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2016
INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE REPORT
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The world has changed United Way has always been about helping people solve big problems together. In 2015 alone, we mobilized millions of donors and volunteers. But it’s clear our world has changed. Technology, digital marketing, and changing individual expectations are disrupting us and our sector. The exciting news? These same changes create an opportunity for United Way to connect with people as individuals, ask them what they think and help them find their passion for making a difference.
This new “Era of the Individual” needs United Way. The future needs a strong United Way. Our collective impact approach is the best way to sustain community change. We mobilize people and resources at an irreplaceable scale. We are local, around the world. The opportunity ahead of us is to apply the best of individual digital engagement to these unique strengths. The journey will not always be easy, but together we can do it. -The Innovation Team
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Inside This Report (click to jump)
1. Top 5 Insights of 2015 The latest and best insights from United Ways, cutting edge NGOs, and other experts.
2. Three Network Actions How United Ways and UWW are working together in new and powerful ways.
3. Five Local Actions and Examples United Ways are innovating all the time. Learn five hot tips observed from leading United Ways.
Top 5 Individual Engagement Insights from 2015 (drum roll please…)
#1 Fight for the User Companies that provide great individual experiences have one thing in common: they place the individual customer (user) at the center of the experiences they design. Our friends at DoSomething.org adopted the phrase “Fight for the User” (any TRON fans out there?) as their rallying cry. United Way Digital Services has adopted it as well. It means we always make the user’s needs our top priority.
Image of DoSomething.org office provided by TMI Agency
#1 Fight for the User This user-centered approach is championed by some of the leading companies of our time. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is known to leave a seat open during meetings and asks attendees to consider that empty chair occupied by a customer. For United Way, this relentless focus on the individual user experience already is yielding results. Whether you’ve just started or are an expert, the key is to continue flexing this user-centered design muscle through our strongest channel: the workplace.
#2 Individual engagement and the workplace need each other In our network, we sometimes view “individual” and “workplace” as opposites. But our best way to provide great individual experiences is with and through workplaces. Nine out of ten of our current donors come from workplaces. The average payroll deduction gift is 10x larger than an online donation. Individual engagement means connecting with people in a way that drives payroll donations and employee engagement, not replaces them.
#2 Individual engagement and the workplace need each other So what will individual engagement that employees and companies love look like in the (near) future? Year-round digital content and local opportunities to get involved Modern payroll deduction giving experiences Lifetime impact tracking and personal accounts Direct connections to employees that persist as workplaces change
In marketing terms, we’re developing a business-to-businessto-consumer model (B2B2C) rather than just B2B or B2C. (Acronym Party, it’s true.)
#3 We’re Better Together United Ways are doing this work together in exciting new ways, from United Way LINC and Text-to-Mobile to the Operating Groups. This collaborative approach helps us all and happens to be one of our five Bold Plays (see what we did there?). The benefits to this approach are very real: We deliver better, consistent experiences and maintain local flare We save money and steward our donors’ dollars more efficiently
The Network and Local Actions sections will tell even more of the story.
#4 Content is King “Content is King” has been a popular phrase to help marketers understand the importance of great content. But content alone doesn’t guarantee attention. The average person receives 416 commercial email messages each month. Defining the right subject line, sending time, and more are needed for your message to cut through the noise. “Content is not king, but a president elected by the votes of those whom it aims to rule.” – Raheel Farooq
United Ways are working together to figure out this science in our unique model.
#5 Data Drives Decisions The best companies and not-forprofits use data to drive their decision-making. Performance data helps them sort out what actually works from what they *really* want to work but doesn’t. At United Way, we don’t always have access to as much data as we’d like, but we’re building in that direction. In big and small ways, United Ways are gathering data (such as asking for personal email addresses on pledge forms) and evaluating performance (A/B testing ads and experiences).
Share Your Favorite, Mind-Blowing Insight Did you read an article or eBook that reshaped your thinking? Watch a TED talk that blew your mind? See something in your community or another? Share it with us! We’ll post a selection on United Way Online and put it in the running for next year’s “Top Insights.”
