Personify is a software suite that is compact with tools and products that enable nonprofits to manage their donors and grow their organization.  Through their various products, charities can connect with their donors and grow their reach. For This review will be focusing solely on Personify360- a robust constituent management software for nonprofits and charities.

In  Use:

With Personify360, charities can manage their constituents, drive revenue, and expand their reach.  With backend dashboards and reporting capabilities, nonprofits can track metrics that can help them with future campaigns.

Nonprofit organizations can take advantage of Personify360’s four key features.  Nonprofits can see their constituent information using the Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) tool; get strategic consulting services and support through eBusiness; browser-based client through PersonifyGO; and analyze statistics and map trends through their Analytics feature.

Ease of Use:

It does take some time to familiarize yourself with the software. It has been described by some users on Capterra as clunky and not so user-friendly. Other reviews have had no problem maneuvering around the platform. It may essentially come down to how techy savvy one is.

Technology Used:

Charities can roll their needs into one sophisticated platform. Need to get in touch with constituents? Need to analyze constituents’ wants and needs? Having trouble understanding how to manage your constituents effectively? Personify360 can get a nonprofit organization on the right track to solving issues that arise when managing a nonprofit.

Recap

According to Personify360, a nonprofit’s first focus should be on their constituents. With their products and solutions they hope to enable a charity by giving them access to technology that will help their organization thrive.

Advantages:

• Free demo to see if the platform is right for your organization
• All-in-one tool that lets your streamline your organization- you don’t have to constantly switch between software to manage donors, constituents, and run reports
• Analytics capability to track metrics and statistics

Disadvantages:

• Platform has been described as clunky and not user friendly

My Opinion:

I think nonprofits will like the fact that the software is all in one. It’s time consuming to have to constantly switch from one software to another. With Personify360 they can manage their constituents, track metrics, and get advice using the same software. Personify offers a free demo, so I would encourage any charity who is interested in growing their reach among their community to give the demo a try.  My only hesitation is that it’s been described as hard to use and clunky. It appears that it will take some time to get use to the software. A nonprofit has to make sure they have time set aside to learn the tool in order to get the most out of it.

“We make excel reporting fun!” Biznet’s website boasts. That’s a tall order considering a person only has to type the words, “hate excel” in any web browser to get a long list of articles and rants on why Excel is literally the worst. There’s even a book by Kelly Conaster and Patrick J. Burns entitled, I Hate Excel. So the real question is, does Biznet live up to their claim?

In Use:

Biznet software aims to help nonprofits save time on their monthly reporting. According to Sr. Global Alliance Manager Randy Smith, utilizing Biznet in lieu of Excel can save organizations 80% of time they would normally spend on these reports.

Biznet offers their customers three different products. Their main software, BizInsight helps nonprofits build reports more efficiently overall enhancing the experience. Once a report is built, a user can save the template and come back to it. If data changes, the whole report refreshes saving the user a significant amount of time. Their other two tools revolve around connecting data and sharing data. BizConnector allows users to get data from a dataset and filter it depending on what information is needed. With BizBroadcast, users can send the same report to multiple users in varying degrees. For instance a user can send one person a single sheet of data while sending others highly sensitive information from the same document that is also password protected. This saves the user time from having to send multiple versions.

While Biznet technologies are not solely for nonprofit organizations, Smith believes they offer a competitive price that organizations around the country can afford. The platform will cost users a minimum of $780 a year per user or $65 a month.

Technology Used:

Charities who wish to use Biznet software must download Excel. If an organization has Excel on-line, Biznet won’t work. This usually isn’t a problem as many organizations invest in Microsoft Office for day-to-day activities.

Biznet products directly integrate with over 35 different platforms such as Blackbaud, Epicore, and Microsoft Dynamics to make a seamless integration.

Ease of Use:

If a nonprofit has worked within Excel before, Biznet’s software is relatively easy to use. Smith stated that there was a minimal learning curve for those users who already have knowledge of Excel. For those who need a bit more help Biznet offers support, training and a video library that users can access.

Recap:

Biznet has found a way to not only make Excel fun but to save users time. Their tools enable nonprofits to analyze their data efficiently; connect datasets from outside of Excel; and distribute reports with ease.

