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How to use your website to spark digital change and innovation in your non profit
- 1. How to use your website to spark {digital} change and innovation in your non-profit May 6, 2019
- 2. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!
- 3. What we’ll cover Common website problems Tips to help your website (new or old) run effectively How to add website improvement to your {non- techie} routine. Obtain buy-in from leadership
- 4. About TAGb I help non profits improve their websites Connect with me on LinkedIn Temi Adewumi https://www.linkedin.com/in/temi-adewumi/
- 5. Two challenge statements Why aren’t people coming to your website? Why aren’t they taking action once they visit?
- 6. Here are some reasons
- 7. No 1 click
- 9. Boring
- 11. No IKEA effect Source: http://www.permanenthunger.com/ikea-the-evil-layout/
- 12. No movement from A to B
- 13. No free access
- 14. Wonky browsing
- 15. Here’s why these problems occur
- 16. User problems are just the tip of the iceberg
- 17. We focus on our needs, not users’ needs
- 18. Raise awareness Sense of urgency Our results Inspire action Recruit help Raise funds
- 20. Anyone can update the website, any time, any how
- 21. No buy in from leadership
- 22. Staff overwhelm
- 23. How can my organization’s website meet the needs of our… Third statement users volunteers donors staff stakeholders visitors
- 25. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!
- 26. Change is painful Change is difficult to implement
- 27. Change has no roadmap Change can take years
- 28. Start small Figure out what works Large scale implementation
- 29. What Continuous Improvement achieves Reduces resistance Provides actual feedback on what worked and what didn’t Meets user needs
- 30. What Continuous Improvement achieves Builds trust and credibility Keeps you aware of current techniques and tools Tests and experiments
- 32. Implementation requires 1) Determine what your users want 2) Apply processes, rules and procedures 3) Get leadership buy in 4) Start to experiment and test 5) Measure impact 6) Implement consistently Implementing Continuous Improvement - 1
- 33. 1. What your users want Implementing Continuous Improvement - 1
- 34. Examples of companies that have faced this problem Blockbuster couldn’t meet its users’ needs for convenience. Kodak people’s motivations for taking photos had changed. Music companies people want choice in their music options Implementing Continuous Improvement - 1
- 36. “How do we serve the 50+ demographic and those over 70+ who are not very technology friendly or knowledgeable?” Implementing Continuous Improvement - 1
- 37. 2. Website governance Implementing Continuous Improvement - 2
- 38. “Our website has grown organically over time so that the structure is no longer logical and stop-gap measures have been put in place to make things easier to find.” Implementing Continuous Improvement - 2
- 39. “Not mobile friendly” “Outdated” “Can't upload video footage or big files” “Needs to be more accessible” Implementing Continuous Improvement - 2
- 40. “Putting a new skin on old problems.” Implementing Continuous Improvement - 2
- 41. 1. Website governance Implementing Continuous Improvement - 2 2. Website infrastructure 3. Website maintenance 4. Website development
- 42. Website governance Implementing Continuous Improvement - 2 Vetted with leadership Document processes and procedures Aligns with strategic or communications plan Website initiatives are planned ahead of time
- 43. Website infrastructure Implementing Continuous Improvement - 2 Hosting & Domains Staff skills Code Hardware Integrations Software
- 44. Website maintenance Implementing Continuous Improvement - 2 Content updates Navigation Checking for errors Conducting and monitoring feedback Measuring impact
- 45. Website development Implementing Continuous Improvement - 2 Planning Content Testing Promotion Launching Training
- 46. Website governance template Implementing Continuous Improvement - 2 Template: http://bit.ly/PAVRO-template
- 47. 3. Leadership buy in Implementing Continuous Improvement - 3
- 48. Implementing Continuous Improvement - 3 Prove tangible and intangible benefits
- 49. Implementing Continuous Improvement - 3 Help your leaders embrace technology
- 50. Implementing Continuous Improvement - 3 Use case studies from other organization
- 51. 4. Experiment and test Implementing Continuous Improvement - 4
- 52. “The volunteer webpages are buried deep within the organization's website.” Implementing Continuous Improvement - 4
- 53. Implementing Continuous Improvement - 4 100 experiments www.tagb.ca/100-experiments
- 54. 5. Measure impact Implementing Continuous Improvement -5
- 55. Visitors Goals Traffic source Implementing Continuous Improvement - 5 Bounce rate Return visits
- 59. In summary 1) Integrate website improvements into your regular tasks 2) Conduct regular user feedback 3) Create a schedule for regular improvement 4) Review analytics
- 60. Survey highlights Website size: 10-50 pages Communications professional Yes, we have documented procedures…but We don’t review our metrics
- 61. Questions?
