16 Marketing Techniques for Nonprofit Organizations
Posted on 12/13/2022 @ 04:48 AM
Nonprofit organizations exist in a permanent state of fundraising, constantly looking for ways to grow and maximize their revenues, which can be a challenge with limited budgets. Digital marketing is more obstacle than convenience, which is why nonprofits need to use a diverse set of marketing techniques to ensure their success. Organizations need agile and adaptive strategies for online marketing outlets and other digital tools.
When we talk about marketing for nonprofits, what we’re really talking about is strategy and technique. Both sides of the equation, when used together, can grow your base of members, activists, and donors by creating awareness and fundraising to support your organization’s general operations and programs.
Let’s break marketing techniques down into four categories: social media, email, content, and digital. Each one of these categories has the same goal — to communicate to the audience what your organization is all about.
Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is one of the more popular strategies given the widespread nature of the medium. As far as building brand awareness and engaging directly with younger audiences online goes, nothing beats social media. You meet your audience on their turf and can recruit activists, find potential volunteers, and even grow your donor base. No matter what, it is crucial to have and maintain consistent messaging across your social media platforms. You want to reinforce your brand.
Using social media marketing techniques can help you reach a diverse national and international audience, too, and increase brand visibility. Here are some techniques for social media marketing:
1. Define your goals
For a successful social media strategy, you need to define your goals and whatever possible outcomes you hope to achieve from your marketing campaign. Social media marketing can drive traffic to websites, enhance user engagement, build brand awareness, and recruit volunteers and donors — any of these could be goals.
2. Post interactive content
It is a good idea to focus your social media strategy around audience engagement. The content created and posted should be varying and always interesting and should be consistent with your social media goals. Interactive content is always popular; try Twitter polls, Facebook surveys, or Instagram.
3. Boost your content posts
You need to share content as often as possible to keep your audience engaged. To reach a larger audience, you can boost your posts to generate more impressions through Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter ads. Paid ads can bring attention to your content and extend the reach of your brand to an audience you don’t currently attract.
4. Leverage social media tools
Your organization will accrue more credibility when you engage directly with your audience. Social media marketing allows you to use tools like Live Video and Instagram stories to provide your audience with real-time updates of your organization's activities and to give your audience a sense of participation. Some social media platforms, like Facebook, have their own fundraising and marketing tools for nonprofits. These allow your supporters and followers to support your cause and to tap into a wider pool of potential donors. If your organization qualifies for these fundraising tools, you can link donation stickers from your Instagram Stories to reach a bigger audience. You can use hashtags to spread information, too.
Email Marketing
A significant percentage of the world still relies on email for work, news, or staying connected to friends and family. Marketers use relevant and personalized emails to engage their supporters and increase their interaction with the organization. Email marketing is an effective tool to acquire new donors and to engage with existing donors. If done right, email marketing can be a very effective resource to grow your nonprofit. The following techniques can help reach audience through email marketing:
5. Weekly newsletters: Send a newsletter every week with updated content regarding your organization, volunteer needs, and any interesting data fit to share.
6. Monthly emails: Send monthly emails to your audience with new opportunities and donation needs to keep them in the loop.
7. Email sequencing: Set up email sequences for new donors and new subscribers to thank them for joining your cause, and for their donations. These emails can also include educational info about your organization for new subscribers.
8. Email marketing automation: Save on time and energy while allowing your donations, email list, and donations to grow.
Don’t forget to include calls to action in your emails and to segment your audience into different lists. It’s important that you engage sections of your audience separately. Take a break from a one-size-fits-all approach. Capture as much data as possible about your audience and create segmented email lists. Cater your calls to action accordingly.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is a valuable asset for nonprofit organizations. Content marketing can have a great impact in creating awareness, driving traffic to your website, and increasing pageviews and time spent on your site. But with regards to content, it is crucial that what you create is of high quality and adheres to your carefully thought-out content strategy. The following are some techniques for content marketing for nonprofits:
9. Tell your story
Image is everything in digital marketing, so it’s a good idea to have a captivating story about your organization. Using a compelling story as a strategy creates a long-term impact on your audience. People gravitate towards narratives. We like a good story. Make sure your story-driven content has an objective and a target audience.
10. Define your target audience
Nonprofits are unique and have different target audiences. Having a defined target audience helps with content marketing since, without one, you don’t know where to aim. With a target in mind, you can reach everyone in your audience including activists, donors, volunteers, and strategic partners. As all these parties have unique reasons for engaging with your nonprofit, giving them relevant content could go a long way. A good idea is to use impact statements from beneficiaries of programs and services you provide in the community.
11. Diversify your content
There are different content avenues for an effective content marketing strategy. Depending on the content you are publishing, you can make use of tools like videos, charts, blog posts, infographics, podcasts, and photos for your nonprofit marketing.
12. Promote your content through search engine optimization (SEO)
Posting content online isn't enough to generate traffic to your website. You need to strategize when sharing your content across all platforms and channels. To start, have a regular publishing schedule. Use social media and email marketing to help your content rank high for intended users to access easily.
Quality content isn’t enough to have your website appear at the top of Google search results. The optimization process of your content starts before creating the content by conducting keyword research to determine what people are searching for in your niche. This can help address some concerns about your content to create what is most relevant and relatable to your target audience. Do research to create high-ranking content for more engagement.
Organizations today are adopting digital marketing as a reliable strategy to attract new donors and create global brand awareness. Digital marketing allows you to build an international reach, which makes it easy to meet potential new donors. Among the key techniques used in digital marketing for nonprofits are:
13. Paid advertising
Since there is no shortage of competition to be seen online, it is a good idea to pay for visibility. If you don’t, you risk being at a significant disadvantage. The pay-per-click marketing technique helps direct traffic to your website, which gives your organization exposure. You can analyze the data gathered using PPC to better understand who your visitors are, what they do on your site, and what interests them.
14. Video and podcasts
Having strong video campaigns can make all the difference in digital marketing. Videos can be used to highlight impact statements from members of your community who have benefited from your nonprofit’s mission. They can be used as commercials to advertise your mission. They can feature your staff members, interviews between your CEO and a writer or activist related to your field, or anything else you can think of — the sky's the limit. And don’t discount the popularity of podcasts. Podcasts are great ways to reach a new audience. If you decide a podcast is right for you, be consistent with your publishing schedule, and spread your episodes across all the popular podcast hosting platforms, such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or TuneIn.
15. Backlinks and influencers
Backlinks are used to improve your website's online authority and extend its reach. For optimal results, use the social sharing icons on social media platforms to establish backlinks. This will improve your website’s reliability and give your organization better relevance on Google. You can work with influencers to help build credibility for your organization, gather more support, and spread brand awareness. Choose influencers who are passionate about your cause. You can create content with them that benefits both parties — they get views and you raise awareness.
