This document discusses considerations for organizations prior to working with digital strategy and tech consultants. It emphasizes assessing needs, audiences, goals, and how technology aligns with mission. Projects should be affordable and integrate systems to avoid duplicate records and data errors. An example case study of Hillel of Greater Philadelphia is given, which implemented an integrated system allowing students to RSVP for events, track attendance and interests across their engagement to support fundraising. The key takeaways are to take a step back, understand needs and audiences, ensure goals and affordability, and favor integrated systems for consistency and data accuracy.

1. Working with Digital Strategy & Tech Consultants A.K.A. What My Organization Should Know Prior to Working With a Consultant Judah Ferst Ferst Solutions Congregations 2.0, January 14, 2011

2. How can Technology Projects be Thought of Strategically? Needs Audience Goals Mission Priority Affordability Integrated Systems

3. Why Do Organizations Start this Process? Website looks old / outdated Pressure from board members New staff To increase donations To create a portal for members Heighten visibility of the organization in the community Want to be seen as modern / hip / cool

4. Assesment Before you even begin to start

5. Take a BIG step back!

6. What are your technology needs? Web Design and online marketing Content (is king) Back end Payment processing (donation / e-store) Desktop computing Server / data & application sharing Social media CRM / donor management E-mail E-communication Online calendar / space management

7. ICEBERG

8. Who are your audiences? Staff Clergy Funders Potential Members Partner Organizations Affiliates Congregants / Members Board Members Community Members

9. Who are your audiences? (cont.) Questions: How will they inform this process? What are their unique needs and concerns? Have you asked them? Managing the expectations game

11. What are your goals? Think of each piece of technology as a program… What will you accomplish with it? Technology allows us to measure goals in whole new ways… Number of people who read your e-newsletter Number of people who visit your website How often your staff uses the new technology

12. How will your organization’s mission inform these decisions? Is your mission current and applicable to the work you do? What does it list as your priorities? How will your new technology help you carry out your mission? If it will not, consider reevaluating the project Remember you will need to justify the expense to funders and board members

13. What is your What needs to happen now? What can be done in house? Will your organization always have the skills necessary to maintain it? How can you lay the infrastructure for the future?

15. What can you afford? Too often technological expenses are not budgeted for What would you do if your building’s roof caved in? It is easier to tell staff just to “deal” with issues that are not seen by others Items such as these tend to run over budget Quality and price are not necessarily related Long term costs Hosting, updating, etc. Maintenance

16. Integrated Systems

17. Integrated Systems Most modern non-profits communicate with their constituents through a weekly or monthly e-mail. These e-mails contain links back to the organization’s website. Many of them are events that are on your organizational calendar. That calendar may contain information about room bookings and set up as well as how to sign up and pay for an event. Many of those e-mail addresses (that the e-mail is sent to) were collected through a sign up form on your website and entered into your donor management system.

18. Dangers of Non-Integrated Systems Duplicate records People receiving multiple pieces of communication The more places you need to keep data the more chance for computer and/or human error Personal information Content Confusion among staff Confusion among those you serve

19. So… Why are these pieces of informationso often in multiple systems?

20. Integrated Systems:A Case Study Hillel of Greater Philadelphia

21. Hillel of Greater Philadelphia Hillel of Greater Philadelphia inspires Jewish students to cultivate and maintain their Jewish identity, to bond with other Jewish college students and to share a broad spectrum of religious, cultural and social experiences. In a given academic year, approximately 25 staff engage over 10,000 students through nearly 700 events/meetings across 20 campuses. How can a system be crafted that serves the needs of students, staff, funders, maintenance staff, etc.

22. See the BIG Picture! Have attendance data to support fundraising activities both for numeric outcomes (short term) and data for alumni fundraising (long term). Allow program staff to track success of programs and see areas to focus on. A unified back end that distributes content to multiple front facing websites. Content that populates a weekly e-mail: Calendar Announcements, educational pieces, etc. Eliminate the need for multiple systems. Allow students to RSVP and pay for events Collect online donations.

23. One student record that… Can be created by the student on an interest form on the website Receives weekly listserve e-mails Click tracking data Can RSVP (and pay) for events Has their attendance tracked Has their interests tracked Has their contact information tracked Becomes an alumni/parent/donor

24. One Event That… Is automatically fed into our listserve Students can RSVP (and pay) for Students records are associated with for attendance tracking purposes Is used for space reservations in building Set up / clean up time, room set up, supplies needed Can be sorted according to interests they have entered and can update as well as internal categories Events can be private and only viewable to staff Is tied to evaluation data

25. How can projects be thought of strategically? Needs Audience Goals Mission Priority Affordability Integrated Systems

26. Questions?

27. Thank You! Slides will be available at: slideshare.net/jferst Judah Ferst Chief Strategist Ferst Solutions www.ferstsolutions.com jferst@ferstsolutions.com