Historically, non-profits have manually measured their performance; however, organizations are now looking for ways to use technology to support the analysis of their efforts, improve their operational processes and further develop their business strategies. By putting a focus on performance management-while leveraging their IT infrastructure-organizations can discover mission-critical information, such as how much time it takes to complete certain tasks, what untapped resources are available to them and what improvements employees would like to see take place, as well as determine actionable metrics to better their performance-and deepen their connections with donors and members-in the future.
In the economic downturn and slow recovery, non-profits of all sizes are especially hard pressed, as they pursue essential funding with fewer donors and fewer dollars to go around. Many non-profits find themselves struggling with severe cuts and even closure, as donations are scarce and competition for donors is fierce.
More and more non-profits are looking for ways to involve their donors, and one way to do that is with a dynamic website.Websites have evolved from static sources of information to interactive communities but as Joseph Knecht, Managing Director of VipaSolutions, points out "many nonprofits struggle with their identity. What they need to realize," Joseph explains, "Is that they are a business and they need to sell themselves."
Non-profit organizations are increasingly adopting social networking tools to create a sense of community among members and donors. According to a recent poll by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, two-thirds of non-profits are using social media, and 39% of respondents said they feel these tools are important for reaching the greatest number of donors.
Last week Scott Koegler spoke with Tony Martignetti during a live broadcast of the Tony Martignetti Radio Show, about fundraising applications for smaller nonprofit organizations. You can listen to the segment, and find out about 4 applications that are aimed at smaller nonprofits, and are priced below $1,000.
