POWERING IMPACT: Where mission meets tech for United Way

EVENT DESCRIPTION:

Nonprofit and technology leaders gathered at Powering Impact: A Virtual Event created for United Way leaders and operators. Esteemed presenters decode what makes up the most successful workplace giving campaigns and events so you can set the stage for even greater achievements in 2025. This is your moment to recharge, realign, and reimagine what’s possible for your community impact.

TRANSCRIPT

00:00:00

Welcome everyone. Hello! So glad you could join us for this United Way, exclusive event as we gear up for the holidays and end of year giving.

• 00:00:23

  Let me 1st introduce myself.

• 00:00:26

  I am Richie Kendall, the chief experience officer at Goodworld. My role here at the organization is pretty simple. It's to empower our thousands of nonprofit partners with transformational technology.

• 00:00:40

  I work closely with united ways of all sizes to understand their unique needs and transform those needs into world-class digital solutions at Goodworld. Our goal is to handle the technical complexity so united ways can focus on what you do best strengthening communities and creating lasting social impact. So

• 00:01:01

  we're very proud of the work we do every day, because through our partnerships with united ways, we help direct more resources where they matter most into building. The more resilient, humane, and compassionate world we all know is possible.

• 00:01:16

  In this 1 h session. We'll pull back the curtain on how to make workplace giving campaigns exceptional in today's digital 1st world

• 00:01:27

  as well as highlight.

• 00:01:29

  How a holistic approach to systems raises the bar for fundraising and for your teams. I also wanted to mention that at this point that we will be opening up the session towards that top of the hour for chat questions. So if any questions arise during the presentation, you're welcome to hang with us after the recorded session, for up to 15 min of Q, and A. Feel feel free to jot down those questions during this

• 00:01:54

  formal session, and then paste them into the chat at the end. When we open it up.

• 00:02:00

  Now with the housekeeping out of the way. Let's continue the show over the last few years Goodworld has had the privilege of working with united ways of all sizes from major metro areas to vital regional offices.

• 00:02:14

  What we've discovered through those partnerships is that, regardless of size, the most successful campaigns are consistently delivering the following seamless consumer grade, giving experience. And it makes sense

• 00:02:30

  when you consider how modern employees and tech users are becoming accustomed to mobile forward high touch apps like slack, and teams, or even how people order takeout or book rideshares these days.

• 00:02:45

  It's clear that people want the same kind of frictionless journey that they get from those favorite apps and services.

• 00:02:52

  We've seen this firsthand working closely with united ways from coast to coast, how they've crafted donor journeys that rival the best digital experiences in the commercial sector.

• 00:03:03

  The results are that their workplace campaigns aren't just meeting goals. They're blasting through them and transforming how employees engage with giving. Today we have a super exciting presentation lined up with insights from 2 extraordinary guest speakers

• 00:03:23

  and Gaffigan and Deirdre asness, and we'll be diving into

• 00:03:29

  how successful United ways are planning for and reimagining their partner experiences.

• 00:03:36

  We'll be talking real examples of campaigns that

• 00:03:40

  boosted digital participation this year as compared to previous softwares. We'll be looking at specific features driving higher donor engagement rates, and how strong Crm fundamentals set the stage for success.

• 00:03:55

  You'll hear directly from these leaders who revolutionized the approach, and Gaffigan, from United Way of Greater Kansas City, will share how they've achieved over $645,000 in net revenue growth compared to last year's workplace giving campaigns by prioritizing user experience. Our second guest, Speaker, Deirdre, as

• 00:04:18

  as the Vp of client success at beyond the horizon technology. We'll share how Crm integration and single source of truth reporting make for optimized operations as she's worked with dozens of united ways on transformational planning and implementation.

• 00:04:34

  The best part about today other than gathering this inspiring group of United Way change makers before the well-earned holidays is that the insights we'll be presenting aren't theory. They are proven strategies from united ways just like yours.

• 00:04:50

  So without further ado, let's explore some keys to transforming your workplace, giving programs into experiences that donors really look forward to

• 00:05:02

  let me start by saying this

• 00:05:03

  workplace giving is alive and well. It continues to generate billions of dollars annually for nonprofits, but the approach is shifting pretty dramatically in response to new expectations from corporate partners and modern donors.

• 00:05:21

  Companies are actually witnessing an uptick in employee participation due to their growing Csr programs and the integration of more accessible tech enabled giving platforms. This is the good news. The challenge for many united ways in this environment is that companies are not really content with what's been on offer in the past.

• 00:05:45

  They do want tools and experiences that are tailored, impactful, and highly flexible. And, as mentioned, employees also have those higher expectations. They're looking for ease of use, personalization, and the chance to see how their contributions make a difference.