Advantages:

* Saves users a significantly amount of time on monthly reports

* Excel users will find this software easy to use

* Multiple integrations including Blackbaud

Disadvantages

* While larger nonprofits may be able to afford $780 a year per user, small to medium organizations could not.

My Opinion:

Unlike the numerous users that loathe Excel, I actually really like it. I love to scrub my spreadsheet from unnecessary data. I love to filter data, sort it from A-Z…and don’t get me started on pivot tables. I could pivot for hours. One of the reasons I like Excel is because there’s a formula for everything. And if I don’t know a formula, a simple search can solve my problem.

I understand the lure of Biznet software, but I think $780 per user per year is pretty steep for many nonprofits. I would suggest investing in an Excel course and utilize one of the numerous Excel training videos on the internet.

For the past five years, Verified Volunteers has been the only volunteer management platform that exclusively serves the nonprofit community. This has enabled nonprofit organizations the ability to connect with volunteers in their area. With an easy-to-use dashboard and the ability to be notified if a volunteer’s status has changed, Verified Volunteers offers inexpensive, fast, and secure service to national and local charities around the country.

In Use:

On the surface, one can assume that Verified Volunteers well…verifies volunteers. But the management system does much more than vet volunteers. The idea for the software was born after extensive research and consultations with the nonprofit community. The question became, “How can we build a portal background check that can be shared and save communities some money?” During the early planning stages, Verified Volunteers realized that many businesses would conduct an initial background check and then be finished. What they discovered was that nonprofits needed to make sure that their volunteers were in good standing during the entire time they volunteered with the organization whether that spanned a single day, three years, or a decade. According to Executive Director, Katie Zwetzig; Verified Volunteers conduct monthly screenings for all volunteers in their system. If something changes, both nonprofit and volunteer are notified.

Another dilemma that Verified Volunteers solved was the cost associated with screenings. A background check can cost anywhere between $7 and $40 dollars depending on how in-depth the screening has to be. Zwetzig mentioned that many of the 400 nonprofits they initially consulted with noted these costs weren’t feasible. To solve this issue, Verified Volunteers created unique payment options where nonprofit organizations could have the volunteers pay for their background check themselves. For those organizations that didn’t feel comfortable asking their volunteers to purchase a screening, they could ask for a contribution from the volunteer. According to Zwetzig, when asked for a contribution, about 30% of volunteers donated.

Ease of Use:

In order to be vetted by the management company, a volunteer follows a link to Verified Volunteers’ website. There, they follow a four-step process that takes between 3-5 minutes to complete. The volunteer enters in their personal information in the first section, followed by their address, their consent, and the payment option. The process is secure and all background checks comply with state-by-state regulations. This is especially key for national organizations that have volunteers around the country.

Pertaining to the dashboard that nonprofits use to review the results, it integrates with numerous systems such as event management company VolunteerHub or management tool Better Impact.

Technology Used:

Verified Volunteers is based in the cloud and anyone can access the platform with internet access. The software offers a toll-free number if users run into an issue on the backend. Verified Volunteers also recently enabled a chat box for easier service.

Recap:

Verified Volunteers is a volunteer management software that enables nonprofits to vet their incoming volunteers while connecting those same organizations with volunteers who have already gone through the vetting process. The software is exclusive for nonprofits all over the country and is available to all local and national nonprofits regardless of size.

Verified Volunteers’ platform utilizes many tools such as their ability to do monthly checks for volunteers, the ability for volunteers to pay for their background check as well as purchase a “Fast Pass” which gives volunteers the ability to share their background check with numerous nonprofit organizations over the course of the year saving time and money. Whenever the Fast Pass is utilized, the person who paid for the initial screening (whether the volunteer or nonprofit receive a rebate). “In the last 15 months between contributions and rebates and shared checks we’ve saved the sector $1.8 million dollars,” Zwetzig stated.

Advantages:

* Verified Volunteers conducts monthly background checks to ensure volunteers are in good standing

* Volunteers can monetarily contribute to their background check or pay for the whole amount

* Volunteers can purchase a “Fast Pass” for $3.99 that allows them to share their background checks with nonprofit organizations. When used, the nonprofit or volunteer that initially paid for the screening earns a rebate.

