Fundraising is only one factor needed to run a successful nonprofit. There are also bills to be paid and taxes that are due that go along in “keeping the lights on” at a nonprofit.  A nonprofit whether large or small  should invest in a bookkeeping software to make sure that all of their transactions are in order. Nonprofit Treasurer is a software geared towards small nonprofits that will help them balance their books and build financial reports to get an accurate picture of their finances.

In Use:

The free bookkeeping software was built especially for small nonprofits and volunteer treasurers within the organization. The software enables a charity to “build trust, ease financial oversight, and reduce the burden of volunteer board roles.” Nonprofit Treasurer allows charities to build reports on their modern dashboard that’s easy to maneuver. With the software - nonprofits can import transactions, track expenses, and download budget performance reports on a monthly or yearly basis.

Ease of Use:

Users overwhelmingly agree that Nonprofit Treasurer is easy to use. Not only is it easy to use, but many nonprofits found that it was easy to learn as well.

The only issue from a functionality standpoint is that there is no “contact us” page within the website -  nor is there an email that a user or potential customer can use to contact support nor is there an “about us” page.  A recent review on Facebook stated, “when we tried to reach out to them for help we found NO contact information in the site, Facebook, YouTube, or any other place.” The review went on to say they tried to message the software via Twitter but did not receive a response.

Technology Needed:

Nonprofit Treasurer is a cloud-based software. The company boasts that their login is secure and uses bi-directional encryption. For security measures, nonprofits are allowed to give users credentials but can revoke them at any time if they were to leave the company or their role within the company changes.

Recap:

Nonprofit Treasurer is a free bookkeeping software that is geared towards small nonprofits. Nonprofit Treasurer enables users to bill, invoice, and track expenses all from the cloud. The dashboard is clean, and is easy to use which is crucial for small nonprofits who do not have a lot of time to learn new software.

Advantages:

• Nonprofit Treasurer includes everything a small nonprofit needs to run their organization from an accounting perspective
• Dashboard is user friendly and easy to explore
• Reporting is extensive enough for a small charity

Disadvantages:

• Customer Service is lacking as there is no contact page or email address
• There is no “About Us” page and little is known about the organization
• Website is outdated as well as the videos on their YouTube
• Small nonprofits will eventually grow out of Nonprofit Treasurer as they get bigger

My Opinion:

Nonprofit Treasurer is a great tool for HOA boards and small nonprofits who don’t have too many expenses. Many customers commend it’s ease of use, and the reports that they are able to pull using the software.

Usually my stance on free software is to give it a try because you don’t have much to lose. That being said, I would encourage you to do your research on Nonprofit Treasurer before uploading your sensitive data. I am not saying don’t use the software – just be cautious. If it were me I would make sure I had a conversation with the founder about privacy issues and who would have access to my data before uploading it to the dashboard.

You're changing the world. Let us help, the homepage of Qgiv implores. Qgiv, is a fundraising platform that helps nonprofit organizations raise money effortlessly. From multiple fundraising options to reporting and integrations, Qgiv has set out to be the premier fundraising option for nonprofit and faith-based charities across the country.

In Use:

Qgiv was created in 2007 to help nonprofits, faith-based charities, and political organizations leverage online donations. “As more and more transactions moved to taking place online, it became increasingly apparent that nonprofits would need to move into the digital space in order to maximize their fundraising efforts,” explains Sarah Sebastian, the Director of Brand Communication at Qgiv.

No two nonprofits are the same which is why Qgiv offers multiple options when it comes to fundraising. An organization geared towards college students may utilize the text-fundraising tool while a charity geared towards an older crowd may opt for the Auction-fundraising tool within Qgiv. Besides fundraising platforms, a subscription to Qgiv also includes event registration and detailed reporting to track donation progress.  

When it comes to pricing, Qgiv offers different packages that charities can chose from. Qgiv’s “Start” package is virtually free minus a transaction fee on all transactions. A smaller nonprofit can opt for the “Start” package which includes one-time and recurring donations, event registrations, and campaign thermometers while a larger nonprofit may chose the “Auction” package which is $229 per month. The Auction package includes everything from event registration, matching gift options, and in-app event purchases.

Technology Needed:

Qgiv is a cloud-based fundraising option that does not sit on-premise. Located all in one place, users don’t have to worry about getting the right type of operating system to support the software. One of the benefits of a cloud-based platform is that users can access the platform while remote – and being mobile responsive - users can access Qgiv on cellphones seamlessly.

