Mobile Responsive Design | What the mobile revolution means for you

By the end of this year it is predicted that more than 1 billion people worldwide will use mobile devices as their primary method to access the Internet[1]. With the use of smartphones and tablets rapidly becoming more prevalent, the online world is shifting away from people’s desks and into their pockets, changing the way they interact and behave online.

As screen real estate gets smaller, those accessing the internet using mobile devices expect responsive, easy-to-use functionality at their fingertips, forcing not-for-profits of all sizes to re-evaluate their online strategy and seek out ways to become more mobile than ever before.

Online fundraising is on the move.

Let’s think about your Supporters for a minute. Every day they are on the move, doing everything from email, to banking to grocery shopping on their phone or tablet, so it’s no big surprise that they also want to raise money and give to your cause whilst using these devices too. In the first half of 2013 alone, 43% of traffic to Everyday Hero Supporter Pages and 30% of donations are coming from mobile devices[2], so if you’re not mobile, chances are, you’re missing out.

The reality is that your Supporters love you. That’s why they give so many things to your cause – their time, their voice, and access to their wider networks just to name a few. But to enable them to do all of this; to put themselves out there and ask their friends and family for money, it’s up to you, their charity, to give them the tools. For them to love you, you have to love them back, understand their needs and realise that clunky, unresponsive fundraising pages are actually making their job harder, not easier.

Your Supporters want more. They expect more. And they don’t want to have to pinch, scroll and zoom to do what they want to do for your cause. And if they have to, then they may not do it all. They know that ‘mobile friendly’ is not ‘mobile responsive’ when it comes to their Supporter Page or your donation form, and they need you to understand that the differences are fundamental; not only to their success, but to that of your campaign as well.

So what’s the difference and why does it matter?

Simply put, ‘mobile responsive’ design is a layout that will automatically adapts to different screen sizes. This means that whether you view a webpage on your iPhone, tablet or desktop computer, the design of the page will rearrange itself to suit the device you are using and makes viewing and interacting with the page easy and seamless.

In the not-for-profit sector, many online fundraising providers in particular, claim to be ‘mobile’ but it’s important to avoid simply accepting these claims on face value. There is a difference between ‘mobile friendly’ and ‘mobile responsive’ and it is vast and significant.

The days where ‘mobile friendly’ design (when a page displays accurately across multiple devices but do not resize or rearrange to accommodate those devices) are over. Your Supporters are smarter and more technologically savvy than ever before, and if you think they won’t notice that you don’t know the difference, they will, because they do.

Mobile friendly vs Mobile Responsive

This difference is immediately obvious when you compare our classic ‘mobile friendly’ fundraising page with our recently released ‘mobile responsive’ Next Generation Supporter Page.

The Next Generation Page (right) is not only better looking on a mobile device, but it’s also clever enough to adapt its design across devices and operating systems to make the giving (and fundraising) experience fun and engaging. The important elements like your ‘Give Now’ button and Page total move into a central position on the Always-in-View Give Bar, and the Page activity feed resizes to make it easy to read and interact with.

Compared to the classic ‘Mobile friendly’ page (left) – which requires zooming and scrolling to complete desired actions – the responsiveness of our Next Gen Page highlights the obvious distinction between the two, and the important role that mobile responsive fundraising technology plays in the minds, palms and pockets of your Supporters.

But don’t I need an app for that?

The great thing about mobile responsiveness is that it is a lot more cost effective and easier to implement than a native mobile app. Unlike an app you would download through the iTunes or Google Play store, mobile responsive pages are accessible by simply visiting a link in your device’s web browser, can be updated instantly without the need for Apple or Google approval, and don’t need to be built specifically for an operating system like Apple IOS or Android.

Sure apps are great for specific purposes, but the reality for many not-for-profits is that they are expensive, and require continual maintenance to keep them up to date. So in actual fact, you don’t need an app to be mobile, because mobile responsive Supporter pages and donation forms are just as effective and ultimately easier for your Supporters to access as there is no need to download an app to begin.

If you’re not mobile, you’re not anywhere

With all of this in mind, it’s becoming increasingly more obvious that the key to successful multichannel not-for-profit campaigns is mobile responsive technology. Fundraising is on the move, so why miss the opportunity to put it in your Supporter’s pockets and help them do what they do for your cause anywhere, any time and on any device.

