New Report Identifies Emerging Nonprofit Digital Strategy Landscape and Trends

Digital Outlook Report 2015Digital is, now more than ever, an inherent component of effective organizations.

A new report offers seven steps for nonprofit digital strategy success in 2015. The findings – released by Care2, hjc, and NTEN: The Nonprofit Technology Network – compiles responses from nearly 500 individuals that work in the nonprofit sector about their outlook for 2015 in regards to their staffing, strategies, tools, and more.

The findings reveal that despite digital strategy being a growing priority in nonprofits this growth is not consistent across organizations in terms of staffing, tools, and strategies. 56% of survey respondents (all from nonprofit organizations) reported that they do not have any staff dedicated to digital strategy, but some of it has to do with size, where 66% of respondents from organizations with 76+ full time staff noted that they have a dedicated team for this.

While budget and capacity constraints continue to play a key factor for all nonprofits when planning their digital strategies, the report highlights four elements to improve digital interaction with prospective donors and supporters where budget is not a barrier: right audience, right plan, right content, and right tools.

“We know that staff time is valuable, but we’ve already budgeted for it. Many of the recommendations highlighted in this report require staff time to strategize, make changes, and optimize online processes or experience. They do not, necessarily, require new funds or larger budgets for new tools. It’s a matter of being strategic, not buying more technology.” Amy Sample Ward, CEO of NTEN.

The report also includes three case studies from nonprofits where leaders are focused on building the right infrastructure and resources to enable multi-channel marketing. They are hyper-focused on the constituent experience and converting that experience into a viable marketing strategy for donor acquisition.

For nonprofit digital strategy, 2015 is all about integration. Whether it’s integration of content or integration of staff, nonprofits are trying to take the next step beyond engagement to conversion. Looking ahead, the report offers seven steps for nonprofit digital strategy success in 2015.

The report is available as a free download here (registration required).