What Your Nonprofit Should Know About Assistive Technology

Did you know that an estimated 2.5 billion people use some form of assistive technology every day? That’s about 32% of the world’s population!

Assistive technology is any device or software solution that helps people with temporary or permanent disabilities communicate, interact, and learn independently. 

As Kanopi explains in their roundup of top nonprofit websites, the best sites are adaptable based on any assistive device someone might be using. Understanding and adapting to assistive technology will make your nonprofit’s website, services, and other resources accessible to a broader audience. 

In this guide, we’ll highlight the assistive tech essentials you should know and how to implement accessibility considerations in your nonprofit’s online strategy. These insights will help improve your marketing efforts and online reach, ultimately allowing you to involve more people in your mission. 

1. Understand the different types of assistive technology.

It’s important to be familiar with the wide range of devices and tools that help individuals browse the internet more easily. This allows you to determine the ways that your website can accommodate these solutions. Here is a brief overview of common assistive tools:  

  • Screen readers: Interpret online text and read it using synthetic speech. 
  • Screen magnifiers: Allow users to increase the size of on-screen content like text and images.  
  • Voice-to-text software: Enables users to speak into a microphone and converts the speech into written text. 
  • Braille displays: Translate digital text into braille characters that are presented on a touchable surface. 
  • Subtitles and closed captioning: Generate written scripts for spoken language.  
  • Adaptive keyboards: Modified keyboards that are customized to the user’s needs. These keyboards may include ergonomic design, one-handed design, programmable keys, larger keys, or keyguards (a cover that sits over the keys, making it harder to accidentally press the wrong key). 
  • Eye tracking software: Enables users to control the mouse using just their eyes. 
  • Voice control: Allows users to operate their computers using voice commands. 
  • Switch devices: Devices (buttons, clickers, etc.) that allow users to interact with computers using movements such as taps, clicks, head movements, foot taps, and other gestures.
  • Sip and puff: A type of switch device that allows users to browse online content by initiating commands through inhaling or exhaling via a strawlike device. 

This list is not exhaustive, but these are some of the most popular assistive tools to help individuals access the internet, giving you a good starting point to expand your website’s accessibility. Being aware of these technologies will enable you to create a more inclusive online community. 

2. Adapt your website to assistive technology. 

After learning about the types of assistive technology available, start taking steps to improve your online accessibility. 

Maintaining compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will help you develop a website that’s as user-friendly as possible for all visitors. Compliance is also legally required for nonprofits in many instances. 

Use these resources as you adapt your website to assistive technology best practices. For example, you might take steps such as:

  • Structuring your site with semantic HTML. Semantic HTML means HTML elements that describe the content they contain. For instance, using a <button> element instead of <div> is an example of semantic HTML. Semantic HTML is easier for screen readers to assess, helps facilitate keyboard navigation, and makes forms more readable. 
  • Using ARIA attributes when needed. ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) is a set of attributes you can add to HTML to provide more meaning and context to web elements that would otherwise not have semantic tags. ARIA attributes are another way to make web content easier to interpret for individuals using assistive technologies. 
  • Adding alternative text for images and captions for videos. Alternative text is a written description of an image that screen readers can interpret. Alt text should be straightforward and fully describe what is shown in an image. Video captions provide a written alternative to video audio. Write captions yourself rather than relying on automated captions, which can have typos or inaccuracies. 
  • Making the site layout and font size adjustable. This is often interpreted as adding controls for increasing or decreasing font size. However, it’s preferable to style fonts with responsive measurements that respect the user’s device or browser settings instead of adding font controls. This ensures that your web content is immediately responsive to each user’s unique settings. 
  • Using sufficient color contrast. The WCAG recommend a contrast of at least 4.5:1 for small text and 3:1 for large text. Use WebAIM’s Contrast Checker to assess your website’s color contrast. 
  • Implementing keyboard-friendly navigation. Make your website accessible for keyboard-only users by using semantic HTML, including a visible keyboard focus for interactive elements, and making <div> and <span> elements accessible using tabindex. 

Incorporate these elements into all aspects of your website, including forms like your online donation page and volunteer registration form. Forms are one of the most common ways users interact with your website and get more involved with your mission, so focus on making them understandable and readable for all visitors. 

3. Be wary of accessibility overlays.

Accessibility overlays are software solutions that attempt to automatically identify and fix accessibility issues by using JavaScript to edit a website’s code and content. 

Accessibility overlays may seem like an easy fix, but they can actually introduce more issues and even legal risks if you only rely on these tools to make your website accessible. 

