May 2012

Everyone's a Critic

By Kyle Andrei, May 29, 2012

I've talked before about YouTube's video editing abilities, which can come in handy for people who otherwise wouldn't have the tools to make changes to their videos, but for someone like me--with my own editing software, and some experience editing--they're sort of an afterthought. At least, they were until last week, when YouTube gave me a wake-up call. I was uploading a video for this blog when, out of the blue, a colorful bar popped up and alerted me that my video had bad lighting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even the machines are critics now. Flashbacks to film school in 3...2...(1).

"Would you like us to fix that?" it asked. Since this was a good learning opportunity, I clicked 'yes,' just to see how good of a job it might do.

 

 

I didn't even have to lift a finger. Could this mean I never have to reshoot footage again? Maybe.

YouTube did a pretty decent job, but it's certainly no replacement for shooting with proper lighting the first time. The colors are more vibrant, but it makes it look a little "Instagram-y."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This would certainly do the trick for a quick fix, though. And since smartphones still aren't the best cameras, especially when it comes to capturing color, this could help spice up a lot of amateur and nonprofit guerilla videos.

What do you think? Does YouTube get a "yay" or a "nay" here?

Understanding Total Cost of Ownership

By Chris Bernard, May 24, 2012

Elaina Buzzell is a consultant helping nonprofits best communicate their programs and missions. This post originally appeared on her site, www.elainabuzzell.com, and we're grateful for her permission to reprint it.

As budgets at nonprofits are always tight, the first question about a new project is usually “How much is this going to cost?” It’s a question that makes most consultants cringe, not just because the wrong answer can cause them to lose the project, but because deciding solely on cost doesn’t always lead to the best decisions. 

If you talk to your nonprofit colleagues, you may hear many stories of technology tools that were chosen for a low sticker price, but then cost much more overtime. They may be stuck with a tool that costs a great deal to maintain, that required large equipment purchases, or that has lots of extra charges for seemingly basic features.

Those situations demonstrate why it’s very important to look at the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). TCO includes the up-front purchase price, but also the associated costs that come up over the lifetime of the product, such as maintenance, support, hosting and equipment costs.

Even if you use volunteers to implement your tech project, TCO must still be a consideration. You will want to make sure that the volunteers implement your solution using tools that have low costs over time, and you need to be sure that you can find affordable support for the tool after they move on, as volunteers leave for many reasons. (Here are more tips for having a successful volunteer tech project.) 

How long should I plan on my technology tools lasting?

That varies a bit, but it’s generally recommended to budget for replacement costs every 3-5 years. Hardware will definitely be showing its age around that time, and you can predict that your website or database will be in need of significant upgrades then, if not a full replacement. As technology is constantly evolving, in 3-5 years you may want to upgrade to tools that have new and better features, even if there is still some life left in your old ones.

How do I get quotes for TCO?

As you get bids for your project, you will likely hear mostly about the up-front price. You may hear a bit about some of the long-term costs, but it’s rare to have a vendor include a full TCO. You’ll likely have to do a bit of math on your own to calculate this in a way that allows you to make an apples to apples comparison between the different bids that you receive.

Here are some tips and questions to ask to help you gather enough information to get an idea of TCO for your project:

1. Do some internal planning before going to consultants, vendors or volunteers. In another post, I outlined the key steps involved in planning for a tech project – make sure to read that if you haven’t already. Knowing your project goals and having a prioritized list of features will help you be sure to ask about the key items required for your project’s success.

2. Ask if there are any licensing or other fees. This is probably the most obvious question when calculating TCO, and it’s a very important one. Make sure to ask for the amount of these fees and their frequency.

3. Ask about all of the features your team has identified and if any of them have their own long-term costs. Certain tools have monthly or annual fees for certain features, like providing a connection between your website and database. With other tools, the cost of developing those features may be included in your project quote.

4. Will this solution be cloud-based or on-premise? Both options can have can long-term additional costs. I won’t go into the pros and cons of using cloud-based vs on-premise solutions here – I just want to point out that both options can have associated costs. Cloud-based programs often have hosting fees, and on-premise solutions will often require significant hardware purchases or network upgrades. If a solution requires new hardware, you will need to budget for both the purchase and the long-term costs of maintaining that equipment.

4. Ask specifically about these project components. These are important for success, but they are also commonly left out of quotes or are listed as optional items. Check on these with all of your consultants/vendors, so that you can make a valid comparison between your bids.

