The time has come to get out our trusty crystal ball and predict three nonprofit trends for 2018. Some of you might be ahead of the curve on these. Some of you might be far behind. Consider this a call to action in your constant struggle to improve!
Personal checks ride off into the sunset. Fewer and fewer young people EVER write out physical checks. They want to pay for things with their credit cards and funds-transfer apps. These young people are the future of the world and your cause. We expect more and more nonprofits to meet these young donors on their own terms. Having a simple “DONATE NOW” button on your website, emails, and even social media is what they are looking for. Just as important, they should have the option of setting up automatic recurring payments. Do not miss out on online giving; it’s the way of the future, and increasingly the way of the present.
Storytelling and video. Donors, especially millennials, want to see how their money is put into action. That’s why an increasing number of nonprofits will develop video and other storytelling content that shows how the nonprofit’s money is spent. These videos and other content can be very moving and powerful, and can really bring your message and cause to life for people just getting familiar with your nonprofit, as well as your existing donors. People love to read and especially see stories. Tell them!
More implementation of CRMs. “Customer relationship management” platforms such as Salesforce are now essential for nonprofits to manage their donors, volunteers, email and phone communications, marketing programs and more. Expect more of your colleagues and competitors in the nonprofit world to continue moving away from unconnected, endless spreadsheets and Word documents to these sophisticated and powerful systems that tie everything up in a neat bow for you.