Thoughts for Today:

“As much as we need a prosperous economy, we also need a prosperity of kindness and decency.” Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg

“Cowardice asks, is it safe? Expediency asks, is it politic? Vanity asks, is it popular? But conscience asks, is it right?”

“Life is about becoming more than we are.” Oprah Winfrey

Emerging Technologies

The phrase emerging technologies can be applied to almost any field of endeavor and needs to be understood in context for every organization. The world is now changing at a blinding pace and it has become difficult for many nonprofit organizations to keep up with many of the current trends. Here are just a few things to think about as you apply emerging technologies to your organization.

First, do you have a defined purpose for the new technology? We can become so overwhelmed with the glitter and lights that we fail to ask ourselves if the resource is really needed at this time. A good example would be an RSS Feed (Rich Site Summary or Real Simple Syndication). This is a wonderful resource to add to your website. It is a non-intrusive; permission based and does not have to deal with spam or filters. The drawback is that Forrester Research indicates that only 2 percent of American Internet users employ RSS Feeds.

Second, does the technology improve the services or fundraising capability of your organization? Everyone has a website of some type or another. When Wheeler & Associates provides strategic planning for a new client, we read through their website as way to become familiar with the organization. Typically we find the information stale and dated with very little reason for the donors or those utilizing their services to return. Whether it is a website, phone system, blog or other technology advantage, don’t get caught up in the hype. Stop long enough to ask yourself how this is going to advance the mission of your organization?

Third, it is important to stay informed. Many organizations are using emerging technologies in creative and effective ways. There are advantages at times to being on the cutting edge. Some nonprofits are using PURLS (Personal Universal Resource Locators) to provide custom information to potential donors. Others have allowed fundraising teams and individuals to set up individual web pages to help raise money for the nonprofit. Many of the emerging technologies can reduce communication costs, increase donations, or provide improved services to the community. You simply need to decide which technologies work best for your organization.

The most important factor in using emerging technologies is to make sure it is a good fit. Don’t let someone sell you something you don’t need, on the other hand, do miss an opportunity to gain market share by utilizing new tools and opportunities.

Trent H. Wheeler

Next Issue: How to use Emerging Technologies

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