Disadvantages:

* Verified Volunteers integrates with a limited number of SaaS solutions.

My Opinion

When looking at Verified Volunteers as a volunteer management software I think it checks off all of the boxes. It’s inexpensive, it’s secure, and it’s comes with a dashboard that enables nonprofits to manage their volunteers. But what stood out to me the most, is how Verified Volunteers is how its changing the way organizations can access volunteers. During our conversation, Zwetzig spoke about the time Volunteer Florida, a nonprofit organization was able to track down volunteers during 2017’s Hurricane Irma by using Verified Volunteers’ network of vetted volunteers. Zwetzig emphasized that the software wasn’t just a software. In her opinion, “background screening is a vehicle to help create safer communities.” She shared that when the disaster hit, Volunteer Florida was in desperate need of volunteers. Utilizing Verified Volunteers’ network, they were able to reach out to over 80 thousand already-vetted volunteers.

Big Data continues to grow and 2019 won’t be any different. More and more nonprofits are utilizing software and applications that allow them to analyze data relevant to their organization. Whether it’s analyzing a data set about the donors they do have or finding a file that gives them insight on future donations, data sets are crucial to solving problems that are hindering an organization from flourishing.

Obtaining data from current donors are easy to access since a charity generally has that information available. Gathering statistics from potential donors is significantly harder, as a nonprofit doesn’t necessarily have that information at their fingertips. Data.World (pronounced “data dot world”), a free open-source website can benefit charities around the world by providing information in categories from science, politics, and finance.

In Use:
According to Mario Facusse, a Business Development Representative from Data.World, the website boasts the largest data community in the world with over 300K members. And with 150K data sets, chances are users will be able to find multiple data sets to help them solve their problems.

A nonprofit can use Data.World in a few different ways. They can simply use the website to obtain files or they can create projects and invite team members to join. A user can upload company-specific files or search from one of the numerous data sets available on the site. These projects allow a team to work with the same information and ask questions as they go. At the end of the project a team can chose to publish the findings publicly or keep their information private.

Data.World currently has four subscription plans to chose from. The free subscription allows for one user, and three projects/data sets. The standard package for Professional Teams includes up to five users and unlimited data sets and will cost an organization $100 per month.

Technology Used:
Data.World is cloud based and integrates with many programs that data analysts are already using. With a partnership with Tableau, users are able to visualize their findings in a way that can help them share their conclusions with stakeholders. Data.World integrates with numerous applications such as Excel, Python, and R programing; as well as Super-Connectors like Hubspot, Amazon S3, and Google Analytics.

Ease of Use:
Data scientists and analysts with a background in Python or R programing will find Data.World pretty straightforward. Those will little programing skills may find it difficult to get the most out of the data sets they are downloading. While many nonprofits do use Data.World, Facusse points out that many medical and scientific researchers utilize the website from a nonprofit standpoint.

Recap:
Data.World enables nonprofit organizations to obtain data sets that they can use to increase fundraising efforts or solve other problems that the charity faces. Data.World is on one hand a website that allows a business to download free data sets, but on the other, a data community that enables analysts and data enthusiasts to come together to solve ongoing issues.

Advantages:

• Not only can data sets be expensive to purchase, but many nonprofits don’t know where to begin to look for them. With Data.World all data sets are free and open-sourced.
• Currently one of the largest data communities in the world
• Over 150K data sets to choose from
• Integrates with both applications and Super-Connectors.
• Due to a partnership with Tableau, enables users to visualize data sets

Disadvantages:

• Users will get the most out of the site if they have experience in programing such as JavaScript, R, and Python
• While the website is technically free, a free subscription will only allow for 1 user and 3 data sets.

My Opinion:
Data.World is a great tool for nonprofits to utilize if they have a volunteer who understands programing languages. If no one in the company understandings these languages, comprehending a file is going to be tricky. A charity will also run into a problem if they want to download more than 3 data sets, as they will have to purchase a subscription package that could cost them up to $100 a month.