- 62. Get more information Download the Website Governance template: http://bit.ly/PAVRO-template Join the 100 Experiments Challenge: www.tagb.ca/100-experiments
- 63. Thank you for attending!
Editor's Notes
- My name is Temi Adewumi, principal at TAGb Consulting. I’ll introduce myself more fully in a couple of minutes. By the end of this webinar you will realize why the phrase “it’s all about me” is crucial to our topic today! The slide will make sense in a few minutes!
- Here are a number of items that today’s webinar will cover. I’d like to get through these as quickly as possible, so we have time to answer any questions. If we have time, I’d also like to review the survey responses. About 31 people registered, and 9 people completed the survey – so we do have a lot of material to work with. We will also be touching on some of the questions asked in the survey during the webinar.
- My focus is on website management and improvement. A little bit about me: I was one of the speakers at the 2018 PAVRO Live conference. I led a session on volunteers and communications strategy. I have a background in communications, but ended up working on websites. I suspect that’s the case in most non profits, as the website is seen as the primary marketing tool for the organization. So, like most communicators, I got trained and put my skills to work immediately. I have worked on websites for charities/associations for over 15 years. My first website was a charity website, that I developed using HTML and Javascript Re-designed the association’s 2nd website: created a website re-design plan, researched CMS vendors, added extra functionality such as LMS, email marketing system, integration with a medical journal, member only portal, link to iMIS database. Worked with volunteers to develop content. So, now with TAGb, I train staff, particularly, communications staff and consult with non profits on how to make their websites more efficient.
- Before we start, here are two questions to think about: (read questions) Why aren’t people coming to your website? (or returning to your website) Why aren’t they taking action once they visit? These two questions need to be at the forefront whenever we work on our websites. Websites need to work. Looking good is important, but it’s not as important as having a website that helps your non profit achieve its goals.
- Here are some reasons why users might not visit or take action on our websites
- I once worked with a volunteer who told me that if he couldn’t find what he wanted on a website in 1 click, he’d leave. At first I thought this was a little self important, but then I realized that most people go to a website to achieve a specific goal, and they want to do it in as little time as possible.
- The next reason that users will not return or take action on your website, is that they find it easier to call you instead. And by that point, they are usually frustrated and more likely to take it out on staff.
- The next item is that your organization’s personality doesn’t come through. A boring website is not somewhere we want to be, especially in an age of Instagram, Pinterest and Youtube. And this is especially true for younger audiences.
- Talking of younger audiences, your website may not get more visits, if users do not feel that it meets their needs, or answers their specific questions.
- Just like IKEA, your website should clearly outline what action users should take, and where they should go. Consider your website like a new country users first visit. They need directions, and guidance. If you leave it up to them, they get lost and of course, again, get frustrated. To get around the lack of direction, some experts advise that your website should be organized by problems, not by your department.
- Once you’ve directed users to what action to take, they need to be able to complete the task. Such tasks could be filling out a pop up form, following your social media accounts, completing a form, or donating to your cause. If it’s too difficult to accomplish these tasks, they are more likely to abandon your site and not return.
- Some websites ask that users sign in before being able to donate, or access protected parts of the website. If users don’t remember their username and password, it’s yet another hurdle to use your website. And then, they call the office, upset.
- I call this item wonky browsing. Believe it or not, Internet Explorer is still alive! And some people are still using it. I encountered this recently, when users were complaining that they couldn’t log into a website, that for me, was completely ok, because I use Chrome. As you can imagine, they were already upset that they had to download another browser, when they were perfectly happy with IE. If users are on the go, using their phones, they also want to be able to view your website on mobile. Not being able to do so, leads to a poor experience.
