How to create meaningful constituent relationships

December 3, 2013

Presents

The Connected Cause is a place for experts in the nonprofit online space to share perspective, offer guidance and promote best practices for using today’s technology

effectively. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive source of collaborative thought leadership for the nonprofit industry.

TheConnectedCause.com @TheConnectCause TheConnectedCause

Today’s Experts

Jenn SmithVice President, Digital

Agency

For 17 years Heller Consulting has focused exclusively on building technical and strategic solutions for nonprofits to connect their systems,

team, and community.

TeamHeller.com

With 40 years nonprofit technology experience, the 2DIALOG solution

holistically supports the multichannel needs of nonprofit organizations to help

improve the fundraising experience.

2Dialog.com

Chris GoodmanSVP, Strategic Planning and

Marketing

About Heller Consulting & our expertise

Connecting your systems

• CRM planning and software selection

• Systems Implementation• Optimizing your

current software

Connecting your team

• Bringing people and process together

• Change management solutions• Team configuration and training

Connecting your community

• Social Media strategy• Building online communities• Activating supporters

17 Years Experience, 900 Clients, 1,800 projectsSan Francisco, Chicago, Austin, New York, Boston

20+ Salesforce.com-certified, 6+ PMP Certified StaffExclusively Serving Nonprofits | TeamHeller.com

Let’s talk a little about great relationships…

Make a great first impression

Be a good listener

Keep in touch

Tell the truth

Exchange great stories

Ask for help and return the favor

What gets in the way of creating great relationships?

Internal Resources External Technology

It’s time to change our approach.

Isolated approach

• Siloed Systems

• Same constituents in different systems

• Miscommunication, missed opportunity, poor relationships

A better approach

• Step back from data and systems

• Put your Constituents at the center

• How do we want to relate to our constituents and staff?

• How do we want them to relate to us?

• How can we do more together?

The ideal approach

• Interactions and initiatives are guided by an overall strategy

• Systems are aligned,

one record per constituent

• Each effort within the strategy is related to and influenced by the other parts

OnlineEngagement

DonorMission

Getting to the ideal approach

Define goals

PlanGet buy-in

Match tech & resources to goals

Define Goals

Internal Relationship (outward)

Know your benchmarks Understand how reaching your goals serves your constituents

Define your KPI’s Know how you’ll continue to engage and build a relationship after a goal is met

Understand how to measure against those KPI’s

Articulate less measurable, but relationship-centered goals

Think beyond obvious goals (10,000 new fans on Facebook)! Ask why.

Make a plan

Internal Relationship (outward)

What steps do you need to take internally to be successful?

How frequently will you engage with your constituents? On what channels?

Identify your obstacles and how you can address them.

What value will you offer to your constituents? How will you help them?

Think all the way to the end: What happens when you are successful?

Know specifically how to ask them for help, input, etc.

Once you’ve gathered data, what will you do with it, how will it change your approach?

Understand how your organization can leverage data to better build these relationships.

Get buy-in

Internal Relationship (outward)

Make sure everyone is on-board with goals and plan.

Solicit feedback and opinions – even for something “beta”.

Establish and set realistic expectations for success.

Communicate your vision and goals and how to be involved.

Openly communicate with leadership and staff the vision, goals and plan. Accept feedback.

Listen! But don’t get too distracted by what people say they want.

KIT Forever! Keep communication open through all phases of the work – not just beginning and end.

Match tech & resources to goal

Internal Relationship (outward)

A strong CRM makes it all easier; know specifically what you want/need to get out of your data to reach your goals.

Know where your constituents already are and communicate via chosen methods/channels

Worth repeating: Work towards integrated data to avoid silos.

Keep it personal – find the tools that will allow you the most flexibility/efficiency in terms of connecting with your constituents

Determine how new solutions can help with goals, not now to just implement new solutions

Understand how goals can be achieved with technology vs. content, marketing or communications

You don’t have to be everywhere or do everything – choose, and make your choices based on data

Allow resources to shift as your constituents change

Execute/ Test

Evaluate

Revise

Repeat!

Plan

Follow this cycle to keep building great relationships

Preview of Tomorrow’s Presentation

Tomorrow – Tools and Technology

• Components of integrated solutions that support relationship-focused strategies– CRM– Ecommunications– Integrated Payment Gateways– Peer-to-peer fundraising– Advocacy– Events– Dynamic Content– Reference code tracking and analytics– Segmentation

Questions

Further Reading• The Connected Cause has several whitepapers available

that cover the topics of CRM and Software Solutions written by Heller Consulting and Idealware.org

Heller ConsultingIntegrated Suites

For Nonprofits

Heller ConsultingThe New World of Donor Management Apps for Nonprofits

Heller ConsultingInsights into CRM

for Nonprofits

Idealware.orgA Consumers Guide

to Donor Management Systems

Tomorrow – Tools and Technology

**REMINDER**

Tomorrow at noon (central time) Chris Goodman of 2DIALOG will review integrated technology solutions that will best support your relationship-focused strategies.

TheConnectedCause.com@TheConnectCause TheConnectedCause

Host: Bryan Giese - info@theConnectedCause.com

Jenn Smithjsmith@TeamHeller.com

Chris Goodmancgoodman@2DIALOG.com