Arreva,  a fundraising and donor management solution recently announced the integration of Text2Fund®, text-based, mobile donation software and SMS Text Messaging. The new integration will enable nonprofits to further engage with their donor base.

In Use:

The Text2Fund® integration is just one of many tools that Arreva provides their customers. Other incentives include campaign management, mobile donations, website development, and analytics. By adding Text2Fund to their portfolio, Arreva, an All-in-One, Digital Fundraising, Donor Relationship Management, and Auction Software “further eliminating the need for nonprofit organizations to use multiple, individual siloed solutions and databases.”

Arreva’s pricing begins at $189 per month but new and small nonprofits could qualify for their donation program. To learn more about whether or not your charity would qualify CLICK HERE.

The basic package is ExceedFurther Fundamentals for the first 1,000 records. With this subscription, organizations have access to unlimited gifts and pledges, donation webpages, recurring donations, reporting, and various integrations.

The ExceedFurther Professional package begins at $329 per month for the first 1,000 records. Charities have access to all of the perks of the Fundamentals package as well as a few more integrations and the ability to access two of the following modules – Events; Campaigns, Members, Volunteers & Grants.

For large nonprofits – there is an Enterprise version that allows access to all of Arreva’s features.

Technology Used:

Arreva integrations include Quickbooks, Constant Contact, Double the Donation, Mail Chimp and Donor Search.

Arreva technology lives on the cloud so nonprofits can access the platform wherever they are. Donors can access Areeva’s mobile donation and Text2Fund® features which will allow them to donate to a nonprofit from anywhere using their laptop or mobile device.  

Ease of Use:

Many customers have found Arreva to be user-friendly while others had difficulty navigating the platform. With many nonprofits employing volunteers - the learning curve can be difficult with any software. A subscription to Arreva allows nonprofits both email and phone support as well as DNS set up.

Recap:

"There are a lot of great platforms out there, but not one other platform that brings it all together, through an all-in-one solution like we do,” David Blyer, Co-founder, CEO, and President of Arreva states. Arreva has numerous modules available to nonprofits including guest registration, recurring gifts, online pledges, and customizable report with hundreds of filters and options.

Advantages:

• Donation Program which allows new and small nonprofits to take advantage of Arreva
• Numerous modules in one platform – allowing nonprofits to save time and money by only logging into one platform
• Mobile friendly website development

Disadvantages:

• Only a few available integrations
• Nonprofits cannot access the entire Arreva platform unless they opt into the Enterprise package
• Reporting can be cumbersome

My Opinion

If you’re looking for an all-in-on solution, I would recommend looking into Arreva. They offer an impressive amount of tools and features for nonprofits and charities. I especially like their mobile- friendly website development tool. With many donors opting to donate on their phone– having a mobile-friendly website is important.

In the future I would like to see more available integrations. Integrations are important and can be a make-or-break for a nonprofit. 

Six and half years ago CEO and founder Steve Bernat started online fundraising platform RallyUp to help nonprofits fundraise through crowdfunding and other means. RallyUp challenges business and nonprofit organizations to redefine what fundraising looks like today.  Through multiple “experiences” like raffles, auctions, livestreaming, and A-thons, nonprofits can choose the experience that best meets their needs.

In Use:

After recently helping a local youth group raise funds to go to camp, Bernat realized that while the crowdfunding space was saturated, it wasn’t well-organized and lacked creativity. Bernat explained that there was lots of platforms that allowed you to “click a button and donate” but not many that allowed the fundraiser to get involved. Through branded pages, livestreaming capabilities, and silent auctions, with RallyUp nonprofits can construct their experience combining multiple platforms or choosing just one to create the perfect fundraiser for their organization.

RallyUp comes in two price points for nonprofits – Free and Flex. With “Free”, donors have the ability to “tip” on top of their donation to ensure that the charity they’re donating to receives 100% of the funds. With “Flex” tipping is not allowed. With the “Free” subscription everything is included. There is no extra costs for multiple users or experiences. All nonprofits receive the same functionality and can utilize every aspect of the platform. The only thing a nonprofit would pay for is the standard credit card processing fees typically receiving 97.5% of donated funds. 