16. Retargeting
Most visitors to a website are not motivated to engage or make a donation on their first visit. As such, retargeting can be used to boost the chances of bringing back visitors who bounced away. There are a few tools that can help with this process. Check out Facebook Exchange ads as an example.
In the end, achieving success with any of these marketing techniques comes down to one simple rule: make sure that you choose a set of strategies and techniques that work well together. A comprehensive and holistic marketing strategy can allow you to retain a vast online audience and make sure that your organization succeeds.
In Celebration of Give Miami Day
Posted on 12/05/2022 @ 05:30 AM
Each November, the Miami Foundation hosts Give Miami Day, one of the nation’s largest 24-hour annual giving events. It is an undeniable blast of philanthropic energy, a suffusion of goodwill and pure heart that greatly benefits Miami-Dade County.
Since its inception in 2012, Give Miami Day has raised more than $100 million for more than 1,000 community nonprofits. And each year, the number of unique donations, participating nonprofits, donors, and total dollars raised increases. It is a testament to the momentum of giving.
As a partially Miami-based company, Plus Three watches Give Miami Day closely. The good-natured competition is near and dear to our heart—and not only because the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, one of our oldest and dearest clients, performs so admiringly.
As we do with many of their other campaigns and productions, Plus Three worked closely with GMJF to plan and execute its Give Miami Day strategy. Much of the support that we saw this year did not come without a good deal of work behind the scenes. And indeed, this year, GMJF notched 373 unique donations totaling $878,650. We’re proud of that.
More generally, this year’s Give Miami Day was also quite impressive. More than $32 million was raised, with more than 41,000 unique donors making 82,000 donations. And all in a day’s work.
Plus Three loves Give Miami Day. It is, without fail, an exuberant display of large-heartedness and generosity. We are inspired by it annually and can’t wait for next year.
YWCA USA Stands Against Racism: Producing a Virtual Town Hall
Posted on 04/23/2021 @ 07:36 AM
Our multipronged approach to event production was on full display for YWCA USA’s “Stand Against Racism: Addressing Racism as a Public Health Crisis,” a virtual town hall event that ran Thursday, April 22nd.
Plus Three’s relationship with YWCA USA isn’t new; we have been working with the prestigious nonprofit for some time, having previously produced or aided in the production of the 2021 LATINXT Presidential Inaugural Day of Service, “A Conversation with Georgia’s Women” in January 2021, and having produced a YWCA USA video spot, too.
YWCA USA’s most recent event addressed the connections between racism and public health outcomes, specifically advocating for the declaration of racism as a public health crisis. Featuring a panel of distinguished guests – such as Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), physician and public health professor Leana S. Wen, Representative Judy Chu (CA-27), and many other extraordinary public health and social justice professionals – the virtual town hall was an incredible representation of the work being done to right societal wrongs.
Our work for the event began with building a microsite for the event, which included all original graphic design elements – both for the site itself and for all related marketing collateral. Plus Three also supplied design elements for the event, such as lower-third graphics and overlays.
In the end, “Stand Against Racism: Addressing Racism as a Public Health Crisis” was a huge success. Over 3,000 people tuned in to watch – and the event ran with no hiccups. As ever, Plus Three is immensely proud of the work we do, and we feel fortunate to have contributed to making this important virtual town hall a success. Thanks for the opportunity, YWCA USA!
Producing Jewish Miami's Biggest Annual Fundraising Event
Posted on 04/05/2021 @ 10:29 AM
On Tuesday, March 23rd, more than 1,500 people joined the Greater Miami Jewish Federation for the Main Event, a virtual program convened to raise money for the Jewish Federation’s Annual Campaign.
Plus Three had the privilege of supporting the Jewish Federation during the Main Event, which featured live music from Matisyahu, prerecorded greetings from Reuven Rivlin, the President of the State of Israel, and a compelling conversation between The Rt. Honorable Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1997-2007) and journalist and PBS television host Alison Lebovitz.
The Main Event is the Jewish Federation’s most popular fundraising event of the year – and as such it was essential that the event occur seamlessly, with nothing to impede the fundraising effort. Plus Three is proud of the work we did to make sure that the event succeeded. Indeed, by the end of the night, nearly $1,000,000 had been raised for the Annual Campaign.
Each guest received an email and SMS with a personalized link to the event.
In order to make this happen, we built a microsite tailormade to Jewish Miami’s specifications and requirements. We needed to provide each attendee with an individualized experience. Each guest received an email and SMS with a personalized link to the event.
We developed a unique pledge card for Jewish Miami, which guests could access through email and SMS. When the attendee visited the pledge form, we pulled data from their donation history and prepopulated the form with previous amounts donated, as well as a suggested donation for 2021. This process pared the donation process down, making it easier for guests to donate. Guests were able to make their donation during the program from their mobile phone.
We are excited by the success of the Jewish Federation’s Main Event and thrilled that we had a hand in making the evening successful and look forward to working with the GMJF again down the line.
A conversation between The Rt. Honorable Tony Blair and journalist and PBS television host Alison Lebovitz
Elevating Women in Nonprofits for Women's History Month
Posted on 03/03/2021 @ 07:48 AM
In honor of Women’s History Month, Plus Three is delighted to highlight four women doing exceptional work for their nonprofit organizations. We elevate them not only to recognize their tireless work, but to call attention to the innumerable contributions women have made to making the world a better and more equitable place for all.
Alejandra Y. Castillo
formerly at YWCA USA
Alejandra Castillo, the former CEO of YWCA USA, had a big job. YWCA USA serves 2.3 million women and girls nationwide, with a network of over 200 associations. Castillo oversaw it all.
Before assuming an executive leadership role at YWCA, Castillo held senior leadership positions in two previous presidential administrations. In 2014, Castillo was appointed by the Obama Administration to act as the national director of the Minority Business Development Agency, becoming the first Hispanic American woman to lead that agency. During her tenure there, Castillo helped secure financing and capital worth over $19 billion and helped create or retain over 33,000 jobs.
Castillo’s job at YWCA USA was no small task. For 162, YWCA USA has been there for women and girls and their families. The storied institution has helped millions of women live lives of relative safety and economic security. Their mission is fourfold: to eliminate racism, to empower women, to stand up for social justice, and to help families strengthen their communities.
Melanie Campbell
at National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
Melanie Campbell is the president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP). She is a veteran coalition builder and a hugely successful campaign leader — having headed multimillion dollar civic engagement, voter empowerment, and issue-based campaigns. Her work at the NCBCP is essential. And so impressive.
