The report published by Fundraising Technology News (Progressive Media Group), focuses on how technology has allowed fundraising to operate through a myriad of channels.

2. Omni-­‐Channel
Fundraising:
mobile,
social
and
tablet
technologies
transform
how
we
raise
funds.
By
Peter
Zehren
Technology
is
forcing
fundraising
to
focus
on
simplicity,
but
it’s
complex.
Through
new
gadgets
on
our
phones,
social
media
(SM)
and
tablets
we
are
able
to
fundraise
in
a
myriad
of
more
efficient
ways.
All
of
them
require
us
to
focus
on
the
core
of
fundraising—building
relationships.
CEO
and
Founder
of
Bloomerang
Jay
Love
says,
“building
relationships
probably
goes
back
to
prehistoric
times;
certainly
Greeks
and
Romans
knew
the
ways
to
build
relationships,
which
is
the
essence
of
all
fundraising.”
When
building
relationships
on
SM,
Love
suggests
you
“find
the
most
vociferous,
most
outgoing
followers
and
let
them
ignite
the
army
for
you.”
Whether
you’re
igniting
an
army
of
followers
or
personalizing
emails,
social
technologies
help
us
build
stronger
relationships.
These
innovations
are
transforming
fundraising
into
an
Omni-­‐channel
effort,
going
beyond
multi-­‐channel
methods
and
offering
a
seamless
approach
to
the
donor
experience.
Blackbaud
Idea
Lab
Director
Steve
MacLaughlin
points
out,
“Multi-­‐channel
was
the
term
used
for
integrated
fundraising
for
years;
now
we’re
living
in
the
Omni-­‐channel
environment;
it’s
mobile,
it’s
social,
it’s
multiple
devices
all
at
the
same
time.”
“The
exciting
thing
now
is
there
are
lots
more
tools
for
fundraising
and
it’s
like
being
a
kid
with
new
bits
of
technology
to
play
with,”
according
to
CEO
of
Raising
IT
Tom
Latchford.
He
adds,
“There’s
lots
of
mainstream
methods
that
are
already
proven,
things
like
SM
monitoring,
tracking
news
articles
or
hashtags,
even
the
effectiveness
of
AdWords.”
Latchford
believes
creative
time
can
help
ferret
out
what
works
for
your
organization.
Nonprofits
should
fine
tune
use
of
these
first,
but
Latchford
reminds
us,
“There
are
lots
of
new
things
to
try
as
well.”
When
trying
new
technologies
AccuFund
CEO
Peter
Stam
cautions,
“Nonprofits
don’t
want
to
be
on
the
bleeding
edge,
but
they
should
be
looking
at
the
cutting
edge.”
His
latest,
hottest
item
streamlines
the
interface
between
Salesforce
and
their
Accounting
software;
and
it’s
on
their
public
appexchange
for
free.
Stam
suggests
tight
budgets
make
innovation
difficult,
“When
people
are
checking
every
penny
they
spend
on
administration
and
every
penny
on
fundraising
just
to
stay
below
a
certain
percent,
it’s
hard
to
take
risks.”
One
high-­‐tech
low-­‐risk
solution
is
using
a
tablet
to
take
donations
in
real
time
at
a
house
party.
Stam
says,
“One
of
our
clients,
Bead
for
Life,
has
bead
parties.
They
sell
beads
made
in
Africa
at
parties
throughout
the
United
States.
It’s
a
creative
extension
for
an
organization
to
have
interactivity
on
a
tablet
in
the
party
giver’s
living
room.”

3. While
nonprofits
struggle
to
find
ways
to
increase
revenue,
technology
is
putting
fundraising
in
the
hands
of
donors.
Tablet
flexibility,
instantaneous
giving
through
one-­‐click
programs,
crowdsourcing
software
and
peer-­‐to-­‐peer
campaigns
continue
to
make
raising
funds
more
accessible
to
everyone.
Passion
for
the
organization
and
the
ease
of
these
Omni-­‐channel
tools
is
creating
a
wave
of
social
actualization
in
the
nonprofit
sector.
Fundraising
platforms
like
Indiegogo,
Kickstarter
and
Crowdfunder
make
it
easy
for
donors
to
fundraise
through
their
networks.
