Soapbox Engage Blog

A quick stretch of back-to-back NPSP Days in Portland and San Francisco flew by last week, propelled by some of the best doughnuts the Pacific Northwest had to offer (that's Blue Star, for you non-locals). We've now officially turned the corner into the third year for these two cities, and it's exciting to see these unconferences evolve as the community changes shape.

Talking of change, a ton of it is about to happen this week in Denver, with the Salesforce.org open source community sprints. While our NPSP Days are focused more on knowledge sharing and training, these sprints are an opportunity for the community to develop the resources and code needed to support organizations around the world using HEDA and the NPSP.

While I'm way out here in Washington DC, I tip my captain's hat to the fine folks rallying together in Denver. May the open source spirit carry you across the sprinting finish line!

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It's wheels up time again. As we move deeper into summer, the NPSP Day tour picks up steam after a few weeks of down time. I touched down in Oregon this morning to get ready for a first stop at NPSP Day Portland tomorrow, and then right down the coast to NPSP Day San Francisco on Wednesday.

From Blue Star doughnuts, to the land of burritos, we'll find some good time to fit in non-profit Salesforce knowledge sharing. Somehow.

For those of you who won't be able to join us on this west coast swing, here's the latest from the virtual Salesforce community!

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Ah yes, it's the All-Star break for American baseball. Nothing better than desperately trying to turn off all the 24-hour cable television news channels to see folks try to clobber a baseball in today's homerun derby.

I mean, I didn't get a chance to hang out in the crazy humidity today in DC to watch it, but from what I hear, people who attended generally felt pretty good about the world. Just the special sight of the American pastime.

For those of you who could use a good drink (of knowledge) today, grab a stool here at the PUB Crawl. This round's on me. And the next. And...you get the picture.

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In an ideal world, people donate to and support causes purely out of the goodness of their heart and don’t expect anything in return. After all, we’re talking about nonprofits, not businesses, right? But realistically, when we choose to invest in a cause we care about, we do expect something in return -- and we deserve it -- even if it just starts with a simple thank you note. And, depending on how much someone gives to a cause, it’s only natural that they receive a bigger return on investment.

That’s where membership value comes into play. Now, we’re not talking about going Oprah and giving out cars to major donors or sending every individual donor some cheesy swag just for the heck of it. But it is important to think strategically about what you are offering back to your supporters across various levels, from the $10 donor to the $10,000 donor. If someone values your mission and work enough to invest in it, shouldn’t you find a way to show much you value them? (Short answer: yes!)

We’ll outline a few ways that you can provide value to three key constituents as they move up that ladder of engagement, and keep them coming back for more.

When you plan a new fundraising or marketing campaign, one of the first questions is often: “Who is our audience?”

It’s tempting for the answer to simply be “Well, isn’t it everyone?” And while that may be true on some level, the same approach isn’t effective for every supporter. For instance, you wouldn’t ask a major donor for the same gift as you would a grassroots supporter.

So, what does that mean for your donor communication strategy? For starters, it means donor communications are most effective when tailored to different audiences. More specifically, we recommend segmenting your supporters across four key groups–grassroots supporters, partners and ambassadors, major donors, and board members.

I have journeyed to Seattle for another NPSP Day. I’m looking forward to seeing who shows up to share their knowledge. The best part of NPSP Days is the ease of the event. I mean, the community members are the ones driving the event. It’s their ideas, thoughts, and fun facts that make NPSP Days so entertaining. It also doesn’t help that I am able to eat a burrito or eight. After NPSP Day Seattle, I’ll be divulging in Shakshouka in Tel Aviv for the next NPSP Day. We’re making history by heading to the Middle East. Let’s just say, I can’t complain about my job. While I gear up for this week’s NPSP Day, you all should get ready for this week’s PUB Crawl. Tons of amazing content has just entered your inbox. Find a quiet place to perch your feet and enjoy this week’s PUB Crawl.

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It seems like it was just yesterday that talking computers and robots were mere science fiction fantasy, found in The Jetsons or Star Wars’ galaxy far, far away. Now, we’re seemingly living in a real-live Westworld, having full-on conversations with Siri, Alexa, and Watson. Who said imaginary friends were just for kids?