Campbell has been at the NCBCP for over 25 years. She’s advised presidents, congresspeople, corporate, labor, and nonprofit executives, philanthropists, faith leaders, and more — in short, she is a guide.
A good thing, too, because the NCBCP’s work is essential. The NCBCP cultivates institutional base-building capacity and intergenerational leadership models at the local, state, and national levels. In other words, it believes that educating, motivating, organizing, and mobilizing Black communities is the key to full participation in a barrier-free democratic process. Using technology, educational programming, and civic leadership training, the NCBCP expands, strengthens, and empowers Black communities across the nation.
Bonnie Reiter-Lehrer
at Greater Miami Jewish Federation
Bonnie Reiter-Lehrer is Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation (GMJF), one of our oldest clients and dearest friends. With over 37 years of experience in the communications, advertising, and marketing fields, Reiter-Lehrer serves the Jewish community of Miami and abroad with passion and diligence.
At GMJF, Reiter-Lehrer oversees the production of videos, short films, and documentaries, as well as innumerable successful local, national, and international events and marketing initiatives. GMJF has been serving the needs of the Jewish people in Miami, in Israel, and around the world for over 80 years. It mobilizes human and financial resources to those in need, and helps unify the Jewish community, domestic and abroad.
Reiter-Lehrer’s work at GMJF and elsewhere has been recognized with a Public Relations Society of America Bronze Anvil award and a Florida Press Association Award, and she has been an American Marketing Association Marketer of the Year Finalist. Her life’s work is dedicated to building and serving the Jewish community and ensuring a strong and vibrant Jewish future.
Sindy Benavides
at League of United Latin American Citizens
Sindy Benavides is the CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). A Honduran-American immigrant, Benavides devotes her career to public service, ensuring that countless young people, women, and immigrants are given the same opportunities that she received.
As the head of the country’s oldest Hispanic civil rights organization, Benavides has a job of historic importance. LULAC seeks to advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, housing, health, and civil rights of Hispanic United States citizens. Boasting approximately 132,000 members throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC is a powerhouse of change. Leading such an organization is deeply impressive.
Before her current position, Benavides was the COO and National Director for Civic Engagement and Community Mobilization for LULAC, the Vice President of Field and Political Operations for Voto Latino, and the Northern Virginia Political Director for the 2012 Kaine for Virginia senatorial campaign. She has been named a top 20 Latina Women of Excellence, selected for a Hispanics in Philanthropy Next Generation Philanthropy Fellowship program, and serves on numerous civic boards, tireless serving her community and others.
Nine Black Organizations Breaking Boundaries
Posted on 02/04/2021 @ 06:20 AM
Black history is American history. Every month, regardless of official designation, is Black history month. To honor the contributions that Black Americans have made to our country, Plus Three is excited to share a curated list of nine Black-focused or Black-run organizations that are changing America for the better. Each one of these organizations is a leader in their field, and each one is doing their part to ensure that Black Americans have the same rights, access, and support as their non-Black counterparts. If you’re looking for organizations to give to, you’ll find each one of these organizations worthy of your dime. Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.
The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation strives to cultivate institutional base-building capacity and intergenerational leadership models at the local, state, and national levels. In other words, the NCBCP believes that educating, motivating, organizing, and mobilizing Black communities is the key to full participation in a barrier-free democratic process. Using technology, educational programming, and civic leadership training, the NCBCP expands, strengthens, and empowers Black communities across the nation.
Thurgood Marshall College Fund
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund provides unparalleled access to a funnel of opportunities for students to journey to college, through college and into a career. Despite the universal challenges that face today’s college bound student, TMCF transforms the lives of thousands of students each year. TMCF boasts an 80-90% graduation rate of its Scholars – compared to a 40% graduation rate for Black/AA students overall, 37% graduation rate for students attending HBCUs, and a 62% graduation rate for all students irrespective of race/nationality or whether they attended an HBCU.
The Audre Lorde Project
The Audre Lorde Project is a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans and Gender Non Conforming People of Color center for community organizing, focusing on the New York City area. Through mobilization, education and capacity-building, we work for community wellness and progressive social and economic justice. Committed to struggling across differences, we seek to responsibly reflect, represent and serve our various communities. Named for the poet Audre Lorde, the ALP works with LGBTSTGNC people of color organizations and communities across differences of race/ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, and life experiences to develop and implement culturally specific and effective programs and services reflecting the needs of our communities.
Center for Black Equity
The Center for Black Equity seeks to promote a multinational LGBTQ+ network dedicated to improving health and wellness opportunities, economic empowerment, and equal rights while promoting individual and collective work, responsibility, and self-determination. To do this, the CBE hopes to build a global network of LGBTQ+ individuals, allies, community-based organizations and Prides dedicated to achieving equality and social justice for Black LGBTQ+ communities through economic equity, health equity, and social equity.
National Urban League
Since 1910, the National Urban League has been collaborating at the national and local levels with community leaders, policymakers, and corporate partners to elevate the standards of living for African Americans and other historically underserved groups. The Urban League is committed to economic empowerment, equality, and social justice. They have 90 affiliates serving 300 communities in 37 states and D.C. They spearhead the development of social programs and authoritative public policy research, and they advocate for policies and services that close the equality gap.
The Loveland Foundation
The Loveland Foundation is committed to showing up for communities of color in unique and powerful ways, which a particular focus on Black women and girls. Your donation to the Loveland Foundation makes it possible for Black women and girls nationally to receive therapy support. The goal is to bring opportunity and healing to communities of color. They offer fellowships, residency programs, listening tours, and hope to contribute to both the empowerment and the liberation of the communities they serve.
Fair Fight
Fair Fight, the brainchild of Georgian hero Stacey Abrams, promotes fair elections in Georgia and around the country, encourages participations in elections, and educates voters about elections and their voting rights. They bring awareness to the public on election reform, advocates for election reform at all levels, and engages in other voter education programs and communications. Fair Fight Action engages in voter mobilization and education activities and advocates for progressive issues; in addition, Fair Fight Action has mounted significant programs to combat voter suppression in Georgia and nationally.
The Congressional Black Caucus PAC
The Congressional Black Caucus PAC works tirelessly to increase the number of Black Members of the US Congress. We also strive to support Non-Black Candidates who will champion the needs and interests of the Black Community. Most importantly, the CBCPAC promotes participation of Black Americans in the political process. They support candidates and members who will serve their communities with passion, dignity and above all else integrity. The CBCPAC is committed to advancing the issues that matter to all members of the communities we are privileged to serve, regardless of race, color, or creed.
NAACP
What can we say about the NAACP that hasn’t already been said about our country’s largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization? Founded in 1909, the NAACP has over 2,200 units and branches across the country and boasts over two million activities. Their mission is to secure political, educational, social, and economic rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all people. In short, the NAACP seeks to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race.