Ease of Use:

Included in the subscription – RallyUp includes an event management dashboard that help charities keep track of all of their fundraising activities. This is especially helpful if a charity is running multiple fundraisers simultaneously.

In terms of customer service, users can access help 24/7 through chat, email, or phone which is crucial for nonprofits who are hosting a livestreaming event.

Technology Needed:

RallyUp is based on the cloud which means that anyone can access their event management platform from any computer – anywhere around the world.

When it comes to integrations, RallyUp connects with multiple different software including Stripe, Google Analytics, Facebook and Zapier.

Recap:

RallyUp is a fundraising management platform that allows fundraisers to easily tailor experiences to fit their needs. The platform has been around for over six years. After helping a youth group raise money to go to camp – Bernat was “motivated to get younger audiences more involved in charity.” RallyUp offers nonprofits the ability to conduct raffles, sweepstakes, A-thons and livestreaming among other fundraising tools.

Today RallyUp works with some of the most well-known charities as well as businesses. They previously assisted footwear company, NIKE who wanted to run a world-wide social charity campaign. Bernat was honored to be chosen by NIKE. While RallyUp wasn’t the biggest fundraising tool out there – “we had something that no one else did” – he said. And that was a platform to support the fundraiser and the legal regulations to make sure that everything was done “by the book.”

In 2016, Nike raffled off a limited number of Nike MAGs, a self-lacing sneaker that was featured in the movie “Back to the Future, Part II.” RallyUp was able to use their platform to conduct the raffle and drawing  - ultimately raising funds for the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Advantages:

• Free subscription that includes multiple different experiences a nonprofit can chose from including A-thons, livestreaming events, and raffles
• Legally regulated to do run sweepstakes and raffles
• Experience working with small and larger organizations
• 24/7 Customer Service through email, chat, and phone

Disadvantages:

• Set up can be time consuming
• Some nonprofits note that customers can have a hard time signing up to donate

My Opinion:

RallyUp is a great option for your fundraising needs. The dashboard makes it easy to keep track of your various fundraisers and with multiple options – there’s something for everyone from crowdfunding to A-thons, and livestreaming.

As nonprofits add staff to their organization or focus on multiple ventures at once – it can be difficult to keep the same level of awareness when it comes to projects. As a result, projects take longer to complete, work suffers, and nonprofits may feel disconnected from their co-workers and fellow volunteers.  Asana hopes to solve these issues with their work management solution that enables businesses and charities to track and manage their projects while ensuring their staff stays connected.

In Use:

I had the chance to interview Mark Arnoldy, Head of Customer Success at Asana. Arnoldy brought a unique perspective to the interview – as he was formerly an Asana user prior to heading up the Customer Success team at Asana. As CEO of Possible, a global healthcare nonprofit – he began using Asana in 2011. Through the tool Arnoldy was able to connect members of his organization, submit grants more efficiently, and track projects throughout the organization. In a blog post on Asana’s website he wrote, “Over time, it became the single source of truth for everything we did, from writing grants to running meetings to tracking patient care.” He believes it is the best decision he ever made as CEO.

Asana is similar to a project management platform, but Arnoldy refers to it as “work management” tool because you are able to do much more than just manage projects. “We service through coordination,” he explains. He goes on to say that Asana lets companies create clarity, a timeline, and actionable results through their solutions such as building roadmaps, messaging team members, onboarding new staff, track campaigns, and streamline processes.

Asana can be pricier than their competition but along with offering a free basic package for up to 15 users – they also offer nonprofits 50% off Premium and Business plans making it more comparable to other management platforms. They also have a dedicated customer service team that helps nonprofits get started with the tool. For smaller nonprofits or charities wishing to try out the tool – Asana’s basic plan comes with unlimited projects, messaging, tasks and file storage along with 100+ free integrations like Adobe Creative Cloud, Tableau, Google, and Microsoft.

Technology Used:

Asana can be deployed on the cloud. It is also compatible with both Mac and Windows; iPhones an Androids. As stated before, Asana integrates with over 100+ solutions making projects and universal reporting easy and efficient.