• 00:06:01

  United way is uniquely positioned to capitalize on these market developments by adopting modern tools, creating data, informed strategies and engaging corporate partners effectively. But organizations must have the guts to undertake the transformation in order to keep up with the times. So before we kind of spill the secrets of success and hear from our guest speakers.

• 00:06:25

  Let's just quickly investigate the market demands that are driving some of these changes, and what solutions will be required to meet those demands.

• 00:06:35

  First, st there is a growing demand for high touch, fully branded mobile experiences at custom, micro sites or portals where employees engage with workplace giving campaigns.

• 00:06:51

  These sites need to look and feel like an extension of the company's brand. It's not just about slapping a logo on the page. It's about creating a cohesive experience that reinforces the Company's mission values and visual identity.

• 00:07:07

  Corporate partners also expect fine grain permissions management for those platforms. That means ensuring that the right people have the right access. Whether it's campaign admins department heads or employees tracking their given goals.

• 00:07:21

  This level of customization isn't just a nice to have anymore. It's becoming increasingly essential.

• 00:07:27

  Another major shift is in impact and participation. Reporting companies are no longer satisfied with generic top level reports. They want department by department breakdowns that show which teams are stepping up, how much they're contributing and what kind of impact they're having. This is because granular reporting drives both engagement and accountability.

• 00:07:50

  When employees can see how their teams are performing, or how their department stacks up against others, it creates a sense of friendly competition, pride, and shared purpose.

• 00:08:01

  The next big trend is around beneficiary choice. Many campaigns are focusing on local causes, like charities and programs that align with the company's community presence and that are tied directly to united way. Others are balancing local priorities with the need to accommodate more national footprints.

• 00:08:22

  This is where advanced designation, search, or donor discovery experiences become so important. Employees want to feel connected to the organizations they're supporting and giving platforms need to make it easy for them to explore causes, learn about beneficiaries and make informed decisions about where their money is going.

• 00:08:42

  It's not a 1. Size fits all approach anymore. Companies want it all offering choice while keeping campaigns focused and meaningful.

• 00:08:51

  Next up is providing welcoming personalized giving experiences, for example, suggested amounts that align with the employee's pay grade or a salary percentage based pledging where, instead of committing to a static amount. Employees get to pledge a percentage of their income which adjusts automatically as their salary changes.

• 00:09:16

  This this makes giving more sustainable and adaptable over time, and really personalizes the experience for folks.

• 00:09:24

  There's also a growing interest in things like stock giving, because employees diversify their as they diversify their assets. They're looking for ways to give beyond cash. And of course, companies are kind of stepping up to meet that demand.

• 00:09:39

  Let's not forget about prior pledge renewals where donors are able to renew their pledge or even increase a last year's pledge.

• 00:09:49

  Companies are also wanting to offer creative ways to gamify the giving experience by offering rewards and recognition levels which turn workplace campaigns into opportunities for employees to earn perks, reach, impact milestones and be celebrated for their generosity.

• 00:10:08

  For example, an employee who pledges more than $365 might earn an everyday hero badge from United Way, or for a thousand dollar pledge, they may earn a paid day off from their employer.

• 00:10:22

  These types of rewards add a layer of excitement and motivation to the process, making it feel even more thoughtful and embedded within their employer's culture.

• 00:10:31

  Lastly, is the growing desire for turnkey. Special events and impact activities united way for greater. Austin kicked off this year with a client who hosted a game show, a chopped style, cooking contest, and even a talent show to rack up dollars for the organization last February.

• 00:10:51

  So where does all of this leave us?

• 00:10:57

  Workplace giving is evolving to become a more dynamic, personalized, and impactful experience. It's no longer just about pledge forms, cutting checks and calling it a day. It's about creating experiences that are deeply aligned with company values meaningful for employees and transformative for the causes they support. And as we look ahead, one thing is clear, organizations that embrace these changes.

• 00:11:26

  including high touch, branding, tailored reporting, personalized journeys and diverse giving options, will not only inspire more giving, but will also build stronger and more engaged communities in the process.

• 00:11:41

  So I am honored to introduce our 1st guest speaker today. Anne Gaffigan, the chief operating and financial officer of United Way of Greater Kansas City. Anne brings over 20 years of experience in nonprofit technology integration and has led numerous successful digital transformation initiatives during her journey at United Way of Greater Kansas City she really

• 00:12:06

  pushed her team to leverage systems and platforms to enhance their donor relationships and streamline operations.

• 00:12:13

  So, Anne, thanks so much for being here and sharing your story with this special group. You and I have talked about this before, but I think it'd be really valuable for everyone to hear about why your organization has prioritized technology. So would you mind explaining kind of your philosophy on that.

• 00:12:35

  Yeah, thank you for having me, Richie.