Inheritance, Resilience, and Promise: P3 Brings Tech Services to the Latino Inaugural
Posted on 02/01/2021 @ 05:47 AM
On January 23rd, the night before President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn into office, the Latino Inaugural 2021 occurred. Tremendous in scale and triumphant in message, the Latino Inaugural, hosted by actress and philanthropist Eva Longoria Baston, reached an estimated quarter of a million people around the world.
Plus Three was honored to provide technical services and website development to the incredible team of artists and activists, politicians and actors, and musicians and visionaries who united to make the Latino Inaugural a special, memorable event.
It was thrilling to see Latino leaders such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, John Leguizamo, Becky G, Prince Royce, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Farruko, Shaggy, Gaby Moreno, Edward James Olmos, Ana Navarro-Cárdenas, Emilio Estefan and more contribute their time and talents to honor and recognize our country’s diverse Latino community.
Working closely with the Latino Inaugural staff, we designed a website that spoke to the singular import of the event. With bold reds and blues highlighting a clean and captivating aesthetic, the Latino Inaugural website underlines the singular contributions of its participants: gifted and dedicated Latino leaders who never flag in their pursuit of justice and equality for Latino Americans. And ARCOS, our proprietary content management system, ran seamlessly behind the scenes.
Plus Three will always champion Latino causes. Since our inception over 18 years ago, we have worked closely with Latino leaders to bolster the Latino American message, advocate for unity and equity, and fight for fairness.
Click here to watch an encore presentation of the Latino Inaugural 2021, or simply watch it below.
A New Era: The 2021 LATINXT Presidential Inaugural Day of Service
Posted on 01/25/2021 @ 06:18 AM
Plus Three had the extraordinary privilege of producing the 2021 LATINXT Presidential Inaugural Day of Service.
Some of our country’s Latino leaders sought to honor the diverse accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration, as well as the record number of Latinos and communities of color who participated in the 2021 presidential election, by hosting a virtual event that would unite political figures, civil rights icons, actors, and entertainers, all in the pursuit of celebration and gratitude.
Plus Three designed all creative and marketing material for the Latino Inaugural 2021 website, as well as produced the event itself, which included luminaries such as YWCA’s CEO Alejandra Castillo, LULAC National President Domingo Garcia, Former Secretary Julian Castro, and Edward James Olmos.
It was also an enormous joy to honor civil rights icon Dolores Huerta and to welcome Speaker Nancy Pelosi, both of whom spoke eloquently about the challenges we face and how to overcome them. We were inspired by their presence.
The 2021 LATINXT Latino Inaugural was an incredibly special moment in time: welcoming the Biden-Harris administration. The inaugural featured a roundtable discussion of Latina leaders about the challenges and opportunities for Latinos across the country; hosting the conversation in the wake of electing our first woman of color vice president added a special emphasis to the occasion.
Since we began as a company over 18 years ago, Plus Three has invested widely in the development of the Latin American community, and as such our involvement in the LATINXT virtual event was a no-brainer. We were proud to assist them in this endeavor and proud of the work we did in producing this powerful, successful virtual event.
To watch an encore presentation of the 2021 LATINXT Latino Inaugural, click here.
For other events that Plus Three produced, check out our work on a YWCA town hall and the LULAC Virtual Summit.
Happy Holidays from Plus Three
Posted on 12/23/2020 @ 05:48 AM
Plus Three would like to extend our best wishes for a happy holiday season to our clients, supporters, and families.
It goes without saying that 2020 has been a challenging year. In the technology sector especially, where we make our home, this has been a year of unprecedented upheaval. Organizations uncomfortable in digital realms have had to adjust rapidly. Questions about how to reach constituents in a fully digital landscape have become de rigueur. If you can’t host in-person events, can’t meet your constituents face to face, then how to get them to join your cause?
Not long after the pandemic began, Plus Three started began working with nonprofit organizations to shift their events online, to adapt to life in the age of Covid-19. We greatly expanded our online event production skillset, hired a Chief Storyteller and a Creative Director, and evolved, too. Additionally, we added a great deal more functionality to ARCOS, our proprietary content and member management system, including SMS messaging, personalized pledge cards, a new commenting system, and more. We also underwent the gargantuan task of moving our clients to AWS to ensure more reliability, security, and speed.
We are proud of the work we’ve done over the last two quarters. In addition to our work with the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, AIandYou, It’s Time For 46, and the YWCA USA, here are a few other projects we want to highlight:
One Million Latinas Strong
Plus Three worked with the League of Latin American Citizens (LULAC), longtime partners and friends of ours, on One Million Latinas Strong, a project focused on increasing voter turnout in the Latina American community. We built a website that centered around the concept of “Latina Power” — a Latina empowerment campaign to register Latinas, facilitate voting logistics, and spread awareness of the growing economic force of Latinas. The call-to-action for the website was to make a pledge to vote.
Prayer Wall for Vanessa Guillen and Day of the Dead
We worked again with LULAC to build a digital “prayer wall” for Spc. Vanessa Guillen’s family, her friends, and her fellow soldiers. In the wake of the unspeakable tragedy of Spc. Guillen’s death, LULAC wanted a digital destination where people could come together to leave a message in recognition and remembrance of Spc. Guillen. Plus Three built a commenting system capable of storing hundreds of posts. We used the same feature for LULAC’s Day of the Dead for those lost to Covid-19.
GiveGreen and YWCA Video Creation
2020 saw Plus Three enter the world of video creation. Working with the League of Conservation Voters and collaborating with our friends at Rest of the World, we made a commercial for GiveGreen, a donation platform that helps elect candidates who will act on climate change.
For the YWCA USA, recorded and edited “A Conversation with Georgia’s Women” video illustrating the impact of the right to vote on the individual agencies of historically marginalized people.
See you in 2021!
Artificial Intelligence, Communities of Color, and You
Posted on 12/22/2020 @ 09:24 AM
Plus Three recently began a partnership with a dear friend of ours to help build an organization whose aim is to foster a more inclusive and empathetic artificial intelligence ecosystem. Susan Gonzales is a former Facebook executive who serves as a leader in AI and LatinX spheres. She is the Founder and CEO of AIandYou, and we are thrilled to be working with her on this worthy endeavor.
AIandYou seeks to create a global dialogue between AI leaders and diverse communities in order to prepare for AI’s impact at the local level, strengthen our local communities through the use of AI, and identify solutions that minimize bias. As a technology company, Plus Three isn’t that far removed from advances in artificial intelligence; we were attracted by the idea of working in this world and excited to join Susan’s team in a jack-of-all-trades capacity.