When it comes to software-  nonprofits are always looking for ease of use as well as integrations. Qgiv does not disappoint when it comes to the amount of integrations that they offer. From CRMs (Blackbaud, Kindful) to Email Integrations (Constant Contact and Mailchimp) integrations allows for a smooth fundraising campaign.

Ease of Use:

While Qgiv does take time to master, the nonprofit software has various forms of customer service to help users navigate the platform. According to Sebastian, phone calls are always answered by a real person and users have access to free and unlimited support and training. “Many of the features and enhancements we develop are the results of direct client feedback or conversations with clients,” she notes.

Recap:

Cloud-based fundraising platform, Qgiv offers users everything from matching gift options, branding, subscription lists, custom reports, and recurring donations. What it lacks, they make up in integrations with popular softwares such as Quick Books and Salesforce.

Advantages:

• Different price points that can satisfy small to large nonprofits
• Excellent customer service and training tools
• Different type of fundraising capabilities to fit a nonprofit’s needs
• Mobile Responsive
• Various integrations with popular software

Disadvantages:

• Qgiv can be pricy depending on the needs of a nonprofit. If a nonprofit wants unlimited events or matching-gift options, they have to pay $229 per month.
• The software can be difficult to navigate at first
• Certain integrations are slow or can be seen as “clunky”

My Opinion

I appreciate that Qgiv not only offer trainings, resources, and excellent customer service – but they’re constantly trying to improve their software based on customer feedback.

I also appreciate that the company offers different price points for their software so all different sizes of nonprofits can take advantage of it. While their free version may not get you peer-to-peer text giving or an event builder- it does include the basics like event registration and recurring donations.

Qgiv is a solid fundraising platform that can help nonprofits increase and track donations. Right now a potential customer can request a demo for any of their subscriptions so a nonprofit can pick the right package for them.

Building a website can be a daunting task for a nonprofit organization just starting out. When many newer charities rely heavily on volunteers – employing a design team is out of the question. As the need for websites and content management increase – there are many web design platforms that charities can take advantage of. Using a design platform is less expensive then hiring a design team but it can still be pricey after hosting fees and a domain name are calculated.  As the number one content management system (CMS) with 61.8% of the market share and nearly 55,000 web plugins to enhance a website – WordPress should definitely be considered when a nonprofit is designing a new website for their organization or creating one for the first time.

In Use:

Not only do most businesses choose WordPress but it’s one of the oldest CMS software to date.  Released in 2003 – WordPress is a free open-sourced software – meaning that developers can add, modify, and build plugins to augment the software. While there are fees associated with creating a website such as purchasing a domain name and hosting fees – WordPress itself is free.

Users can customize the look and feel of their website using numerous front and back end plugins. Need to create a contact form? There’s a plugin for that. Need a firewall – there’s a plugin for that. Need to edit a photo or video? You get the picture – there’s a plugin for just about anything. And if there isn’t – because it’s open-sourced one can be developed. Any type of website can be built in WordPress. Because it’s a content management system – you have control over every element of the website opposed to a website builder where you have control on the look and feel of the website but not necessarily the backend.

Ease of Use:

WordPress has a variety of website templates or “themes” that a nonprofit can choose from. Once implemented – a nonprofit organization can begin to customize it. The “Ease of Use” depends on whether or not a person or nonprofit is web savvy. WordPress is unfairly compared against website builders such as Wix or Weebly when essentially it’s different and more complex because it management every aspect of content from blog posts, event registration, newsletters, gated assets, and the website itself.  So compared to Wix or Weebly – it is trickier and the learning curve is exponentially higher. Compared to other content management systems such as Drupal or Squarespace it’s easier to use and has a lower overhead cost – which significantly benefits nonprofits.

When it comes to WordPress, it can often take time it takes maneuvering code on the backend – to get your website exactly the way you want it. Edits in WordPress are not done in “real time” which means you must go back and forth between the editor and the “live view” to make sure you like the way it look.

Content Management Systems can be confusing and rely heavily on HTML/CSS knowledge. Because of this – I wouldn’t say WordPress is particularly easy to use from the start. The good news is that WordPress has an enormous community that are ready to help and support beginners. Whether that means asking for tips and tricks, hiring a freelance web designer, or taking classes to improve your skills.