Ease of Use:

Asana is easy to use once you get used to the software. When users log in they are brought to a dashboard that lets them track on-going projects, message colleagues, and manage tasks.  Asana offer help in the form of  webinars, documentation and videos. They also provide nonprofits with a dedicated customer service team to help them navigate the platform.

Arnoldy told me that while working at Possible, Asana enabled his organization to advance their mission but it also contributed to a better inclusive culture and environment – especially because he had staff all across the world. “So many nonprofits have been disappointed and let down by trying to adopt a new software that is cumbersome” so he was pleasantly surprised when Asana was able to deliver.

Recap:

A work management tool, Asana helps nonprofits streamline projects all in one place. The easy-to-use dashboard allows users to track projects in real time, message their co-workers and report on key metrics. Along with being able to manage projects Asana comes with universal templates which allows nonprofits to save time offering companies the ability to be agile even if they are juggling multiple grants and projects at once.

Advantages:

• 50% discount for nonprofit organizations who purchase the Premium or Business plan
• A dedicated customer service team for Nonprofits
• Easy-to-use interface
• 100+ integration
• Ability to streamline projects

Disadvantages:

• Pricier than their competition
• Reporting tool is lackluster

My Opinion:

The many positive reviews on Asana speaks for itself. The company has a lot of happy customers who love the ability to streamline their projects and communicate with their colleagues in a user-friendly platform. I also appreciate the 50% discount for nonprofits. While it may cost a bit more than Asana’s counterparts it doesn’t seem like users mind paying the extra money since the tool itself is robust – offering tools and services other platforms don’t.

A few customers noted that the reporting capability is lacking. The only negative instance I could find within the tool was its reporting capability. My only suggestion to Asana would be to work with their customers to create a robust reporting tool that meets their needs.

EveryAction brings together multiple platforms to make up one robust CRM (customer relationship management solution) that is trusted by over 15,000 nonprofits including the NAACP, Feeding America, and the Special Olympics.

In Use:

CRMs are crucial for any mid-large size nonprofit who wants to use their time efficiently. With a CRM like EveryAction, all of their donor information is at the tips of their fingers. They can save time by logging into one software as opposed to logging into multiple different platforms. With EveryAction a charity can access their volunteer and donor lists, create emails through their marketing automation tool, manage events, and visualize and report results.

According to their website, Covenant House saw an 83% increase in Giving Tuesday fundraising from 2019 while Audubon saw a 39% increase in annual fundraising revenue.

“My organization uses Everyaction [sic] as our CRM. They have recently made some upgrades so now we are able to house all of our fundraising, volunteer management, and digital communications in one system,” Anastasia O., a Campaigns Director wrote on Capterra, a software reviews and selection platform. She adds, “They also have some cool twitter and email integrations that make it really easy to create online actions for people to take and helps us engage our volunteer base more effectively.”

Ease of Use:

Many reviews on Capterra claim that EveryAction is easy to use sighting tech support and customer service as exceptional. They’ve also noted that the platform itself is intuitive. Other reviewers on the site think that the CRM is cumbersome.

EveryAction also has a variety of trainings and support that users can utilize such as Email/Help Desk, phone and chat support. They also have both live webinars and webinars on-demand that users can utilize to learn more about the product.

Technology Used:

EveryAction is Cloud based which means there’s no agent that will slow down your computer and take up space. It also means that it’s accessible anywhere – whether you’re working remotely on vacation or you need to check something while you’re out.

Recap:

EveryAction is a CRM tailored to the needs of nonprofit organizations. Housing many features and tools within their platform – EveryAction aims at being the one-stop-shop for all a non-profits needs. While the starting price of $109 is pricier than other CRMs in the nonprofit space – they do include quite a few features that makes can make it worthwhile for a charity. For instance, attendance tracking, calendar management, email automation, and donation tracking.