These overlays can:

  • Unintentionally create accessibility barriers. Overlays can actually conflict with or override any accessibility technology that a website visitor is already using, creating a frustrating user experience. 
  • Conflict with user privacy. Accessibility overlays attempt to automatically adjust to a user’s accessibility settings, and they may access those settings without any opt-in or permission from the user. This could constitute a major breach of privacy, as disability information is protected under multiple legal regulations, such as the CCPA.
  • Lead to poor website performance. Adding third-party scripts to your website slows down your page load speed, which can lead to a poor user experience and even negatively impact your SEO rankings. 

Instead of using accessibility overlays, we recommend working with a developer who is experienced in accessibility. Whether you’re working with WordPress, Drupal, or a different CMS, a web development professional can assess your website and design a customized accessibility strategy that meets your audience’s needs. 

4. Use a combination of manual and automated testing tools.

Alongside accessibility overlays, automated accessibility testing tools are gaining popularity as a quick and easy way to identify and correct issues. These tools help catch issues and speed up the testing process, but overreliance on these resources can lead to missed accessibility problems. 

We recommend using automated testing tools alongside manual tests that actually involve assistive technology. That means using tools such as a screen reader or techniques such as keyboard navigation to manually assess your site’s accessibility and identify issues. 

It’s also important to ensure you’re choosing the right accessibility testing tools that are tried and true industry resources. Kanopi highlights top web accessibility tools, such as:

  • Lighthouse: A Chrome audit tool that assesses web pages and provides an accessibility score of up to 100, along with recommendations to improve the score. 
  • Axe: Another browser extension that tends to provide more specific results than Lighthouse. 
  • Siteimprove: An accessibility tool that generates a very thorough report detailing accessibility results and assesses pages against the WCAG conformance levels. 
  • Tota11y: A tool that helps developers review web pages as if they were using assistive technology. 

A combination of automated and manual testing will ensure that you don’t let any accessibility problems slip through the cracks. 

5. Keep up with assistive technology as it evolves. 

The most essential thing to know about assistive technology is that it’s changing and advancing all the time. Every year, new advancements are made for all types of devices, including glasses, watches, switch devices, ramps, headphones, and more. 

This might sound overwhelming, but you don’t have to keep up on your own. By working with a web design professional, you can stay up to date with assistive technology innovations and best practices. These experts can assess your website against current accessibility standards and assistive technology best practices, keeping your site compliant and your nonprofit’s programs and projects more appealing to supporters. 

 

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Nonprofit CRM Software: A Crash Course and How to Use It

Every nonprofit starts the same way: a cause that inspires passion and a few people willing to pitch in to try to change something. Most nonprofits start with Excel spreadsheets because they’re a convenient, free way to list donors and members and keep track of who gave what

At some point, every nonprofit outgrows spreadsheets. It happens as your donor pool grows and your different campaigns take off—and good old Excel just can’t show you the data you need.

That’s when many nonprofits start considering technology solutions that can help them find new donors, manage and thank existing donors, and develop automation that makes it easy for a nonprofit to grow.

If you’re still a spreadsheet nonprofit, you’ll be amazed by how much the right technology – the right nonprofit CRM – can revolutionize your fundraising and donor management. In this guide, we will explain what we mean by nonprofit CRM software, share the features you’ll find invaluable, and clearly show you the value of investing in a nonprofit CRM.

Ready to dive in?

What is Nonprofit CRM Software?

The official definition of nonprofit Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) software is that it’s a database in which nonprofits store and analyze donor data.

Those are some features of the software. But what are the benefits? The right nonprofit CRM can help you:

  • Manage all your donors. If you’re thinking this means it’s an address book, think again! A nonprofit CRM will, of course, show you your donors and their contact information, but it will also show you their giving history, their connections to other organizations and donors, your outreach history, and notes that will help you in future outreach. For example, if a donor says she can’t consider donating because her husband has surgery the following week, you note that in the CRM and set a reminder to call her in a week to check on her husband. This is nurturing your donors, and software can help you catch all the nuances and patterns to help you engage more.
  • Slice and dice data to help identify trends. When you can set metrics to track—such as email deliverability, donations, repeat donations, website conversions, etc.—and then request different reports using all that data, you get insights and trends you might otherwise miss. What if your fundraising emails that are sent on Saturdays get 50% more donations? Or if your donation page gets lots of traffic but few donations? This kind of data, easily pulled from a nonprofit CRM, gives you a roadmap to successful fundraising. Reporting and analytics with the right technology can change your fundraising landscape for the better.
  • Leverage AI. Artificial intelligence is becoming part of our daily lives, but some nonprofit CRMs adopted it a long time ago. What does this look like? Things like giving probability, which scans tens of thousands of data points and uses AI to tell you the day and time to contact a donor, plus what your ask should be. 
  • Automate, automate, automate! Routine tasks that take up a lot of human time can be easily automated with a CRM. Think about fundraising email sequences, event registration, and even campaign phone calls. There’s little your software can’t do, letting you and your staff focus on the things that need a human touch. 
  • Fundraise! Particularly with a CRM that has a bunch of native tools, it’s easy to branch out and try something new. Never launched a peer-to-peer campaign? It’s easy to start when the technology is built to support you. How about an auction? Event modules cover everything from ticket sales and registration to mobile bidding to seat assignments.

Ultimately, this tool will help your nonprofit plan its next steps in fundraising. For example, CharityEngine’s guide to sustained giving programs recommends using your CRM to identify sustainers in your donor base. That way, you can reach out with a compelling message about how their continual support impacts your organization.

Equipped with donor insight from your CRM, your nonprofit can appropriately craft outreach for its campaigns that will appeal to your audience.

What Features Should I Look for in CRM Software?

From marketing tools to accounting software, your nonprofit likely already invests in a variety of platforms to streamline your fundraising efforts. But once you know what your nonprofit needs from its CRM, you’ll have a better idea of what to look for from the various options available.

There are two approaches to fundraising software and features. There are a few excellent all-in-one nonprofit CRMs built with native tools, meaning everything from donor management to payment processing to direct mail, auctions, and events is possible without leaving the core software. There are many benefits to this, assuming the CRM has the features you want.

Or, if you have a list of features and an all-in-one system doesn’t cut it, you can use that as your engine and build a tech stack by integrating with third-party systems. The key is thinking about the features you want first, and then matching the nonprofit CRM to those features.

What are some features nonprofits need?

  • Donor and membership management and communications
  • Sustainer management
  • Reporting and analytics
  • Email automation
  • Fundraising modules
  • Online forms, like donation forms
  • Major gifts management

Regardless of the technology you choose, a nonprofit CRM can even further help your nonprofit streamline its numerous responsibilities. For the tasks that you delegate to another software solution, be sure your CRM integrates with your other tools, like your fundraising tools and payment processors. 

Benefits of Investing in a CRM

If your nonprofit is growing (which is usually the goal), at some point a nonprofit CRM will make it easier and more efficient for you to manage and engage donors and run intelligent, strategic fundraising campaigns. 

Which means raising more money for your cause. 

And while many nonprofits standardize their year-end giving campaigns, using technology to carry this methodology while leveraging donor data to make your request meaningful and personal means investing in a CRM is the way to go.

Especially when you use a CRM specifically designed for nonprofit organizations, you’ll be equipped with the tools and features needed to create lasting relationships with your donors.

Additionally, it can help streamline common daily activities, such as:

  • Donor outreach
  • Email sequences to nurture donors
  • Major gift solicitation
  • Donation form creation
  • Event registration

As you can see, the right nonprofit CRM will be more than just a database that stores information—it will work for you!

Don’t Forget to Do Your Research

It’s clear that nonprofit CRM software is an important tool for engaging your supporters and improving your fundraising strategies. Take your time when researching a solution and consider which software provider will best suit your nonprofit’s needs.

Look at the capabilities and features offered by different CRMs, and ask the companies for a software demo. Come to the meeting armed with a list of the features you want, and be sure to ask about implementation (how long does it take?), data migration (who has to do it?), and support (do they answer the phone?) to really check the compatibility with your nonprofit.

The right nonprofit CRM is worth waiting for. When you find it, you’ll have a fundraising partner who is intent on your success. 

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5 Elements to Include in Your Board Presentation Blueprint

Board members play an essential role in your organization. They set your strategic goals, provide oversight, and make key decisions to improve your fundraising and donor stewardship efforts.

When you present to board members, you don’t have any time to waste. Your presentations should include all the must-have information board members need to fulfill their roles successfully, along with meaningful moments that help them feel more connected to your mission.

Carefully planning your board meeting presentations is an essential presentation skill that can make your gatherings more productive and collaborative.

Here are the five must-have elements for your board presentation plan:

1. A presentation storyboard

Be Brilliant Presentation Group recommends planning your presentation using the Be Brilliant Blueprint. Part of the Blueprint involves storyboarding your presentation.