SHARE MY MIND BLOWING INSIGHT
Three Key Network Actions “We belong, we belong, tooogethhh-errr” –Pat Benatar
#1 Grow Digital Services Operating Group (DSOG) Twelve United Ways and United Way Worldwide have partnered to create United Way Shared Digital Services, an individual digital engagement capability that mirrors those of leading brands, political campaigns, and not-for-profits. DSOG’s goal is to provide great, digital United Way experiences that increase impact, lifetime donor value, and individual and corporate partner satisfaction. In short, DSOG is reaching individuals throughout their year and life in ways they love. To get there, DSOG is building shared content, shared platforms, and a shared team. Founding members of Digital Services Operating Group
#1 Grow Digital Services Operating Group (DSOG) DSOG launched in July 2015. The work—and level of partnership required—is not easy, but they’ve already had great success: Thank You Pilot increased open and click-through rates up to 240% Mobile pledge form doubled participation among younger employees, from 19% to 41% Strategic partnership and shared platform with Salesforce that integrates with local CRMs
#1 Grow Digital Services Operating Group (DSOG) For 2016, DSOG has an ambitious agenda including: › A multi-month digital campaign “Make Your Moment” that helps individuals fall in love with helping their community › Cutting edge market segmentation that helps us better understand the attitudes and beliefs of donors › Improving the workplace giving experience for our corporate partners › Building a business plan for expansion to additional United Ways
DSOG’s vision includes working closely with our whole network. Contact us to learn more and share your feedback!
#2 Build a Portfolio of Innovative Engagement Tools United Ways are constantly innovating and finding ways to solve individual experience challenges in their communities. One of the roles the UWW Innovation team plays is to surface those great ideas, share them, and – when we can – help bring down the cost for United Ways of all sizes. In 2015, our network’s collaborative portfolio helped United Ways raise money, save money and reach individuals in and out of the workplace.
#2 Portfolio of Innovative Engagement Tools: 2015 Results
Learn More
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MobileCause This suite of mobile fundraising and engagement tools has now raised $1.6M for the network, with one in six US United Ways signed up at a discounted rate. United Way LINC A new model for engaging Millennials, powered by a beautiful mobile site. UWs are launching high profile events with 100+ attendees under 30. Mobile Campaign Wrappers We’re making our most prevalent workplace platform mobile and modern! (Available to UWs in April.) Simple Online Pledge Forms Led by United Way of Greater New Haven, we’re exploring inexpensive, mobile alternatives to paper pledge.
#3 Launch the Corporate Relations Operating Group (CROG) The Corporate Relations Operating Group (CROG) is a partnership of United Ways and United Way Worldwide focused on providing great experiences to our top corporate partners. Historically, our value proposition revolved around providing low-cost workplace giving campaigns. Today, our value proposition is rooted in the impact and business goals for each corporate partner, including employee engagement.
#3 Launch the Corporate Relations Operating Group (CROG) Together, CROG will deliver on three bodies of work: 1.
2.
3.
Enterprise-level account management cross-market relationship management, pledge processing, c-suite engagement and staffing CSR alignment - common impact metrics/results framework, create impact causes and agree to common impact products Employee engagement & acquisition work to provide year-round experiences for individual employees
DSOG is working closely with CROG to fulfill on employee engagement for our corporate partners.
Five Local Actions and Examples (“You look marvelous” –Billy Crystal)
#1 Know Your Donors When deepening any relationship, you want to get to know someone better, learn how they like to interact and communicate, and find meaningful ways to partner together. Groups like Select Cities and DSOG are developing advanced segmentation approaches to build a 360° view of donors. But learning more about your donors and how to communicate with them can be as simple as sending out a survey or doing face-to-face interviews.
TOOLS FOR A CUSTOMER INTERVIEW
#1 Know Your Donors Example In Columbus, they’re developing communications and engagement plans for each of their priority market segments. They map out the quarterly touchpoints (pictured below) which provides them with a single view of an individual’s experience for the year. The plan also includes goals and metrics they measure for that segment.
GET THE TEMPLATE
#2 Gather and Analyze Donor Info A foundational step in understanding your supporters is to build out your individual donor records.