For AIandYou, Plus Three handles design, content, video, and marketing, and we keep track of content and members with our own proprietary management systems. For branding, we work with our friend Sergio Alcocer at Rest of the World.
At its heart, AIandYou serves as a compendium for artificial intelligence news and information. One of our primary contributions comes in the form of content, in which we comb the web for pertinent news about AI and translate it into digestible, comprehensible synopses. We also produce a series of videos called Community Conversations, which feature recorded conversations between leaders in the AI community.
Engagement with AI and AI-related issues is largely absent in the communities where it’s needed most: places where automation and other AI-related tools are laying waste to employment opportunities and local economies. Part of what we AIandYou does is partner with leaders in the AI community to help mitigate the fear that communities. It also solicits advice from its team of advisors, as well as its impressive board of directors which is comprised of the attorney Nicole DeLeon, City Councilwoman Alicia C. Aguirre, and actress and philanthropist Eva Longoria.
And while AI is big issue with big ramifications, it’s not all bad. AIandYou also spends time illustrating the ways in which AI can be used for good: using algorithms to make combating climate change easier or improving the accuracy of diagnoses in medical settings.
We are proud to be along for the ride with Susan and the rest of the team at AIandYou — and we can’t wait to see what’s next.
Felicidades to the National Museum of the American Latino
Posted on 12/22/2020 @ 04:59 AM
Plus Three would like to extend a hearty congratulations to the National Museum of the American Latino, a longtime client of ours and a true leader in the Latino American community.
The American Latino Museum has long been striving to build a museum in Washington D.C. that will educate, inspire, and sow respect and understanding of the richness and diversity of the American Latino experience. And thanks to the recently authorized $2.3-trillion spending bill, that goal is becoming reality.
The museum, which will be located on the National Mall or thereabouts, will fill a void that has existed in American museum culture for too long. Indeed, the campaign for an American Latino museum in D.C. began all the way back in 1994 when a report found that the Smithsonian “displays a pattern of willful neglect” towards Latino Americans.
Plus Three was honored to work with the ALM in designing their website, and are thrilled that they use our content management and member management tools to advance their mission and fundraise.
We also had the distinct pleasure of working with former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and the distinguished members of the National Museum of the American Latino Commission to develop its social media strategy, which grew to over 170,000 Twitter followers and 140,000 Facebook followers. We are especially proud of the work we do within the Latino American community — this is no exception.
Though it will be many years before the American Latino Museum officially opens its doors, we see no reason to delay the celebration. We are proud to call the ALM friends, proud of the fast-approaching day when the National Museum of the American Latino opens its doors on a sea of beaming, expectant American faces eager to learn more about one of America’s proudest and most impressive communities.
Felicidades!
Going All in for Georgia with the YWCA
Posted on 12/17/2020 @ 06:27 AM
In hope and anticipation of Georgia’s January 5th, 2021 Senate runoff, Plus Three joined the team at the YWCA USA to aid in the production of a virtual town hall and candidate forum entitled “A Conversation with Georgia’s Women.”
The virtual town hall featured some of Georgia’s most extraordinary women, including Stacey Abrams, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (Atlanta), Senator Kay Kirkpatrick, Representative Brenda Lopez Romero, Dr. Cynthia Neal Spence (Spelman College), Ann Mintz (United Way), and Alejandra Y. Castillo (CEO, YWCA USA). The event was moderated by the award-winning journalist Condace Pressley.
These leaders convened to explore the economic, childcare, and racial justice issues of most concern to the women of Georgia. Over 1,500 people from Georgia and around the country registered for the event, which was livestreamed via Zoom and Facebook Live. Over 941 hours — 56,506 minutes — were collectively viewed during the broadcast.
Plus Three produced the live event as well as designed all supplementary creative and marketing collaterals for the YWCA website and its affiliated social media. This was a high-profile event that required a high level of professionalism. With so much on the line for next month’s Senate runoff, it was crucial that the event go off without a hitch.
Additionally, Plus Three recorded and edited “A Conversation with Georgia’s Women” video illustrating the impact of the right to vote on the individual agencies of historically marginalized people. Voting is essential—it is, in Stacey Abram’s words, “an act of power.” It was a privilege to use our skills to create videos that lifted the voices of women of color in Florida and Georgia.
“A Conversation with Georgia’s Women” was the exclamation point on the YWCA USA’s yearlong YWomenVote 2020 campaign. We were honored to lend our virtual event production acumen to an organization that we admire greatly and are thrilled that the event was a triumph.
For other examples of successful virtual events that we've produced, check out our work on LULAC's Virtual Summit and the Unity Rally Against Racism.
Debriefing 46: Plus Three's Super PAC
Posted on 12/15/2020 @ 10:20 AM
There’s a certain pleasure to be had in writing about IT’S TIME FOR 46, the super PAC brainchild of Plus Three and Rest of the World created to help elect the now President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Whether the donations that ITF46 raised were the ones that put Biden and Harris over the top remains to be seen. What we do know, however, is that, for Plus Three, building ITF46 was a tremendous learning experience, an opportunity to hone our skillset while adding to our arsenal along the way.
At its core, ITF46 was a campaign designed to target multicultural millennials and Generation Z. A digital and outdoor campaign that focused on video work while cultivating a strong aesthetic personality, easily recognizable and provocative.
We designed the ITF46 website with mobile users in mind, as so many members of the generational groups we were targeting live on their phones. Our minimalist yet challenging design steered visitors directly to the professionally shot and edited videos our video journalist, Mario Troncoso, created, each one featuring a young person passionately enunciating the reasons why they would be voting for President-elect Biden — and why it was “time for 46.”
Social media played an integral part in our attempts to present ITF46 to a larger audience. We worked with two interns — Kyle Balfour and Cindy Rojas — to create hilarious TikTok videos and write compelling personal essays, respectively. Those items were easily shared on social media. Images created by Plus Three’s Creative Director Enrique León, reached over 4,000 people on Facebook.
While IT’S TIME FOR 46 did not reach its fundraising goals, it did prove to us something we had set out to learn: that we could build a super PAC from scratch and make a bit of a difference, too.
Fundraising with Jewish Miami
Posted on 12/14/2020 @ 07:54 AM
For one night each year, hundreds of Jewish philanthropists convene for the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s Pacesetter Event to celebrate Miami’s vibrant Jewish community and to raise millions of dollars to support social services in Miami, Israel, and across the globe.
During typical years, the Pacesetter Event would take place in person. Located in a downtown hotel, the Pacesetter would include dinner and speeches, would be a sophisticated production in which Miami’s most committed philanthropists gather to address the Jewish peoples’ most pressing concerns.
Plus Three worked with Jewish Miami to transfer the major event from stage to screen. Considering the gravity of such an event — the sheer importance and impact of such large-scale fundraising — it was essential that the virtual event go smoothly.
