When it comes to innovation, most nonprofits tend to be a few years behind their for-profit counterparts. Hurdles within organizations (limited resources, lack of leadership buy-in) and within the industry (perceptions of how money should be spent) have kept nonprofits from becoming innovators and early adopters.
The good news is there are solutions that are widely accepted in the for-profit space that are being used to help nonprofit leaders work smarter, not harder. If you want to get ahead of the game, here’s a trio of innovations you should embrace as soon as possible.
3 For-Profit Innovations Your Nonprofit Should Adopt Today
These solutions used to be available only to Wall Street, now they’re available on Main Street:
- Business Intelligence — In essence, business intelligence is about leveraging actionable data to drive your fundraising strategy, measure effectiveness, and improve your efforts along the way. It’s more than collecting data and reporting information though; it’s turning data into something you can use. Many for-profit companies are already embracing solutions like Domo to grow their businesses. I believe it’s only natural for nonprofits to begin doing the same.
- Marketing Automation — Technology provides a scalable way for you to create a systematic process for cultivating and converting donors. Tools like email marketing automation make it possible to effectively engage every donor, saving you time in the process. Infusionsoft is an organization taking the small business industry by storm. Marketing automation will be the next “social media” for nonprofit organizations.
- Productivity Tools — Over the past few years, there have been several productivity tools designed for fundraisers. These solutions provide your leadership team and gift officers with the ability to organize information and automate reports so you can see what’s happening on both macro- and micro-levels when it comes to cultivating donors. Level 11 is a great example of a productivity solution in the for-profit space and I’m really excited about a solution we’re working on at Pursuant to help fundraisers be more productive.
Take an Innovative Approach to Increase Efficiency and Results
The primary goals of today’s biggest innovations in the marketplace are:
- Make processes more efficient, saving time and allowing you to do more.
- Boost results, enabling you to reach more people in a more effective way.
The solutions mentioned above will all help you accomplish these goals.
By adopting and integrating innovative technology today, you will stand out in the nonprofit industry and position your organization to be a few years ahead of the curve. In the fundraising world, that’s a huge advantage.
Are You Ready to Lead Your Organization into the Future?
The fundraising world is experiencing a transformation in a new economy with new supporters, and it has required nonprofit leaders to adopt a new way of thinking. In my latest resource, Moneyball Fundraising, I unpack how nonprofit leaders can adopt the timeless principles of fundraising and fuse them with new and innovative approaches.
At Pursuant, we believe we have an obligation to make new technology applicable, accessible and affordable to every organization, including small- and medium-size organizations. Learn more about our innovative fundraising solutions.
Are you currently using any of these tools in your fundraising efforts? If not, what is keeping your organization from embracing new and innovative solutions like these?