1. Include TEXT in Communication Preferences

DO:
Have a communication preference field in your database. Your constituents should have a choice to communicate with you via postal mail, email, phone or text. Track that choice and communicate with them via their preferred channel.

DON"T:
Collect the information and then ignore it.

 
2. Start Collecting Mobile Numbers

DO:
Ask folks for their mobile number and if they would like to receive texts from you. Always indicate how they can STOP the texts (usually by texting STOP to a specific code).

DON'T:
Start texting without asking or without warning

 

3. Start Texting Intelligently

DO:
Start with something small and specific, like an event. You might consider sending a text for Save the Date, one for Registration Open, one for Last Day for Early Bird rate, and maybe one with a link to directions the day before. Or for a protest, maybe one announcing it and one with details.

DON"T:
Start randomly texting - have a purpose, measure activity, learn, try again.
Text registration reminders to folks who already registered - it's annoying and you look uncoordinated. 

 

4. Track Text & Mobile Activity

DO:
Ask folks you text how they like what you text, if they would like other information, if they prefer a different frequency of contact, etc. Use that information to craft future texts campaigns. Try again, track, learn, try again. Repeat.

Through your website analytics program, track how many folks are visiting your site via mobile. Dig down to see what pages most of them access, to get a clue about which pages to incude on a mobile site, which is usually much smaller and more text-based than your full website.

DON"T:
Put effort into mobile or texting without tracking impact.

 

Here are some resources for further reading:

mobileactive.org, includes an "mDirectory" for tools and case studies.

mobilemediatoolkit.org - tips on how to create, share and deliver media to mobile

Mobile: The Next Frontier of Fundraising - socialbrite

Five Best Apps To Send Group Text Messages On The Cheap - lifehacker

 

 

Improve Nonprofits’ Understanding of Google Tools - Share Your Story

You can help the community better understand how to use Google Apps, Google Analytics, Google Adwords/Grants, Google Checkout, Google Earth, Google Maps, and YouTube to advance their work by sharing your stories and experiences with these tools. Nonprofit users’ stories will inform Google on the best topics and examples to incorporate into their trainings for each module.

To participate send your contact information, including email/phone number, web address, and the Google tools your agency uses to npstories@gmail.com. We'll be collecting stories through the end of the year.

I'm working with Compasspoint and Google to build training modules that include case studies and strategies as well as information about the tools. More details on Compasspoint's website: http://www.compasspoint.org/gtools

 

 

Ten Nonprofit Technology "Commandments"

This article was first written in 2003 for NTEN. It has had slight revisions to improve clarity, but even after all these years, in 2013 the ten ideas remain relevant.

 The choices you make about technology can make or break your organization. The time for making guesses about your technology choices is over. There are two different paths our sector - and your organization specifically - can choose. One leads to effective technology use, the other does not. Let’s look at what actions organizations can take to use technology effectively. It actually has much more to do with your data than with technology tools.

 For nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations, the most important asset in fulfilling their missions, besides their people, is their information. Data is important because organizations use it in everything they do from making a phone call or writing a letter to requesting funding. As the volume of available data grows, locating useful information becomes increasingly difficult. The advantage is going to those organizations who can collect, organize, process and act on that useful information. Working with large volumes of information intelligently requires technology tools that are appropriate for your needs. The increasing volume and importance of information makes Information Technology essential to helping good causes succeed.


What is ”using technology effectively”?

Technology is not an end in itself. Simply having a database, a network and a technology budget does not mean you are using technology effectively. Truly effective use of technology means something different for every organization – only you can say what it means for your organization. The activities detailed below make up a good part of the road to effective use of technology. On the road you will examine what you do, how and even why. You will identify and correct your mistakes and build on your successes.

This is a complex issue, so get help from an expert if there is not one in your organization. There is no substitute for a person who knows how technology tools are being used in nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations. Make sure you have a nonprofit-focused technologist included in all discussions about your data and tools. When someone understands what you want to accomplish and how you plan to accomplish it, they can then suggest tools to help you act faster or more effectively. In technology staff and consultants, our community has a wonderful resource to help them benefit from tools that use technology – take advantage of that.

Here are 10 things that organizations need to make effective use of technology tools. 

-> Which ones you are already doing and which need improvement?

 

After people, Data is Your Most Important Resource

Act accordingly in planning and allocating resources. For most organizations, staff salaries are the largest budget item. Is Data the second largest? Too infrequently.

Your Results Depend on Your Investment in Data

Dedicate staff time to collecting, maintaining and understanding it. Spend money on finding the right tools for you. The minimum spent on technology tools will get you the minimum impact.

Define and Know Your Data Needs and Uses

Define the data that your organization needs to fulfill its mission. Know where to get the data and specifically which pieces of data are important to you.

Seek out Data and Keep it Flowing

Actively seek out data that could help you succeed – include data on clients, funders, members, donors and employees. Make a concerted, ongoing effort to keep data flowing into your organization and to maintaining that data.

Define Your Needs in Detail BEFORE tool selection

Define and create the best system you can to hold and manipulate your data. DO NOT grab the first tool or software that looks good. Measure twice and cut once goes double – no triple - for technology. If you have tools, regularly review new options.

Honestly Look at Your Information Systems

Take an honest, detailed look at how your systems do – and do not – work. Look at human systems, data systems and communication systems. It is difficult for you to be objective about your organization’s problems, so get an independent opinion - and listen to it.