Along with classes, WordPress offers a wide range of instructional videos, and documentation. They also offer a Live Chat feature if a nonprofit has any questions. Depending on HTML knowledge – a nonprofit may have to hire a web developer to initially design and build their website – but with the numerous assets available – a nonprofit shouldn’t have any problems maintaining it when it’s been created.

Technology Used:

WordPress is available on the cloud – so no additional technology is needed.  In terms of integrations- WordPress has about 54,000 plugins can source. Companies that have created WordPress plugins include Google, HubSpot, and Mailchimp.

It’s important to have good security protection for your WordPress website. Because of its popularity – many websites are vulnerable to hackers and cyber threats. This is arguably the biggest disadvantage of a WordPress website.

Recap:

WordPress is a content management system that allows businesses and nonprofits to create and manage their content such as a website, blog, or gated assets. It does have the ability to go further and host landing pages. WordPress is the most common content management system to date having more than half of the market share today. Because of its notoriety and the fact that it is open-sourced there are many plugins a company can take advantage of to enhance their content.

Advantages:

• Free and open-sourced
• Over 54,000 plugins and integrations
• Cloud-based
• Customizable

Disadvantages:

• Learning curve is high
• Vulnerable to hackers and security threats
• Chances are you will need to hire a developer to get your website off the ground
• While the service itself is free – there are costs associated with developing and maintaining your content

My Opinion

As someone who has a WordPress site (shameless plug) I’ve always found WordPress and other content management systems daunting to the point where I put off creating a website for years. Finally, I hired a freelance web developer to create my website for me which came at a cost. Because it wasn’t an exuberant amount of money – hiring a freelance web developer would not break the bank of a small nonprofit – which enables them to get a clean, sophisticated website.

I can say without a doubt that I never would have been able to create the look and feel of my website by creating it myself. To create a sophisticated website on WordPress - you need to know code and if you don’t know code – then you need to hire someone that does. The good news is that once my website was built I felt comfortable in the tool to maintain it.

Overall, I would recommend WordPress because the possibilities are endless with what you can create. However, I would be prepared to hire a web developer to help you create, maintain, and secure your website because it’s too hard to do it yourself unless you have coding experience.

As the name suggests, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology enables organizations to manage their customer relationships. From managing pipeline, reporting, and sales automation the goal of a CRM software is a one-stop shop for managing a client’s needs. But unfortunately, many CRMs can come up short. Their either too clunky, too bulky, or they offer to many products that are just OK. Nonprofits need a CRM that can do everything well – because their time and resources are limited. With Nutshell’s easy to use platform and low costs – it’s starting to gain the attention of small-medium nonprofits.

In Use:

Nuthsell is a lightweight CRM that supports over 15 thousand users. While they mostly work with businesses – they appeal to the nonprofit community by offering a 10% discount upon sign up. Unlike other CRMs, they do not charge for start-up or maintenance fees, offer unlimited data storage, and only take a few days to onboard a user. In an interview with Account Executive Jared Knotts – Knotts explains Nutshell is completely customizable and can be as “simple or robust of a solution as you want.” This enables a nonprofit of any size to get the most out of software.

Nutshell also publishes a free blog that customers and potential customers can leverage for free. Topics on their blog have included topics such as professional development tips, how to craft an elevator pitch and how to be a better leader.

 Technology Used:

Unlike some other CRMs, Nutshell sits on the cloud so users can access it from their office, home, or anywhere with internet connection. It is mobile responsive and comes with a variety of software integrations for a variety of needs. Many of the integrations incorporate seamlessly with limited IT interactions. Among the softwares that work well with Nutshell are Quickbooks for accounting needs, Slack for communications, and Hubspot for email marketing. 

Ease of Use:

Nutshell shines when it comes to ease of use and lightweight capabilities. Any review written about Nutshell will highlight the ease of use when navigating the CRM. CRMs are not generally touted as being easy to use. They can be complicated and hard to maneuver at first. Take Salesforce for example – there are classes, certifications, and days of training that needs to take place before a user feels comfortable in the program.

Nutshell only takes a few days to set up and all customers have access to premium support through email, phone, or a chat feature. Knotts assured me that every phone call leads to a real person who is able to help.

Recap:

Nutshell is a lightweight Customer Relationship Management tool used to help businesses and nonprofits easily manage their customer relationships. Nutshell pricing starts at $35 a month per user but nonprofit organizations receive a 10% discount. Unlike other CRMs- Installation, maintenance, and customer service with Nutshell are free. The software features tools like email marketing, sales automation, and analytics. Like most CRMs, Nutshell attempts to incorporate every tool that a charity would need to drive relationships, and increase donations.

