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The ENGAGE Podcast

Subscribe to The ENGAGE Podcast to hear experts from across the social good community share best practices, tips and must-know trends that will help organizations increase their impact. Formerly called The sgENGAGE Podcast.
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Now displaying: March, 2018
Mar 29, 2018

The digital age provides enormous opportunity for non-profit organizations to collect data, but it’s not enough for non-profit organizations to simply collect information. In order to use that data to make better decisions, nonprofits need good testing and analytics strategies. 

Today’s guest, David Karpf, has a long history of involvement in advocacy organizations. David is currently a professor in the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University and has just released a new book about analytics in activism.Tune in to the episode to hear David’s thoughts on how analytics and testing are affecting the way that advocacy organizations create change. 

Topics Discussed in this Episode: 

  • How to combine the fundamentals of organizing and causing change with the latest technologies
  • How data and analytics enable organizations to try and test more strategies and make better decisions
  • How organizations that want to influence policy can use analytics and testing
  • What organizations should do if they want to make a shift in the way they test and experiment
  • How paying close attention to social media trends can pay off in exposure for non-profit organizations
  • How MoveOn has build a large member base because of their testing strategies
  • Advice for non-profits in the digital age
  • The importance of digital listening 

Links and Resources: 

David Karpf

Analytic Activism

The MoveOn Effect

Blackbaud

Blackbaud - Twitter

Blackbaud - Facebook  

“The crucial thing for organizations, I think, is that they still embrace the hard conversation upfront about what is our vision, what is our mission, what are we trying to achieve.” 

“The practice of testing is way more important than the outcome of any one test.” 

“The organizations that are going to be leading the way in nonprofit social change are the ones who have set themselves up to test.”

Mar 22, 2018

Understanding how giving trends change of the years can be the key to predicting what’s going to happen in the future and planning how you’re going to address those trends. 

In today’s podcast, Ashley Thompson, Managing Director of the Blackbaud Institute, stands in as host to interview Steve MacLaughlin, regular host of this podcast and Blackbaud’s Vice President of Data and Analytics and Senior Advisor to the Blackbaud Institute for Philanthropic Impact. Steve is the author of the annual Charitable Giving Report. Tune in to hear about the latest report and what information and insights it provides about online giving trends. 

Topics Discussed in this Episode: 

  • Background on the Charitable Giving Report
  • The 2017 report looks at about 30 billion dollars in fundraising revenue, including about 3 billion dollars in online giving revenue
  • Sectors and geographic locations included in the Charitable Giving Report
  • What made giving in 2017 different from giving in 2016
  • How online giving facilitates the ability of donors to immediately respond to a given event
  • The increase of online donations made on a mobile device
  • The trend toward giving as a crowd
  • How Giving Tuesday donors are choosing to focus on smaller and medium-sized organizations
  • How nonprofits can use the type of information found in the Charitable Giving Report
  • Why organizations should be cautiously optimistic in the coming year 

Links and Resources: 

Steve MacLaughlin

2017 Charitable Giving Report

Blackbaud

Blackbaud - Twitter

Blackbaud - Facebook 

“We’re trying to really isolate how did specific organizations perform from one year to the next.” 

“We keep expanding the data and research that we’re publishing on an annual basis.” 

“The reality is that we’re in this transitional phase of where donors choose to give.”

 

Mar 15, 2018

The nonprofit world has seen rapid change over the last five to ten years. On last week’s episode we talked about how change can be difficult and positive at the same time. This week, we are tackling change from the perspective of professionals and organizations who are searching for ways to not just keep up with changing trends and technology, but to stay ahead of the curve. The answer is professional development. A multi-pronged professional development strategy can help professionals achieve growth in their roles while staying sharp and current while also helping nonprofit leadership mitigate attrition and turnover. 

Today’s guest is Terry Vyas, Vice President of Education Services at Blackbaud. Terry leads Blackbaud University, the training arm of Blackbaud focused on helping nonprofit professionals not only stay up to speed on the technology they use on a daily basis, but also helps individuals develop their skills and build lasting careers in the social good community. Terry and I tackle the impact professional development can have on an organization, the types of professional development to be considered, as well as the best way to put a professional development program in place. 