We worked with Jewish Miami to create a simple one-click solution to ferry over 800 guests to their preassigned “tables” or meeting rooms in a timely manner and, from there, into the “Main Event.” With 40 meeting rooms and hundreds of guests, it was imperative that the navigation process be as simple and streamlined as possible.
In order to make this happen, we built a microsite tailormade to Jewish Miami’s specifications and requirements. We needed to provide each attendee with an individualized experience. Each guest received an email and SMS with a personalized link to the event.
We developed a unique pledge card for Jewish Miami, which guests could access through email and SMS. When the attendee visited the pledge form, we pulled data from their donation history and prepopulated the form with previous amounts donated, as well as a suggested donation for 2021. This process pared the donation process down, making it easier for guests to donate. Guests were able to make their donation during the program from their mobile phone.
We are incredibly pleased by the success of Jewish Miami’s Pacesetter Event. The Greater Miami Jewish community was able to meet their donation goals. And for our part, we were proud of the work we did in making this a smooth and error-free production. We wish Jewish Miami all the best on their next endeavors — as well as a happy Hanukkah.
Ten Jewish Nonprofits Saving the World
Posted on 09/16/2020 @ 12:06 PM
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, marks the beginning of the High Holy Days, a time of reflection and growth, a time when we ask ourselves how we can become better, more fulfilled people, and how we can earn forgiveness for our transgressions against others. And though the notion of joyously ringing in 5781 during such extraordinarily challenging times is perhaps an impossible ask, it’s more important than ever that we double down on amplifying and celebrating the good being done in this world. In honor of the Jewish New Year, we’ve put together a list of ten Jewish nonprofit organizations who we admire greatly—who do the splendid and necessary work of making the world safer for Jewish people of all stripes. This is a time of great need—and, as such, should be a time of great giving.
Anti-Defamation League
For leaders in combating hate — any and all kinds — look no further than the Anti-Defamation League, an organization with over 100 years of experience fighting anti-Semitism and bigotry. When it was founded, the ADL’s mission was to secure justice and fair treatment for the Jewish people; now, the ADL leads the world in exposing extremism, whatever its stripe, whomever its target. By delivering anti-bias education and law enforcement training, and through their ceaseless efforts to halt defamation wherever they see it, the ADL proves itself to be a staunch and essential defender of expression.
Encounter
Encounter is a nonpartisan educational organization that believes in the responsibility of Jewish leaders to engage seriously with a set of voices representative of all the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Encounter’s primary project is a slate of programs designed to inspire new perspectives, new conversations, and new approaches to the conflict, which they achieve through direct encounters with the people with whom Israel is destined to share its future: Palestinians. Immersive Education programs bring selected Jewish influencers to the West Bank and East Jerusalem to meet with Jewish thought leaders and a wide range of Palestinians. Continuing Education programs build on established relationships, creating networks and novel approaches to peace in the Middle East.
Greater Miami Jewish Federation
For over 80 years, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation has been serving the needs of Jewish people in Miami, in Israel, and around the world. GMJF — or Jewish Miami, as it's sometimes known — is a force for good in its home in Miami-Dade County, mobilizing human and financial resources to those in need, and helping unify the Jewish community, domestic and abroad. In addition to their role as community leaders, GMJF funds numerous agencies that build Jewish knowledge, strengthen identity, and help foster a sense of peoplehood.
Jewish Communal Fund
The Jewish Communal Fund is the largest and most active Jewish donor-advised fund around. Their mission is to promote charitable giving to sectarian and nonsectarian organizations through donor-advised funds. In short, the JCF makes the idea and practice of giving more attractive, easier, and less expensive to donors. In 2019 alone, the JCF established $456 million in fundholder grantmaking—as well as numerous individual gifts that helped build playgrounds and food banks, establish programs for Holocaust survivors, and provide scholarships for those in need.
Jewish Democratic Council of America
Actively promoting policy consistent with socially progressive, pro-Israel, Jewish community values, the Jewish Democratic Council of America seeks to energize the Jewish electorate to engage in the electoral and legislative processes. The JDCA is committed to creating positive change through information sharing, issue advocacy, rapid response and research, messaging, briefings, and anything else that increases Jewish communal engagement.
Jews of Color Initiative
A national effort focused on building and advancing the professional, organizational, and communal field for Jews of Color, the Jews of Color Initiative specializes in grantmaking, research and field building, and community education. In their words, the “Field” is the ecosystem of organizations, efforts, and individuals who make up the larger universe of the Jewish community. For the JCI, the Field needs to be populated by organizations and individuals that center Jews of color, that advance racial justice in the Jewish community, and that strengthen the entire Jewish community.
Joint Distribution Committee
The Jewish Distribution Committee, doing good work in 70 countries, lifts lives and strengthens communities. For over 100, the JDC has been a leading humanitarian organization, rescuing Jews in danger, providing aid to vulnerable Jews, and developing innovative solutions to Israel’s most complex challenges. The JDC has become essential to the survival of millions of people and to the advancement of Jewish life across the globe. Founded during World War I to help Jews suffering in Ottoman Palestine, the JDC became the first Jewish organization in the United States to give large-scale funding for international relief.
Keshet
Imagine a world in which all LGBTQ Jews and their families can live with full equality, justice, and dignity. That is Keshet’s goal. By strengthening Jewish communities and equipping Jewish organizations with the skills and knowledge needed to make all LGBTQ Jews feel welcome, Keshet works to ensure full equality and participation for the LGBTQ Jewish community. Founded in 1996 in Greater Boston, Keshet has become a national organization with offices in the Bay Area and New York, in addition to their Boston headquarters. Their works takes them into synagogues, Hebrew and day schools, youth groups, summer camps, social-service organizations, and other communal agencies. They train Jewish educators to prevent anti-LGBTQ bullying, celebrate, LGBTQ Jewish identity, and mobilize Jewish communities to protect marriage equality and transgender rights.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Located among the national monuments on the National Mall, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is an essential stalwart in the struggle against forgetting — and repeating — history. The USHMM teaches millions of people each year about the dangers of unchecked hatred and the need to prevent genocide. There is an alarming rise in Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism these days, and as such it has never been more crucial to support the institutions that work to fight the forces of hate in the world.
YIVO
YIVO is so many incredible things at once: a research institute, an institution of higher learning, an adult education organization, a cultural center, and a world-renowned library and archive. YIVO preserves, studies, shares, and perpetuates knowledge of the history and culture of East European Jewry worldwide. Indeed, it is the only prewar Jewish archives and library to have survived the Holocaust—and as such, it needs help making sure their invaluable documents and materials are preserved for centuries to come.