Because Data.World is free to register, I suggest a nonprofit explore the website to see if it’s a right fit for their organization

The Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) raises money for the life-saving cancer research and treatment at Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) through an annual two-day bike-a-thon that crosses 192 miles of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  In 2018, the PMC raised $56 million. We take pride in our unique model in which 100 percent of all rider-raised donations go directly to DFCI. For this reason, we sought out a way to continue improve upon donation management in an efficient, cost-effective and timely manner.

Unsurprisingly, nonprofits face many of the same challenges as for-profit businesses— from meeting financial goals (i.e. fundraising), growing and scaling operations, increasing marketing and brand awareness to providing high-quality services, all with very limited resources.  At the PMC, we have always leveraged technology to combat these challenges, not only to help improve the processing of received donations, but more importantly to enhance the overall experience of our riders.  

The challenge with check processing

After reviewing our processes and focusing specifically on how we take in donations, we found a large efficiency gap in how we process check donations. About one-third of donations come in via check, and the procedure to submit checks was multi-step and time-consuming.

Riders needed to include their rider ID-number on the physical checks and then mail them to PMC (often after holding on to them for days, weeks or even months). Once PMC’s lockbox provider receives the envelopes, our check processing workflow was just as time-consuming: we physically had open each envelope, credit each check donation to the applicable rider fundraising commitment and finally, scan the checks for deposit at our bank. This process can be expensive, time consuming and inconvenient for both the rider/fundraiser and the PMC.

However, processing checks remains a necessity, because many of our generous donations come in this form, and it is in everyone’s interest to keep that as an available option. It was evident, however, that there was room for improvement and streamlining the process.  

Turning to mobile deposit

To streamline the process, PMC deployed Mobile Deposit® from Mitek, which is the same solution used by more than 6,100 banks and financial institutions in North America, but not yet widely used in the nonprofit world. By integrating this technology into our app, we were able to improve the method of both submitting check donations and processing them. On the rider side, participants can use the same convenient technology that they are accustomed to from personal banking, eliminating time spent mailing checks or the chances of a donation check getting lost. Riders can deposit checks directly via their smart phone and receive an immediate notification that donation has been accepted and they are one donation closer to their fundraising goal.

For the PMC, the time spent processing physical checks is greatly reduced freeing up staff to focus on other high-level projects. After implementing Mitek’s Mobile Deposit solution, PMC realized a 29 percent reduction in the cost of processing checks versus traditional means and expects to substantially extend those savings as the solution is more broadly used by riders.

The future of fundraising

It is easy for companies to rely on legacy systems by default to avoid time or costs spent in getting innovative technological solutions up and running.  However, deploying Mobile Deposit as a targeted solution for one of our most challenging processes not only streamlined the task for all parties, but cut costs. Most importantly, however, it has strengthened PMC’s relationship with our riders because we’ve invested in making their experience better overall. For those who so willingly give their time, talents, money and passion to help DFCI save lives, the presence of a check should not make it more difficult to give. With this new improvement, collecting and depositing any and all donations will be the satisfying experiences that they ought to be.

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David Hellman is a 27-year PMC alumnus, first riding in 1990. At that time he was living in Steamboat Springs Colorado. Over the next ten years David's career took him from Steamboat Springs to Durango, CO and then Chicago. During his tenure in Colorado he was Director of Information Systems & Administrative Services at the Steamboat Ski Resort. He went on to become Vice President of Commercial Operations at Durango Mountain Resort in Durango Colorado. David's expertise with technology and customer service operations is evident in the way our riders and volunteers can now use the PMC website and MyPMC to manage their fundraising and logistics.

Member-based organizations often settle for antiquated management software that’s inefficient and doesn’t encourage member engagement. Failure to make a change may be due to lack of resources or budgetary support from their board which can prevent organizations from taking advantage of newer technologies. Either way, there’s often an unwillingness to upset the status quo because the process of selecting and migrating to new software can seem overwhelming and risky. To ensure success, do a little bit of homework.

Where to Begin?

Start by identifying key internal stakeholders and ask them to provide input on their needs. This will be a guide post moving forward and should be factored into overall system requirements. Doing so before talking to any vendor ensures an organization doesn’t get derailed on priority and importance of its needs.