Advantages:

• Nutshell subscription costs begin at $35 per user. Nonprofit organizations receive a 10% discount
• Nutshell is easy to use and compact
• There are no maintenance or set up fees
• Customers commend Nutshell for their excellent customer service

Disadvantages:

• May not fit the needs of large nonprofits
• Customers find lead importing cumbersome
• Customers have noted that managing contacts can be difficult

My Opinion:

For small to medium nonprofits who do not have the money to spend on Blackbaud or Salesforce – or do not have the need for such heavy CRMs- then Nutshell is a great option. While they may come up short in some of their features – such as lead importing or managing contacts they make up for in their ease of use, stellar customer service, and their ability to customize their software to fit any charity’s needs. If you’re not quite sold – I would recommend utilizing their free trial to see if it’s right for you.

From the success and failures of nonprofits, it has become clear that successful fundraising is both an art and science. It requires a lot of hard work and dedication and the ability to read the changes in the environment for the right fundraising programs to be developed. While these are the most critical aspects that are needed for a nonprofit to survive, you have to know the dos and the don’ts if you are to survive the fast-changing nonprofit environment. However, the most crucial part is to identify the things that you should avoid for you to succeed.

Below are some of the most common fundraising mistakes that you need to avoid for you to compete well.

1. Failing to build relationships with donors

Nonprofits are all about finding people and building relationships with them as they can be donors. Therefore, establish a relationship with your donor base by always communicating with them and thanking them for their effort towards a particular cause. For the first time donors, thank them for their contributions and inform them of the part they play for the success of the nonprofit. Call as many donors as possible periodically and thank them regardless of the amount of contribution they give. Always show them how much you appreciate their effort on your organization’s social media pages. Failing to do this will drive your donors away and starve your nonprofit.

2. Failure to plan and implement them

When it comes to fundraising, many nonprofits create ideas that they expect to succeed but fail to plan or implement these ideas properly. As such, even the most grandiose ideas end up failing due to a lack of adequate planning. Therefore, you should always plan your ideas if they are to be a success. Planning is crucial as they ensure that all goals and objectives are properly outlined, and strategic checkpoints that ensure that you fundraise well are met.

3. Failure to measure nonprofit’s social impact

Every nonprofit must be able to understand whether they are making a difference in society or not. For them to achieve this, they must invest time and resources that will allow them to change their target society over time and tools to measure their performance. Sadly, not all nonprofits realize the importance of measuring their impact on society as most of them focus on raising funds for specific causes or do not know about it. Investing in measurements of such allows data to be gathered and feedback regarding the nonprofit to be obtained. This will attract and retain donors. Measuring the social impact of a nonprofit allows new donors to know if the organization they are donating to is reputable or not.

4. Overpromising and under-delivering

Most nonprofits promise the best but end up delivering below the expectations. As a leader of a nonprofit, promise only things that you can deliver. With consistency comes credibility, and therefore, you need to be realistic in whatever you promise donors and other stakeholders. Always remain realistic and honest and work hard to meet the expectations of stakeholders or even work hard to deliver beyond their expectations.

5. Focusing only on donor money

It is never a debate that the primary goal of any nonprofit is to raise money for a specific cause. While you should let this known to everyone, sending fundraising solicitations to donors all the time with nothing else can strain your relationship with them. Doing this can give an impression to the donors that they are nothing more than “cash cows,” even if they know they give their donations out of their generous hearts. As a leader, ensure that the donors are partial owners of the great work you do and communicate with them on many other issues regarding your outreach. Share your success stories and send them thank you notes often to show them how much they are valued.

Nonprofit organizations are facing many challenges now than ever before. Some of the challenges that they encounter are associated with the changing nonprofit environment and regulations. However, the most notable issue involves failure to execute five areas of great importance properly. These areas are mission focus, succession planning, nonprofit board of governance, development, measurement of performance, and raising funds. These are the areas that successful nonprofits have mastered well, but those who fail, on the contrary, have failed to crack, leading to perennial issues in their organizations, that in the end bring them down.

Here is a discussion of these five key areas and how you should capitalize on them to improve your nonprofit.