• 00:12:38

  You know you mentioned a lot of great things about the trends in the marketplace. We saw a lot of those as well. And in fact, we were losing market share to for profit technology platforms like benevity and your cause and whatnot that our corporate partners were switching to in order to kind of self manage

• 00:13:01

  this process. And so we really saw a need for technology to be prioritized for that external donor experience, user experience to win that market share back and to not lose any more. And we knew that if we could improve the user experience of the donor with our platform. Then we would beat out those for profit platforms every time, because

• 00:13:28

  we also get to have that personal touch with them and build those relationships locally. So you put those things together the right way. And it's hard to beat. And so we saw a real opportunity there. You know, user experience can really win or lose your intended audience. If it is too cumbersome to get through a form, or it takes too long, or something goes wrong in the process. You can lose somebody in that moment, and they may never take the time to come back. And so it really does matter. And in addition to the external user.

• 00:13:57

  our internal users, you know we were. We were on an antiquated platform for our our Crm, our fundraising platforms. We had, you know, 4, 5, or 6 at one time to handle all the various needs to serve our different corporate partners.

• 00:14:14

  and none of them talk to each other. And so there was all of this manual translation of data, a lot of operational overhead. The systems that we did have. Only a few people knew how to use them. So we had these bottlenecks operationally, and therefore silos. And it's just while it may be very expensive to move to a new platform. You're already spending a bunch of money and time and overhead and and potentially losing donors as a result. So

• 00:14:40

  pick your poison, so to speak, and in addition, security is really important these days. We've all seen in the headlines over the past few months some of the biggest data breaches that we've ever seen, especially with at and T particularly. And so it can happen to anyone. You have to be doing what you can to make sure that your data is secure. And that means keeping up with technology. So it doesn't mean a new platform every 2 or 3 years.

• 00:15:05

  But it does mean that we can't live on a platform that we've been on for decades. We have to at some point make the decision to graduate to a modern system that is secure. And so I was lucky enough to enter at a time when we were really prior. The leadership is really prioritizing technology. And you know, I really believe in that and believe it's just as important

• 00:15:30

  for nonprofits as it is for for-profit companies.

• 00:15:34

  Yeah, no, I think that's really well put. And I think a lot of folks on this call will resonate with that. We've certainly seen that with all of our new relationships that we're building. So I guess the question really becomes. You know, how do you undertake this? Because change of this magnitude can feel pretty intimidating.

• 00:15:57

  So is there anything you can share relating to the challenges of transformational planning and executing.

• 00:16:06

  Yeah, I mean, it is intimidating for a reason. It's it's a big challenge.

• 00:16:11

  It's not to be taken lightly.

• 00:16:14

  you have to make sure you have the buy-in from executive leadership, and potentially even a special grant to cover the implementation phase right? You might be able to land in a place where your costs are net neutral, but you have to get there first, st and so you've got to figure out the budget

• 00:16:34

  and that buy in. You have to make sure you have in-house folks who really understand your data and the needs of the organization and the partners, so that they can really speak to what we need. That is maybe special to us or unique to our location. And what does our data look like now? And

• 00:16:55

  that's really important. And then, if you have those things in place, you have to find the right vendor.

• 00:17:03

  And I've worked in technology. I mean.

• 00:17:07

  I taught myself how to code when I was 8. So I've been in tech my whole life. It's what I studied in college, and for a while, when I was an entrepreneur I worked

• 00:17:15

  primarily with nonprofits.

• 00:17:17

  and what I saw was that they had been taken advantage of many times by different technology vendors. So I understand the fear and the intimidating nature of it, because you can start working with a technology vendor that talks over your head and just continues to charge money, and you never really see the results that you want to see. So choosing a vendor is really really important.

• 00:17:43

  And it's 1 of the reasons that it's an easy ask for me to come on a call like this, because I feel like when we find a good vendor and a good partnership. We have to. We have to tell the rest of the network so that that change can continue to happen for others, and they don't have to learn things the hard way and flush money down the toilet.

• 00:18:02

  Well, we appreciate that. And we we yeah. Money down toilets is is not not great, and it's been. It's been honestly a labor of love working with you this year, and

• 00:18:18

  we've been just super impressed with how you've got how you guys have shown such tenacity in adopting and executing innovation and and updating your systems, and really kind of pushing the limits. So we just appreciate you and and admire for, admire you for all that work, and there's definitely no doubt that your hard work and courage has been paying off, and that's kind of one of what I want to pull the curtain back a bit on.

• 00:18:44

  So maybe just before I show the numbers on, like some case studies that you guys kindly put together for us. Would you mind just talking about how we kicked off our partnership between good world and and Kansas City

• 00:19:00

  with a bang, so to speak. Well, we were referred to you by beyond the horizon. Our partners for our crm transition and implementation. And I think we had just started working together and starting to put together the pieces of what it is that we really needed, and the different features that we were going to need, and when and all of that.