AMS Vendors are Business Partners

When considering different vendors, evaluate how they interact during the sales process, as these interactions often provide clues to what an organization will experience as a customer. Ask these questions:

• Are they committed to solving the organization’s problems?
•  Do they follow up promptly and provide clear answers to questions?
• Are they providing the organization with learning opportunities?
• Will they be able to respond to needs now and in the future?

System Considerations (Beyond Functionality)

Keep these points in mind when evaluating different systems:

• The AMS should connect seamlessly to other key systems such as the CMS, LMS and accounting system.
• Ensure the system can scale to meet ongoing needs and will solve problems several years from now.
• Determine the flexibility of the system. Is it possible to add custom fields? Can system changes be made without having to pay developers? Is the data model flexible? These are important considerations when evaluating the long-term financial viability of a system.
• Finally, ensure your vendor looks for ways to make data more actionable. This allows an association and its staff to make better decisions – both for the organization and its membership.

Constituent Engagement

We live in a world of instant gratification and social engagement, and if an organization isn’t keeping up, it runs the risk of becoming obsolete. An association’s constituents are constantly

online, so it’s important to have a strategy to communicate with them in a way that resonates. When evaluating a new system, consider whether it has features that allow engagement with members on their terms. For example, consider the member portal:

• Can it be accessed via any mobile device?
• Does it offer easy access? (e.g. login with social credentials)
• Is the interface intuitive and easy to navigate?
• Can it deliver content to members that is timely, relevant and personalized?
• Can members manage their own information, register for events and renew their memberships? This is convenient for members and helps to reduce staff workload.

Financial Management

Association staff often feel as though they have no control over their financial processes. Moving to a new AMS is an opportunity to implement more efficient financial processes that provide improved insight for staffs’ pertinent revenue streams and greater financial control:

• Organizational efficiency can be improved by automating day-to-day accounting activities such as sending invoices and verifying receivables.
• A modern financial system can provide event coordinators or member managers with budget responsibility through timely updates on how their revenues and expenditures are tracking versus planned.

Reporting Capability

Reporting plays an important function in monitoring the health of an association, and the right AMS can assist by:

• Allowing organizations to create searches across multiple tables and queries.
• Outputting data in multiple formats.
• Automating the process for communicating overdue invoice reminders.

By conducting a thorough evaluation of stakeholder needs, choosing a vendor that’s a true business partner, ensuring that the system facilitates constituent engagement and offers the functionality to address existing pains, organizations can alleviate the disruption of migrating to a new AMS and set itself up for success – all while wondering why it waited so long to do so in the first place.

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Shaun is vice president of marketing at MemberSuite, an innovator in cloud-based association management software (AMS) and business intelligence solutions for member-based organizations of all sizes. Prior to joining MemberSuite in 2018, Shaun spent more than 20 years in senior marketing positions for technology companies in several industries including cyber security and IT expense management.

Social media platforms are not one size fits all. There is no perfect platform for all nonprofits.  The best social media platform for your organization is the one that give you the best ROI (return on investment). Analyze which channel works best for you and spend time creating content for that platform.

With that being said there are a few slight changes in user’s tastes on the various social media platforms that could impact your content strategy and thus, your ROI.

For example, video. Posting a video on your social media channel (whatever it may be) is guaranteed to get more engagement that then a static post, because research has found that video draws eyeballs.

The 500 million users watch Facebook video and 82% of Twitters 300+ million users watch video.

In terms of video content users prefer live video to a prerecorded video. Facebook has Facebook Live and Instagram has stories, both of the these features allow you to add live video to your social media. Live streams are a great way to engage with your audience because they can ask you questions and you can answer immediately.

There are several live stream types you could do:

Behind-the-Scenes

How-Tos

Testimonials

Live events

Interviews – Q&As

Some other  great thing about Instagram stories is the live video feeds require your followers to click to view, so you can post several times during the day and not worry about seeming “spammy” and you can add a link in your story to send your viewers to additional content.

Two new channels to consider, but both of these channels are very specific and aren’t something your organization should undertake unless you think they will give you ROI.

First LinkedIn, yes the LinkedIn that is for business people to connect,  is a great platform to introduce your nonprofit to business leaders. This can come in handy if your organization frequently looks for businesses to partner with to provide goods, volunteers or monetary donations.

