#15NTC: An X Recap

At the beginning of March, 2015, thousands of nonprofit professionals descended upon Austin, Texas for several days of learning, sharing, and networking. As attendees navigated hundreds of classes, tons of breakout sessions, and lunch meetings, they tweeted up a storm: users posted thousands of tweets full of fundraising advice and statistics. Conference-goers are still unpacking and learning from all the materials they were given in different sessions — and we are, too! Here is just a glimpse of some of the standout tweets from that week (and how you can learn from them!).

Being concise is key. If you need to write a long-form post on social, be AUTHENTIC. Otherwise, no one will read it. #15ntcvisualmedia

— Ad Council (@AdCouncil) March 4, 2015

Takeaway: Most of today’s online media is very visual. If you have long, uninteresting posts, nobody will read them. To get your message heard, keep it short and sweet. If you must make a long post, be as authentic and conversational as possible.

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9.5% of online donations came from a mobile device. 16.6% give from an email on mobile devices. And growing! #15ntc #15NTC50stats — Chris Morata (@chrismorata) March 4, 2015

Takeaway: Donors are using their mobile devices to read their e-mails, act on calls to action, and give to nonprofits. If your communications and website aren’t mobile-friendly, you’re going to alienate your donors.

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Monthly donors are huge advocates and want to know how their donations are making an impact. #15ntcplayitagain#15ntc

— Sue Anne Reed (@sue_anne) March 4, 2015

Takeaway: Your recurring donors are the best brand ambassadors you have. Make sure they know how important they are, and let them know that you recognize and appreciate their involvement.

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Use images to show the intangibles of your story – what’s the real value of your message? #15NTC#15NTCmultistory — Erica Lawton (@EricaLawton) March 4, 2015

Takeaway: A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when you’re telling a story. So many beautiful parts of your narrative are hard to describe — the look on a child’s face, the transformation of an adopted pet, the energy of new volunteers — but you can show them in a picture. Use photos to take your storytelling to the next level!

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“Email fatigue is 100% driven by relevance, not frequency.” #15ntcemaildesign

— Ben Miller (@benwritesthings) March 5, 2015

Takeaway: Donors don’t delete e-mails without reading them just because they get a lot of them. They delete them because they aren’t saying anything new. Keep your e-mail content relevant to your donors’ lives and current events if you really want people to notice them.

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Design video content for platforms. Facebook or YouTube or X. Also design for silence #15NTC #15NTCvideostrat — Liz Polay-Wettengel (@LizPW) March 5, 2015

Takeaway: People are going to see your videos on Facebook, YouTube, and X (usually). If donors are on mobile devices, they’ll see your video auto-play without any sound. Are your videos compelling enough without sound that people will want to watch the whole thing? They should be!

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84% of nonprofits’ sites aren’t mobile optimized; 9.5% of online donations are on mobile devices. Time to optimize. #15NTC#15NTCtechtrends

— qgiv (@qgiv) March 5, 2015

Takeaway: Donors are browsing nonprofits’ websites on mobile and are donating on their mobile devices, and it’s becoming more and more common every day. But a majority of nonprofits don’t have mobile-friendly websites… and risk losing potential donors. Now is the time to optimize.

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34% = percentage increase in conversion rate for responsive websites and donation forms. #15ntctechtrends #15ntc — Debra Askanase (@askdebra) March 5, 2015

Takeaway: Still think mobile optimization isn’t a big deal? Donors are 34% more likely to donate on a responsive website/ form than they are on one that’s not responsive. Updating to responsive design shouldn’t be postponed!

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50% of nonprofits who went through a rebrand saw an increase in fundraising #15ntcrebrand

— Creative Suitcase (@thesuitcase) March 6, 2015

Takeaway: Donors — especially young donors — are often put off by outdated branding, logos, and websites. If it’s been a while since your nonprofit updated your look and online presence, you might benefit from giving yourself a facelift.

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Dawn Stoner: You’re not selling Radiohead tickets. No one is dying to get to the end of your donation form. #15ntcoptdonation #15ntc — Nicole Wallace (@NicoleCOP) March 6, 2015

Takeaway: Your donors want to make a gift to your organization, but they want to do it quickly. Make your donation form as efficient as possible by eliminating unnecessary fields, distracting buttons and graphics, and annoying questions.

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Keeping sustainers happy and engaged: thank, thank, thank, engage, thank #15ntc#15ntcsustainers

— Aaron LaMonica-Weier (@Aaron_LaWeier) March 6, 2015

Takeaway: Every nonprofit out there would love to have a base of solidly committed donors that sustain their programs. Keep your sustainers happy by letting them know you appreciate them, talking with them, and keeping them involved in the goings-on at your nonprofit.