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Trends That Will Impact You and Your Ministry

From Financial Development to People Management, Today’s Trends Will Influence Tomorrow’s Decisions
Lucinda Armas | Outcomes, Mar/Apr 2007

Nobel Peace Laureate, Emily G. Balch, said: "The future will be determined in part by happenings that it is impossible to foresee; it will also be influenced by trends that are now existent and observable."

It's tough, though, to net out what's viable. We've highlighted a few trends in areas we know are of concern to you, our members:

• Financial Development and Management
• Communications and Marketing
• People Management and Care
• Your Spiritual and Professional Life.

A. Financial Development and Management … and Communications and Marketing.

Online communications and online giving go hand in hand, and they impact an organization's fundraising and communications strategies.

Trend: Online donations are increasing

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project:

• The number of Americans, since the beginning of 2005, who say they have made a gift online has increased by 53 percent.
• That's an increase from an estimated 11 million donors in 2004 to 26 million online donors.

Trend:  Constituents are accessing the Internet more for news and involvement

In a study conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, researchers found that in response to the Katrina and Rita hurricanes:

• 50 percent of all Internet users got online news about the hurricanes
• 5 percent of all Internet users created their own relief efforts 

Online donations should be one metric of a successful Internet strategy, but should not the only one. According to Vinay Bhagat, "The true value of the Internet is in creating and sustaining relationships with constituents and is achieved by implementing an online Constituent Relationship Management (eCRM) strategy. Using an eCRM approach, a nonprofit can maximize the value of its constituents by involving them, especially donors, in more than one activity so they can provide support for the mission in multiple ways at different times." (source: www.ephilanthropy.org, "Measuring Online Success," 3/22/06).

Bhagat says an effective eCRM strategy goes beyond raising money. It also:

• Helps drives online and offline giving
• Increases donor lifetime value
• Reduces communication and fundraising costs
• Supports major giving
• Contributes to the success of other activities, e.g., advocacy, volunteering and outreach to new constituents and donors.

Qs and Cues for Managers:

1. Does your organization have an eCRM strategy? 
   
   
2. Are you tracking and measuring how your website is helping organizational effectiveness (cutting costs, increasing communication with constituents, acquiring donors and volunteers, etc.)?