Then there is Twitch. Twitch is a online video platform is similar to YouTube, but Twitch focuses exclusively on live video--usually of gamers working their way through the various levels of popular games.

Make no mistake a LOT of people watch Twitch video streams, companies and nonprofits are starting to recognize its power as an advertising channel especially if your donor base skewers younger.

Twitch also is gaining a reputation as a great place to have a charity telethon. The telethons can be from the comfort of home or from a large gaming conference center, either way gamers stream for hours or days to raise money for charitable causes. A charity stream usually works this way: a streamer hosts a live stream dedicated to a charity or nonprofit organization and during the stream discusses the issue at hand and encourages viewers to make monetary donations in real-time.

Summer is an exciting time. The longer, warmer days are a welcome change for many. Kids, in particular, can’t wait for summer — that is, until it actually arrives.

“I’m bored.”

Parents hear this so often that it just about drives them bonkers. Most moms and dads are maxed out and going full tilt in their careers, taking care of household chores and errands, and in general trying to maintain a healthy and safe family. They can’t drop everything to entertain their children all summer long.

What are these children really saying when they moan and groan about being bored? They’re communicating that they need structure and purpose in their day (even if they don’t necessarily want it). This is an opportunity for your nonprofit to meet an important need in your community by starting a summer camp. Not only will you be fulfilling a community need, but a summer camp program can also help to meet one of your needs: revenue.

In this high-tech age, drive revenue one relationship at a time

With all the technology out there, it can be easy to forget how nonprofits have always been built. More than anything else, you need to develop trust.

People don’t give with their intellect but with their hearts. By building meaningful relationships one person at a time in your community and beyond, you’ll set up your nonprofit for the best possible financial success as well.

And nothing will grow your summer camp revenue like a good word-of-mouth referral. Insightful parents (and grandparents) realize that their most important contribution to society is their children. If you better the lives of the ones they love most, they’ll take notice.

By hitting them in their hearts, you’ll be making a real difference. The natural reaction will be for those in your community to give back through donations or by encouraging others to enroll their kids in your summer camps.

Having great relationships with the members of your community is crucial. One way to foster these relationships is by offering events at your camp that appeal to adults, such as paid concerts or conferences. Not only can these events bring in revenue on their own, but they’ll also help those who visit to take an interest in what you do. You’ll get the chance to share your vision for summer camp with these visitors.

Make it as easy as possible to register

It may seem like common sense, but making the camp registration process easy and user friendly can take a backseat to the many other issues and tasks involved in running a nonprofit. A form builder like JotForm, for instance, can help. You can build a summer camp registration form that not only takes registrations but also accepts payments and collects campers’ medical information. And JotForm is HIPAA compliant, so you can rest assured that all of that sensitive information will be secure.

In addition to making registration a breeze, online forms equip you with a ready-made list for future marketing efforts — both for your camp and for general donations.

You can also use online forms to get feedback from parents and campers so that you can improve your camp and strengthen your relationships with your camp customers.

Ask for advice

It’s always a good idea to ask around to keep up on the latest trends. Find several nonprofits that are already good at gaining revenue through their camps. Ask them what works and what doesn’t. As quickly as things evolve these days, it’s essential to stay current.

While summer camp might seem like the furthest thing from people's minds right now, it’ll be here soon. Now is the best time to set up your nonprofit to earn more than ever in 2019.

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Chad Reid is director of communications for JotForm, a leading online form creation software used by event planners everywhere to collect event registrations and feedback. He holds a master’s degree in communication and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

OneCause fundraising solutions has a formed a partnership with WEDO charity auctions to add a charity auction feature to the OneCause platform.

The Mobile Bidding and Auction feature offers two levels of service. Depending on your organization’s need you can have a full service or do-it-yourself.

The application includes a module to help your organization solicit items for your event. You can create letters, log items into inventory, create bidding numbers and set opening bid prices.

In addition to the inventory feature, the platform offers features to manage your guest list. You can sell tickets, assign tables, set up VIP access and track any dietary restrictions of your guests.  

During the event you can use the platform to build enthusiasm for bidding with real time scoreboards.

You don’t have to worry about using a different service for processing payments, as they can be performed with the Mobile Bidding platform.

