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Aid for Nonprofits, What’s Trending & the Rise of Digital Marketing

Aid for Nonprofits Dealing With COVID-19

The $2 trillion federal stimulus package, CARES Act, is expected to go into effect on Friday, much to the relief of thousands of individuals, nonprofits and organizations. If you’re currently struggling with shrinking operational funds, this article from Nonprofit Quarterly details how nonprofits may be eligible to access funds to avoid laying people off or closing your doors. From emergency support for nonprofits with less than 500 employees to loan support for larger entities, there’s relief for everyone… even donors.

Fewer Events, More Digital Marketing

Right now, I’m having trouble looking a few days into the future — not to mention several months of years. Nevertheless, I thought this analysis of how the coronavirus may change marketing (at least in the B2B space) was insightful. Budgets that were allocated for in-person events, retreats, conferences, fundraisers and trade shows are now being shifted to the online space for marketing. Whatever you do, don’t totally chop your marketing and communications budget! It’s important to stay connected with your audience and maintaining a sense of normalcy — even if the current situation is so unpredictable.

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My Favorite (Coronavirus) Data Viz

This month’s issue a tribute to the data visualizations of coronavirus. This crisis has shown us a lot of not-so-great stuff. But it has also revealed the power of data viz. The now-famous “flatten the curve” chart made it possible to easily communicate how individuals’ actions can change outcomes.

Great data visualizations help us understand the abstract and process the world beyond our immediate experience. I’ve highlighted a few of my favorites below. Share widely!

Very Interesting Visualizations

“Flatten The Curve” Explained.

If you’ve been on the Internet at all this past week, you’ve heard the phrase “flatten the curve.” Behind every great data viz is a great story (they say that, right?). Well, this Fast Company article, which includes the gif that launched a million social distancers, explains the history behind everyone’s favorite coronavirus graphic. The idea here is if we pretend the coronavirus is no big deal and continue on with business as usual, we’ll see a large spike in the number of cases, peaking well above a dotted line conveying healthcare capacity. If we don’t panic and stay safe, we’ll see the number of cases smoothed to a long, low hill that doesn’t overwhelm our hospital system.

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My Favorite Advice & Data Viz’s of the Month

Wait… There’s a New Definition of Spam?

Turns out, yes! The new definition of spam is, “Is this email likely to be engaged with?” rather than simply, “Is this email unrequested?” As we’ve covered here and here, engagement is the name of the game in 2019, which means deliverability is more important now than ever. Amy Chin-Lai goes in-depth in this Medium article about email deliverability, what it means and how to improve your organizations’. It’s a good one.

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My Favorite Advice & Data Viz of the Month

My Favorite Advice

Keep It Positive (and Personal)

In a world where it feels like everyone and everything is vying for our attention, what does it take for one message to stand out? Well, Change.org analyzed 164K online petitions and figured out which best converted scrolls to clicks and clicks to donations. My main takeaway (there were a lot, really) is that knowing your audience is key. Supporters are already passionate and motivated to act. So how petition creators framed their call to action — for example, whether they put it in positive or negative terms — often made the difference in supporter numbers. According to this study, the most effective headlines start with a strong action word and signal “the ideas of restoration of rights or coming to the aid of others.” Check out the study for many, many examples.

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The 80/20 Rule, Facebook’s Big Promise & Snackable Content

Profit with the Pareto Principle

Data analytics is tough, even for large corporations. It’s no surprise that only 5% of nonprofits report using data in every decision they make. But enough bad news! What are some practical steps your organization can take to fix this? This piece talks to the YMCA of Austin about what they did to create a data-driven culture. My favorite takeaway: apply the Pareto Principle to data analytics. “Identify and focus on the 20% of performance indicators that will produce 80% of your success.” Another big takeaway: Analytics aren’t exclusive. Every employee within every department can use data to make more intelligent decisions.

The Dark Side of UX Design

Ever heard of “dark patterns?” Probably not, but you’ve definitely seen at least one or two examples. Basically, it’s what NOT to do with your website. Dark patterns are crappy designs that intentionally make it difficult to do something. Dark patterns are legal but incredibly annoying (and slightly unethical). Instead of tricking users, take the time to build trust and loyalty with your audience. It’s not hard.

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