Eleven Hispanic and Latino Nonprofits Doing Exceptional Work
Posted on 09/15/2020 @ 08:49 AM
The American Latino Museum
The American Latino Museum is a hypothetical institution—but not for long. This organization has been striving for years to build a museum in Washington D.C. that will educate, inspire, and sow respect and understanding of the richness and diversity of the American Latino experience. The museum, which just this year saw the passing of a bill in the House to establish the ALM within the Smithsonian, will fill a sore absence in museum culture.
Hispanic Federation
A U.S.-based non-governmental organization focusing on supporting Hispanic communities through local, state, and national advocacy, the Hispanic Federation has been active since 1990. Their objective is to empower and advance the Hispanic community through service pillars, membership services, advocacy, and community programs. HF’s work in education, health, immigration, economic empowerment, civic engagement, environment, and organizational development is nationally renowned. The goal: to strengthen Latino institutions so that they may ultimately increase the quality of life within Hispanic communities.
Hispanic Scholarship Fund
By empowering Latino families with the knowledge and resources needed to successfully complete higher education, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund seeks to sow the seeds of future success. The HSF provides scholarships and support services to as many exceptional Hispanic American students as possible; they help students excel in their course work, matriculate, enter the professional field, and lead and mentor the generations to come.
Latino Justice
LatinoJustice PRLDEF uses and challenges the rule of law to secure transformative, equitable, and accessible justice for all Latin Americans. By empowering the Latino community through the fostering of leadership, advocacy, and education, LatinoJustice PRLDEF aims to change discriminatory practices nationwide. Proud members of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, they are private funded, nonprofit, and nonpartisan.
League of Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
The League of United Latin American Citizens is the largest and oldest Hispanic organization in the United States, having been established in 1929 in Corpus Christi. Since then, LULAC has sought to advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, housing, health, and civil rights of Hispanic United States citizens. Boasting approximately 132,000 members throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC is a powerhouse of change.
National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ)
Dedicated to the recognition and professional advancement of Hispanics in the news industry, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists has created a national voice and unified vision for Hispanic journalists. Their tenets include providing support for Hispanic journalists, encouraging and studying the journalistic practices, promoting the fair treatment of Hispanics in the media, furthering employment opportunities, and fostering a greater understanding of the unique cultural identity, interests, and concerns of Hispanic journalists.
The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators
The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators strives to organize the Hispanic state legislators who advocate on behalf of Hispanic communities across the United States. The NHCSL acts as a catalyst for joint action on issues of common concern to the Hispanic citizens of the U.S., such as housing, immigration, education, and healthcare. There is no segment of life in the U.S. that the NHCSL doesn't have a hand in; tireless advocators for equality, the NHCSL is a vital part of the ongoing quest for fairness for the Hispanic community.
NALEO Educational Fund
The NALEO Educational Fund seeks to facilitate Latino participation in the American political process, from citizenship to public service. Since 1981, NALEO has plied their skills to increase the effectiveness of Latino policymakers, to mobilize the Latino community to engage in civic life, and to promote policies that advance Latino political engagement.
The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES)
RAICES is a nonprofit agency promoting justice through free and low-cost legal services delivered to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees. Their focus is broad—but their impact is meaningful. RAICES aims to change the narrative around immigration in America. They offer legal services, social programs, bond assistance, and employ an effective advocacy strategy.
United We Dream
United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led community in the country. If that’s not enough, UWD seeks to empower people into developing leadership and organization skills to help them fight injustice at the local, state, and federal levels. Helping undocumented immigrants in the U.S. is there lifeblood.
UnidosUS
Since 1968, UnidosUS has served the Hispanic community through research, policy analysis, and state and national advocacy efforts. By partnering with a national network of nearly 300 affiliate organizations to serve millions of Latinos, UnidosUS is able to enact a program of real change. Civic engagement, civil rights and immigration, education, workforce and the economy, health, housing—just a handful of the neighborhoods where UnidosUS works their magic.
Voto Latino
Voto Latino is a civic media organization whose work focuses on serving and empowering the Latino community. Their work consists of three parts: civic engagement, issue advocacy, and leadership development. They function through digital campaigning, pop culture, and grassroots actions. VL’s culturally relevant programs educate and empower—inspiring Latinos to be agents of change in America.
Plus Three Rings in the Holidays with Jewish Miami
Posted on 08/24/2020 @ 05:49 AM
With the Jewish High Holy Days quickly approaching, one of clients — Jewish Miami — asked us to create a microsite to feature their holiday programming. Entitled “40 Days & 40 Nights,” Jewish Miami’s five-and-a-half-week program features classes and workshops sponsored and presented by over a dozen different community partners. The High Holy Days are a time of both deep introspection and powerful community gatherings—with or without a global pandemic.
But in order to design the perfect site, we needed to understand their needs. After meeting with Bonnie Reiter-Lehrer, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, and Liat Stilman, Digital Solutions Manager, we put together a composite image of the potential site. After a few back-and-forths of feedback, we got to work.
Since “40 Days” would incorporate the virtual programming of so many different organizations in the Greater Miami area, Jewish Miami needed a microsite that could cleanly and logically organize the numerous offerings, serving as a kind of travel hub connecting the user to their destination.
With that in mind, it made the most sense to feature the community calendar prominently on the “40 Days” microsite. After a stunning hero image featuring gorgeous thematic iconography, and a modest section of descriptive copy — written text — we placed the calendar front and center. The events are the main event, so to speak.
Our hope with the “40 Days” microsite was that it would function not only as a community resource where a user could find pertinent information quickly, but also as an inspirational destination in itself; as you scroll through the page, the colors, images, texts, and icons should come together to create a unified aesthetic—resonant, comfortable, and unique.
Plus Three Produces LULAC Virtual Summit
Posted on 08/17/2020 @ 07:29 AM
Plus Three and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) joined forces to present LULAC’s first large multiday virtual event during the COVID-19 crisis. “All for One, One for All: United in Action to Transform America” ran from August 13-15, 2020 and drew the largest continuous online audience in LULAC’s history. Spread over nearly 30 hours of programming from over 80 content experts, speakers, and elected officials, the Virtual Summit brought together hundreds of thousands of people from across the country interested in hearing directly from business, government, and civic-sector leaders about issues important to the wellbeing, safety, and security of the Latino community.
Latinos are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 with the highest infection and morbidity rates; they are also suffering from devastatingly high unemployment numbers and inadequate unemployment compensation. Latino small businesses failed to receive sufficient PPP funding, and many are struggling to stay in business. As a result, Latino net worth has seen all of the gains over the last decade of prosperity wiped out in a matter of months. It could take a decade or more for Latinos to regain their financial standing in society as a result of the dual impact of COVID-19 and economic depression.
