As a nonprofit leader, you have focused on some traditional
markets and strategies. Your mission has compelled you to think this way. Maybe
you have benefited from direct mail, major gifts and planned gifts. Perhaps your
growth over the last 10 years has been from special events. That history and
success had you focused on Baby Boomers or the generation before them known as
the “Lucky Few” (or “Silent Generation”).
The new reality to deal with is that the connected
constituent is now (or soon will) become a dominant source of constituents for
you. Their focus is on the experience and how they feel about your programs,
products and services as seen through the “experience” lens. They also know
that other connected consumers depend on shared experiences to make decisions. If
you are not designing the experience and path you want them to be on, you will
not be able to influence in a positive way what they share about you.
This is all about alignment. As you look at your goals and
strategies for the next year, a starting point is the experience you want connected
constituents to be passionate about. As an executive and leader, here are some
ideas to focus on.
- Test the “connected experience” connected constituents are having. For example, make (or have someone else make) several donations in different ways to your nonprofit. What is that experience like?
- Learn how your connected constituents connect and communicate. Regularly try out (and actively use) social media. Only use your smartphone for a week. Quit using email and actively communicate on social media or by text messaging. This list is long but if you learn it you will “get” how other “connected’s” communicate.
- Become a “discoverer”. Connected’s are always discovering new ways to connect. What are their preferences? What methods do they prefer? What do they value?
- Think design. Have you designed the experience to be enjoyable, easy to use and to meet connected constituent’s needs? Are you measuring that experience? Have you benchmarked with other nonprofits? Have you mapped out (designed) the journey you want them to go on?
- Lead!!! Yes, you need to be a passionate advocate and in fact lead the charge. No one else can or will do it for you, no matter what your role is.
The reality is that you will not be able to reach
constituents by mail or phone any longer, unless you know them very well. They aren’t
waiting by the mail box for your next direct mail mailer. This isn’t as dire
and ominous as it sounds. Opportunities are around every corner. Your new
connected constituent is waiting on you to connect in new ways. They want to be
passionate about you mission. If you relentlessly pursue engaging with them on
the channels they rely on, they will continue on the journey with you. Focus on
creating stunning experiences for
them. Test it yourself and assess, is that experience remarkable? You’ll know
if they are sharing and “remarking” on the experience.
It is helpful to think, “Now is the time”. The landscape is shifting but it has not
completely shifted yet. One way to look at the experience you have today is to
create a document that has on the left side, todays experience and to put on the
right side, the connected experience. Where are there gaps?
What will it take
to change it? What will it cost? Can we test the new experience and see what it
does for us?
“Now is the time”
to recognize constituents have already changed.
“Now is the time”
to design a different experiences.
I agree.
ReplyDeleteMay i ask, how do you see the best way to see what constituents are connected to what specific cause?
For instance i "typically" do not try to link or "follow" a bunch of the same nonprofits as us or very many nonprofits except on Twitter. Our Twitter account is the way it is only because i have not done much with it as far as change. It is pretty much the way it was as far as followers and those we follow since i set the account up in 2009.
I do not link to other nonprofits too often because i do not want to take away their funders i guess.
Is that a non issue?