In the storyboarding phase, you’ll outline the basics of your presentation on paper. This ensures that you don’t get distracted by building the digital elements of your presentation before you’ve nailed down the content.

As you plan your presentation, note the main topics you’d like to focus on, areas where you need input or approval from board members, and the main takeaway you’d like board members to leave the meeting with.

2. Interactive moments

You may be wondering how to write a presentation that not only keeps board members informed but also engaged in your content. The answer lies in providing several interactive moments.

As you storyboard your presentation, include interactive elements like:

  • Group brainstorming. Board members can provide useful insight if your nonprofit is facing a challenge or presented with a new opportunity. Set aside a few minutes to allow board members to discuss as a full board or meet in small groups to come up with ideas to take on these opportunities effectively.
  • A Q&A session. If you’re presenting on a more technical topic, allow board members to ask questions in an open-format Q&A. Note any questions for which you don’t have immediate answers and follow up with board members after the meeting.
  • Sharing a mission-related moment. According to NXUnite, board members are essential for helping your nonprofit market its mission to a wider audience. Consider taking 5-10 minutes in your meeting to allow board members to share a recent moment when they felt particularly connected to your mission. This exercise can help everyone think about their personal connection to your cause, giving them talking points to bring up when promoting your nonprofit to a wider audience.

Some of the best ideas arise from impromptu conversations and brainstorming sessions during board meetings. These moments will help board members feel more connected to your mission and more engaged in their roles.

3. Campaign updates

Provide board members with any updates about your organization’s current campaigns. Make sure board members are aware of the following aspect of your initiatives:

  • Where donations are coming from. Who is giving and what platforms are they using to do so?
  • Goal progress updates. How close are you to reaching your goal, and what is needed from board members to help get you there?
  • Your donation request strategies. For example, are you sending gift request letters or emails? What are your response rates for these channels?

Be fully transparent with board members about your campaign’s successes and challenges. Invite board members to brainstorm ways to reach your goals more efficiently.

4. Essential metrics

You don’t need to walk board members through all the data your nonprofit collects. Keep the focus on just the need-to-know information.

For example, if you’re recapping the results of a recent peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, you might cover statistics such as:

  • Cost per dollar raised
  • Average donation amount
  • The campaign’s donor retention rate

Present this information clearly and make sure to provide context as needed. For example, if your average donation amount is lower than expected, offer your assessment of why you think that’s the case and what your organization can do next time to correct the issue.

5. Donor stewardship update

Board members play a significant role in stewarding your organization’s supporters, such as major donors or corporate sponsors. Make sure your presentation plan includes updates on your nonprofit’s latest donor stewardship strategies.

For example:

  • Are you using new donor recognition strategies, such as creating appreciation videos or handwritten letters?
  • Are you trying a new email marketing platform that makes it easier to create targeted email campaigns?
  • Are you looking for board members’ support in stewarding new major donor prospects?
  • Have you recently seen a major uptick in responses to your direct mail outreach?

Take the opportunity to spotlight board members who have made positive contributions to your donor stewardship program. Thank them for their efforts and let other board members know how they can get more involved.

Board members need to know how your nonprofit is doing at any given time and where they can step in to assist. With a well-planned presentation, you can equip them with this need-to-know information quickly and efficiently, making the best use of everyone’s time. Reducing excess meeting time gives more time for board members to actually work on your nonprofit’s initiatives and push your mission forward.

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How to Plan Your Next Capital Campaign: 3 Expert Strategies

As a nonprofit professional, you understand that a lot goes into planning a fundraising campaign—from building out a communication cadence and marketing plan to assembling and training your fundraising team. However, a capital campaign takes the cake as the most time- and resource-intensive fundraiser, often taking nonprofits years to plan and execute.

Unlike your standard fundraising campaign, capital campaigns aim to fund high-cost strategic initiatives, such as the construction of a new building, and their fundraising goals can reach into the millions. If you’re considering a capital campaign, your nonprofit needs to take ample time to ensure you’re ready, followed by several months of planning before taking your campaign live.

To kickstart your capital campaign planning and stay on track to meeting your goals, use these essential strategies:

With a well-designed capital campaign plan, your nonprofit will not only raise significant funds, but will also form stronger relationships with donors and increase awareness of your mission in the community. Let’s begin.