Focus on your mission

Unlike for-profit organizations that can state with ease that their mission is to improve shareholder value, nonprofit leaders often lack clarity of purpose. Lack of clarity in mission, therefore, remains the leading threat to nonprofit organizations and their existence. With this challenge, nonprofits can be steered astray by stakeholders who may exert pressure on them to accommodate some interests that may affect the delivery of services. Lack of clear focus on your nonprofit’s mission results in a loss of multi-million-dollar donation opportunity.

Succession planning

 Like any other organization, succession in nonprofits is a critical topic that must be looked at carefully as it determines the future of your not for profit. The succession must be intentional and must ensure that the organization is led by a dynamic and visionary leader who is capable of taking it to the next level. For many nonprofits, however, successions are often chaotic and are faced with challenges. Failure to establish a clear succession strategy leads to a takeover by people whose personality traits are not aligned to the mission of the organization. As a leader of a nonprofit, therefore, put in place the right succession plan to ensure that the best take over the leadership.

Board of governance

The board of governance of a nonprofit must be dynamic and should consist of people who are enthusiastic about the work of their business and the mission of the nonprofit. Failure to find such people means that board meetings will be turned into rubberstamping sessions instead of strategic meetings that produce meaningful discourse about the future of the organization. Such meetings can be exhausting and less fruitful. As such, nonprofit board meetings need to be not only exciting but should be capable of influencing the strategies and must also inform critical decisions.

Fundraising is critical

For any nonprofit to pursue its course successfully, money is always the leading requirement. This means that a nonprofit must invest in development. As such, every dollar should be spent to get more funds by reducing unnecessary expenditures. Every member of the nonprofit should always engage in charitable giving and must help in raising funds. In short, all strategies should be focused on gathering more money for the organization regardless of the changing times.

Performance measurement

Performance measurement is the key to the success of every organization, including nonprofits. However, many nonprofits do not conduct due diligence in ensuring that they research data and do not measure the extent to which data can be reliable or could impact their operations. Various evaluation methods can be used to measure the performance of organizations. One of them is randomized controlled trials (RCT). Unfortunately, many nonprofits are reluctant to embrace these methods, leading to failure.

These five areas are what determine the success of nonprofits in the modern era, where competition is intense, and the environment changes faster. Simple as they may appear, they are challenging in practice but useful if implemented accordingly.

The digital revolution is making its way into nonprofits and is inspiring charitable giving. All this began in the past decade, that saw diverse giving channels and donation options that were guided by technology. According to a report by Blackbaud, online giving has increased from 6.4% of all giving back in 2013 to 8.5% in 2018. Among online giving methods that have been adopted widely by nonprofits are cryptocurrencies. Hundreds of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency have been donated to many nonprofits. This includes the notable ones such as Fidelity Charitable and Wild Life Fund, that received $100 million and $4 million in cryptocurrencies respectively.

Just like any other industry in the world today, nonprofits are looking for new ways of becoming contemporary. Getting as many modern fundraising methods as possible not only improves the fundraising capabilities of a nonprofit but also allows organizations to become competitive in the modern environment characterized by a rush to get the right donors. This can be seen in the receptive nature around cryptocurrencies, that is evident through the industry startups. Startups are now designing programs that make cryptocurrency fundraising and donations simple and nonprofit organizations that are now opening up for donations in the form of digital currency. From these developments, it is now clear that the future of philanthropy lies in digital fundraising.

Some of the most prominent nonprofits in the world such as the United Way and Red Cross, are now accepting Bitcoin donations. On the other hand, Unicef has, in the past, announced a cryptocurrency fund that is geared towards helping the UN children’s agency to receive, hold and disburse donations that is in the form of bitcoin or ether according to the information in the agency’s official website. These are just a few among nonprofits that have taken the lead in using cryptocurrencies in their fundraising activities.

Many reasons have led to the surge in cryptocurrency donations. One of these reasons is the anonymity that is assured by blockchain, the basis in which cryptocurrency is built on. With cryptocurrency, donors can contribute to a specific cause without worrying about the exposure of their identity. Another reason is the reduced cost associated with no capital gains taxes and the ability to donate to a nonprofit of choice regardless of the political borders.

Although only a few nonprofits have adopted digital currency in their donations, it is just a matter of time before we start seeing most of them doing so like they are accepting credit cards, online payments, and mobile payments. The usefulness of crypto donations can be seen with the role it has played in fighting the current coronavirus pandemic. As the virus continues straining communities, cryptocurrency donations from various philanthropists have been streaming to different nonprofits. These donations are now used to purchase personal protective equipment (PPEs) and things that are necessary for hospitals as well as supporting people who are facing difficulties occasioned by the pandemic.