The revolution is here, so if you’re not mobile, you’re not anywhere.

About Everyday Hero

Everyday Hero is a leading provider of online fundraising software and services and the only completely mobile fundraising platform in New Zealand. Since 2007 more than $130 million has been raised through Everyday Hero by over 1700 charities worldwide. Learn more about how Everyday Hero can help you become fully mobile responsive by visiting fundraisingisonthemove.com.

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[1] Computerworld. Smartphone, tablet adoption accelerates: AIMIA survey September, 2012

[2] Everyday Hero Analytics Data – Mobile device usage, 2012

Social Media Do’s and Don’t’s

Venturing onto Social Media can be a daunting prospect for many not-for-profits, so we have put together a quick, simple list of what to do, and what not to do to ease you into the online world!

Good Question

 

 

Guest blog by Heath Shackleford
Founder for Good.Must.Grow. a socially-responsible marketing consultancy in the US, committed to helping good companies and causes succeed.

A recent study shows that more than half of charities are unable to meet the demands for their services due to lack of funds. Additionally, 39% said their financial situation is so challenging they plan to change how they raise and spend money.

A crowded marketplace, stagnant funding and alarming levels of donor churn have created enormous financial stress among not-for-profits. If you are a cause trying to successfully compete in this environment, you do need to think differently. And you need to start by asking yourself one critical question. What’s your marketing strategy?

Ick. Marketing. Most not-for-profits cringe at the thought of the four P’s. They only tackle the necessities, like logos and websites and Facebook pages. The occasional press release. Sending out emails. To stretch budgets, they rely heavily on pro bono support or “do it yourself” solutions. It comes as no surprise that when you talk about marketing strategy, most not-for-profit leaders shake their heads.

Good.Must.Grow. recently surveyed 100 not-for-profits to better understand their current views on marketing. Our results match up well with earlier studies, which showed not-for-profits are not fully convinced that marketing is, or should be, a priority for their organisation. Nearly 40% of respondents in our research said marketing is not a strategic imperative for their cause, while the overwhelming majority of respondents (80%) admitted they do not have a formal marketing plan.

There are numerous explanations for these results. For some not-for-profits, it may be that they hold an incomplete view of marketing and what it can accomplish. For others, it’s that marketing has a negative connotation for charities, and can be a very touchy subject for consumers and charity rating sites alike. Another group is likely held back by a lack of resources, both from a budget and bandwidth perspective.

As valid as the reasons may be, they don’t change the reality that not-for-profits must communicate strategically or be crushed by the current challenges facing them.

There are more than 1.5 million not-for-profits in the United States alone, and the sector’s growth is far outpacing modest increases in philanthropic giving. Meanwhile a $500 billion bonanza of impact investing is helping pump out a steady flow of social enterprises. As if the space wasn’t crowded enough, many big corporations are finding a higher calling and becoming purpose-driven enterprises themselves.  All this good doing is a good thing. But how will your cause stand out in this over-populated and chaotic environment?

In today’s world, you have to tell a compelling story and you have to effectively showcase your impact. You have to create loyal donors and volunteers. You have to reach people in creative ways, and you have to do it with budgets that are much smaller than the big boys. To make all this happen, you need a smart strategy.

A recent article Good.Must.Grow published on Fast Company’s Co.Exist site, cautioned not-for-profits from taking a tactical approach to marketing, urging them to reconsider what a strategic marketing plan could do to help them grow and prosper. The bottom line is this. Strategy isn’t cheap. It takes time, money and brainpower. But it just might be the only way your cause will survive, much less thrive, in today’s hyper-competitive world.

Heroix would like to thank Good.Must.Grow and Heath Shackleford (@goodmustgrow) for his contribution to Charityscape.  See how GmG is #GrowingGood at www.goodmustgrow.com

Introducing Our Next-Generation Supporter Page

Are you ready for the future? We are.

Here at Blackbaud Heroix, we’re excited to announce the release of our Next Generation Supporter Page.

Completely mobile and fully social, the Next Generation Supporter Page will help your Supporters to better spread the word, inspire support and raise money for your cause anywhere, anytime.

Mobile

Put fundraising in your Supporter pockets, on their couch, in the park or wherever they are training.

Our Next Generation Supporter page has been built from the ground up using completely mobile responsive design.

