Sara Spivey

Integrated Marketing for Nonprofits

Convio and eleven other organizations recently joined forces to create the first-ever Integrated Marketing Advisory Board (IMAB) for the nonprofit sector. Organizations participating in IMAB with Convio are: Amergent; Avalon Consulting Group; Barton Cotton; CDR Fundraising Group; Donordigital; Grizzard Communications; hjc; Merkle; Russ Reid; SCA Direct; THD.  Now, you may look at that list and say, “Wow, don’t they all compete?” and the answer would be, “Yes, we do”.  But that’s the beauty of this group—we are leaving that at the door and really working together to try and advance what ALL of us feel is a critical factor for success for our nonprofit clients.  And we recognize that the sum of our knowledge is far more powerful than each of us as individual organizations.

As IMAB Chairman Michael Johnston of hjc says, “Integrated marketing is quickly emerging as an essential approach to constituent engagement for nonprofits. With the advent of social media and mobile technologies, more and more donors, volunteers and advocates are using multiple channels to interact with the nonprofits they support. It’s critical for nonprofits to understand those different channels, the relationships across those channels and to engage with their supporters across multiple channels.”

Convio’s recent survey, Integrated Multi-Channel Marketing, supports Michael’s statement. In the survey we found that organization size and integrated marketing sophistication do not correlate, and that leadership focus, the right metrics, processes and technology are essential to success.   

A main component of IMAB is our blog. There my fellow board members and I aim to foster discussion and dialogue across the sector, and provide insights into integrated marketing and outline the tools and channels to get the job done. At the end of the day, we want it to be the go-to resource on integrated marketing for the nonprofit sector.

My first IMAB blog post is the tale of two retailers: one that can’t remember that my husband and I have different last names and one that can. You guess which one my Visa bill is more loyal to. The lesson, as I state in my post, is: “a commitment to building an integrated marketing experience and really understanding your buyers or donors is the best investment you can make in long term marketing return and customer loyalty.”

Read more and start sharing your ideas about integrated marketing by visiting the IMAB blog.

Wired for Philanthropy

I don’t know how many of you are old enough to remember Steve Martin in the movie “The Jerk” but there is a really funny scene where he explodes into exuberant jubilation when he realizes his name has “made” the phone book—he dances around and says, “The new phone book is here, I’m somebody now!”. I kind of get that same feeling when we publish the most generous cities list every year. I wait impatiently like a kid on Christmas to see who’s coming out on top.

This year’s winner, Seattle, has a long tradition on our list, but never in the pole position. Ironically, as I was flying earlier this month there was a big article in the Airline magazine about the “philanthropy web” in Seattle—mostly rooted in , yes, you guessed it, former (and a few current) Microsoft employees. So what makes Seattle (and neighboring Bellevue at #9) our big winner?

Well, it isn’t more philanthropic in general. The Washington DC metro area far outpaces them in terms of overall philanthropy (online and otherwise). Salt Lake City, UT outpaces every other city in America with a whopping 68% of households that give.

So what is Seattle’s secret?

It’s one of the most wired cities in America.  And although it fell from its 2009 #1 Wired position to #3 in 2010, it still ranks #1 in two of three categories:

1. It has the highest percentage of homes that are accessing the internet via high speed broadband at 4%
2. It has the highest number of broadband service providers at 13 (apparently they like choice in their broadband providers in Seattle)

In the final category, highest number of wi-fi spots per capita, Seattle ranks 3rd at 7 per person. After losing its #1 ranking in 2009, I am sure they are throwing up new Starbucks locations like crazy.  In order to catch Atlanta in this ranking, they will need to get to 16 wi-fi hot spots per person.  That’s a lot of Starbucks.

While our ranking doesn’t exactly map to America’s Most Wired Cities, there is definitely correlation.  The Washington DC metro area makes both rankings with DC, Alexandria and Arlington on our list, as does the San Francisco Bay Area with Berkeley and San Francisco, also both on our list. These communities may not give more in total, but they definitely give more on line.  Perhaps it’s their “wired” nature?  I suspect these same places also pay more bills online and buy more goods and services over the internet, but I haven’t seen those statistics.

Can’t quite figure out how St. Louis, Missouri snuck in there, but I’ll have to ask Gene Austin, our CEO who hails from there.  I am sure he has a theory on that. 

Best Blogs of 2011

Well, it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for…our choice for the best Connection Cafe blog posts of 2011.

I wish I could connect them all with some pithy common thread, but alas, the word “eclectic” is the first thing that springs to mind. After all, the common thread between baseball and Google Analytics is so obvious, right? But it occurs to me that the common thread is how varied and diverse the world of nonprofit success really is — to do it well you have to do a whole lot of things right, a whole lot of the time. So, for those of you that achieved it in 2011, congratulations! And to those of you still striving for that Holy Grail, keep tuned to this station because Convio will be back in January with tips, techniques, ideas and the occasional cyber musings (those would be from me) to keep you on the right path to achieving success in 2012. Happy New Year from all of us at Convio!!

1. 50 Social Media Content Ideas – keep your nonprofit’s social media presence alive and healthy all year long
2. Baseball: A Metaphor for Everything – time for your organization to start thinking differently.
3. CRM Glossary – six essential terms you need to know to dive in and get your hands dirty with CRM.
4. Fun Friday Facts – three facts about the social media revolution that will knock your socks off.
5. Google Analytics for Nonprofits – tips on using Google Analytics to gain more insight into your online marketing.

This post originally appeared in the Convio Connection newsletter. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.