Advantages:

• Main customers commend the customer service and the training materials available
• Stacks up nicely against their counterparts
• Multiple tools and features that users can utilize

Disadvantages:

• The price tag could discourage small-medium nonprofits
• Integrations can be challenging when moving from one CRM to EveryAction
• Reporting is limited

My Opinion

I think if you’re a medium-large nonprofit or business in general – investing in a CRM is a good idea. A CRM lets you store all of your data in one place to make it easier to access. I think where EveryAction falls short is that some of their features are just “ok.” Reviews on Capterra mention that the reporting can be limiting. But where EveryAction accels is that their customer service seems to be exceptional. I do appreciate that not only do they have a chat feature, but they have assets that users can utilize from webinars to videos to learn exactly how to use the program.

When you want to start a business, you will undoubtedly hear terms like “limited liability company,” “nonprofit,” and “not-for-profit,” among others being mentioned. While it can be easy to ignore these terms and what they mean, they are crucial for the future and direction that you take as an organization. Unlike for-profits, nonprofits and not-for-profits have different models, and their taxation, governance and functions are different under the law. Nonprofits and not-for-profits contrast with the for-profits in how they are run and taxed. Here are the things you need to know about for-profits, nonprofits and not-for-profit ventures so that you can find out which one is the right one for you.

Nonprofit organization

Although you might have heard it many times, you might not fully understand what a nonprofit organization is. A nonprofit organization is an organization that offers its services for no profit. They include hospitals, charities, universities and foundations. Nonprofits qualify for tax-exempt status by the IRS because of its mission and purpose, which are social and for public benefit.

For an organization to qualify as a nonprofit, it must serve the good of the public in a certain way. They do not use their profits for anything other than furtherance or advancement of the organization. As a nonprofit, you are required to make your financial and operating information public so that donors can see how their donations are used. If an individual or a business donates to a nonprofit, they are allowed to deduct this donation from their tax return.

A not-for-profit organization

A not-for-profit organization (NFPO) is similar to a nonprofit as it does not earn a profit for owners. The money earned through the business activities pursued by the organization or from donations is pumped back into the running of the organization. However, the difference between NFPO and a nonprofit is that the NFPOs are not required to operate for the public good. They can serve the goals of their members. Some good examples of NFPOs are sports clubs, which exist for the enjoyment of members. They must apply for the tax-exempt status from IRS. The exemptions include sales tax and property taxes. Like the nonprofits, money donated by individuals cannot be deducted from the donor's tax return.

Generally, the key differences between a nonprofit and a not-for-profit include:

• Nonprofits work explicitly for the benefit of the public, while not-for-profits exist for the benefit of the owners
• Nonprofits can have a separate legal entity, while not-for-profits cannot
• Nonprofits operate like a business and try to earn a profit, which is invested back in its operations since no member is required to benefit from it. On the other hand, NFPOs are recreational organizations that do not operate for profit, but profits can benefit the members.

Some organizations start as one entity but can later decide to convert to another. While converting one business to another is possible, it can be a little complicated depending on the entities involved. Although it might not be practical to convert from one entity to another, it is sometimes necessary. Some of the reasons that may force you may include a change in belief. For example, if you believe that you can get better access to loans or other funds by becoming a for-profit, you may consider changing. Another reason is if you want to operate without the regulations that govern nonprofits. This can be one of the reasons to change to a for-profit or not-for-profit. No matter the reason, once you have decided to change from one entity to another, you must notify the relevant authorities, such as the IRS, after consulting the shareholders. Before this, look for professionals to guide you through the process and inform you of the benefits of converting.

While it may sound simple, nonprofit governance is not an easy task. However, it can work well for organizations that do not want profits as part of their mission or purpose. Starting from your board, you need to consider many essential components and rules before venturing into the nonprofit governance structure. For organizations such as those in arts, conservation, health, or religious activities, this structure is the right one. The importance of this structure is that when you receive non-profit status, you get to keep more money for your cause. Here are rules you should understand if you intend to start a nonprofit.

Tax rules

Most nonprofits are exempted from paying taxes to federal or state governments. This is a significant benefit when running a nonprofit compared to other organizations. It also benefits members, and others who deduct donations are exempted from the annual taxations. Nonprofit organizations are considered tax-exempt automatically and do not require to file IRS filings.