• 00:19:20

  and

• 00:19:22

  that was around that was, you know, crossing over into February, and as many of you may know, on February 14, th we had our chiefs Super Bowl Parade here in Kansas City, which is supposed to be a wonderful celebratory time, and there was a mass shooting at that parade.

• 00:19:41

  And so, you know, the 1st thing we did was call of our. We did a phone tree and called all of our staff because we knew many of them were at the parade, made sure everybody was okay and accounted for, and everyone was. But some people knew those who were injured or killed. Very well, so it was a really tough time. And so then we turned to what can we do?

• 00:20:01

  And the exec team booked a conference room the next day for the whole day, so we could brainstorm. And I sent you Richie an email that morning. So this is the day after, at, I think 8 am maybe 8, 15, and said, Hey, we're gonna meet all day today to figure out what we can do. It's probably going to involve raising money. I know we're not launched yet. Can you help?

• 00:20:25

  And I didn't say much else, and I got into the office. I got seated. I got into the conference room. It's about 9 Am. 9.0 5. At that point I opened my email and your team had turned back around 2 options for fundraising pages complete with custom graphics. We didn't end up being able to use the arrowhead because it's proprietary. But it was a pretty impressive Casey strong arrowhead and drafted copy.

• 00:20:49

  And so really it was out of the box, ready to go. We, of course, ended up making some edits to those things, but just understanding that that was the level of partnership that you were going to be was huge. And then I asked you, I said, Hey, we're partnering with the chiefs on this we're going to be getting. This could be getting shared by

• 00:21:10

  players, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelsey, the chiefs themselves, the Nfl. A little concerned about being able to handle that traffic, and your response was, our servers were born for this Lfg. And I knew we were going to be in a good spot, and you you were absolutely correct. We did not have any hiccups. We proceeded to take in 2 million dollars over the next 90 or 100 days.

• 00:21:36

  and every step of the way when we had, you know certain asks, you know, how do we set up this piece? Can we show this? Can we do that? Your team was so responsive and I'll never forget it. It really meant a lot. And without that platform, if we had still been on our previous platform.

• 00:21:53

  we would not have been able to do that. We wouldn't have been able to spin it up that fast. We wouldn't have been able to handle the traffic.

• 00:21:59

  And so I mean, that is a real impact that was made there. And and we're forever grateful.

• 00:22:06

  Yeah, well, thank you for saying all that. And ultimately we just thank you for the incredible community work that you're doing as well as you know.

• 00:22:16

  tipping the hat to everybody on this call. We've we've got a call full of up to 50 United Way leaders on this call who are representing diverse communities all across the country who sometimes have tragedy fall upon them, sometimes have natural disasters hit, and we need responsive people who are ready to make a difference for folks on the ground. And you guys are a perfect example of that. So yeah, we're right by your side

• 00:22:41

  in the, you know, looking into the future.

• 00:22:44

  So kind of moving outside of that initiatory phase, we. We ended up building camp like workplace campaigns together over the next couple months, and even adding some really great features really led by your team.

• 00:23:01

  So what I'd love to do is talk about the momentum that we were able to build over the course of the summer and take a look at some of that data.

• 00:23:10

  what you guys provided to us. So let me just kind of pull that up

• 00:23:17

  the the first, st the 1st being just what the data looks like. So so this data was

• 00:23:25

  Kansas City's 5 largest workplace campaigns with corporate partners had head counts between 2,000 to 10,000 employees, and those campaigns drew between half a million 4.5 million dollars in revenue.

• 00:23:42

  Then then there

• 00:23:45

  9 medium-sized campaigns, with headcounts between 704,000 employees raked in between 60,350 k.

• 00:23:56

  Then, finally, the 6 smaller campaigns, with companies with headcounts between 40 employees, and 500 topped it off with a range of $6,000 to 28 k. In revenue. So

• 00:24:11

  what what were the results? Well, they are very exciting, and the 1st indicator of success is that Kansas City's participation rates climbed by a pretty significant 6.7% as an average across all of your campaigns. So we know just user experience alone. And the planning you put in really increased that participation.

• 00:24:39

  And when it comes to locking in sustainable revenue. From the previous year nearly 40% of donors opted in to renew their previous donation amount or were rolled over automatically

• 00:24:53

  in terms of donor growth.

• 00:24:56

  Kansas City saw their workplace donor base expand significantly with a net growth of 41%

• 00:25:05

  in new donors. After accounting for any donor losses, the real eye-popping number, though there is that more than half of the donors this year, at 54% either increased their giving or were completely new donors. So all said and done, the optimizations that Kansas City implemented have translated into real dollars and real impact.

• 00:25:31

  resulting in an overall net growth of over $645,000 in funds this year with more rolling in. As we speak ultimately, these numbers tell a clear story.