Being Smart, Not Selling Out

I recently spoke at the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Leadership Academy. My topic was “Why VENDOR is no longer a dirty word: How to Make the Most out of Vendor and Corporate Sponsorships.”  It seemed odd to me that something that is second nature to me as a marketer is foreign to many nonprofits.  For some reason, befriending a vendor or a corporation is “selling out” the cause in the name of the almighty buck.  Maybe the reason it feels like “selling out” is because the only relationship you have with them is a one-time hit at your annual gala. You have to start thinking about this differently. So, here is a nutshell is what I said in my session—reprinted here for free!

First of all, get your head wrapped around the difference between a “sponsor buyer” and an “institutional investor.” A buyer seeks to acquire something for limited use or a single purpose. An investor seeks to maximize return over the long haul and is open to exploring any number of vectors to achieve those long term dividends. Sponsors want a benefit. Investors and/or partners want a business solution. There is a HUGE difference.

Partners are searching for solutions that change attitudes and behaviors about their brand. I don’t care if you put my logo on the program or on a pen (sponsor). I do care that somebody feels good about my brand in helping your organization accomplish something, like asking me to subsidize scholarships to attend your annual conference (investor). I also care if you can provide a compelling “lift” to my marketing efforts—be an extension of my marketing team.  Prove to me that the investment I make in you is a better investment than other options I might have in my marketing mix. Find out what MY goals are and then propose something that helps me accomplish them. Be able to answer this very important question: What’s In It For ME? Because that’s what I am going to ask you. Remember, no matter how good your cause is, very few savvy investors will invest just because they like you. 

So, here are a few ideas that vendor and corporate partners love:

1. Research collaboration that produces an end result that is marketable in some way
2. Scholarships/matching gifts/subsidization of anything that broadens both your and the partners reach
3. Leveraging of subject matter or domain experts inside the partner organization.  Going to UPS to ask for money is not nearly as interesting as going to UPS to ask for logistics and transportation advice.
4. Bi directional social media—you “like” them, they “like” you, everybody’s network benefits from increased traffic
5. “Chaperoned” email or direct mail communication-nobody exposes their own list—the partner only benefits by those that respond
6. Utilize their employees as a volunteer pool—get them engaged in your cause, and move them along to deeper levels of engagements and potentially giving

The bottom line is that you have to reorient your thinking—it’s less about the quick hit and more about building sustainable capacity in your organization. Vendors and corporations are NOT the enemy. If properly nurtured, they should be an integral part of both your marketing mix AND your organizational fabric. I’m sure most of your organizations have individuals on the board that represent the business community and local government.  Grade yourself on how well you are using them, not only as individual investors, but as a powerful web of interconnection to other investors, volunteers, service providers and the like. Building a successful partnership is usually based on relationship—connections can get you priority consideration.

There is an old African proverb that is a favorite of mine and should be the mantra of those organizations seeking to be successful at building long term alliances and partnerships:

“If you want to run fast, run alone.  If you want to run far, run together.”

It's Personal

I have this expression I say when I see a woman dressed to the nines with matching bag, shoes, hat, scarf and jewelry (in any combination of that list): “the only thing that separates us from other mammals is our ability to accessorize.” What makes jeans and a white t-shirt unique? Everything over, under or around it. Fashion is art and art is fashion.

No one understood the power of this better than Steve Jobs. Now arguably, the guy who never wore anything but a black turtleneck and jeans is hardly a shining example of the art of fashion.  I’ll give you that. But he may have been the only individual who EVER understood it when it came to technology. 

Before Apple came along, we had 10 years of “personal” computers from other technology titans that were anything but.  We had 15 years of “smart” phones that were mostly the dumbest things ever invented.  And we had 20 years of “personal stereos” (cassette tape and later CDs) that were neither very personal nor very good stereos.

Mr. Jobs understood the relationship between functionality and individuality. He understood the philosophy of designing for the masses one customer at a time. I can’t think of a single consumer products company that understands either of these things half as well as Apple, and by association, Steve Jobs. 

At last count at the end of 2010,  there had been 92 million iPhones and 26 million iPads sold since their respective launches, and I am sure that number is now higher. Having said that,  I can with certainty GUARANTEE you that no two devices are alike.  They may look alike, but they are highly personal.  No two people in the word could possibly have the exact same combination of music, movies, photos, applications, games, ring tones, cases, contact records…the list goes on and on. They are like snowflakes.  No two are the same.

I read hundreds of Facebook statuses, Twitter posts (even at 140 characters they are unique), tributes from the rich, the not so rich, the famous and the not so famous, it is clear that Steve Jobs as an innovator, creator and human being, has touched every individual in a very deep and personal way.  What other individual that has passed away in the last decade can you remember generating this kind of personal outpouring of genuine loss?   We pay tribute and homage to others, but we grieve the loss of Steve Jobs.  I read a post this morning from a friend who wrote, “I am not sure why I feel this profoundly sad about a man I’ve never met.”  It’s personal.

The only conclusion I can draw from this is that millions of us have built a deeply individual connection with these products, and by extension, their creator.   We feel like we know him personally because all of us have created personas that he enabled.  He knows EXACTLY who I am even though he has never met me.  I saw a t-shirt the other day that said, “I hope I am half as interesting as the guy that owns my iPad.”  

How many times have these words been uttered in total panic?  “Oh my God, I have lost my phone. My life is on that thing.”  

And my personal favorite from a well known tech reporter:  “Apple owns me.  And my kids.  I’m waiting for my dog to learn how to use the IPad.  Seems unfair she’s the only family member that can’t leave her pawprint on the universe somehow.”

Who knew when he created these things he would spawn millions of digital fingerprints and millions of friends worldwide?  After all, it’s just a phone. But it’s my phone. And no two are alike.  Each one, a complete original.

Just like the man himself.