Topics Discussed in this Episode: 

  • Why professional development is particularly important to nonprofits
  • How high-performing organizations are staying ahead of the curve with professional development
  • How you should be investing in your team and how to justify it
  • New and different types of professional development to be aware of
  • How investing in professional development pays for itself in reduced turnover and productivity
  • The importance of focusing on the right problems and examples of what those might be
  • What kinds of classes are offered through Blackbaud University
  • What makes Blackbaud University stand out in the education space 

Links and Resources: 

Terry Vyas

The Internet Archive

Blackbaud University

Blackbaud

Blackbaud - Twitter

Blackbaud - Facebook 

 

“Each of us as human beings, we have this inherent need to grow.”

 “I would argue that you need a multi-pronged strategy for your organizational development.”

 “I would say the mission’s obviously number one, but if you don’t have a staff that’s growing, that’s learning something, that’s developing their own skills, they’re not going to be as productive to help you drive that particular mission.”

 

Mar 8, 2018

Accepting change is hard for everybody, but it’s an important part of life, and it’s definitely important in the fundraising world. The ability to accept and embrace change, whether it be change in process, staff or technology, is what allows your nonprofit organization to remain relevant and active in a changing world. 

Today’s guest is an expert on the subject of change. Michael Reardon is a change management expert, former professor at the College of Charleston with a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication from Purdue University, and currently a manager with Blackbaud’s Business Consulting Services. Tune into the episode to hear what Michael has to say about the importance of change management and embracing positive change. 

Topics Discussed in This Episode: 

  • The meaning and scope of the words “change management”
  • How to make change management a priority at your organization
  • The importance of communication about change within an organization
  • How to deal with resistance to change within an organization
  • How change within an organization can affect workers’ identities
  • The change curve
  • Why “go-live” is not the finish line
  • How to reduce anxiety around change
  • The importance of adjusting expectations while changes are being implemented
  • How to plan for the days following the immediate implementation of change
  • How setting mini goals can provide positive reinforcement during times of change 

Resources: 

Michael Reardon

Blackbaud

Blackbaud - Twitter

Blackbaud - Facebook 

“It means different things to different people, and I think that’s OK.”

“That’s usually the first step in any change management: make people aware.”

“Taking time now to do it right will accelerate everything down the road.”

 

Mar 1, 2018

We hear this group discussed a lot in the social good community: Millennials. More specifically, the importance of digital technology for understanding how Millennials, the first generation of people who grew up with digital technology, use the internet when it comes to social issues and charitable works and giving and how to properly engage with this group to convert their interests into action. 

Today’s guest, Derrick Feldman, is the founder and producer of MCON, the nation’s premiere conference on Millennials. In this episode, Derrick shares his unique thoughts about Millennials, how they’re really impacting the current and future states of philanthropy and what fundraisers need to start and stop doing going forward to engage Millennials. 

Topics Discussed in This Episode: 

  • Why Derrick chose to focus on Millennials
  • Various ways that Millennials support issues, beyond just financial giving
  • How to communicate to Millennials that their actions are having an impact
  • What you can find in The Millennial Impact Report
  • The importance of a holistic approach to raising engagement
  • How minimal actions, like signing a petition, can lead to larger actions, like donating and volunteering
  • Why Millennials act for social change even if they don’t necessarily identify with the label of “activist”
  • How Millennials feel about America’s future
  • Why Millennials are participating in causes through actions like rallies, marches, and contacting legislators
  • What fundraisers need to do going forward to engage Millennials, and what fundraisers should avoid doing 

Resources: 

Derrick Feldman

MCON

The Millennial Impact Report

Blackbaud

Blackbaud - Twitter

Blackbaud - Facebook 

 

“When you see some of the most successful organizations that have raised dollars, they have looked at it through the lens of the supporter constituency model.” 

“The population needs to see the next milestone to reach that bold statement.” 

“At the end of the day we continue to notice that the Millennial individual is focused on ensuring that that person, that human being isn’t challenged, that they have opportunities, and that they have the rights that are afforded to them.”

 

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