LULAC Virtual Summit website created by Plus Three.
Since its inception 18 years ago, Plus Three has invested widely in the development of the Latin American community, making their involvement in the LULAC Virtual Summit a perfect fit. And at a time when that very community is so thoroughly jeopardized, it was more important than ever that we have a secure, reliable, and efficient platform through which people from the world over could come together to learn, discuss, and strategize.
We are seeing our youngest and most vulnerable Latino community members fall further into risk. Latino parents face major uncertainty about sending their kids back to school. The accessibility gap is greater than ever, with most low-income households lacking adequate Internet connectivity and technology equipment for distance learning.
Latino essential workers have also been losing their lives at a staggering rate. LULAC has been on the frontlines fighting for Latino essential workers in the meat processing industry to guarantee that appropriate steps are being taken to ensure social distancing, PPE, and testing. Many essential workers are undocumented immigrants living in mixed-status households. Many lack health insurance or are afraid to seek medical care because they are at risk of being deported.
In addition to production duties, Plus Three facilitated fundraising, social media, and direct email marketing campaigns, and designed a website specifically catered to LULAC’s needs. The website was built from the ground up—no templates were used in development, assuring total flexibility in design and implementation. In addition, the summit included a virtual job fair, allowing for the inclusion of 60 rooms of online employers.
Plus Three was proud to partner with LULAC in this worthy and necessary endeavor. They have long admired LULAC’s commitment to advancing the station of Latin Americans in the United States and Puerto Rico—and as a majority Latino-owned company itself, it was thrilled to be involved on the ground floor of real change for the Latin American community.
To see an encore presentation of the 2020 LULAC Virtual Summit, click here.
Living at the Intersection of Technology and Advocacy
Posted on 08/07/2020 @ 02:46 PM
The “constituent” is a slippery entity. With every passing year, technological advancement, and social medium, and a constantly shifting zeitgeist—it gets harder and harder to get in touch with your constituents, or even find them. Their attention is diffuse. The economy has crippled younger generations, who are laden with debt, fighting eviction, and who lack the time or energy to devote to advocacy, to fighting for the things they believe in. That’s why it is more important than ever that advocacy come to them; that the organizations that seek to empower their constituents help them take the first step. The best — and perhaps only — way to do this is through technology. Bring the action to the constituent.
So how does this happen? Most nonprofits exist in a constant state of fundraising. They need an approach to engagement that spans a wide array of tactics. They need to bombard their constituents and potential constituents with emails, texts, social media posts. They need to toe the balance between too much and not enough. If you oversaturate an inbox, you may lose that user; if you don’t communicate enough, you’ll never be thought of at all. And once a user has participated, they need use analytics to better understand constituents. What pages on your website are your users being driven to? What is grabbing their attention? What percentage of them are making contributions—and what can you learn about that percentage? Are your emails being read? Are they being opened at all?
The question becomes: how does a nonprofit use technology to increase participation? In addition to a multipronged strategy that uses email, text, phone, video, and social media as communication tools, a nonprofit organization needs to be transparent. Right now there is a reckoning with long-held power structures all across America. Multinational corporations are being urged to look inward, to examine the racial, gender, and economic imbalances in their ladders, and to make changes. Corporations are slowly electing more Black, indigenous, and other people of color to their boards of directors, allowing for a wider array of representative voices. This matters for nonprofit organizations just as much as it does for corporate America. It matters to your constituents. They want to know how you are using their donations; they want to feel included in the decision-making process. You need a website tailormade for nonprofits—clear, clever, and beautiful.
Plus Three lives at the intersection of technology and advocacy. We help nonprofits toreach as many people as possible; we take technological constraint out of the picture. We work only with nonprofit organizations whose goals are aimed at making a better world through activism, volunteering, and economic relief.
Technology should never impede your plans — instead, it should show you the way.
A Guide for Producing a Successful Virtual Summit
Posted on 07/28/2020 @ 11:45 AM
The past months have brought about a global transformation of event planning practices—the likes of which we’ve never seen. Chiefly among them has been transitioning from holding in-person events to producing virtual events. This hasn’t been an easy change: there are many issues to consider when producing a virtual summit. The need for reliable, high-quality virtual event production is only increasing. And while we’ll miss the nametags and catered dinners, we’re excited by the enormous potential of online event production. Hosting virtual events means attendance will soar, speakers and guests won’t be limited by geography, and engagement can be more interactive.
There are a number of factors to consider when preparing to host a virtual summit. First and foremost: why do you want to have one? Will you use the virtual summit to drum up support for a cause? Do you want to convert viewers into members of your organization? Do you want viewers to sign a petition, contact their local congresspeople, or donate money?
In other words: make sure your virtual summit has a call-to-action.
Once you have your call-to-action in place, it’s time to prepare for the big event. Here’s a guide:
- Pick the best date and time. Be conscious of workhours and weekends. Don’t compete with holidays and national events that would steal would-be attendees.
- Decide whether the summit will be live, recorded, or both. Live events are compelling but come with difficulties of their own. Having the option to submit a prerecorded segment increases the chances that a high-profile guest can participate. A combination covers all bases.
- Agree on the format. Virtual summits come in all shapes and sizes. Summits can have hosts who engage your speakers in short interviews; others request that the speakers have their own presentations.
- Choose where you want the summit to be watched. Will you have your own website, or will you embed the video on your organization’s Facebook or Instagram page? Having your own website will make it easier to drive attendees to action—your own design will make your event more appealing and your argument more compelling.
- Create your promotion strategy. Build a social media toolkit with marketing copy for Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Work with a graphic designer to make eye-popping images that are easy to spread. Write a press release, write invitations, write ads.
- Engage your viewers. Do you want a Q&A for your speakers? Have your host ask questions on behalf of the “audience.”
- Rehearse! We can’t stress this enough. There is a good chance that something will go wrong during the virtual summit. Rehearsals will cut that chance in half. Make sure your speakers know what is expected of them. Make sure their light, audio, and visual equipment are up to the task. Make sure they know the order of events.
- Set up metric tracking and record the event. Once the virtual summit is over, you’ll want to see how you did. Make sure you have analytics tracking in place to give you a sense of what went right—and wrong. How many viewers did you get? How many email addresses? Keep the video up on your website or upload it to YouTube—keep spreading the word.
- Send out a follow-up. Just because the virtual summit is over doesn’t mean the work is, too. Send out follow-up emails to your viewers. Encourage them to stay involved, to be proactive, to engage.
You are well on your way to producing a successful virtual summit. At Plus Three, we happen to have some expertise in this realm. For some inspiration, check out the work we did for the Unity Rally Against Racism. And as always, let us know if we can help.