Hire a capital campaign consultant

While gearing up for a capital campaign is an intensive and lengthy process, you don’t have to go through it alone. An experienced capital campaign consultant can bring a fresh perspective to your fundraising strategy and identify ways to strengthen your internal operations so you can prepare for and lead a capital campaign.

Look for a trusted capital campaign consultant that can provide assistance with:

  • Leading your feasibility study to assess whether your capital campaign is viable and how your organization can adjust its strategies to maximize success
  • Drafting your case for support, which will be shared with your entire donor base to increase awareness, boost engagement and inspire giving
  • Training your fundraising team to preside over committees, steward donors, solicit gifts and more
  • Honing your fundraising plan so your goal, budget and timeline are reasonable based on your organization’s current state and what you’re hoping to accomplish
  • Planning campaign communications throughout the quiet and public phase for soliciting gifts and thanking donors once they’ve given

Preparing for a capital campaign can quickly become stressful, especially if it’s your nonprofit’s first time jumping into a fundraiser of this magnitude. A consultant can ease your stress and smoothly navigate your nonprofit through every phase of the capital campaign process. Do your research to find an expert consulting firm that can meet your nonprofit’s unique needs.

Conduct a feasibility study

A feasibility study is a critical step in the capital campaign planning process that serves two purposes: assessing whether your project has the support it needs to succeed and generating early support for your campaign among key stakeholders. This process consists of conducting interviews with stakeholders to collect their opinions and suggestions about your:

  • Project purpose
  • Project messaging
  • Organization’s reputation
  • Financial sustainability of your project
  • Project timing
  • Fundraising goal

While it might be tempting to conduct your feasibility study in-house and save funds, this can actually jeopardize the results of your study. This is because stakeholders are much more likely to give biased answers based on what a member of your organization wants to hear, rather than what interviewees actually believe.

Instead, seek third-party assistance from a capital campaign consulting firm. Stakeholders will be much more comfortable voicing their ideas and genuine concerns with a third-party representative. Plus, a consultant can strategically approach the feasibility study with targeted questions that will benefit your organization and, once the interviews are concluded, accurately present their findings.

If your consultant gives the go-ahead to move forward with your capital campaign, you can work together to solidify your case for support, fundraising goal and timeline for leading your campaign. If your consultant recommends that you do not move forward, heed this advice and formulate a plan to implement more sustainable habits so you can tackle a similar project in the future.

Assemble your team

To make your capital campaign as seamless as possible, you’ll need all hands on deck. Not only do you need the invaluable assistance of a consultant, but your nonprofit will also benefit from the backing of a motivated and skilled team.

Your capital campaign team should consist of the following members:

  • Board members: Your board will approve your fundraising plan before you begin executing your campaign and will ensure the campaign stays on budget. Plus, you should empower board members to help with identifying major donor prospects and leading donor stewardship activities to secure their support. Board members should also make a contribution to your campaign to kickstart your fundraising efforts.
  • Staff: Key staff members, like your development director and major gifts coordinator, are essential to the success of your campaign. They’ll be able to help with day-to-day planning tasks and provide expertise to guide your decisions.
  • Volunteers: Volunteers are devoted to your cause and will be eager to help bring your capital campaign to life. Enlist them to help with a variety of tasks based on your organization’s needs, like soliciting donations or leading committees. Remember to thank your volunteers for their hard work so you can retain their support.
  • Campaign chair(s): Campaign chairs will help direct your volunteers and committees, and attend monthly meetings to check in on how your campaign is progressing.
  • Planning committee: The planning committee should be made up of 10 to 15 members, including your staff and volunteers. They’ll be tasked with making sure your organization is ready to start the quiet phase, and their responsibilities will include reviewing your donor lists and finalizing the case for support.
  • Steering committee: The steering committee will navigate your capital campaign through the quiet phase and help solicit donations and advocate for your organization.

To ensure everyone is on the same page, provide training sessions to familiarize your members with their roles and responsibilities. Be sure to cover relevant deadlines, technical guidance if members will need to access your CRM or fundraising software, communication guidelines and any other necessary information.

Providing your team members with everything they need to be successful in their roles will help increase the success of your campaign as a whole. If you’re not sure how to lead effective training sessions, work with an experienced capital campaign consultant to help prepare your team members and orient them to best practices.

Armed with a comprehensive capital campaign plan, your nonprofit can confidently take on a large-scale fundraiser and push your goals forward. These tips will help you get started on leading your campaign, but be sure to take ample time to confirm every element of your campaign is well-thought out and prepared—from your communications plan to your solicitation strategies. A trusted consultant can help you from start to finish with this process.

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