• 00:25:45

  When organizations lean into the future. They're not just protecting and maintaining

• 00:25:51

  corporate and donor relationships. They're strengthening and expanding and expanding them.

• 00:25:58

  So now that we are looking at the the before and after picture that, and so kindly shared. Let's get into some of the nitty gritty. Since that's the real reason we've invited everyone here to kind of show you those playbooks.

• 00:26:13

  So I'll do that by telling you a bit about some of the key features to success. Some use cases on how the good world platform is designed to supercharge campaigns and empower donor engagement streamlining workflows.

• 00:26:28

  So over the next, like 15 min, we'll just explore 6 of the most powerful tools, transforming the way united ways manage workplace giving and engagement campaigns.

• 00:26:40

  The 1st and perhaps the most valuable, is rollover gifts. Rollover gifts empower last year's pledgers to opt in or increase their previous year's pledge with just a couple clicks just as we described in the Kansas City case study.

• 00:27:00

  There's

• 00:27:01

  there's also rewards and recognition, and these tools encourage donors to earn company perks and achieve different impact levels which gamify the experience and increase participation.

• 00:27:16

  Then there's the groups, tags and rules. Engine

• 00:27:21

  when used in concert groups. Tags and rules allow admins to personalize the donor journey for employees based on their demographic tags like their region or their role.

• 00:27:36

  And then, of course, there's smart sequences which allow admins to leverage communication templates, segment audiences and schedule eblasts to engage employees depending on their prior actions within the campaign.

• 00:27:52

  Then, of course, you have

• 00:27:54

  data import mapping which removes all of the headache from data migration when loading employee data and pledge history.

• 00:28:03

  And finally, you have advanced access which gives admins control of, who can access campaign sites, and in what way and in ways that will really impress your corporate partners.

• 00:28:17

  So here, here's just an example of a workplace giving site hosted by Goodworld. Notice. You got the form on the right side, which kind of draws your eye to the pledge flow, asking you how you would like to give.

• 00:28:33

  Here is an event site hosted by Goodworld, same content management system. This same type of landing page was built using our tools, but, you can see, has a completely different feel for one of Kansas City's marquee galas

• 00:28:54

  with each page that your team builds, or with our templates, you have full control over the look

• 00:29:02

  and the feel of the experience.

• 00:29:04

  and when you compare this approach to a traditional pledge form which, as Anne mentioned, can kind of feel like an endless homework assignment. It's easy to understand why folks might not get around to completing a pledge.

• 00:29:20

  Modernizing the pledge flow is about inviting the user in rather than intimidating them, and by breaking these steps into mobile sized screens. We give donors a sense of snackable accomplishment at each step. So at this point, it's time to dig into into those solutions. So let's start with rollover gifts.

• 00:29:43

  So let's say you ran a campaign last year, and you want to make it as easy as possible for donors to continue their support with rollover gifts you. Just. You have the option to auto, roll over

• 00:29:57

  all previous donors, or present an option like the one you're seeing here for them to opt into last year's pledge.

• 00:30:05

  They can even with our increase nudges opt into increasing, that this approach shores up payroll, giving revenue and empowers donors to continue their impact without starting from scratch.

• 00:30:21

  They get increased retention.

• 00:30:24

  They obviously

• 00:30:27

  get net growth year over year by encouraging seamless pledge boosts, and out of all the solutions we'll be digging into rollover gifts provides the highest return from a growth perspective. And this was clearly evidenced in the united way of greater Kansas City case study that we shared earlier because they have really just made expert use of the tool.

• 00:30:50

  Next is the feature which lets you promote meaningful incentives for donors or volunteers by integrating impact levels, company perks or specific pledge level prizes. This solution essentially gamifies the experience for folks looking to unlock offerings and recognition.

• 00:31:09

  for example, offering triggered rewards at pledge levels or volunteer hours.

• 00:31:16

  This boosts participation by rewarding donors with perks like

• 00:31:21

  extra Pto Hours company swag, or even like recognition in company-wide announcements. You also can kind of gamify the journey further by using impact levels that qualify donors for like badges or vip giving clubs.

• 00:31:39

  finally, rewards and recognition, underscores.

• 00:31:42

  cultural alignment, and a sense of belonging, because it reinforces the organization's values by tying them to rewards and meaningful achievements.

• 00:31:53

  One just like quick example as you're seeing on the left there is is interesting that Kansas City has put together that kind of qualifies folks for like a contest, or gives them access to

• 00:32:06

  to special items like swag.

• 00:32:11

  So now let's dive into the groups, tags and rules engine

• 00:32:16

  groups, tags and rules is a solution that enables admins to segment donors based on demographics and other criteria tailoring. The donor journey for maximum engagement

• 00:32:28

  groups and tags is kind of the way you identify key characteristics of users which allow you to target, outreach and and customize.