Starting a nonprofit organization

The process of starting a nonprofit is easy. However, you need to consult your local tax attorney to ensure that you know what is needed before embarking on the process. Make sure the founders comply with all the legal provisions right from the beginning. The members need to write Articles of Incorporation for the nonprofit and file them appropriately with the relevant bodies as required by law. The documents are submitted to the Secretary of State in most states. The step that follows is filling applications for the tax-exempt status with federal and state authorities. After successfully filing this, create bylaws to serve as the operating rules for nonprofits.

Rules for nonprofit organizations

Nonprofit organizations are corporations, and they have many rules and regulations like other corporations. For example, nonprofits must keep proper records and must record meetings and minutes. They must also have a functioning and separate bank accounts. All the profits must be used in the organization’s work. Nonprofits are not allowed by law to distribute the profits to members regardless of the reason.

Nonprofits are also strictly bound by rules regarding political activities. They are prohibited from unduly affecting the outcome of a political process. However, they have freedom for direct lobbying and not grassroots lobbying. This means that they can lobby about a specific issue that affects the regulations of the organization but cannot lobby on many issues. Nonprofits are disallowed from engaging in political campaigns to support or oppose candidates running for a political office (public).

There are specific rules for different nonprofit organizations. For instance, social welfare organizations and labor unions are allowed to lobby more than other nonprofits. While they can lobby for issues affecting their causes, they are not allowed to participate in campaigning or elections of public officials. They are also required to show the amount they spend on lobbying.

Charitable organizations are the most common types of nonprofits. They can participate in lobbying but can only do so as long as that is not a substantial part of their activities. They can give their opinion on new laws that affect the population they serve. They are required to report their finances to the IRS. For private foundations, churches, and religious affiliations, they also have rules that govern their actions. For example, private foundations, which are established for philanthropic purposes, are not allowed to participate in legislative lobbying. However, they can do lobbying in instances where the issue being lobbied affects the regulations of private foundations. Since private foundations are made up of rich people, they are prevented from influencing elections. Churches and religious affiliations are not required to file for tax-exempt status or report to IRS unless they choose to do so.

How the pandemic has disrupted for-profit businesses has been the hot topic of the past year and a half, but nonprofits have also felt the pinch. Nonprofits need donations to advance their missions, but many of the fundraising events they rely on have been on hold indefinitely.  

For-profit companies are using technology tools to keep their businesses going, and nonprofits have adjusted too, but another important donation date is approaching: Giving Tuesday. Since its inception in 2012 as a movement to unleash the power of “radical generosity,” Giving Tuesday has helped nonprofits raise billions of dollars. Last year, around 35 million people donated almost $2.5 billion. 

Is your nonprofit ready to maximize donations on Giving Tuesday? Here are some tips on how to make the most of your interactions with donors this year: 

1. Use an online donation signup form: You can find free, customizable donation signup forms online that allow your nonprofit to collect and manage donor contact information, the types of donations received (e.g., cash, donated goods or services, etc.), dollar amounts, and frequency. If you haven’t already deployed an online donation form this is the perfect time to do so. It streamlines giving for donors on Giving Tuesday — and all year long.  

1. Remove friction from the payment process: Make sure it’s easy to donate with a secure, integrated payment system that allows you to accept payments online via a donation button on an online form. This is especially important for an event like Giving Tuesday, which is a great time to appeal to donors in the spirit of the moment. Ideally, you want to give them a way to respond immediately instead of asking them to visit your website or, worse yet, mail a check.  

1. Make sure online forms are compatible with mobile devices: One factor to keep in mind is that a growing number of potential donors use mobile devices as their primary internet access point, so it makes sense to use online forms that can accommodate mobile viewers and mobile-first technologies like QR codes. Once you get your forms set up, it’s a good idea to test them on several devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.  

1. Deploy a digital donations tracker: Many nonprofits still manually enter donor information on spreadsheets, but creating a digital donations tracker and integrating it with your online donation forms so that donor information is captured automatically frees your valuable time for other tasks. That can be especially important around Giving Tuesday and the rest of the holiday season, when donations hit peak levels for the year.  