R2-D2 and his friends exist because of artificial intelligence, or AI, which is the ability for a computer or machine to simulate human intelligence. AI has been used in some form or another for years, in factories and labs, and now on our tablets and smartphones. But researchers and companies that create AI systems are realizing that it can be used for more than cutting production costs and building things. AI can be used to save lives, and enhance the social good.

There are major efforts leveraging AI to do amazing things from curing rare cancers to stopping poachers to monitoring human-trafficking patterns. But what does AI mean for small or medium nonprofits who don’t have bucket loads of money to create their own AI or even purchase a complex system? How can AI can be used to target the right donors and provide data to backup your storytelling and strategy?

We rounded up a few emerging possibilities for your nonprofit to use AI for better fundraising success. What sounds most helpful and appealing for your organization right now?

It's okay, you can admit it. Sometimes, working with Salesforce can feel like this scene from my neighborhood this weekend.

It can be a confusing, mixed signal world out there...which is why it's fantastic to see this community gathering together to help each other walk safely across the road together. I'm excited to help facilitate this goodness in the next two weeks of wheels up - wheels down travel between North America and the Middle East, and hope to see many of you in Seattle and Tel Aviv!

In the meantime, grab a stool here at the PUB Crawl bar, and enjoy a round of knowledge on the house.

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Issue 133

Another week, and another NPSP Day in the history books as NPSP Day Toronto wrapped up last week in a when-will-spring-get-here quick tour of Canada. My penguin traveling companion was thoroughly confused after our stop in New Orleans last week.

This week, it's off to the Salesforce World Tour in New York, where I'm looking to reconnect with good friends in the Big Apple, and get the energy going for a few weeks of long-distance NPSP Day travel to come. For now, kick off your shoes in first class and settle in for a round of knowledge here in the PUB Crawl!

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Me and 100 of my penguin friends flew down to New Orleans for a double dose of nonprofit awesomeness. We started off our week at NPSP Day New Orleans where we jumped right into community engagement. Although we did not get to indulge in beignets, we did get to enjoy some burritos with a side knowledge sharing. Lucky for us the incredibleness did not stop after the NPSP day. We got to continue our week at the Nonprofit Technology Conference. Our booth featured an endless amount of penguin friends. It was great to see so many familiar faces throughout the week. Sometimes I forget how large our community actually is, but events like the NTC that snap me back to reality. The next stop in my jet setting tour is Canada for NPSP Day Toronto. I’m hopping across the border to see what our northern friends have to say about Salesforce. As I switch my travel bag from shorts to ski pants, take a moment to explore this week’s PUB Crawl. The content is stacked with tips and tricks that will tackle your latest NPSP issues. Grab a seat in the sunshine and enjoy this week’s roundup of community driven knowledge.

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When the cherry blossoms arrive, it's spring in DC. Okay, it hit 37F a few days ago, but darn it, I'm calling it spring! So, first step: immediately fly south to New Orleans for our first NPSP Day in Louisiana and the Nonprofit Technology Conference.

If you're heading to the NTC this week, you'll find me there with the penguins. Confused? Don't worry, you'll get it when you see it. Meanwhile, enjoy this week's serving of Salesforce knowledge!

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the PUB Crawl delivered into your inbox each Monday morning by subscribing today!

Hey, so I know we just met but is there any chance you can come over and dogsit for me this weekend?

Too much? Too soon? We do hardly know each other, right? It probably would be best to get to better acquainted before I hit you up for favors, eh? Maybe we can grab some coffee to get to know each other first? Yes. Coffee first. Dog later.

Just as personal relationships require time and steps to develop before both parties are willing to invest something of substance so, too, your nonprofit’s relationship with its would-be donors requires nurturing. Your first ask being a donation ask won’t necessarily be a winner. Just with my dog sitting, you need to grow into it. So, what’s the nonprofit version of asking someone out for coffee?

We’re so glad you asked! Here are five tactics your organization can use to grow your community before asking them for donations. Each falls on what is commonly referred to as a “commitment curve” or “ladder of engagement,” They get you from that introduction to getting an email address to growing engagement to finally getting someone to watch my dog, er, I mean, winning a new donor.

My hope for you, wherever you are, is that you're not experiencing the endless cold winter that seems to be plaguing us in Washington DC. Even my penguin buddy here in the Soapbox Engage offices has been caught turning up the heat. Ah, it was just week ago that I was spending a warm day with our NPSP community down in Cape Town. If only I could have packed some warm weather in my carry-on.