• 00:32:39

  For example, through personalizing the journey you can deliver unique campaign pages or specific messages to different groups at the company, such as you know, prior donors, leadership teams or contract workers, tailor, you know, tailor, the experiences and increase satisfaction rates.

• 00:32:59

  Then you've got, of course, advanced analytics which allow you to report on impact and participation based on affinity groups that folks belong to to departments, regions or other criteria.

• 00:33:13

  You also have

• 00:33:15

  user self tagging. You'll notice here in this survey. On the right, a user comes to the platform. They answer some simple questions. They choose answers from a dropdown, and they self tag so that they can get attributed accordingly.

• 00:33:32

  This kind of makes all the manual labor go away and puts less pressure on your your data from

• 00:33:39

  from the import.

• 00:33:41

  You also have kind of flexible management of all of these groups and tags.

• 00:33:47

  and then, of course, you have

• 00:33:49

  advanced, or an enhanced communication which enables targeted emails and notifications to be sent to groups based on their groups and tags.

• 00:33:59

  One just kind of example of this would be where a company would use groups and tags by departments and interests, and then marketing employees would receive certain campaign, a campaign site, whereas folks who are in it might receive content about tech education or Dei, or something like that.

• 00:34:23

  Then we've got, of course, the smart sequences tool which includes our audience builder.

• 00:34:30

  and this lets you use communications, templates, saved templates, or templates that good world offers. You can schedule those communications to get sent ahead of time. I really want to call out the united way of greater Cincinnati for a super smart, sequencing infrastructure where they use the audience builder. They send discrete messages to folks

• 00:34:55

  depending on. If they already donated. They haven't donated yet, or if they didn't respond yet those are the types of filters that you can use when doing an audience builder and

• 00:35:07

  all of the e-marketing that you're seeing here builds real-time insights and is and manages dynamic lists.

• 00:35:16

  Park.

• 00:35:18

  Finally, you know the engagement analytics so that you can see who bounced, who opened, who clicked. And you can run reports on that level of of analytics.

• 00:35:32

  Then we've got sort of just the

• 00:35:36

  the data impact reporting. And we've got the

• 00:35:43

  campaign micro sites. You notice here that Cincinnati was actually sending messages to individuals with impact stories after they had already donated, or if they had not donated yet. So what's really cool about this is, you can kind of highlight stories of impact and use the micro site capabilities to bring people into the compelling reasons they should support your organization.

• 00:36:11

  Here's a story about organs and and Larry's story

• 00:36:19

  and even highlighting housing security programs.

• 00:36:27

  Then on the data import mapping piece kind of keep this part quick. You can save time by uploading employee rosters or pledge history so that you can run those Rollover campaigns, ensure accuracy with custom, mapping that aligns with data.

• 00:36:45

  with seamless platform fields.

• 00:36:48

  Then you can kind of achieve the scalability by quickly onboarding new employees or integrating data from campaigns.

• 00:36:56

  The last solution that we'll take a look at before we hear from Deirdre. Asness is the advanced access. You know it's super important that you assign custom permissions for each campaign, so that you can define who can have access to different aspects of the data

• 00:37:15

  company. You know, it's really important for companies to give

• 00:37:18

  only certain people access to financial information of employees. So you want to. You want to kind of open that up for them.

• 00:37:26

  You want to protect the data and privacy. We have a whole bunch of really interesting ways to do that from gating email addresses to using Sso single sign on capabilities. You can even kind of decide to upload a team roster and only make the excite set accessible to the team roster you provided.

• 00:37:49

  All right, so you've heard enough from me at the moment, so I am delighted to welcome our next speaker, Deirdre Asness, Vp. Of client success at beyond the horizon, with over 2 decades of experience in nonprofit tech, Deirdre has become a leading expert in Crm integration and digital donor engagement. Her extensive network work expands corporate giving programs, volunteer management systems

• 00:38:14

  and digital fundraising optimization. She's helped numerous organizations transform their operations through strategy technology

• 00:38:22

  and with particular focus on streamlining processes for maximum community impact. Having worked with Deirdre directly on many United way projects, I can personally testify to her deep understanding of both the technical and human aspects of nonprofit operations. So take it away, Deirdre.

• 00:38:44

  Thanks, Richie.

• 00:38:45

  Here in my role at beyond the horizon. We empower our clients, including many united ways, to more effectively leverage people, process and technology to drive engagement. And as Richie mentioned for my entire career I've been in and around united ways and workplace giving. And it's been a while since I've been in that sphere. So it's really cool to see how the technology has really evolved for engaging donors.