- These problems don’t occur because non profits deliberately put obstacles in their users’ way.
- I look at this way. Your website reflects your organization. Problems on your website mean that there are internal issues under the surface. These need to be fixed, or else, every website you create afterwards will face the same issues. In the webinar description, I also wrote that you can use your website to spark digital change. The reason I wrote that is that your website is the most public face of your organization. It’s the tool that receives the most feedback and the most scrutiny – where donors, staff, volunteers and stakeholders have very vocal opinions on how it should work. So, as it is usually our most valuable digital asset, it’s a great place from which you can influence change in your non profit.
- Here are some of the internal issues for why your website has user problems. The first is we focus on our own needs, not our users’ needs. I mentioned a few moments ago, the suggestion that websites should be designed for your users’ problems.
- To compare and contrast. Here’s what non profits needs are: Raise awareness for the cause or mission Create a sense of urgency around the cause Demonstrate the organization’s ability to address the issue Inspire people to take immediate action Recruit help: skilled leadership, staff, volunteers Raise funds or revenue
- Contrast these with what your audience needs. To be valued, to give and receive value To have their time and money respected To be able to make a difference To know that they are part of a community To know that they are heard To know that their lives are being changed To know that they are supported To be listened to The difference between both types of needs that the non profits’ needs are tangible, while the users’ needs are often intangible.
- The next internal problem is that there is often chaos when it comes to updating the website. Often, website updates are done on an adhoc, or reactive basis. We need to have processes, systems and rules in place to guide how our websites are being managed. And the processes, need to be accepted organization wide.
- Lack of buy in from leadership, can lead to chaos, due to the lack of systems in place. Websites should not just be the responsibility of the communications staff. Leadership is responsible for big picture thinking, implementing the NFP’s overall vision. They are responsible for managing staff and volunteer capacity, for determining the priority of projects, how much staff, money, resources and time should be given to initiatives in the organization. So, needless to say, if the website is not a priority for leaders, time or staff won’t be assigned, neither will budget, and its progress will be stalled.
- As said earlier, most non profits give the job of website management to the communications professional. While you may know how to code, or use Wordpress, website management also requires project management skills – which requires managing leaders, vendors, staff and volunteers, all on the same website project. Once a website moves past 50 pages, it needs more management than just one person. If your communications staff are already involved in marketing, fundraising, social media, copywriting, graphic design, photography…adding the website to that list is just another task they need to get through.
- Now that we’ve explored all the problems, how do we fix them?
- Here’s where the Continuous Improvement comes in. Continuous improvement is the strategy of making small, consistent, improvements, not just to your website, but also to any task or process in your organization.
- Here’s where the elephant metaphor comes in! Change is best handled one step at a time.
- Continuous improvement is based on human factors. Change is painful, and we resist pain. Change is also difficult to implement.
- It has no roadmaps or direction. It’s hard to predict. It can often take years to determine what’s working.
- To create change, start small, and then, from each small project, first determine what’s working, before you implement changes on a grand scale. So that way, you are not spending precious time and resources on something that won’t work.
- Meets user needs: as it’s based on consistent user feedback. So you know that the projects you are working on, meet the actual needs of your users. When you start small, your reduce resistance. When you are done with each small project, you measure its impact, to determine what worked or didn’t before you move ahead.
- Other aspects of continuous improvement is that you are kept aware of current techniques and tools. When you are constantly monitoring and obtaining feedback, you start to look for tools that can help you achieve results. With continuous improvement, you are regularly testing and experimenting to ensure that the changes are a good fit for your website or non profit. Any changes you make are based on data from testing and experimenting on your website.
- Implementation of continuous improvement requires
- When it comes to user feedback, you need to think about the what’s in it for me factor. As pointed out before, users needs are usually intangible.