“We’re
all
using
technology
to
make
fundraising
easier
and
more
impactful,”
according
to
nonprofit
SM
innovator
Beth
Kanter.
She
says,
“SM
is
about
using
your
passion
to
create
change
through
your
network."
She
adds,
donors
are
“not
standing
alone,
but
with
their
network
behind
them”
amplifying
the
impact.
Ben
Rattray,
Founder
and
CEO
of
Change.org,
agrees,
"SM
is
allowing
us
to
create
change
advocacy
on
a
greater
scale
with
more
efficacy."
Rattray
suggests
SM’s
role
as
a
fundraising
tool
should
“look
beyond
dollars
raised
to
fully
capture
benefits."
Those
benefits
include
a
powerful
ability
to
mobilize
and
engage
donors.
Save
the
Children
CEO
Carolyn
Miles
believes,
"SM
gives
power
to
people
to
fundraise
for
organizations
on
their
own,
in
their
own
way,
with
their
own
followers.
Donors
drive
it."
Donors
give
to
her
organization
through
gamification
(games
for
a
cause),
designing
t-­‐shirts
and
organizing
red
balloon
vigils.
Jonathan
Gibbs,
Vice
President
of
Products
at
Network
for
Good,
says
in
their
latest
report,
“The
most
surprising
finding
is
the
incredible
growth
of
peer-­‐to-­‐peer
fundraising.”
Gibbs
says
the
crowdsource
model
allows
people
to
“raise
money
for
any
charity
at
any
time
not
necessarily
associated
with
an
event,
just
associated
with
a
personal
interest
or
passion.”
Gibbs
reports
another
surprising
finding
“…is
how
instantaneous
giving
needs
to
be
in
order
for
people
of
a
younger
demographic
to
give.
People
want
a
one-­‐click
experience,
through
a
system
where
their
information
is
preloaded.”
He
adds
that
18%
of
online
donations
are
from
peer-­‐to-­‐peer
or
crowdsource
campaigns
with
websites
remaining
the
predominant
way
people
give.
Although
only
10%
of
all
charitable
giving
is
online
Gibb
says,
“That’s
trending
up
and
we’re
continuing
to
see
it
evolve.”
“Engaging
your
most
vocal
champions
to
fundraise
and
conduct
outreach
on
your
behalf
is
vital,”
according
to
Freeman
White,
CEO
and
Co-­‐Founder
of
Launcht,
a
crowdsourcing
platform.
His
data
shows
smart
phones
and
tablet
use
account
for
20%
of
all
crowdfunding
traffic.
Freeman
expects
“these
numbers
to
grow
as
changing
age
demographics,
advances
in
responsive
web
design
and
new
device
adoption
rates
all
continue
to
favor
browsing
and
donating
through
mobile
devices.”
Claire
Kerr,
Director
of
Digital
Philanthropy
at
Artez
Interactive,
identifies
“…three
pillars
of
peer-­‐to-­‐peer
mobile
giving:
browsers,
apps
and
SMS
(Short
Message
Service).
Over
48%
of
crowdsource
giving
traffic
is
via
phone.”
According
to
Give
by

4. Cell
Marketing
Manager
Katherine
Defensor,
“People
are
quickly
realizing
that
mobile
is
the
way
to
go,”
Defensor
says,
“The
trend
is
all
about
mobile—mobile
engagement,
mobile
fundraising,
mobile
bid
auction—even
though
old
methods
still
work,
organizations
are
finding
mobile
opens
new
donor
markets.”
While
SMS
platforms
make
mass
scale
fundraising
easy,
Defensor
admits
the
downsides:
small
donations
of
five-­‐to-­‐ten
dollars,
lag
in
collection
and
limited
data
gathering.
Similarly,
the
downsides
of
phone
apps
are
pushing
organizations
toward
responsive
programs.
Defensor
says,
“We
started
with
apps,
then
realized
it’s
really
expensive
to
do
changes,
so
we
made
it
easier…’’
shifting
to
a
web-­‐based
platform
that’s
“…more
adaptable
and
easily
customizable.”
Web-­‐based
programs
send
constituents
to
a
mobile
donation
webpage
allowing
larger
gifts
and
deeper
data
collection.
Defensor
cautions,
“keep
campaigns
simple
with
their
own
landing
page
instead
of
sending
people
through
a
distracting
website.”