• 00:39:15

  I echo Richie and Ann's gratitude for the power of strong partnerships, and it's been so great to

• 00:39:21

  work on the Kansas City work work directly with good world and really see how leveraging technology can make such a difference. I'm so excited for all the success that

• 00:39:33

  we're seeing and really being able to prioritize, working with those united ways and nonprofits who are prioritizing technology to leverage salesforce as their Crm along with smart

• 00:39:47

  multifunctional, integrated solutions like good world that allow for real time engagement, and a more complete 360 degree view of the donor. I'll dive into that a little bit more in detail, but I wanted to take a step back and just set the stage for how far we have come.

• 00:40:06

  So if you go to the next slide, you know historically united ways have had the challenge of having to navigate a patchwork of siloed databases and

• 00:40:19

  softwares, they've been prevented from moving to a new system of record, largely because the complexity of the financial processes from multi-market workplace campaigns to reporting to

• 00:40:33

  all the detail around the processing and payout of designated gifts, and so to compensate for the lack of a true Crm. United Ways have spent years trying to meet business needs by implementing standalone single use solutions that don't talk to each other. So you end up with an ecosystem that has

• 00:40:54

  one-off solutions for online giving event management, volunteering, and more, that all require manual downloads or manual reentry of data to share information between systems.

• 00:41:07

  And as Anne mentioned, these solutions actually cause data to be more siloed and less usable, and actually take more time on your staff having to move that information back and forth.

• 00:41:18

  So let's take a look at a specific journey from our friends at United Way for Greater Austin. And so, starting in 2020, Austin recognized the need for a more modern infrastructure, following some pandemic related challenges. And, as you see in this system map, they had single use systems, for

• 00:41:39

  I know it's really hard to read in little tiny font here, but they had single use systems for online donations, volunteering outbound grants, inbound grants, paid events, free events, partner collaborations, and then a number of spreadsheets sitting off to the side.

• 00:41:56

  And for all of these red connection points that you see here in this graphic they represent a manual exchange of data. And so it was just taking so much staff time having to move information back and forth so that you could compare what you information you have in one system to what you're seeing in another system.

• 00:42:14

  Partnering with Bth Austin transitioned from manual data management to us in a server-based system to a streamlined, efficient ecosystem with salesforce at the core. So here in this center graphic.

• 00:42:28

  you can say that at the end of phase one Austin implemented salesforce as their system of record. So replacing that prior

• 00:42:37

  donor database that they had with salesforce and really work to reduce the number of manual integrations to other applications.

• 00:42:46

  they continued to streamline by consolidating their workplace and online giving into a single integrated platform with good world, and by 2024 they were well equipped to celebrate their growth and continued opportunities in time for their 100 year centennial.

• 00:43:02

  And as Austin looks to the future and continued consolidation of these systems, they're driving towards

• 00:43:09

  bringing not only workplace, giving online donations and those events into the system, but looking to bring volunteer into good world as well. And that's where a modern integrated system can really really shine.

• 00:43:23

  And so if we switch to the next slide, as we look to create additional efficiencies, both salesforce and

• 00:43:32

  salesforce native applications and 3rd party applications can bring data together in an integrated way with Salesforce's native applications.

• 00:43:42

  such as marketing, cloud account engagement and experience. Cloud be able to enhance stakeholder communications and provide tools for building branded portals with a seamless Crm data

• 00:43:55

  integration. And with 3rd party applications in the salesforce ecosystem like good world.

• 00:44:02

  you're able to bring together workplace and online fundraising document generation with Appsona

• 00:44:10

  and also offer tailored solutions with built-in integrations. So you spend less time and less dollars

• 00:44:18

  building connection points in the absence of any sort of integration. And you get to spend more time on impact and the work of your organization.

• 00:44:29

  So let's take a look at what that looks like for a new donor.

• 00:44:33

  We'll start our journey here with our brand new friend Ellen, who is new to the area and was introduced to United Way as part of her workplace campaign.

• 00:44:43

  Now she wants to get more involved with the community.

• 00:44:47

  with Goodworld, Salesforce, Bth and our great nonprofit partners, we're able to create donor experiences to cultivate relationships

• 00:44:56

  in a real and ongoing way. From that very 1st connection, whether it's a donation or some other introduction to the organization.

• 00:45:07

  We're able to use these integrated tools to allow for true digital engagement in real time.

• 00:45:13

  So Ellen came to us originally with a donation through her workplace campaign, and she's immediately thanked both on the screen and with an email that receives that she receives as soon as her donation is

• 00:45:26

  completed. And that night, as she's sitting around waiting for her friend to pick her up, she's scrolling through her email and sees

• 00:45:34

  her local united ways. Instagram Page at the footer of that initial. Thank you. Email. So she goes to the Instagram page and sees a call to action

• 00:45:44

  that directs her to the website to sign up for additional email communications, and because she was already created as a contact in salesforce as a result of that initial donation. Earlier in the day

• 00:45:59

  these new interests and contact preferences have been noted on her contact record and behind the scenes she's already been added to a new donor journey.