  • Data Migration: This means bringing your existing data/content from your old system into the new.
  • Training: Different consultants/vendors provide different training options, so it’s good to ask how much and what kind is included to help with your comparison.
  • Ongoing maintenance and support: Check in both for the costs of end-user support (when you call with questions or needing help) and regular maintenance (things like running software upgrades).
  • Documentation: It’s important to have an owners manual for your staff to reference between trainings, so make sure to get the cost of this if it’s not included. Make sure that this documentation covers any custom features or set-up.

By calculating TCO, you will be sure that you are making good decisions not just for this budget year, but for years to come.

Has your nonprofit gotten stuck by hidden, long-term costs after a technology project closed? Has calculating TCO helped you make a good choice in past projects? What else might you recommend that nonprofits consider when calculating project cost? Join the conversation in the comments by answering these questions or asking others of your own.

Who Tweets For You?

By Andrea Berry, May 21, 2012

Yesterday I received a seemingly simple question about Twitter handles from a member of our community--should an organization have a handle that directly represents the organization, or should staff tweet as themselves? As I thought about my response, it dawned on me how tricky an issue this can be. Really, it all comes down to your goals...

Carol's Question:
I have a question about social media, especially Twitter. Is it better to have key company executives tweet on behalf of the organization? One of our execs wants their own Twitter handle to do her own tweeting, so it more easily shows her as the author, but she’d be talking all about things she does on our company’s behalf. What’s the best way to do that? 

My Answer:
Unfortunately, I think there is no single right answer to this issue. A number of big marketing blogs suggest that having a person represent the organization on Twitter is the best way to go, that it humanizes the organization in an important way (see: http://www.businessesgrow.com/2011/01/17/your-companys-single-biggest-mistake-on-twitter/). However, many of these experts are speaking to businesses that need to put an emphasis on humanization and personality, like GE, and that may or may not be necessary for your organization. The right path for your organization is going to depend on your branding goals with Twitter. 

Here are some scenarios to consider:
  • Branding a single individual as an expert in a certain area (without caring if there is an immediate connection to your org)- In this case, consider giving that individual a Twitter handle using whatever name best identifies them. Vicki Phillips of the Gates Foundation is a great example here. Her handle is @drvikip, reminding us that she is a doctor and therefore has educational clout in her area of expertise, with the Gates Foundation only mentioned in her bio. As she tweets for the Gates Foundation, which doesn’t really need any help with credibility building or name recognition from the organizational side, they don’t need to also brand the handle.  

    Pro: real person feel. Con: little connection with organization.

  • Branding a single individual as an expert in a certain area (but you also care that there is an immediate connection to your org)- In this case,  get that person a handle that references both them and the organization. Consider using a real photo of the person instead of a logo, and reference the connection in the bio as well as the handle. Connecting the person to the organization can have benefits both ways. It helps connect the person to the brand of the organization, giving the person additional authority based on your organization’s reputation. Connecting the organization to the person allows the organization to directly and publically benefit from the good things that the person says, building reputation and showing the caliber and personality of their staff. Katya Andresen from Network for Good does this well as @KatyaN4G.  

    Pro: real person with organizational connection. Con: just one personality, what if there are more people? What if that person leaves?

  • Branding the organization as an authority- In this case, if you don’t already have a Twitter mogul tweeting on your behalf, you’d likely want to tweet as your organization. Many organizations go this route and as long as they maintain some personality in their tweets instead of acting like a spambot then they can still connect with people in a meaningful way. This is what we do at Idealware. Both myself and Laura Quinn tweet as @Idealware. In all honesty, we don’t have the time to tweet under multiple handles, so opted for the joint account instead of separate names. Our goal is NOT to form truly meaningful relationships with people, but rather to brand Idealware as a resource for essential tech news, and so the person to person feel you might get with an individually named account (for Laura, for example) doesn’t get us much.

    Pro: clear organizational branding allowing for multiple managers. Con: loss of personal feel. 

  • Branding the community around the organization- In this case, you might want multiple people tweeting as themselves, but clearly representing the organization (and maybe even an account for the organization as itself in addition). NTEN is a great example here. They have an organizational handle, @NTENorg, that tweets out general info from the organization. Additionally, each of their staff has a personal Twitter handle that is associated with the organization to a varying degree- Holly Ross, their Executive Director, tweets as @ntenhross, while Amy Sample Ward, who had already built a Twitter following before coming to NTEN, tweets as @amyrsward, with only a mention of her affiliation in her bio.