Many United Ways are tracking and increasing “Contactable Donors,” those for whom a UW knows name, gift, contact information and have permission to contact the donor. Good data requires organizationwide process and commitment. Two great places to start on this journey are to 1) clean up your current database by de-duplicating entries; and 2) perform a data audit.
GET THE DATA AUDIT TOOLKIT
#2 Gather and Analyze Donor Info Example In New Haven, they’re analyzing data in new ways. Their chart below shows the distribution of donors giving less than $50 by number of years giving. These charts help identify fundraising opportunities.
You can start doing your own donor analysis with the United Way Donor Churn Tool (first developed by Amy Case – woot!) and training webinar.
GET THE DONOR CHURN TOOL
#3 Create Compelling Content Our supporters are bombarded with messages. When an individual goes through their inbox and finds your content, here are a few questions that might go through their mind: Is it easy? ● Is this specifically for me? ● What do I get out of it? ● Does the sender care about me? ● Is it worth my time?
When preparing content, put yourself in your recipient’s shoes and consider how they’d answer these questions.
#3 Create Compelling Content There are lots of resources out there to improve your content. Sharpen your skills on every medium (email, social, blog posts, etc.) and learn the science behind what attracts and engages users. There’s definitely an art to creating compelling content, too. Make sure your voice sounds human, and that you’re communicating the way you would to someone who doesn’t know United Way intimately (ie – no jargon). When in doubt, ask WWBD: What Would Buzzfeed Do? Pull up your last campaign kickoff email, read a Buzzfeed article, and try redoing your email in their personable style.
#3 Create Compelling Content Examples In Baltimore, they’re writing great stories about the lives they change. When a blizzard hit the east coast, they wrote a story about 2-1-1 helping an elderly woman get groceries. Because it was timely and showed our work, it performed really well on social media. In Dallas, they developed a cause campaign that attracted new donors and grew their social reach. Most importantly, it helped provide thousands of food backpacks to kids.
#4 Design Mobile-First In 2014, 60% of internet traffic came from mobile devices. As traffic from desktop declines, we should make sure any digital property we send to a supporter will look good on their smart phone or tablet. But mobile-first goes a step beyond just looking good on a mobile device. Mobile-first acknowledges that once a user is on a mobile device, the context changes. You may want to limit some of the text and images, make navigating even easier, and create a layout for a small, vertical screen. There’s also a number of native functions on a smart phone, like text messages and making calls, the user might want to easily tap into.
#4 Design Mobile-First Examples In Louisville, their LINC members wrote notes of encouragement to school kids at an event. The next day, each attendee received a text message with a beautiful video of a student reading a card she received. In Baltimore, they’re crowd fundraising on mobile devices. After the unrest in April, they raised $500k to support affected neighborhoods. Their text call-to-action helped make it easy for people to get involved. Since then, they’ve run campaigns to provide Thanksgiving meals and holiday gifts for families in need.
#5 Test, Refine and Test Again Have you ever invested lots of time and resources into improving an experience for your donors but ultimately couldn’t say if it made a difference? The key to proving whether something “worked” is to make sure you identify the right metrics and that you have the ability to track them. It often helps to split users into two groups: one receiving the new experience and a control group that does not. It’s a little grade-school, but just remember the scientific method: Make an observation, create a hypothesis, and test your theory. Build
Measure Learn
#5 Test, Refine and Test Again Examples In Buffalo, they A/B tested new paper pledge cards with rich stats, beautiful photos and impact information. The pledge cards were brought to focus groups and designed based on customer feedback. The new cards increased giving (and undesignated giving) to United Way. Next up, Buffalo will test personalization options and the effectiveness of CEO letters.
#5 Test, Refine and Test Again Examples In Denver, they sent donors a series of three emails. To ensure they could monitor the effects of their communication series, they only sent the series to 50% of the donors at each company. The results: donors who received the email series retained 6% higher and gave 49% more than the control group. New Haven’s Google Analytics showed a number of donors were logging in to Truist but abandoning the giving process before completion. In response, New Haven made the process clearer and installed analytics tools to ensure more donors completed the process.
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