SofterWare
Vice
President
of
Fundraising
Products
Jonathan
Biedermann
believes,
“Mobile
is
all
overkill.
Less
than
half
the
people
over
64
have
smart
phones,
and
that’s
your
average
donor.”
Ten
percent
of
all
donations
are
made
online,
and
less
than
10%
of
those
come
from
a
mobile
device,
either
phone
or
tablet.
Biedermann
points
out,
“Less
than
one
percent
of
all
giving
comes
through
mobile.”
Clearly
nonprofits
may
want
to
focus
some
attention
on
mobile
if
their
donors
are
younger.
However,
Biedermann
cautions,
“It’s
only
used
for
awareness,
if
you’re
trying
to
raise
money
with
mobile
you’re
looking
in
the
wrong
place.”
He
suggests
older
donors
give
via
traditional
methods,
“Direct
Mail
is
not
dead;
telephone
remains
effective
and
face-­‐to-­‐face
is
still
the
number
one
way
to
reach
donors.”
Biedermann
is
skeptical
of
social
fundraising,
“Compared
to
practically
everything
else
out
there
SM
has
the
lowest
return.”
He
admits
SM
can
help
with
prospect
research
and
identifying
influencers
who
have
large
networks
where
they
can
push
out
an
organization’s
message.
Donor
Perfect
software
can
grab
information
from
FB
and
twitter
feeds,
which
can
be
used
to
find
your
influencers.
Biedermann
says,
“They
may
not
give,
but
if
they’ve
got
1,000
friends,
that’s
valuable.”
Emily
Ledford,
Business
Development
Consultant
at
Donor
Drive
says
nonprofits
are
doing
everything
they
can
“…to
take
advantage
of
the
technology
and
social
platforms
available
to
raise
funds
and
awareness.”
Ledford
says,
“Donors
create
a
campaign
page
online
for
an
event
or
organization
using
twitter,
FaceBook
(FB),
Google
Plus,
LinkedIn
and
email.
They
send
it
to
friends,
family
and
co-­‐workers
with
the
expectation
that
re-­‐tweeting,
re-­‐FaceBooking,
commenting
will
grow
their
network
virally.”
Ledford
suggests
offering
template
pages
for
donors
to
customize.
Minimizing
effort
allows
them
to
“…get
to
fundraising,
rather
than
worry
about
page
creation.”

5. Ledford
says
accessibility
“…allows
constituents
to
use
the
fundraising
page
in
a
myriad
of
ways
and
pass
it
on
to
others”
through
this
Omni-­‐channel
environment.
Donor
Drive’s
robust
reporting
capability
focuses
on
identifying
how
much
constituents
are
raising,
where
it’s
coming
from
and
who’s
raising
it.
Ledford
says,
“With
an
open
API
(application
programming
interface),
Donor
Drive
is
destination-­‐
neutral
so
reports
integrate
with
databases
like
Salesforce
and
Raiser’s
Edge.”
A
2013
report
by
the
Nonprofit
Research
Collaborative
shows,
"SM
and
online
giving
still
raise
only
10%
from
all
the
tools
used,
but
that’s
growing,”
according
to
Melissa
Brown,
Principal
at
Melissa
Brown
and
Associates.
While
nonprofits
invest
in
SM,
fundraising
should
remain
focused
on
direct
response.
Brown
reports,
“51%
of
all
nonprofits
saw
an
increase
in
direct
mail
fundraising.
It’s
a
national
case
for
keeping
direct
mail.
It’s
not
just
doing
well,
its
doing
great
everywhere.”
As
far
as
SM
goes,
Telosa
COO
Christopher
Fink
says,
“It’s
something
we’re
still
figuring
out
and
there’s
a
lot
of
hype
around
it.”
Telosa,
like
many
software
products,
interfaces
with
SM
and
email
marketing
services
that
target
specific
technologies.
Fink
adds,
“There’s
still
plenty
of
direct
mail
depending
on
the
organization,
but
most
nonprofits
are
moving
into
less
expensive
email
marketing.”
When
tracking
donors
there’s
an
awareness
of
what
can
be
done
with
the
ever-­‐
increasing
amount
of
data.
Fink
cautions,
“Now
that
we
have
this
data,
we
have
to
know
what
to
do
with
it.”