    Pro: you get the best of all worlds. Con: it is a lot of work!

It may be that no single one of these scenarios is right for your organization. Do feel free to mix and match in the way that makes the most sense (while still being doable). TechSoup Canada does a nice job here. They are a small but growing organization that is trying to build its reputation and presence in Canada, leveraging the reputation of its parent company. In that case, they see clear value in having an organizational account that allows them to seem a bit bigger than they actually are (or were when they started Tweeting) and directly reference the name TechSoup. They are also trying to brand their Community Manager, Tierney Smith, as a social media resource and build her reputation in the tech community. To do that, they created an account specifically for her (@tierneys). Often the accounts tweet the same thing, but at other times the individual personality of the accounts will come out in the way a point is presented or the content of a tweet. 
 
While there are many different ways you can approach this issue, just know that whatever you choose will be OK. As long as you work on sharing valuable information, respond when people talk to you, and be a committed part of the community, whether the organization tweets as itself or as an individual will have only a small impact on how you are perceived. 
 

 

New Article: Keeping Your Data Safe in the Cloud

By Chris Bernard, May 18, 2012

Industry buzz seems to come in waves, doesn't it? Some days all you hear about is social media--and today, the day of Facebook's much-talked about IPO, you'd think that would be the case. But at Idealware, we're talking about the cloud. 

Last month we helped our friends at NTEN with a report on the State of the Nonprofit Cloud. As part of our continuing research, we're wrapping up a followup report about organizations using the cloud for infrastructure. And we're moving ahead with research into moving back office functions to the cloud.   

So it seems appropriate to share a new article with you today about keeping your data safe in the cloud. 

"Many organizations question the security of information kept in the cloud. The internet can be a dangerous place for data, but no more so than your own computer, where your data faces many of the same threats—in fact, a good cloud storage vendor is likely to protect your data better than you’d reasonably be able to do on your own. With a little planning, it’s possible to take advantage of the benefits offered by the cloud while making sure your organization’s data is as safe as is practically possible."

It ran in a different version in the March 1 issue of The NonProfit Times, You can read that version here.   

How is your organization using the cloud? Let us know in the comments...

 

It's Not Just What You Say, But How You Say It

By Kyle Andrei, May 17, 2012

With the rise of YouTube, affordable video editing software and improved smartphone video quality, more nonprofits are using video to tell their stories or spread awareness of their causes. 

For many organizations, a powerful and effective video means an emotional appeal that reaches out to viewers' empathy to encourage donations, awareness or other forms of support. Triggering the right emotions in viewers can help them connect with your issue on a more personal level. One of the most effective ways to trigger an emotional response in a video is through music.
 

In this video from Heal the Bay, the music helps drive home the message and connects the viewer to the plight of the seagull caught in the plastic bag. It also helps reinforce the caption--"everything man does affects nature"--in a a negative sense. The music choice helps keep the message of this video simple and direct. They don't have to explain anything else beyond that one sentence, because the emotional impact fills in the gap.
 
You have to pay close attention to the music you choose, however. The wrong tempo, the wrong tone, even the wrong associations can drastically alter the message you're trying to send. What if we changed the music in this video, to something less serious?
 

 
Now the video tells a completely different story. Instead of feeling empathy for the poor seagull, we've turned its plight into an object of ridicule. It's good for a cheap laugh--but we've lost the message we were trying to convey.
 
Heal the Bay does great work bringing attention to ocean pollution, and just launched a mobile device app for their Beach Report Card, which lets users access the latest water quality grades for more than 500 beaches on the Pacific Coast. 
 
Feel free to share other examples of nonprofit videos in the comments. We'd love to see what you're doing out there.

 

Is Facebook Good for Fundraising?

By Anonymous, May 10, 2012

We read this blog post when it was originally published on FrogLoop recently, and reached out to its author--John Haydon, a friend of Idealware--to ask permission to republish it here. John is the founder of Inbound Zombie, a social media strategy firm in Cambridge, MA, and a great source of information in this area. You can read his blog here.

Is Facebook good for fundraising?The answer really depends on how you define "fundraising." I recently had the pleasure of being a guest on Tony Martignetti's NonProfit podcast. The topic of this particular podcast was how nonprofits can best use Facebook. One thing Tony and I talked about was the difference between fundraising with Facebook and collecting donations with Facebook and how understanding the difference is absolutely critical.