- We’re all familiar with these examples. Blockbuster failed, not because its technology was wrong, but because it didn’t realize how much its customers wanted convenience. Convenience in itself is hard to measure. Kodak failed to because it did not realize that people’s motivations for taking photos had changed. People want instant gratification, and are no longer willing to wait for a week to see their pictures. Music companies refused to believe that people didn’t want to buy an entire CD in order to hear just one song. Apple swooped in with iTunes, selling music to users just as they wanted it. In each of these examples, it’s not about the technology. It about the users’ needs. And if the needs aren’t met, they leave and don’t return.
- Since these needs are intangible, users won’t tell you about them. That’s why you need consistent research, not just to tell you their current needs, but also the foreseeable future. Some of the ways in which you can conduct research are using website surveys 2) usability testing on your website 3) interviews 4) heat map testing 5) placing a feedback form on individual pages of your website 6) reviewing analytics
- One of the survey respondents, had asked how their website could be geared towards a demographic that is not tech savvy. In this question, users are telling you: They have no desire to learn something new They might be scared of technology They don’t think technology or websites will meet their needs. At this point of resistance, how do you introduce websites to the tech averse? First of all, be honest. Does this change benefit the organization or the users? Ideally, you should look for a win/win solution. Once again, here the WIIFM principle comes into play. Address their fears Start to educate them on how websites can make the process of getting information much faster and efficient Use peer learning – where a user who is in the same demographic can help to guide those who are tech averse Ease them into it. As an example, I had designed a mobile app for a client that no longer wanted to print programs for their annual conference. Instead of a glossy magazine, they put in a plain pdf and tried to push users towards the app. On the day of the conference, a woman in her 60s, I’d say, asked me where a session was being held. And then she marked it on the paper version of the program she had printed. This demonstrates that people will go for what they are most comfortable with, even if it is not the most efficient way of doing things.
- As I said earlier, in any organization, there are deeper reasons for why your website is not functioning as efficiently as it should. Governance is the process of setting a foundation for managing your website. It means creating plans, rules, regulations and overall strategy that guides the website.
- Each one of these examples demonstrates how a lack of governance can lead to a chaotic website, where there no plans to handle its growth.
- Lack of governance also means that an organization fails to plan for their website’s future technical needs.
- And so, in the end, when we’ve given up on the website, we get a re-design, but without proper care, end up: putting a new skin on old problems. I love this quote by the way.
- According to Shane Diffily, a web governance expert, your website needs to be managed in each of these 4 areas.
- Website governance: is the overall principle that guides your non profit in creating structure and systems to manage your website. Instead of various staff members or volunteers randomly making changes, having a governance plan ensures that any improvements are scheduled, that they are conducted in alignment with your communications or strategic plan. It also means that any improvements planned in advance and put on a work schedule. Anything that has to do with the website is also documented. Governance requires that all departments, starting from leadership work together. No one is more important than the other, and all have valuable input. With a plan like this, it is difficult for any department to work in isolation. P.S. I’ve included an example of a template here, that’s available for download on my website.
- The second item under website governance is infrastructure. in this section, you place elements such as improvements to website technology (for instance, updating your CMS), renewing or upgrading your hosting. You can also consider placing here, upgrading staff skills, or what type of code you will use for your website.
- The third item is website maintenance: here’s where you put tasks such as content updates, navigational changes, checking for errors, monitoring feedback from users, or conducting user research. You also add measuring your website’s success (conversions and traffic).
- The last item under website governance is website development. This includes all the tasks you need to create a new website or to add a new section to an existing site. It involves planning, content, testing, promotion, website reviews, as well as staff training.
- The template is designed to be used across the organization. To help you determine who does what and when, whose input is required and where collaboration is needed.
- The third item under implementing continuous improvement is getting leadership buy in. Leaders wants tangible results. They wants proof that your website works and is making an impact. Or else, the website gets put aside as an expensive, but essential brochure. You need to prove with numbers, how your section of the website is essential. That’s where creating small projects, experimentation and analytics come in.