That’s good news because it means that Supporter Pages are not just optimised for mobile devices; they actually adapt the design of the page according to the device they’re being viewed on.

All elements on the Page rearrange themselves into a beautiful, easy-to-use design, which makes interacting with the Supporter Page a fun, engaging and intuitive mobile fundraising experience.

Easy updates

You want your Supporters to keep updating their page, right? Because the more they update, the more they share and the more money the raise*. So we’ve designed our Next Generation Supporter Page just like their Facebook page. They can post updates straight to their Page’s feed, see a dynamic record of activity and thank their sponsors. They can also take a picture on their smartphone or tablet and post it instantly, pushing it out to social media at the same time.

Design

With a perfect combination of good looks and intelligence, our Next Generation Supporter page is more than just a pretty face.

Its clever mobile responsive design and advanced social integration, makes it the most intuitive fundraising platform through which your Supporters can show and tell people why your cause means so much to them and receive sponsorship.

User-driven approach

Everything from the buttons to the layout of the Next Generation Supporter Page is based on user testing and research. At every stage in the design process, we had real people playing with every element and providing feedback about what worked and why, and that’s why we know it works – and it works well.

Team

For your Supporters, the great thing about team fundraising is that they’re not alone.

They feel collaborative, connected and involved. The trouble is online Peer-to-Peer fundraising teams can be confusing to create and manage, until now. With our Next Generation Supporter Page we’ve completely re-designed the Team fundraising experience to make it intuitive, fun and something your Supporter will want to do again and again.

Aggregated Team Feed

Help your Teams tell a bigger story – their story – with the Next Generation Supporter Page’s new aggregated team feed. Here, each team member’s activity is displayed including donations made, messages of thanks, photos and all other updates.

Team Structure

With our Next Generation Supporter Page teams have never been easier. Team captains set up the team page, invite friends or accept join requests, set a target and start raising money. All team members have their own Page through which people can give and all donations are tallied and displayed on the team page. Team members photos are featured at the top, with their individual amounts raised to encourage friendly competition and motivate the laggards.

Social

Social is about sharing things – ideas, interests, content, passion and so much more.

And sharing should be simple, which is why the Next Generation Supporter Page is built around the concept of sharing and is fully integrated with social media.

And when we say integrated, we mean one click page sharing, liking, tweeting and updates that your Supporters can choose to instantly push out to their Facebook profile.

Sign up or Log in with Facebook

Signing up can sometimes be the most frustrating and tedious part of starting anything online. But with our Next Generation Supporter Page, your Supporters aren’t wasting time filling out fields, they’re signing up or logging in with one click using Facebook. No stress, no mess, no need for forgotten passwords, they just click the Facebook button and they’re in.

Send to a friend (or group of friends)

Your Supporters want to tell people about what they’re doing for you. Sure posting a status update is great, but often times the more personal ask, is the one that gets the result. With the NextGeneration Supporter Page, your Supporters can send a link to their Page and a personal message asking for support to a Facebook friend or group of friends but just entering their names. They don’t have to leave the page, there’s no new tabs popping up. They write their message, click send and it’s… well…sent.

WATCH VIDEO

See how your Supporters will now create and update their next generation Supporter Page.

Small Actions Make Big Differences

Did you know that small actions can make big differences when it comes to your Supporters and their pages.

Here are our top 3 actions we recommend for your Supporters – 

• Your friends donated to your page, so why not keep them up to date with your progress? Just like your Facebook page you can update your status to keep your friends and family in the loop – remember the more they visit your Supporter Page, the more chances they have to donate.
• Upload photos! Share your little moments of joy (or pain) whilst you are training for your big event. Who doesn’t enjoy seeing a visual of their friends having to run in the rain or complete another after work mini marathon.
• Say thanks. Don’t forget to email your supporters when they donate and show your gratitude. With our new Supporter Page you can even thank them directly on your page feed to show the whole world how much you appreciate them.

 

Take a look at the table below to see just how a few minor actions can really make all the difference between a great and fantastic Supporter Page.

 

A is for Altruism

The premise that “giving feels good” should come as no surprise, as countless studies surmise that intrinsic motivations to “do good” are closely linked with increased feelings of happiness.

 

Many not-for-profits have deeply invested in this idea – advertising the benefits of charitable giving as reasons for individuals to support their cause by donating. “Enjoyment, instant gratification, empowerment [and] inspiration – all of these sentiments offer powerful emotional incentives for people to donate,” as outlined in a study from Harvard Business School.