Facebook stinks for collecting donations

Razoo recently published research showing that 33% of online donations come from e-mail appeals, while only 7% come from Facebook. Shocking, I know. However, it would be a mistake to conclude that Facebook is a waste of time.

Facebook is awesome for fundraising

Making a value judgment on Facebook based only on donations received completely overlooks the inherent value that Facebook offers.

Facebook creates awareness for your campaign

When was the last time you actually forwarded an e-mail appeal to a few friends? Exactly. Facebook's strength is in the reach that's created as users talk about your campaign. Your fundraising strategy should include ways to get people to converse about the cause. The more they talk about it, the more their friends become aware of your fundraising campaign.

Facebook helps begin relationships with donors

So let's say that one of your current Facebook fans makes a few comments on your page, and one of their friends becomes interested in that conversation. They click over to your page, add their own comments, and become a new fan. You just acquired a future potential donor! And although they probably won't donate to your cause any time soon, they might in the future.

Facebook helps nurture relationships with donors

To continue with our example, let's say that that new fan continues to comment and like your page updates. At some point, they might join an e-mail list as an expression of a deepening commitment to your organization. And then through email messaging, they might eventually donate for the first time.

Facebook allows core suporters to share your campaign

If you done a few fundraising campaigns for your nonprofit, you've no doubt realized that most of your donations come from a small group of core supporters that donate again and again. And hopefully you have a peer-to-peer fundraising strategy where these cultists can support an event and make appeals to their friends and family members. And guess where they go first to share their fundraising page?

Facebook helps trend your campaign

The average Facebook user has 130 friends. And many of these friends know each other. They went to high school together. They work together. There are blood relations - birds with the same kind of feathers. A powerful strategy for fundraising is to trend mentions of the campaign with in a small window of time. Kinda like what Give To The Max did. This works because it creates a buzz within flocks. You see your friend Jane talking about the campaign. Then you see Joe talking about the same campaign. And then Andy. Eventually you will ask yourself, "What the heck is this campaign?!"

Facebook helps you report outcomes

Research has shown that donors are more likely to continue to donate if the nonprofit reports outcomes. They donated to create change in the first place, right? One of the best things you can do with your Facebook Page is to consistently report outcomes. But don't wait for the big outcome, like ‚ÄúWe found homes for 1000 cats this year". Report the small steps: "Scruffy now has a new family".

Facebook helps you stay in touch

One of the biggest mistakes that nonprofits make on Facebook is that they neglect their Facebook page after the campaign is over. This hurts everyone. Don't do it. Create a content strategy that includes a calendar for the entire year - or at least the next three months.

Facebook helps you collect donations

Finally, Facebook can in fact help you collect donations. You can add a custom tab your page that highlights your campaign and directs people to your fundraising page on your website. It's best if you can create a unique landing page specifically for Facebook so that you can easily measure how Facebook fans convert.

A handshake is not the best tool to collect money

So yes, you can collect donations through Facebook. But again, Facebook's strength lies in expanding awareness around your cause, and deepening relationships with supporters. Just like a handshake is not the best tool to collect money. What do you think?

 

 

Best of the Web

By Chris Bernard, May 8, 2012

In response to a few requests we received on Twitter, we're reposting our May 2012 Best of the Web email here. The Best of the Web brings you the best resources that we've posted to the Idealware blog, Facebook page and Twitter feed to help you choose software for your nonprofit. You can sign up for the Best of the Web and our monthly eNews on the main page of our website.

How to Use Your Computer to Draw (Idealware)
Illustrator Joe Rosshirt gives a quick lesson on using a computer to draw images and illustrations that can be used to add color and personality to your organization’s website, blog, Facebook page and print communications. 

10 Awesome Free Tools for Infographics (MakeUseOf)
The folks at MakeUseOf offer a list of tools and tips for creating infographics, an effective and increasingly popular way to share information. 

We’re All Snowflakes: Knowing When to be Unique (Idealware)
Andrea Berry ponders the idea of uniqueness, and when an organization can benefit from taking stock of the attributes that makes it more like others instead.

Email Service Provider Comparison (Groundwire)
Groundwire updated their report with information about the different broadcast email tools available to you, providing a baseline of information on email service providers they feel represent the "best of breed" for most nonprofit organizations from the very small to the very large.

Software to Curate Resources (Idealware)
Laura Quinn shares a few thoughts about software tools to curate resources for your different communications channels.