Blockchain is offering security, low transaction cost, and transparency, among others. All of which have always been the desire of both the donors and charities. With this technology, philanthropic initiatives will be significantly improved through the ability to track the way donations are used. This removes the aspect of corruption, that has for long been scaring away donors. Accordingly, since the crypto-based transactions are borderless, the time barrier will be eliminated, meaning that specific initiatives can be funded almost instantly with little or no fees, that are usually associated with cross-border transactions. This means more donations will occur, and charities will get more money to support their initiatives.

As the world adopts this type of technology in other industries, nonprofits should strive to ensure that they are part of the change by accepting digital currencies that have become common in the world today in their donations. This will undoubtedly increase their donor-base and help move giving forward.

 Facebook donations have given nonprofits the ability to fundraise from their donors on the world’s leading website with much ease.  With just a Donate button on Facebook, fundraisers can get funds for different causes from all over the globe. While the help that nonprofits have received from Facebook cannot be downplayed, some nonprofit leaders are concerned with the changes that are affecting their charities. Some of these leaders are discussing the possibility of leaving Facebook entirely due to the increasing perception of censorship imposed on nonprofits’ messaging, which puts barriers between them and their donors. One of the reasons that might have informed the decision by Facebook is the Cambridge Analytica saga that led to massive disinformation and data collection.

The latest efforts by Facebook to screen content, mainly those posted by politicians have not gone well with some nonprofit leaders who see it as having an impact on their fundraising campaigns. While the social media giant might be justified in its actions, the criteria it uses on checking these “political statements” might be driving one of its fan base in the name of nonprofits and potential donors away. This might at the same time, give a competitive advantage to its competitors.

While there might be a valid reason for censorship, the criteria adopted here is not transparent and cannot be seen as an ultimate solution that will prevent malicious people and companies from manipulating or circumventing the anti-censorship actions in place. Despite the lack of proof that these actions will deter misuse of social media, legitimate organizations who are caught in the middle of the fight will suffer. Nonprofit leaders see this as unfair treatment by a platform that has helped them gain much support in the past.

Unlike in the past when promoting or boosting ads on Facebook was easy and friendly, rejections are now an order of the day as ads can easily be classified as political. Owing to this difficulty, nonprofits should find an alternative way or platform of reaching the donor-base. The stringent measures that have been put in place that have increased the time for verification and ad review process have disadvantaged nonprofits. For instance, time-sensitive ads are now coming in late, which in itself is costly because fundraising opportunities are lost.

Although such challenges are unbearable for nonprofits that want their message to reach the intended audience, the sheer reach that Facebook has is making it difficult to leave the platform entirely. Besides, the investment that the social media giant has laid to enable different types of industries including nonprofits to reach their intended audience cannot be matched by any other platform and therefore leaving it is not that easy. Since a replacement to Facebook is not here, for now, a good move that will be beneficial is to find additional platforms to reach the donors. Some of the platforms that can help in such times are MeWe, although it has some weaknesses, LinkedIn and Twitter, among others. While others are not as good as Facebook, LinkedIn has shown some capability to reach potential clients. Additionally, nonprofits should study how the new rules in the platform work so that they can evade the rejections.

While it may be easy for people to find your organization on Facebook, always make it a habit to direct them to your website or an SMS channel that they can subscribe. Regardless of whether Facebook will rectify this undoing or not, nonprofits must always have multiple methods of reaching their donor-bases and potential donors. This will be helpful if the terms of service of one platform change as it is often the case in a volatile tech environment.

You can now say “Alexa make a donation to_____” and have Alexa use your Amazon pay account to make a donation up to $5,000.  Currently, this program is only available to select charities that have been invited by Amazon. However, it is likely that this program will be a hit with both donors and nonprofits, so it is something that you should have on your radar for the upcoming year. 

Another high tech trend to watch for 2020 is the rise in giving via a blockchain platform. A blockchain platform is  a public ledger relying on globally distributed historical transactions to prevent tampering and fraud. 

Blockchain was designed to offer a higher level of transparency for transactions. Many donors wish to know that their donations are going directly to the charity that they have selected for the express purpose of funding a certain project. A blockchain giving platform can give them that piece of mind. 