- One example of how to gain that buy in is to prove tangible and intangible benefits of what you are proposing. For instance, if you are looking to purchase email marketing software, you can point out that website users are frustrated whenever they have to remember their passwords to access the member portal on your website. [Intangible.] When you show your leaders that having a website with a feature where members can either reset or regain their passwords by themselves, results in less staff time answering phones (and taking complaints).It’s a tangible benefit they can actually see and measure. [Tangible]
- A lack of tech knowledge can make leader feel insecure or out of control. No one, especially those in a leadership role, want to display their lack of knowledge. To tackle this, present technical information in a user-friendly format, in a way that empowers your bosses. In Board reading material, include case studies of successful tech implementations in complementary organizations. Present information using storytelling and infographics. Have a staff person or volunteer who understands technology be the person who serves as a resource for Board members who might have questions, but who don’t want to ask in front of all the others.
- Another way to get buy in is to give leaders examples or case studies of how similar non profits are using technology. When you point out how other organizations have achieved such results, they are more likely to want to invest.
- One of the ways to ease into CI is experimentation. Experiments are a way to test without making a commitment. Fighting resistance towards change is much easier when it is handled task by task, instead of complete overhauls. Giving people the ability to make small improvements is less painful personally and across the organization. Based on user feedback about current problems, you make changes to your website, test whether they were successful or not, and measure the results. You only put changes into place if they are successful.
- For this challenge, in order to prove to leadership that it is worthwhile putting money, time and effort into prioritizing volunteer pages, experiment. First of all, review feedback (SEO/analytics) for what are people’s pressing issues about volunteering. To create visibility put a button or interesting article related to volunteering on the homepage or a main page to test if there is a reaction. For the older demographic that doesn’t want to use tech, what do they need to do on your website? And what’s the easiest, quickest way to get it to them? Test it out with a sample website. For instance, create a prototypes of a website using a service like Wix, which can easily be discarded, once you’ve checked the results.
- If you need extra help with experimentation, I invite you to sign up for my 100 Experiments program. Each week, you get an email that outlines what small improvements you can test on your website.
- The last item under implementing continuous improvement is measuring impact. That’s one of the greatest advantages of digital technology - the ability to measure and determine if the changes will be successful on a larger scale. When doing CI, constant review of your analytics is important so you know if your changes have had any effect. In terms of software, Google Analytics is the most popular tool to use to measure analytics on your website. However, you also need to consider metrics from your email software, social media and your CRM. The challenge is combining all of the data, but from I have seen, there are new tools being developed that can help you combine all the data.
- For now, here’s what you should measure using Google Analytics ==> The number of visitors you are getting. Also pay attention to whether the visitor count is going up or down. ==> Check how many visitors hit a goal. Each website should have a clear goal. For instance, use goals to track website conversions like donations, email signups, form completions, or downloads. ==> Where Does the Traffic Come From? How people end up on your website? Do they type something into a search engine and end up on your site? Or do they enter your URL manually? Or are they being referred by someone else? Tracking your traffic sources and your referrer data can give you valuable information about what's working and what's not working when it comes to generating traffic. ==> The Bounce Rate The bounce rate measures the percentage of people who land on your website and leave without visiting a second page on your website. A high bounce rate usually means that visitors came to your site expecting one thing but didn't find what they were looking for. ==> Are People Coming Back? Google Analytics show you who are repeat visitors.
- Here’s an example of a Google Analytics dashboard, showing
- This dashboard shows what goals have been completed
- This gives a general audience overview.
- Ideally, your organization should: 1) Integrate website improvements into regular tasks 2) Conduct regular user feedback to determine should be on your improvement list 3) Review analytics to determine if the changes made any impact. 4) Create a schedule for improvement – to be done in a specific time frame
- Website size for the majority of respondents: 10-50 pages. Small websites, but can still have problems. The job for website development falls mostly to the communications professional. Split between dedicated IT/website developer, and Executive Director. NFPs are tech savvy - the majority have procedures documented, especially when emergencies occur. In addition, 5 respondents check to see that new technology aligns with strategic goals. However, 3 respondents like to see what other non profits have done before. However, when it comes to metrics, NFPs attempt to review analytics, majority assume that the website has visits. The other majority do have Google Analytics, but are not sure what to read.
- Enjoy the rest of your day!
- Enjoy the rest of your day!
- Enjoy the rest of your day!