6 Ways Technology Can Help Your Nonprofit

As technology advances every day, we understand it can be hard to stay on top of the latest tools, apps, and innovations. We are joining Volunteer East Tennessee and the offices of City of Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett in a new, community-wide volunteer initiative, Give a Day Knoxville, in the hopes that we can help! Join us on Wednesday, September 6 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at The Regas Building for our “Talk to a Techie” Day! By attending this FREE event, you will have the opportunity to ask questions and get technical assistance from a variety of experts from Cirrus Insight, Make a Mark, LBMC, Ackermann PR, Kim Lauth Consulting, and more. Come for a Panera Bread breakfast, and bring your laptop and your questions – techie volunteers will be here to help you! This free event is open to ABN members only.

In case we haven’t already given you a reason to attend, here are six reasons technology can help your nonprofit stand out:

1. Video Marketing

Is your organization using Instagram? If not, you should be! Instagram is quickly climbing the charts to becoming one of the most used social media platforms. Instagram now has over 700 million users, adding more than 200 million in under a year. With the ability to post photos and videos in the moment, the business world is becoming heavily reliant on visual marketing. Luckily, we’ll have video marketing expert Ariana Shannon from Cirrus Insight with us on “Talk to a Techie” Day! Ariana is passionate about business video, and believes that all businesses – no matter their industry or size – can successfully implement video marketing into their outreach strategies. Stop by Ariana’s station on September 6th to pick her brain and get feedback on your video efforts!

2. Web Design

When was the last time your organization updated its website? If it’s been a while, we’ve got just the people to help! We understand that sometimes updating your website might be at the bottom of the to-do list, but it can be one of the most important tools for increasing awareness and interaction with your organization. Having a user-friendly website could be the reason your organization is the one someone chooses to work with or donate to, rather than someone else. We’ll have a few experts on web design at “Talk to a Techie” Day just in case your organization falls into that category. Be sure to talk to Josh Loomis and Tyler West from Cirrus Insight and Sarah and Alexander Obenauer from Make a Mark for your web design needs.

3. Building Your Brand

Anything and everything your staff posts, produces, or says goes into building your organization’s brand. A great way to manage your brand is to keep up-to-date social media accounts. Keeping a consistent image and tone in your posts is important so that your organization can be recognized with or without your logo attached. If brand management or social media isn’t your thing, be sure to stop by and talk to experts Cal Davis from Ackermann PR and Josh Loomis from Cirrus Insight for advice.

4. Keeping Up With Your Finances

One quick way to find your organization in a fritz is not keeping a clear record of your finances. One of the best way to keep your records is on the computer in a database—no more losing papers or files! We’ll have experts Stacy Schuettler, Glenn Sharp, and Jim Guinn from LBMC on “Talk to a Techie” Day to help your organization with the basics of general business and accounting software.

5. Campaign Promotion

Does your organization have a large fundraiser or annual event coming up this fall? It’s never too early to start campaigning! A great way to start selling tickets or securing sponsors early is through your email newsletters. Don’t have one? Don’t fret! Tyler West from Cirrus Insight will be at “Talk to a Techie” Day to speak with you about all of your email marketing needs. Imagine some of the most complex email scenarios possible and chances are he’s had to deal with it!

6. Having Useable Data at Your Fingertips

One of the best ways to reach your audience is to know your audience. Donors are more likely to stay interested in your organization if you develop a real relationship with them. Do you know what attracts them to your organization? Do you know how they like to be communicated with? Brandon Bruce, co-founder of Cirrus Insight, will be at “Talk to a Techie” Day to help you get the information you want about your donors! With the help of Brandon and his team, your organization will be able to pull the numbers you need for your next newsletter, presentation, or quarterly report!

Learn more about “Talk to a Techie” Day and the experts that will be joining us HERE.