Maintain Commitment of Board and Staff

Get agreement from staff, management and the board to make an ongoing commitment of resources to improve operations.

Have an Ongoing Conversation about Data

Have an ongoing discussion in the organization about the best ways to use your data, and what you can learn from it. This can be between the ED and the Program manager, or it could be a six-member committee of staff from throughout the organization.

Keep in Touch with Other Organizations

Keep in regular contact with other organizations and the nonprofit technology community in order to keep up to date with tools and solutions. There is no substitute for advice from experience. Seek out organizations of a similar size and mission and share challenges. Don’t continue working in isolation or ignorance.

Knowledge Eases Fear - Gather and Share Knowledge

Identify and confront techno-phobia in all its forms. No matter if it’s the ED, the development director or the administrative assistant – you need everyone pulling in the same direction, not at opposite ends. If you are that person, remember that the cure for fear is knowledge – seek it out.

Since data is essential to the life and success of every nonprofit organization, and the best way to manage data is with tools that use technology, then information technology should be the second most important thing to every organization - and funder.

7 Social Media Resources & Tools for 2011

Here are seven tools that I think they are worth a look for nonprofits. These range from social media policy and advice to video distribution to managing your social media presence to charting your social graph.

 

Social Media Policy Database - Social Media Governance
http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php

More than 160 searchable Social Media policies

 

Article, Case Studies and Advice on Using Social Media - Social Media Examiner
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/

A free online magazine designed to help you discover how to best use social media tools to find supporters, increase contributions and generate more brand awareness.

 

Free Video Syndication & Analytics Tools - TubeMogul
http://www.tubemogul.com/

Update multiple video and social networking sites from one place. Analytics tools shows who views what and where videos are being viewed.

 
Understand Your Online Social Capital - Peer Index
http://www.peerindex.net/

View vital stats, audience vs. authority compared with others, a topic fingerprint and more.

 

Check Username Availability Across Social Networking Sites - Namechk
www.namechk.com

Check across dozens of popular Social Networking sites for your desired username or vanity url.

 

Twitter email alerts - Twilert
http://www.twilert.com/

Get email updates of whe your organization, brand or any keyword is mentioned on Twitter.

 

Search Twitter Profiles & Compare Users - Followerwonk
http://followerwonk.com/

This tool helps you search Twitter profiles, so you can find people who work on specific issues or in specific topic areas. Also compare users by followers, tweets, etc.

-

Some of these tools I use, some I heard about at the recent Nonprofit Technology Conference. Thanks to Farra Trompeter at BigDuck for many of these – get the slides from her session here: http://slidesha.re/11NTCbrand .

Google For Nonprofits - New Single Application

I attended the Google for Nonprofits event in Washington DC on March 18th at the Google Offices.

There were three nonprofits who talked about how they used Google tools and some announcements about current and forthcoming features of their tools. Google staff from the Google Earth, YouTube, Google Mobile and the nonprofit program also spoke.

The big news - that Google now has a single application for nonprofit organizations to fill out to get approved for Google Grants, YouTube nonprofit status and other offerings. Not only is there now just one application, but Google has pledged to review all apps and provide a decision within thirty days. Having heard from organizations about waiting months to hear about their application, this is great news. If you have applied for a Google Grant in the past and would like to participate in the YouTube partner program, you will need to apply again.

Beyond the adword grants, this includes letting nonprofits use enterprise level versions of Google Apps - Docs, Gmail and premium geo-features (using Google Maps and Google Earth). This also includes YouTube, which provides branded channels, the features of including overlays (links) and annotations in videos as well as having the Google checkout button on the page to facilitate donations. The program also includes promotion - being featured on the Google nonprofits home page.

For more information and the application, go to www.google.com/nonprofits

Causes Gift Cards

I have been to connected to Causes on Facebook for a long time, donating to friends causes and for the last two years doing Birthday Wishes through them. I've been a fan of gift cards for quite a while, I like giving something that the recipient can choose how to use. I recently received a gift card from Causes and had a great experience around using it.

Available in $25 and $50 amounts, much like an iTunes gift card, you scratch off a covering to reveal a number that you then redeem via the website. They allow the recipient to choose from over 1.5 million nonprofits.

What really impressed me positively was the whole experience surrounding using the card. The easy to use and well constucted web site was the beginnning of the great experience. The redemption page is uncluttered and has links to help if you have problems with your card. Once I entered my number and signed in via Facebook, I was taken to the donation page, which really impressed me.

On the left side of the page is a place to search nonprofits by name or by category. What I thought was cool was that I could also browse projects by those that were cloe to their goal, my friends projects, most urgent (campaigns ending soon) and those recently updated.

Here you see a screenshot of my friends projects. As we know, people are more likely to give to a cause their friends recommend than they hear about from a stranger. I enjoyed browsing through my friends causes and reading about the projects they support. It not only gave me a bit of new insight as to what was important to my friends but introduced me to several nonprofits I had not heard of before, setting me up to be a bit more likely to give to them in the future.

I have friends who recieve services from a nonprofit in Sonoma County called Food for Thought, so I searched for it and it came up immediately. I was able to choose to have my donation go there and then asked if I wanted to share it on Facebook, which I did.

A few days later I recevied an email from Causes asking about my experience and about the ease of use of the website.

I thought this was an excellent example of having a conversation with users and getting their feedback to improve your site, which I recommend for all nonprofits.