Do you have a talented user experience team at your nonprofit?

There is a revolution going on with constituents. The relationship they may have had with your mission and brand in the past has probably already changed. New technology (from a constituent point of view) promises a new era of engagement, two way conversations, shared experiences and community. The relationship you want to have with your constituents through these new devices and platforms and the true state are not one and the same. In fact, it may be one sided and skewed towards you and not your constituents.

Are you just showing up? Recently I went to my son’s 7^th grade awards program. Most of the awards were for some sort of academic accomplishment. One was for “just showing up” (perfect attendance). There didn’t seem to be a correlation between “just showing up” and accomplishments. We must examine the role that new technology can actually play in improving relationships, engagement and experiences. Our strategy can’t be to “just show up” on the trendy channels. We need to invest in outcomes and amazing experiences. We need to properly estimate the extent to which even the briefest of exchanges can improve the relationship.

How we interact with each other and nonprofits is changing through big changes brought on by mobile, geo-location, social, real time, etc. We discover information differently, share it like never before, and connect in ways we never could have imaged even five years ago. Our constituents are driving rapid adoption because of the radically different nature of the experience itself. Yes, it is a device that unlocks that experience but their expectation of the experience they want to have with us is changing as well. Think of how your constituents have discovered self-expression, validation, communication, connections, knowledge and collaboration. Are they having those experiences with you?

All of this is moving away from a luxury to an expectation. As far as you know, that is exactly how constituents are measuring their experience with you today. Those that are “winning” understand that and are actively creating those experiences. That level of community experience is a lure for attention. It takes more than “just showing up” on the right channel and right device. Experience is much more than that. Experience is about being a part of a movement.

Here is a critical question. Do you have a user (constituent) experience team? To a great extent, the user experience (from a digital point of view) is King. This is not just about website design. It is about the art and science of shaping how your constituents feel about your programs, products and services they engage with. Unless the design is intentional, the constituent will have a sub-optimal experience with your mission. User experience is the critical enabler of meaningful and shareable experiences. The team’s role in your future can’t be underestimated. An empowered user experience team offers you a powerful competitive advantage. So I will ask it again, “Do you have a talented user experience team?”

User experience, and the professionals that staff it, go way beyond design and development. Among senior executives and the C-Suite, user experience is probably either misunderstood, undervalued or perhaps not acknowledged at all. The user experience team should be the most invested in and powerful team you have. They should be the most informed and most capable at improving the constituent experiences, relationships, loyalty and overall income.

To the connected constituent, the experience is everything. They don’t just donate. They don’t just surf your sites. They don’t just randomly engage in social networks. They want experiences. They want to connect with a community. They will invest in the experience and embrace your community if you provide it. They will share that experience with others who will want to connect with your mission as well.

Without powerful user experience professionals, you don’t have a competitive advantage. It is how you will gain and retain mission loyalty now and in the future. Without thoughtful and intentional user experiences, connected constituents will meander without direction. Their attention will wane and their loyalty along with it.

Relevance is defined by how relevant the experience is

The constituent journey is evolving (albeit very, very fast). That shouldn’t surprise you but it is good news. You haven’t been left behind completely. Your constituents are changing though. Their experience of you and your mission may not be what any of us would want. In this case, relevance is defined by how relevant the experience is. Passion for the mission is contingent on amazing experiences.

How you personally decide to react or lead is up to you. It, of course, is not about technology. What is the journey of getting closer to constituents and staying relevant really about? Here are some ideas:

• Creating a culture built around the constituent and their experience being the focus of all you do.


• Empowering employees to do what it takes to create amazing experiences.


• Opening up the floodgates of innovation.

Saying we want to get closer to constituent won’t get senior management on board. While a constituent revolution is at the C-Suite doors, someone (meaning you) needs to convince the top that change is imperative. Without that we will fail.

You know that most executives don’t use social networks personally. While they have smartphones the primarily utilization is for email and looking at the calendar to know where to go to next. The reality is that most won’t read this. Trying to make a case that this is about technology will be a losing battle.

What is the future of nonprofits built on? It isn’t about how Facebook, Twitter, iPhones, tablets or real time-time geolocation check-ins evolve. The future of nonprofits does depend on relevance and the ability to at least understand technology to be able to make decisions about new opportunities. It does require the ability to strategically adapt to the new opportunities to create a competitive advantage.

So much of this is about change. There is a technology revolution occurring. Other nonprofits (and for-profits that you compete with) understand this. But it is also about a whole series of real-world revolutions that are seizing how our constituents live which impacts their experience with us. Expectations are moving fast. We can’t afford to get left behind. The kind of change we are talking about involves three things:

1. Listening


2. Learning


3. Adapting

Collaboration gone wild?

Is this what collaboration looks like in your organization?



The CEO and the C-Suite can set reasonable limits on what can feel like collaboration gone wild. For most decisions, a form of RACI, decided up front, can help. The key is discipline to stick with it.

R - Recommend (Who, hopefully an individual, makes the recommendation)

A- Approve (Who, hopefully an individual, approves the decision)

C - Consult (Who needs to have input before the decision is made)

I - Inform (Who needs to be notified of the decision)