Philip to present at AFP Congress in Toronto November 2022

A lot has changed because of the pandemic, but a lot has stayed the same. When it comes to excellent digital fundraising we can always fix our “leaky bucket” otherwise known as our website.

The AFP session Philip will deliver focuses on the use of Google Analytics at a C-suite Fundraising level. Many fundraising teams can better leverage the power of Google Analytics to become better online marketers and fundraisers.

One of the client stories he will describe is their search for 1,000 new monthly donors, and how the team used Google Analytics to guide the strategy and keep costs-to-acquire low.

Please stay in touch as we get closer to November and we’ll post Philip’s slides here.

What does the pandemic and Amazon's share price have to do with fundraising strategy?

We have all been forced to pause during this pandemic. Does that mean we should pause our fundraising efforts?

Most of the fundraising professionals I work with are advising their clients to keep fundraising, but to change the way they are fundraising. Many face-to-face types of fundraising tactics (galas, special events, canvassing, etc.) have been put on hold for now, and possibly for a long time.

However we are seeing above-average fundraising results from both digital and mail. Many people are unable to donate, but some can. And those individuals who can donate are looking for ways to help during this crisis.

While we look to the business world for ideas and inspiration, we see the bankruptcies of J. Crew and Neiman Marcus, while at the same time Amazon stock is hitting all-time highs. Clearly any fundraising strategy must anticipate a shift to digital over time, but we also find during this time some of the most valuable donors have more time to read their mail.

Now is time for fundraisers to craft a pandemic-aware special fundraising campaign, and execute it in an integrated manner both online, and in the mail for optimizing results.

Philip's presentation now available

Philip was asked to deliver a technology strategy presentation at AFP Day in Toronto in May. He invited his long-time colleague Mark Banbury who is the CISO of Heart & Stroke Foundation Canada to co-present, and the session was a hit.

Here is a link to the slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Cu_L_LnAU7iCuVJ5YWD6se-COcUsc3CG-WQjmHTbzT4/edit?usp=sharing

Facebook shares may be down, but for marketers they're still a safe bet

The news has been full of reports about what Facebook is doing wrong. From Russian hackers to slower user growth, it would seem to some that Facebook is on the decline.

However the share price does not tell the whole story. For those of us building brands online there are few tools as powerful as Facebook. Google is the clear alternative, but many find Google advertising tools more difficult to use when compared to Facebook.

When you consider that advertising within Facebook also allows reach into Instagram and Messenger, it's hard to argue that Facebook shouldn't be the first stop for online advertising and brand-building spend.

Google and Facebook Duopoly is Official

It's official!

Google and Facebook own 85% (and rising) share of internet advertising spend in North America. Mary Meeker's latest Internet Trends report confirms what many of us have been thinking for some time.

What does this mean for your organization? The temptation to experiment in many different online advertising spaces has never been greater. Resist the urge to do 'many things poorly' and focus your efforts on Facebook and Google.

When you feel you're getting an A+ in both Google advertising and Facebook advertising (which includes Instagram), then you can allow your team to play with some of the shiny new toys.

We hope everyone is having a nice summer (or winter for our Australian friends),

Philip & Vanessa

Philip's Presentation Selected "Best of Show" for AFP Congress

Due to the overwhelming and positive audience reaction to Philip's presentation at AFP Congress, he's been asked to provide an encore webinar on April 25th.

AFP Congress 2016 in Toronto November 21-23

We're thrilled to be presenting at this year's AFP Congress in Toronto on November 21st. The topic this year will be "Megatrends for Non-Profit Leaders" and here's the overview: We hear about mobile device proliferation, mergers among tech companies, and the next big social media platform but what does this mean for the future of our fundraising organizations? This presentation will make the case that in order to remain relevant, our leadership must pay attention to several mega-trends. Though these trends could be seen as technological and possibly relegated to our technology teams, that would be a strategic mistake.These trends include the explosion of mobile, the dominance of social media, the dumbing-down of big data, and the rise of crowd-funding. They should be understood at the very top of our organizations to be incorporated into long-term strategic planning. This presentation will be geared for a senior audience that is not necessarily technical, and will weave together these trends in a format that will provoke and stimulate critical and creative thinking.

Resolutions for a New Year

Let's make 2016 the year we get a handle on mobile, in all its shapes and sizes. When we get better at mobile, we're also getting better at user-experience. We're also getting better at relationships with millenials.

Take a careful look at your Google Analytics for 2015, and see how much your audience has shifted to small screens when you compare to 2014. This means you need to adapt your content and systems to meet the needs of an increasingly mobile audience.

Those long registration and donation forms with 20+ fields to fill out? Slim them down! Have you been thinking about a mobile app? This is the year to experiment!

Here's to a healthy and prosperous 2016!

How Technology Trends will impact Mobile Fundraising in 2016

If you haven't had a chance to read Philip's lastest column in the NonProfit PRO Magazine, we've provided a link here:

http://www.nonprofitpro.com/article/technology-trends-will-impact-p2p-2016/

Also of note: Facebook has announced that from January to May of this year, 3 in 10 of all online purchases took place on a mobile device.

Make sure your smartphone donation experience feels great for holiday 2015!

Philip to be technology strategy columnist for industry-leading magazine

Philip has been invited to be the monthly technology columnist for the industry-leading NonProfitPro / FundraisingSuccess magazine.

Click here to see some of the recent columns, or to subscribe to the magazine.