Cloud-­‐based
programs
allow
for
increased
flexibility
in
analytics.
Finks
says,
“We
have
ways
of
interacting
with
information,
segmenting
lists
and
choosing
fields
from
several
screens
all
in
real
time.”
Mobile,
social
and
tablet
technologies
all
make
it
easier
for
the
fundraiser
in
the
field
to
connect
with
donors.
But
Fink
points
out,
“What
it
comes
down
to
is
building
relationships
with
donors.
SM
can
enhance
that
relationship.”
In
this
Omni-­‐channel
environment
donor
interaction
is
easier
for
nonprofits,
especially
when
it
comes
to
listening.
Director
of
Major
and
Planned
Gifts
at
St.
Agnes
Academy
Lisa
Chmiola
says,
“If
you’re
not
monitoring
what
people
say
about
you,
other
people
will.”
Technology
has
made
it
easy
for
even
a
small
office
to
monitor
the
web
using
keywords
and
search
programs.
Chmiola
believes,
“SM
needs
to
be
thought
of
as
a
tool
in
your
communications
arsenal
to
help
people
find
out
about
your
organization.”
In
her
review
of
fifteen
SM
tools,
Chmiola
stressed
nonprofits
should
sift
through
and
focus
on
tools
that
make
sense
for
them,
whether
it’s
monitoring
streams,
prospect
research
or
raising
awareness.
Clair
Kerr
from
Artez
Interactive
reports,
“approximately
ninety
percent
of
all
SM
referral
donations
come
from
FB.”
She
adds,
“Organizations
can
no
longer
ignore
FB’s
potential.”
Ritu
Sharma,
Co-­‐Founder
and
Executive
Director
of
Social
Media
for
Nonprofits,
says
it’s
important
to
have
a
SM
strategy.
For
FB,
Sharma
recommends,
“Post
once
a
day;

6. if
it’s
really
exciting,
twice.”
People
tend
to
be
on
certain
SM
after
working
hours
and
some
of
us
will
even
open
email
on
our
phone
or
tablet
while
watching
television.
Consider
the
best
time
to
reach
your
constituents,
then
schedule
posts
with
a
SM
management
tool
like
Hootsuite
or
TweetDeck.
With
all
the
technology
to
help
nonprofits
traverse
the
Omni-­‐channel
environment
it’s
even
more
important
to
have
something
memorable
and
engaging
to
say,
and
that
may
not
be
about
your
mission.
Darrien
Rodriguez
Heyman,
CDO
and
Cofounder
of
Better
World
Wireless,
suggests
nonprofits
use
SM
“to
promote
thought
leadership
in
the
field
not
just
send
out
content
about
their
work.
Content
should
focus
on
being
compelling,
concise
and
credible.”
Mobile,
social
and
tablet
technologies
are
making
fundraiser’s
work
easier
in
the
field
and
in
the
office
by
offering
access
to
reports
and
data
in
real
time.
But
they
also
open
an
Omni-­‐channel
environment
where
donors
are
raising
funds
and
spreading
the
message—giving
them
more
control
than
ever
before
and
transforming
the
fundraising
landscape.
Revised
BIO
PETER ZEHREN
Peter Zehren is a nonprofit executive who has worked in organizations across the sector
raising 27-million dollars for various causes. He has won awards for stories as a radio
News Director and has transitioned new technologies at every organization he’s worked
at for years. Currently he is working on several committees at the Association of
Fundraising Professionals of Southeastern Wisconsin and Community Shares of Greater
Milwaukee.
Peter’s career as a fundraiser in New York and Milwaukee includes a broad array of
areas from establishing partnerships with fortune 100 companies and venture capital
investors to working with street teams an on the air in public radio. In February of 2010,
Peter served as a US Delegate to India where he represented the nonprofit sector in an
exchange of fundraising methods and best practices.
Peter received his Executive Masters in Public Administration From Baruch College in
May of 2013.In addition to a degree in Mass Communications-Journalism, he completed
a certificate in philanthropy through NYU SCPS and an intensive MBA program through
the American Management Association.
He is listed in the 5th edition of Personalities of America from the American
Biographical Institute. He has performed on stage with a world renowned Symphony
Orchestra, danced at the Minnesota Star Ball and sung at Carnegie Hall.