BitGive’s GiveTrack is an example of one such platform. BitGive shares detailed real time information about the financial and project status of the charities that they work with that are accepting donations via GiveTrack.

Global Giving is a crowdfunding platform designed to help small nonprofits raise awareness and money. Global Giving is also a nonprofit, which means it understands what nonprofits need to run a successful fundraising campaign. 

Global Giving also understands that small nonprofits don’t have a large budget, so there is no application fee to join the  Global Giving platform. There is no monthly subscription fee, however Global Givings has a 3% transaction fee along with a sliding scale support fee of 5-12% of collected donations. 

The site offers a host of training and support options for nonprofits that join the platform. There are webinars, training libraries, workshops, one on one phone consultations or site visits.  The platform has tools like gamification and incentives to increase donations. 

The platform offers all the standard fundraising campaign tools, including metrics, donor engagement, social media integration. What it also offers is opportunities to partner with large companies for matching grants, or specific giving programs with the company.

know your audience in order to determine if live streaming is right for your nonprofit. The people you want to engage through a live stream have to be savvy enough to access your video feed so that they aren’t overwhelmed or frustrated by the experience. Beyond this point, your decision should come down to value—both to the viewer and to your organization.

If your organization is exploring adding a livestream to your next event there are a few things that you should consider. First, is your event the type of event that makes for a good livestream. 

The purpose of the livestream is to generate enthusiasm and excitement from those who are unable to attend in person. The event you are live streaming has to be visually interesting enough to keep your online viewer engaged. The most successful live streams are based on events that have an element of excitement to them. Is your event a fashion show? Will there be cute animals?--you can never go wrong livestreaming cute animals.  Also, if your event includes a celebrity guest that you know people who were unable to attend in person would love to see, 

After determining if your event is right for a livestream, it’s time to consider if your intended audience is right for a livestream. If your audience is comfortable using Twitch, YouTube or social media, if you chose to livestream via Facebook than live streaming is a good idea. If your audience is not comfortable with those platforms it doesn’t mean that you can’t do a livestream it just means that you may not get a huge return from the event. 

Next, it’s time to plan your livestream events content. Think of your live stream as the modern equivalent to a charity telethon-except instead of broadcasting on TV your using the internet. A telethon doesn’t consist of a single still shot of the action and neither should your livestream. 

Create a content script. If your are doing a fashion show consider doing interviews with the models or designers (or stores that donated the fashion). Have a host roving the audience,anything to spice up the broadcast. Remember you want to keep the excitement going. 

Many livestream apps allow your organization to collect donations directly from the livestream platform, so make sure your call to action is clear. 

EveryAction wants to be everything to every nonprofit. This cloud based platform offers fundraising, advocacy, organizing and digital all in one package. 

For fundraising, you can use the platform to create a simple donation page for your website. You can also use the platform to track major gifts, pledges and other donations. And, you can run an online auction with it as well. 

Get all your advocacy done with social matching and listening which lets you monitor and track influential supporters and it has an advocacy module that makes it easy for you to turn your advocates into donors. 

Organize your supporters with the built in tools to manage your volunteers and coordinate your canvassing or phone bank events. 

The digital portion lets you build multi channel ad campaigns. The platform includes data visualization tools so you can make use of all the various data sets that your organization accumulates. 

Nonprofits can make the most out the remaining giving days in the year, reports The Nonprofit Times. 

You’ve survived Giving Tuesday – and hopefully come out of it with a nice boost of donation revenue for your nonprofit.

Read article on The Nonprofit Times

New Story, a nonprofit that focuses on using tech to build affordable housing, plans on having 50 new homes erected a Mexico community by the end of 2020. 

A giant 3D printer built two houses in an impoverished, rural part of Mexico last week, breaking ground on what will be the first 3D-printed neighborhood in the world.

Read article on Fox 2 Now

According to the Biz Tech Magazine, integrated giving is one of several technology trends that will impact nonprofits in 2020. 

Nonprofits have a lot on their plates. Charitable giving took a hit last year, declining for the first time since the Great Recession, forcing organizations to do more with less.

Read article on Biz Tech Magazine

Mobile friendly devices help contribute to the success of #GivingTuesday, reports Biz Tech Magazine.  

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday are all behind us, but the long Thanksgiving weekend isn’t over yet. Many will be digging deep into their pockets again today, but not for themselves—this time, it’s for Giving Tuesday. 

Read article on BizTech Magazine