2012 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study (M+R Strategic Services/NTEN)
Did you know that, on average, for every 1,000 email subscribers, nonprofits have 103 Facebook fans, 29 Twitter followers and 12 mobile subscribers? Find out more of the latest and greatest information about online messaging, fundraising and advocacy metrics for nonprofits free with registration in this informative report.

What If Somebody Says Something Bad About Me on Facebook? (Idealware)
Someone writes something mean, vulgar, or unpleasant on your organization’s Facebook page. How you handle it matters. Andrea Berry has the answer.

Legal Risks in Social Media Use for Nonprofits (Law For Change)
Law for Change provides tips for avoiding the many potential legal traps your organization may face when communicating in the online world. 

How To Make a Forecast When You Feel Like You’re Being Asked to Take a Guess: Sensitivity Analysis (Idealware)
Numbers guy Henry Quinn provides a template for making a sensitivity analysis, a method for making maximum use of the things you do know while still allowing for one or more degrees of uncertainty—all without forcing you to commit to an unfounded guess.

 

The DIY Donor Management Software Selection Process

By Andrea Berry, May 7, 2012

I've recently been doing a number of small "micro-consulting" call-in sessions with nonprofits looking to switch Donor Management Systems. At the conclusion of each call, I walk participants through a process for taking the conversation we just had to a more detailed level, arming them with a sort of DIY software selection roadmap. This step-by-step process can be hugely helpful in taking what seems to be a completely overwhelming process and sectioning it off into achievable, time-bound chunks.

So here it is, the Idealware DIY Donor Management Software Selection Process:

 1. Figure out if you really need a new system.

Is it a problem with:
• Training.
• Support.
• Understanding.
Or is it really:
• Too Weak/Robust.
• Too Expensive.
• Out Of Date.
• No Longer Supported.
 
 
2. Identify a Team of Stakeholders.
• Make sure everyone who will use or be affected by the system is represented.
 
3. Understand your current processes.
• Make a detailed list of fundraising processes. Then, standardize them.
• Use best practices. Eliminate redundancies before you invest.
 
4. Prioritize a Features Wish List.
• What does the software have to be able to do? What’s nice to have? I recommend creating a three tiered list: 
a. What do you need or else the system is useless?
b. What would be nice to have but isn’t a deal breaker.
c. What would you want if money was no option?
 
5. Do Your Research.
• Make a shortlist of 3 or 4 viable systems.
•       Check out the Consumer’s Guide to Low-Cost Donor Management Systems to help you choose.  
 
6. Schedule vendor demonstrations
• Use real examples to see how each system will work for your needs.
•       See our blog post, Six Tips for Navigating the Vendor Demo.
 
7. Rank the systems against your wish list.
 
8. And choose the right one for you!
 
 
Some additional articles that might be helpful:
And a general article about mistakes in choosing software, 10 Common Mistakes in Selecting Donor Databases.
 

 

New Article Launch: Constituent Relationship Management Systems

By Chris Bernard, May 4, 2012

We're between reports at Idealware. Last month we released our Nonprofit Social Media Policy Workbook and our 2012 Field Guide to Software for Nonprofits. Next week Laura will join our friends at MAP for Nonprofits in Minneapolis/St. Paul for the official launch party for our Unleashing Innovation: Using Everyday Technology to Improve Nonprofit Services, and at Idealware Global Headquarters, we're heads down on upcoming releases, including our updated Consumers Guide to Content Management Systems, a cloud infrastructure for NTEN, and a few other large-scale ongoing projects.

But that doesn't mean we have nothing new to share with you. We've got a number of articles that we'll be posting to our site each week for the next few months, which we began a couple weeks ago. Today's release is Laura's article, 10 Things to Consider in a CRM, originally published in The NonProfit Times. You can find it here.

If you're looking for other resources, be sure to check our upcoming trainings and seminars.

Looking for something else? Leave us a note in the comments. 

Thanks again for your interest in Idealware and all you do for the nonprofit sector.

 

cb 

AskIdealware: How Do I Draw On A Computer?

By Chris Bernard, May 2, 2012

Hand-drawn images can add color and personality to your organization's website, blog and Facebook page, but how can you make them on a computer? In this AskIdealware video, our graphic design intern and resident illustrator Joe Rosshirt explains his process for making illustrations on the computer. 

 

 

Got a question to Ask Idealware? Leave it in the comments and maybe we'll answer it in a video...