Engaging Today’s Nonprofit Constituent

The nonprofit sector is large and diverse, serving more missions and stakeholders than ever before through a dizzying array of business models, funding sources, and partnerships. At the same time, the lines are blurring. With benefit-focused corporations, limited foundation dollars, and the rise of the social entrepreneur, never before have nonprofits faced such competition for the time and attention of their constituents.

Constituents differ by nonprofit, but may include service recipients, partners, volunteers, donors, suppliers, and staff—anyone with whom the nonprofit interacts. In the era of the consumer, the expectations and behaviors of these people have shifted radically. Constituents are barraged with demands on their time and attention, which puts the power in their hands as they evaluate and choose between multiple options.

Understanding and engaging your constituents in the

digital era requires new tools, approaches, priorities, and staff capabilities to maximize the return on each dollar you spend. No longer will constituents engage on your terms; you need to go to them and engage them in new ways. But with this change comes unlimited benefits. Your constituents are now influencers and have the ability to take your mission viral should they so choose.

As nonprofits seek new ways to better understand their constituents and potential donors, Accenture gathered the CEOs of Points of Light, National Geographic Society, and Wounded Warrior Project to talk about attracting new audiences, engaging members in new ways, and operating in a constituent-centric world. The group distilled key lessons learned to three areas: having a data-driven approach, embracing your inner storyteller, and engaging audiences on different platforms.

Three key lessons: • Have a data-driven approach, • Embrace your inner storyteller, • Engage audiences on different platforms

Introduction

“You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” W. Edwards Deming and Peter Drucker, both widely recognized authors and management consultants, on why data is so important and a necessity for today’s organizations.

Nonprofits today have numerous tools and platforms to measure and collect data on where their constituents live. Mobile phones, online shopping, social networks, electronic communication, GPS, and instrumented machinery all

produce torrents of data as a by-product of their ordinary operations. As the use of wearable devices and smartphones become universal, each of us is now a walking data generator.

In a recent survey, companies who characterized themselves as data-driven performed better on objective measures of financial and operational results. In particular, companies in the top third of their industry in the use of data-driven decision making were 5% more productive and

6% more profitable than their competitors. This is true for nonprofits as well.

Data helps nonprofits know where to focus, what’s working, and provide a quantitative foundation on which to set goals and measure progress. Moreover, data collection isn’t only for large organizations. Small nonprofits need to be data-driven as well: to understand why donors give or how well programs are working.

Have a Data-Driven Approach

Stories help us remember facts and topics, influence how we make decisions, and link us to our sense of generosity. These are the basic building blocks for reaching your goals.

To embrace your inner storyteller, your messaging platform should be flexible across all of your audiences. From donors and volunteers to program managers and impacted populations, it is critical to tailor your content and communications to each specific segment. And stories aren’t created in a vacuum: your audiences expect to co-create their experience

with your brand—it’s a conversation, not a memo.

This leads to authenticity. While you need to speak up to stand out, you must also listen closely to what your audiences are saying (and not saying). It’s not about simply parroting back what you’ve heard—it’s about understanding where they’re coming from so you can tell the story of how your brand fits into their world. If your audiences understand why your brand exists in the world, they will be more likely to listen to what you have to say and share with you what they want from the relationship.

Gary Knell, president & CEO of National Geographic Society, highlighted that effective messaging can be pinpointed to a few words a lesson which the Washington Post learned firsthand.

Before the Washington Post posted an article online about the change of leaders in Saudi Arabia, “their digital team changed the headline to “Game of Thrones in Saudi Arabia” and increased site traffic by 10 times. This is the world we live in now; you’ve got to have people on your staff who understand these kinds of engagements with people,” Knell said.

Embrace Your Inner Storyteller

For nonprofit organizations focused on long-term growth and success, engaging your constituents is critical. This is a journey.

By being data-driven, you understand who they are, where they engage, what they need, and what resonates. This data helps you start authentic conversations and tell stories to connect with them. And these stories propagate through new channels, helping you engage new audiences on multiple platforms—and empowering your constituents to take your mission out into the world.

ConclusionIn 2015, most nonprofits prioritized donor retention—keeping current donors engaged and active before seeking new ones. This trend will only continue in 2016 and 2017. From Facebook to Instagram, while the breadth of your engagement can help, the critical differentiator is making your content and messaging personally relevant for every constituent.

Tracy Hoover, CEO of Points of Light, emphasized that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work anymore.

“Whether it’s technology-enabled or a customized set of offerings, if you want me as a stakeholder to take action on your behalf as a nonprofit, you’ll speak the language I understand,” Hoover said.

Community engagement requires connection, conversation and opportunity. Start by making a list of all the audiences that you need to engage (e.g., staff, supporters, donors, volunteers). Consider each one is its own community. Then picture an individual within that community—what do they want, and where do they engage?

Gary Knell explained how rapidly technology has changed but also how that presents the opportunity to connect with your constituents on new platforms.

“No one under the age of 30 will know what it’s like to be without a smartphone. This is how people communicate: you know what the news is all day long because it’s beeping in your pocket. Whether they’re engaging with television, print, photography, a live lecture, travel, or cartography, they are part of the National Geographic engagement strategy,” Knell said.

Meeting your constituents on their turf is the new reality. Building “walled gardens”—proprietary engagement platforms for just your nonprofit—won’t work.

“It’s building a 360-degree understanding of an engagement: where people find value added to what you’re putting out there as a nonprofit. If you’re not pushing your message out through multiple channels, don’t expect folks to find you.”

Engage Audiences on Different Platforms

ContactsFor more information, please contact:

Elaine Turvilleelaine.k.turville@accenturefederal.com

Amit PatelA.B.Patel@accenture.com

Connect with us to learn more on delivering public service for the future on Twitter @AccenturePubSvc

About Accenture’s Nonprofit GroupBeyond our commitment to our clients is our dedication to improving the way the world works and lives. The social sector is extremely diverse, encompassing mission-service nonprofits, cultural institutions, foundations, associations, multilaterals, and others. Accenture helps clients throughout the sector, combining our industry leading services and expertise derived from our work with leading commercial companies and governments—and applying this unique skillset to address the particular challenges confronting the social sector. We help our nonprofit clients to transform their mission, unlock their digital potential, and enable improved service delivery. The result is unparalleled: enterprise-grade strategy and operations applied to accomplish the mission better, faster, and more effectively.

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions—underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network—Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With more than 375,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com

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