1. Create a digital process to thank donors automatically: With the right platform, you can automate the process of sending digital thank-you notes to donors, adding your nonprofit’s logo and a personalized message. The thank-you message can highlight the great work your nonprofit does and thank donors by name, mentioning the donation amount right in the message. 

Nonprofits of any size can easily and affordably implement these digital tools, and some online form platforms even offer nonprofits a special discount rate for higher-volume usage. Once you’ve integrated your online donation processes, you’ll also be able to generate reports that can give you more insight into your donor base.  

Giving Tuesday only comes around once a year, but the great work your nonprofit organization does never ends. Technology can help lighten the load so you can maximize donations on Giving Tuesday and keep the conversation with donors going all year long.  

 Chad Reid, VP of Marketing and Communication, Jotform

The average household receives hundreds of flyers, postcards, and other marketing materials in the mail each year. Many times, these get collected into a pile and tossed into the garbage bin without ever being read. And while emails are cheaper and easier to send, they’re just as easily ignored. As non-profits finalize plans for outreach during the holiday and end-of-year giving seasons, amplifying outreach beyond the basic mailer, e-mail, or social media post can be the difference between an average year and an amazing year. Especially following months of less giving and more need during the pandemic, most non-profits could benefit from increased donations.

Send Hand Addressed Envelopes 

With little time left before people start making decisions about where they want to donate this year, non-profits could use a shortcut to success. And nothing says “pay attention” like a personalized handwritten note. No one flips past or does not see a handwritten envelope in their mailbox. These stand out from everything else the was delivered. This provides an instant advantage that even the biggest and most prevalent direct mail marketers cannot overcome.   

Spending hours writing notes by hand can be prohibitive, so consider hiring a robot to pick up a pen and do the writing instead. Services like Handwrytten make this possible for just a few dollars per note.

Get Creative on Social 

Static posts are not likely to break through the noise of the holiday season and get much attention. While the message might be expressing a serious need, the reality is a fun, lighthearted post will get more interaction and deliver better results. Look up the most popular dances that trended on social this year and other posts that have gone viral. Find a way to mimic these dances, gifs, etc. with your own creative messaging. And recruit help from teens and kids who are involved in the non-profit to make sure your production and final product is on point.

Create a Giving Train 

Don’t let people just donate in a silo, encourage them to let others know about their giving and to recruit friends and family to give as well. Digital badges for social media accounts give donors a way to showcase to their followers that they support a cause. Create a hashtag and incorporate it into the badge that donors can download and add to their profile photos after giving. Suggest messages, graphics and gifs donors can post on their social media channels to encourage others to donate as well. This will be a little bit more work on the part of the non-profit but by making it easy for donors to share this content, you should find people will be more willing and excited to share about your non-profit than if they had to create the content themselves.

Whatever method of marketing non-profits try this year, the key is to remember to try something new because using the same methods year after year will probably yield the same or less results. Trying something new can be a risk, but can pay off with a greater reward that can help non-profits help more people.

David Wachs, CEO of Handwrytten

You can now say “Alexa make a donation to_____” and have Alexa use your Amazon pay account to make a donation up to $5,000.  Currently, this program is only available to select charities that have been invited by Amazon. However, it is likely that this program will be a hit with both donors and nonprofits, so it is something that you should have on your radar for the upcoming year. 

Another high tech trend to watch for 2020 is the rise in giving via a blockchain platform. A blockchain platform is  a public ledger relying on globally distributed historical transactions to prevent tampering and fraud. 

Blockchain was designed to offer a higher level of transparency for transactions. Many donors wish to know that their donations are going directly to the charity that they have selected for the express purpose of funding a certain project. A blockchain giving platform can give them that piece of mind. 

BitGive’s GiveTrack is an example of one such platform. BitGive shares detailed real time information about the financial and project status of the charities that they work with that are accepting donations via GiveTrack.

Global Giving is a crowdfunding platform designed to help small nonprofits raise awareness and money. Global Giving is also a nonprofit, which means it understands what nonprofits need to run a successful fundraising campaign. 