The good news is that with the holiday weekend that some of us celebrated this weekend now behind us, I can get refocused on the things that really matter: exactly where did I hide those eggs? Also, Salesforce!

Alright, ignore my winter blues, grab a warm beverage, and dig deep into this week’s PUB Crawl.

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the PUB Crawl delivered into your inbox each Monday morning by subscribing today!

Cape Town, South Africa, is about as far away from Salesforce's San Francisco headquarters as you can get. It's also the epicenter of some of the best community collaboration in our ecosystem. At last week's NPSP Day, the work of community leaders and supporters like Sam Vos, Annakie Gammon, Rowen Ravera, Jacquie Besselaar, and Themba Mazibuko (to name only a few) was on display for the world to see, and the result was fantastic. It was the 4th largest NPSP Day, held the most speed-geeks (by double!), and delivered the most ah ha moments I've ever seen.

The South African Salesforce non-profit community is a proud community that on a daily basis is leveraging its internal strength to support its own network. I can't articulate effectively the impact it has already had on my view of what we can do as a community even when we feel quite far from the center of the action. Just as I've learned in all my open source community work, the strength of this open source community isn't only at its center of mass. It's also located in its local network.

While pondering where we can further strengthen local communities that might feel distant from San Francisco, here's your weekly serving of community knowledge...live from the friendly skies back to DC!

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After two overnight flights in a row, at some point, I'll make it down to South Africa for the first NPSP Day on the African continent. I've been lucky enough to speak in Cape Town a few times, but this time, it's special. Bringing together non-profit organizations from across the Western Cape, we'll have a chance as a community to enhance the benefit of Salesforce for groups that are doing powerful work in the region.

Also, Phil (our penguin) is hoping to meet some real penguin buddies at Boulders Beach.

Before you start your week, catch up on all of last week’s greatness with the PUB Crawl. Grab a pretzel (seems to be the choice of snack during my current layover) and dive into this week’s content roundup. Don’t forget to keep your questions, tips, and suggestions rolling into the HUB. You never know, you could end up in next week’s PUB Crawl!

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As many in the NPSP/HEDA world return to their home communities after another successful open source community sprint, it's time to play catch-up on all that knowledge from the Salesforce world last week.

Didn't have time to keep up with all the HUB happenings while you were sprinting open source laps? I've got some awesome posts here in this week's PUB Crawl. Enjoy!

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the PUB Crawl delivered into your inbox each Monday morning by subscribing today!

Out with February, in with March...and soon, but not soon enough, spring up here in the northern hemisphere! March also holds a historic first for our community: the first ever NPSP Day in Africa. I'll be packing up what friends share about the Salesforce.org Open Source Sprint happening today and tomorrow, and bringing the knowledge to the Cape Town community on March 22.

While the community is humming, take a moment to catch up on what's has been discussed around the HUB in this week's action packed PUB Crawl. Grab yourself a sweet treat and dive deep into this week’s content.

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the PUB Crawl delivered into your inbox each Monday morning by subscribing today!

A/B testing your online donation forms can provide valuable insight to boost conversion rates and better fund your mission. What's more, if your online donation forms are integrated with a constituent relationship management tool, like Salesforce, these A/B tests can offer far more than just conversion rates with which to judge performance. But what should you test and what questions do those tests allow you to answer?

Here are ten A/B testing areas and what you can glean from each:

In our previous two blog posts here and here, we provided step-by-step instructions for creating reports in the Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack to evaluate the effectiveness of A/B tests of your online donation forms. For this recipe, we wrangle all twelve metrics onto a single dashboard so you can easily compare the performance of each form in the test.

For more background on this recipe, specifics on the A/B testing process, examples of what to test, and an overview of UTM codes for inbound marketing metrics, watch our webinar, Six Ways to Get Smarter with Your 2018 Fundraising.

As we noted in a previous blog post, A/B testing your online donation forms can be a powerful practice, especially when you integrate those tests with the Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack. In this step-by-step recipe, we'll create a report and dashboards in Salesforce that will allow you to quickly analyze which form in your A/B test is performing best with respect to one-time vs. sustaining donations.

For more background on this recipe, a host of other metrics, and specifics on the A/B testing process, watch our webinar, Six Ways to Get Smarter with Your 2018 Fundraising.