image: CharityNet

Did you see our CharityEngine blog last week about Facebook’s LookBack Videos. Did you think it was as brilliant as we did? (The videos, not the blog!)

Did you realize nonprofits could be doing the same thing!

It’s not complicated if you have the data. All Facebook did was create a template for the video which pulls data from each individual’s profile. We all have a date we joined, so it pulls that first. We all have the first pictures we posted so they came next. And we all have posts that got the most “Likes” on so it pulls those next.

And here is why we preach integration - This is exactly what your donor database should be doing! It should store every bit of data from a donor’s first interaction with you to today. So in 2, 5, or 10 years from now, if you wanted to create a music slideshow that shows them the things they’ve done for your organization, you can automatically cite each one.

Do you think Facebook knew they were going to do these videos 10 years ago? Of course not! The idea worked because they had collected the data so efficiently over the past decade. It was ready when the technology was ready.

That’s why creating a foundation for smart, usable data now matters. Don’t worry about what technology exists now or what strategy you have now. By collecting clean, accurate data now in a smartly integrated CRM, you will be able to use it when you need it.

 

Author: Leigh Kessler, VP, Marketing

Company: CharityEngine

See them at NTC ’14: Booth #716