• 00:46:12

  So with all this information, landing back in one consolidated system of record, we're able to quickly see everything that we know about our new friend Ellen. And if you think back to the way that this may be working in your organization, currently, or how it has

• 00:46:32

  worked in

• 00:46:33

  organizations in the past. It often took a week, maybe even a month, to bring that information from online engagement campaigns back into your system, so that you had one place for your staff to be able to look at donor information and pull up everything that you knew about that person.

• 00:46:54

  Because these systems are integrated. You're able to see all of this data practically in real time. And so you know, Ellen could have given a donation yesterday morning, and by this morning. You already have all of these pieces of information about your new friend. You know that she's very supportive of early childhood education.

• 00:47:14

  Maybe she went and filled out some survey components while she was in giving her workplace gift. And so, you know, she's interested in learning more about women united. You know that she is a new donor.

• 00:47:27

  and we flagged her in the system. You know that she's on Instagram because she liked your Instagram post from last night, and you're beginning to collect all of these data points about Ellen, so that you can tailor those communications to what she is interested in and start to build a more real and deep relationship with your donor.

• 00:47:49

  All of this is possible

• 00:47:51

  because we've got a strong scalable Crm architecture at the core that allows united way to innovate and deliver mobile forward personalized experiences to their donors and potential donors. And we're way. We're well on our way to building a lasting relationship with donors in our community.

• 00:48:12

  So thanks so much again to Richie for letting us be a part of this, and I will turn it back to you to bring it all together

• 00:48:21

  for sure. Well, thank you for pulling back the curtain. There, Deirdre. This this you may not expect it, but this is the real morale building stuff that you can do at your organization because it it just

• 00:48:36

  it creates coherence in operations. And while

• 00:48:41

  Crm transformation is one of the, you know, tougher processes to undertake it really gets the whole team started off on the right foot once you embrace that future. So thanks. Thanks so much, Deirdre. And as we as we kind of wrap up today's session, I want to just provide a brief summary of the insights we've shared which have included

• 00:49:05

  key strategies driving success across United Ways nationwide. First, st we've seen how integrated technology solutions are revolutionizing workplace, giving campaigns.

• 00:49:16

  The United way of Greater Kansas City earned nearly $650,000 in net growth since last year, and their tech forward approach has been a powerful Testament to this success. Second, the shift to high touch. Mobile forward giving isn't just a trend. It's meeting donors where they are, and by personalizing journeys with elements of gamification.

• 00:49:41

  it makes the experiences more relevant, contextual and engaging. 3rd

• 00:49:46

  automation really is not just about efficiency. It's about freeing your teams to focus on relationship building united ways using these systems report saving an average of 15 HA week during peak campaign seasons. Finally, the power of flexible real time reporting cannot be overstated.

• 00:50:08

  Data-driven decisions have refreshed and delighted corporate partnerships who may have otherwise been considering shifting to platforms like benevity, your cause, groundswell, and a whole host of other competitors. I will say that

• 00:50:25

  this solution that good world Bth and our partners have put together is A is a competitive and

• 00:50:36

  exceptional product that can be put side by side against a very large company like benevity. So, if united, if any of you have relationships with some large corporate partners who have some pain with their benevity relationships, or are looking to cut costs with your cause. You can put forward a platform like good world

• 00:51:02

  as as a as an offering, and you could save them, you know, tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars over time, and become kind of a locked in partner for them long term. So you know, don't don't be afraid of this shifting landscape. It's really a true opportunity for united way.

• 00:51:22

  Now that we have reached the end of the recorded presentation

• 00:51:27

  we'll be opening up the space for live chat questions. But before we do that for those who won't be staying on, I just wanted to let you know that we'll be sharing the following resources. You will receive a recording of today's session within 24 h. This will include a sample implementation guide for United Ways. Specifically, we'll be sharing a step-by-step guide for work.

• 00:51:52

  place campaigns created by our team here at good world. And that standalone case study from United Way, greater Kansas City. If you want to kind of dig into that further who really hit a home run this year.

• 00:52:05

  we've designed all of these takeaways to be practical and actionable for holiday reading. All right. So I am ending the recording and opening up the live chat in case. There are folks who'd like to pitch in some questions into that chat for a brief Q&A. It will just be chat questions. So feel free to paste those in.

• 00:52:29

  We'll just address them in order. And and any that we don't get to today will will be answered in a detailed follow-up email. So remember.

• 00:52:39

  technology should simplify your work, not complicate it. We're here to help support the mission of strengthening communities. And we look forward to being a part of your success story. So thank you again for your time today, and we hope you enjoy your holidays.