 

While these not-for-profits enjoy an influx of donations in the short-term, they risk tampering with their Supporters’ altruistic motivations in the long-term. By offering self-interested appeals, not-for-profits turn giving into an incentive, rather than an act. How then, can not-for-profits increase feelings of altruism amongst their Supporters without jeopardising their motivations?

 

Deeply engaging Supporters in your cause has been made even more possible with the advent of social media. When harnessed to its full potential, social media allows not-for-profits to build active communities online and sustain long-term giving relationships with their Supporters. As MSDS reports, “If organisations can move beyond the paradigm of “like, “follow”, “share” and tweet”, [they can] begin building a brand experience that creates a deeper connection.”

 

It is through investing in genuine interactions with their Supporters that not-for-profits can stimulate their intrinsic motivations. Actively engaging with their Supporters in an online community with a shared passion can increase feelings of altruism, which in turn, can lead to more donations.

 

How do you meaningfully engage with your Supporters through social media?

 

We’ve found that a genuine interaction occurs when a not-for-profit’s social media strategy focuses on the cause as the incentive to give, rather than the act of giving itself. Sure, the money matters, but sharing the important work you do and asking your Supporters to help you, is key to creating lifetime giving. 

 

 

Thanks, But No Thanks

Imagine if every handcrafted piece of direct mail you sent to your donors was tossed in the bin, unopened.

While this is certainly an extreme, the reality is more and more, not-for-profits are learning that ‘one size fits all’ mass communication is an ineffective way of engaging their donors. Understanding the different needs and expectations of your donors is paramount in maintaining long-term, meaningful relationships with them.

A recent article from Third Sector’s David Ainsworth rather provocatively questioned how not-for-profits can thank donors more wisely. Speaking from personal experience, he says “I don’t want charities to thank me for my regular direct debit gift. I think it’s a total waste of my donation (as well, often, a cynical attempt to get another tenner out of me).” The real problem is, while some donors would be on-side with David, others want to hear from the not-for-profits they support. How then, do not-for-profits meet all expectations?

The key to successful communications with your donors is frequency, consistency and, above all, exceptional messaging. While many not-for-profits understand the importance of acknowledging the financial contributions of their donors, some are simply taking the wrong approach. The easiest way for not-for-profits to engage their donors in meaningful ways is to directly ask donors what they want. Not all want to receive your annual report, and they certainly don’t want just more asks.

When was the last time you asked your donors how they’d like to hear from you?

We believe a simple thank you goes a long way. Key to thanking your donors is frequency, consistency and exceptional messaging. When thinking about your not-for-profit, you may like to ask yourself the following questions:

Frequency | How often are you reaching out to your Supporters online and offline? Are you offering them value above and beyond just an ask?

Consistency | Are you continually bringing your communications back to your cause, not just your financial objectives? Are you sharing your mission and inspiring Supporters to act?

 

Exceptional messaging | Are you telling a story that will incite action?

Raising Money as a Team – Top Tips

Who doesn’t enjoy spending time with their friends? No one! Which is why raising money for your favourite cause with them is so much more fun than going it alone! 

1. Make some fun team t shirts! (Don’t forget to include your Team Page link). You can sell them to your friends and family for them to show their support with all money raised going to your Supporter Pages! (and even better, when they wear them they are also promoting your link to anyone who see’s them!)
2. Put up posters around your local area that display your Team Page link.
3. Email the local press promoting your Team Page along with a photo of you guys having fun!
4. Get together as a team and hold a trivia evening or a bbq etc – invite your friends and family, show all of them your passion for your charity and the effort you are willing to put in to reach your team goal.
5. Set weekly or monthly goals for each member to spread your money raising message further and to keep the momentum going!

Goals for every team member could include –

• Make a donation to your own Supporter Page, this not only shows your commitment to the cause but also moves you off the zero balance!
• Email your Team Page link at least 30 of their friends, really use all of your networks!
• Share your Team Page link on your Facebook wall
• Tweet your Team Page link
• Ask your employer to sponsor you, or see if there is a matched giving scheme which a lot of businesses will have set up.

 Don’t forget to have fun, the reason you are raising money is for a great cause, the reason you are doing it with your friends is because you all share the same passion!