Global Giving also understands that small nonprofits don’t have a large budget, so there is no application fee to join the  Global Giving platform. There is no monthly subscription fee, however Global Givings has a 3% transaction fee along with a sliding scale support fee of 5-12% of collected donations. 

The site offers a host of training and support options for nonprofits that join the platform. There are webinars, training libraries, workshops, one on one phone consultations or site visits.  The platform has tools like gamification and incentives to increase donations. 

The platform offers all the standard fundraising campaign tools, including metrics, donor engagement, social media integration. What it also offers is opportunities to partner with large companies for matching grants, or specific giving programs with the company.

know your audience in order to determine if live streaming is right for your nonprofit. The people you want to engage through a live stream have to be savvy enough to access your video feed so that they aren’t overwhelmed or frustrated by the experience. Beyond this point, your decision should come down to value—both to the viewer and to your organization.

If your organization is exploring adding a livestream to your next event there are a few things that you should consider. First, is your event the type of event that makes for a good livestream. 

The purpose of the livestream is to generate enthusiasm and excitement from those who are unable to attend in person. The event you are live streaming has to be visually interesting enough to keep your online viewer engaged. The most successful live streams are based on events that have an element of excitement to them. Is your event a fashion show? Will there be cute animals?--you can never go wrong livestreaming cute animals.  Also, if your event includes a celebrity guest that you know people who were unable to attend in person would love to see, 

After determining if your event is right for a livestream, it’s time to consider if your intended audience is right for a livestream. If your audience is comfortable using Twitch, YouTube or social media, if you chose to livestream via Facebook than live streaming is a good idea. If your audience is not comfortable with those platforms it doesn’t mean that you can’t do a livestream it just means that you may not get a huge return from the event. 

Next, it’s time to plan your livestream events content. Think of your live stream as the modern equivalent to a charity telethon-except instead of broadcasting on TV your using the internet. A telethon doesn’t consist of a single still shot of the action and neither should your livestream. 

Create a content script. If your are doing a fashion show consider doing interviews with the models or designers (or stores that donated the fashion). Have a host roving the audience,anything to spice up the broadcast. Remember you want to keep the excitement going. 

Many livestream apps allow your organization to collect donations directly from the livestream platform, so make sure your call to action is clear. 

EveryAction wants to be everything to every nonprofit. This cloud based platform offers fundraising, advocacy, organizing and digital all in one package. 

For fundraising, you can use the platform to create a simple donation page for your website. You can also use the platform to track major gifts, pledges and other donations. And, you can run an online auction with it as well. 

Get all your advocacy done with social matching and listening which lets you monitor and track influential supporters and it has an advocacy module that makes it easy for you to turn your advocates into donors. 

Organize your supporters with the built in tools to manage your volunteers and coordinate your canvassing or phone bank events. 

The digital portion lets you build multi channel ad campaigns. The platform includes data visualization tools so you can make use of all the various data sets that your organization accumulates. 

Nonprofits can make the most out the remaining giving days in the year, reports The Nonprofit Times. 

You’ve survived Giving Tuesday – and hopefully come out of it with a nice boost of donation revenue for your nonprofit.

Read article on The Nonprofit Times

New Story, a nonprofit that focuses on using tech to build affordable housing, plans on having 50 new homes erected a Mexico community by the end of 2020. 

A giant 3D printer built two houses in an impoverished, rural part of Mexico last week, breaking ground on what will be the first 3D-printed neighborhood in the world.

Read article on Fox 2 Now

According to the Biz Tech Magazine, integrated giving is one of several technology trends that will impact nonprofits in 2020. 

Nonprofits have a lot on their plates. Charitable giving took a hit last year, declining for the first time since the Great Recession, forcing organizations to do more with less.

Read article on Biz Tech Magazine

Mobile friendly devices help contribute to the success of #GivingTuesday, reports Biz Tech Magazine.  

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday are all behind us, but the long Thanksgiving weekend isn’t over yet. Many will be digging deep into their pockets again today, but not for themselves—this time, it’s for Giving Tuesday. 

Read article on BizTech Magazine