mobilizing communities in a connected age funders edition
DESCRIPTION
The Mitchell Kapor Foundation and ZeroDividel share learnings from a recent report “Mobilizing Communities in a Connected Age.” Joined by staff from Color of Change and Netroots Nation, discover how philanthropic and nonprofit organizations are collaborating to use new technology tools to expand outreach, foster constituent loyalty, drive revenue, increase operational efficiencies, and spur innovation.TRANSCRIPT
Mobilizing Communities in a Connected Age:
Using New Tech Tools & Strategies for Impact
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Dial in to 866-740-1260, Access code: 7730388
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Motivation for this Project
How can nonprofits improve their use of new technology tools and strategies for social impact?
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Research Questions and Methodology
Research Questions:
• What are key characteristics, practices of successful orgs?
• What can funders do to better support nonprofits’ efforts?
Methodology:
• 16 nonprofit advocacy organizations – California, national– Grantees of Mitchell Kapor Foundation & ZeroDivide
• 2 non-grantees for benchmarks– Color of Change & CREDO Action
• Intensive interviews, reviewed websites, collateral material
• Full report at http://zerodivide.org/tech_advocacy
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Rubric for Evaluation
Emerging
Aspiring
Leading
Color of ChangeCREDO ActionElla Baker CenterGreen for AllNetroots NationVoto Latino
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I. What makes a Tech “Leading” organization?
Strategic use of technology across operational functions– Databases talk to one another– Tech integrated into business strategy– Organization embraces tech as a lever to improve org processes
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I. What makes a Tech “Leading” organization?
Strategic use of tech to engage different stakeholder groups, for development work, communications, and program
– Fosters a dialogue with different audiences– Segments constituents– Consistently uses analytics (A/B Testing)– At least one high-level Marketing/Communications expert on staff
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II. Success - It’s all about leadership
Nonprofit Leadership
Interest in technology
Understand tech as an “enabler”
Hire tech-savvy staff members
Single largest determinant = Leadership, not size or budget!
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Future Funding Projections
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How funders are investing in grantees’ tech use
• Technical assistance, trainings - one-offs, boot camp, weekly
• Operational functionality - website, CRM integration
• Program-related - funding social media component
• Cohort - tech capacity building, leadership dev, social media
• Staffing up - hiring online engagement director, etc.
• Innovation challenges - health monitoring app, asset building
• Gen Ops
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III. Recommendations to Funders
Pair fundingwith consulting
Fund tech forlong-term
Provide thoughtleadership
Fund tech for movementbuilding
Fund integratedCRM systems
Enable automatedperformanceevaluation
Build a communityof practice
Foster leadershipdevelopment
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GABRIEL REY-GOODLATTE & RAVEN BROOKS
Special Guests
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RAVEN BROOKSExecutive Director
Special Guest
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About Netroots Nation
• What is Netroots Nation?
• How is it different than many nonprofit organizations?
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Case Study: New Media at Netroots Nation
Quick usage examples with primary goal:– Mobile app - engage attendees– Video - engage non-attendees & potential supporters– Twitter - rapid response & assessment
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Learnings and recommendations
• Setting a strategy and goals is far more important than the tools and tactics
• Measurement and analytics
• The crucial role of leadership
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GABRIEL REY-GOODLATTECampaign Director
Special Guest
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Case Study: Breitbart / Huffington Post Campaign
• Pushed Huffington Post not to feature Breitbart’s column
• Traditional email petition campaign PLUS use of Twitter - took it to scale, beyond existing membership and signers
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Maximizing advantages of chosen tool’s functionality
Pass along – spread word, encouraged friends to sign Direct pressure on Huffington Post, in real time, didn’t
need to wait to deliver petitions Ability to quickly refine message - achieved swift victory
and changed suggested tweet to stop directing pressure at HuffPo, spread news of victory:
Victory! After 43k @ColorOfChange members speak out, @HuffingtonPost agrees not to run front-page @AndrewBreitbart http://wapo.st/gRGF9Q
Use of Twitter served several strategic purposes:
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Learnings: How we integrate social media
• Social media built into planning, execution of each campaign
• Each program staffer, not communications person, takes the lead on drafting social media content (across usual silos)
• Focus on unique properties and opps of social media tools vs. replicating old models using new tools
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Key take-aways
• Success is due to leadership fostering tech-fluent culture
• Tech integration across org: from ops to comms to program
• Systems to support day-to-day and seize opportunities: importance of planning and workflows
• Experimentation, analysis, re-implement
• Drive decisions based on org goals and strategies, not tools
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Conversation plus Questions and Answers
Unmute yourself via *7 and join the conversation!- Questions about the research and presentations?
- Do the findings sync with your experience?
- How are you investing in grantees’ tech use for impact?
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Thank you + Resources and Next Steps
Raven Brooks - @ravenb on Twitter
http://netrootsnation.org
Gabriel Rey-Goodlatte – [email protected]
http://colorofchange.org
ZeroDivide – [email protected], @FundingMedia
http://zerodivide.org/resources_1
The Mitchell Kapor Foundation
http://mkf.org
Mobilizing Communities in a Connected Age:
Using New Tech Tools & Strategies for Impact
Thursday, July 21, 2011