Earning relevance with your constituents requires much more than the adoption of the latest technology or being on the social media flavor of the month. All of that can be for naught if the experience wasn’t enjoyable, didn’t meet the constituent’s needs or was too complex. All of your innovation should about the user experience and simple design. All of your innovation should be about understanding what constituents need and then solving them in a simple, enjoyable way. Technology and channels must be chosen with the fact that it will enable the constituent journey and engage them in your mission. If you don’t know that it will, perhaps a small test is in order. Channels should be chosen with an end in mind for the constituent. What difference does it make if you are on Pinterest but none of your constituents find that helpful?
With all the technology opportunities you have in front of you, where do you start? This is where your goals and strategies come into play. The key is to match technology investments with goals to improve the overall unified experience your constituents want and need. The tough work is to prioritize opportunities with investments that have a constituent experience return. That will help develop a culture for recognizing an emerging technology to adapt to the right platform before someone else uses it to disrupt you.
Technology can be very disruptive if someone else solves a constituent problem or obstacle before you do. If the technology they use makes it easier, more enjoyable for your constituent, loyalty will go out the window. They become relevant and you lose relevance. If it happens enough with enough constituents, your mission suffers tremendously. Is that happening now?
It is important to leverage investments in disruptive technology through the filter of your long-term strategy combined with a deep knowledge of your constituents needs.
If you are investing in every social and mobile platform, are you becoming a jack-of-all trades and a master of none?
Solving a real constituent problem, with the right emerging technology that is enjoyable and simple is in fact a game changer.
If we are so focused on tweaking our nonprofits enough before the other guy does, isn't that an environment of competition?
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the example areas where is see the focus creeps in on other things in nonprofits (especially ones helping the underprivileged) and creates a shift from the beneficiary to numerous other activities and concentrations. I realize there is more to it than that and there are departments to handle those activities and tasks. I am just saying i see it as the start of a snowball effect to the beneficiary suffering from lack of focus on them.
I must add here: Do you know what is sad in ALL of this nonprofit world?
ReplyDeleteThere is huge huge competition for donors, funding grants etc. There is always a shortage.
There is Never...Never never never a shortage of lets say....."Customers."
I just wish Constituents, who are not in the nonprofit world could understand that part."