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Supporter engagement in the age of Black Lives Matter

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder in May 2020, people across America flooded civil rights nonprofits with first-time donations. This money and support has created fresh momentum in the long fight for racial equity. However, if organizations don’t adapt their infrastructure and systems to fully engage new supporters, this influx of resources may fail

Analytics & Optimization

Turning your data into actionable insights

Rick Richards | 4 minute read

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of data your organization has at its disposal—particularly for online communications and engagement? Technology has made it easier than ever to connect with our supporters. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to sift through the mountains of data that these digital platforms generate, and find the

Strategy & Governance

Why you need a marketing CTO

Nate Parsons | 4 minute read

Your mission-driven organization hires fundraising experts, communications professionals, and event planners to engage your audiences. In addition, your nonprofit may enlist executives, content specialists, academic experts, and others to communicate directly with supporters. All of these people work tirelessly to achieve your nonprofit’s mission. But are they using your systems and technology as effectively as

Audience Engagement & Acquisition

Why your organization needs a contact model

Adam Good | 4 minute read

Whether you’re communicating with members, donors or volunteers, your outreach will always be richer and more effective if you have a thorough understanding of the needs and interests of your supporters. Many teams attempt this by creating personas – fictional characters, developed through user research, who represent and humanize their most important audience segments. As

Strategy & Governance

Four New Year’s resolutions for nonprofits in 2021

Tony Kopetchny | 9 minute read

As 2020 draws to a close, the nonprofit sector continues to face economic and social challenges—ones that won’t immediately recede when the clock strikes midnight on our tumultuous year. The need for innovative solutions persists. And there’s no better time than the turning of a calendar year to think creatively and strategically about how our

Strategy & Governance

Where is the upstream starting point for digital transformation?

Tony Kopetchny | 5 minute read

The need for digital transformation in the mission-driven sector is not new. Yet with the onslaught of changes caused by the pandemic, it heartens me that digital transformation is finally being recognized as an operational imperative by nonprofit executives. Any talk on this topic centers around the idea of “integration.” What this means is that

Strategy & Governance

Overcoming change fatigue in the mission-driven sector

Tony Kopetchny | 8 minute read

In the course of my job I have the luck of talking extensively with communications and fundraising experts about nonprofit technology and digital transformation. Even before the global pandemic, this meant I heard lots of chatter about “change fatigue”—the constant upheaval that folks in our sector experience in adapting to ever-changing systems. At one point

Strategy & Governance

Zoom fatigue and meeting culture

Tony Kopetchny | 5 minute read

“Zoom fatigue” is now a trending topic—just as a culture of endless work meetings was trending before the pandemic. I sympathize and relate, and appreciate the studies about which parts of the online meeting experience are wearing us out. Who knew staring at ourselves for so long would have such a draining effect—Adonis would be

Change Management

Six Tips for Leading Effective Digital Innovation Projects

Nate Parsons | 5 minute read

If you are leading any digital transformation effort – from a “simple” website redesign, to a much bigger reimagining of business operations – you are inevitably leading a change management initiative. The case for such a transformation is likely clearer than ever, given the rapid shifts propelled by the pandemic and other recent events. Yet

Analytics & Optimization

Data for impact: How our emerging data scientists are spending their summers

Stefan Byrd-Krueger | 3 minute read

Insights from Data Strategy Mentorship program participants In June, ParsonsTKO and TechSoup launched the inaugural Data Strategy Mentorship (DSM) program. Since then, a diverse collection of 20+ students and recent graduates have been gathering daily via Zoom to learn how they can use data for good. Participants are embarking on a range of data projects,