After the event you can generate thank you letters and tax receipts.

You can also use Mobile Bidding to create an online auction event that allows you guests to preview items. Plus, you can sell fixed price items via the online auction.

Pricing is tiered with 3 levels of service, consult OneCause for pricing.

Your organization can get more return on its advertising investment by running ads simultaneously on Facebook and Instagram. While the two platforms are separate social media powerhouses, they are both owned by Facebook.

According to Instagram’s metrics running your social media campaign across both platforms had better results in web clicks, conversions and engagement then running a campaign on just one platform. In terms of return on investment, Social Fresh reports that Facebook has a 95.8% roi and Instagram has 40.1%, and when you figure in the relatively low cost of advertising on these platforms, it is a great way to reach a big audience for a small investment.

If you haven’t already linked your Facebook and Instagram accounts, now is the time. Go into your Facebook page manager and your Instagram page. It is important that you have a business Instagram account for your organization, if it is not a business page you won’t be able to connect the accounts.

Facebook’s ad manager makes it easy for you to also run your ad on Instagram, as you set up the ad through Facebook’s ad manager you can set the preferences to have the ad also run on Instagram.

Keep in mind that you must select from the following list of objectives in order to be able to cross post the ads

• Reach
• Traffic (for clicks to your website or the app store for your app)
• App installs
• Engagement (for post engagement only)
• Video views
• Conversions (for conversions on your website or in your app)
• Lead generation
• Brand Awareness

You can use the same content for both ads, which includes either photos, slideshow or video, or you can have separate ads, that tailor content to each platform.

Understanding your cash position isn’t just important for ‘for-profit’ companies, nonprofits need to understand and utilize their cash flow too. However, many nonprofit accounting packages don’t put that information front and center.

In fact, for small nonprofits cash flow is probably the most important thing. With Xero accounting software, nonprofits can have a quick and easy visualization of their cash flow. While this package is not robust enough to support a large scale nonprofit, it can help smaller organizations get a handle on their cash flow.

The dashboard has different charts and graphs that can be used to express your nonprofits’ cash position.

The Xero dashboard allows you to monitor all your bank accounts, including accounts with online payment services such as Paypal.

Xero is cloud based so it is easy to share with various financial team members. You can customize access for various positions, and you can collaborate in real-time.

In addition to monitoring cash position, the package contains a payroll module, bank reconciliation module and The package allows you to run payroll, prepare bank reconciliations, pay bills and create purchase orders.

Xero offers tiered pricing that depends on what features you select and the size of your organization.

Board portal software such as OnBoard by Passages can make preparing for your nonprofits  board meeting easier.

With OnBoard  your organization can create all the board documents need for the meeting in a digital environment, which not only allows for collaboration between the people involved in creating the materials but also the the easy distribution of those materials.

Documents prepared via OnBoard are available for reading via PC, tablet or other smart device. Each member logs on securely to their dashboard. Where they can then read, review and make notes. These notes are then stored securely and the individual user can search their stored documents at a later date. OnBoard includes a sync features--that allows all notes to be synced across devices.

Use OnBoard to create and maintain your board books. The portal includes a shared resource center where all pertinent board materials are stored.

Plus, the dashboard gives each member access to the resource center, calendar and other announcements.

Electronic signatures can be collected using the software, and these are just as legal as handwritten signatures.

GiveMN, known for their Give to the Max days, has developed a program called RaiseMN, reports the Star Tribune. The program mentors small nonprofits on better ways to fundraise.

Read the article on Star Tribune

According to Green Matters, nonprofit New Story and ICON Homebuilding have teamed up to address the lack of affordable housing. To do so they will create 3D printed houses. The first 3D printed neighborhood will built in Latin America this summer.

Read the article on Green Matters

The Israeli Ikea is working with a local nonprofit to create add-on to help disabled people improve the furnitures functionality, reports the Washington Post. Israeli ThisAbles uses 3D printing technology to create add ons to make the furnishings more accessible.

Read the article on The Washington Post

Later this year Instagram will have a donate button on Instagram stories,  reports Forbes. Nonprofits can take steps now to prepare for this functionality.

 

Read the article on Forbes