Nonprofit Fundraising

Fundraising is the lifeblood of nonprofit organizations, fueling missions that provide access to critical human services, power the researchers focused on saving lives and our planet, and enable the fight for equality and dignity for all people, worldwide. However, drawing funding is an ever-persistent challenge as options for giving diversify and nonprofits struggle to stay digitally relevant with emerging generations of donors.

You can develop platforms, software tools, Alexa/AI skills and/or other creative solutions that work backwards from the sector’s challenges. These should be solutions that enable nonprofits to reach the right people at the right time, neighbors and friends, committed to bettering their communities through giving.

Outreach - Develop platforms, software tools, Alexa/AI skills and/or other creative solutions that help nonprofits tell their stories and the stories of the causes and communities they support. Make it easy for nonprofits to be transparent with their impact data and develop mechanisms for easy, repeatable donations. Create new tools that help reach new generations of donors that get them excited about giving in a way that also propels nonprofits into the digital world.
Connection - Develop platforms, software tools, Alexa/AI skills and/or other creative solutions that help nonprofit's develop deeper relationships with their donors to elicit sustained interaction. Create new tools that extend a sense of purpose to donors in a way that makes them feel closely connected to mission delivery. Enable opportunities for donors to engage directly with those in need to provide support beyond donations.
Events - Develop platforms, software tools, Alexa/AI skills and/or other creative solutions that enable digital delivery or digital extensions of in person fundraising events such as galas, walks/rides, benefit concerts, etc. Create new models for showcasing nonprofit impact and the interactive nature of the in-person element of fundraising activities. Help make virtual and in person fundraising events memorable, inspirational, and action-driving.

Nonprofit Program & Service Delivery

Nonprofit organizations often focus on human-centered interaction to provide guidance, education, and support. They deliver services and programs for everything from mental health and counseling to food and shelter to early childhood education and empowerment to animal rights and welfare to legal aid and refugee support to advocacy and grantmaking.

Times are changing as digital engagement becomes the norm and today, where digital engagement is required for the continued health and safety of our communities. This is an opportunity to help propel nonprofits into the digital future in a way that is compassionate and enhances their delivery of services and programs.

You can develop platforms, software tools, Alexa/AI skills and/or other creative solutions that enable nonprofits to be many places at once as they seek to serve large populations in need and expand that ability to serve. And help nonprofits nurture their workforces, those who dedicate themselves every day so that the future is brighter, filled with more hope.

In this category, you can select a specific nonprofit mission vertical including but not limited to those listed above. You can refer to the Charity Navigator 2020 Nonprofit Taxonomy [link to resource] to get a full list of mission verticals. Here are a few ideas to get you started the nonprofit program and service delivery category:

Virtual Support/Self Service - Develop platforms, software tools, Alexa/AI skills and/or other creative solutions that help nonprofit's increase self service capabilities so they can focus on the most critical needs and scale. Make it easier for beneficiaries and individuals accessing nonprofit programs to find and engage with provided services. Enable nonprofits to provide virtual support and delivery services remotely, as appropriate, to reduce travel costs and time burden to beneficiaries.
Enhanced Service Delivery - Develop platforms, software tools, Alexa/AI skills and/or other creative solutions that help nonprofits expand on the services they provide. Enable them to better collect and leverage data to evolve their programs, helping them to do what they do, better. Enhance their ability to support and nurture a remote workforce, full time and/or volunteers, in a way that expands their ability to attract talent and/or increase volunteer engagement.
New Service Offerings - Develop platforms, software tools, Alexa/AI skills and/or other creative solutions that help nonprofits develop and launch new service offerings based on evolving community, beneficiary, and mission needs. Create new, innovative digital models that have a measurable impact on their cause area and help them serve an expanded beneficiary base.

Preserving Cultural Institutions

Cultural institutions rely on in-person patron engagement to deliver programming. From the visual and performing arts to historical societies, aquariums, libraries, and more, this diverse sector preserves, showcases, and elevates the human spirit. Art in its many forms connects us, reminds us, and challenges us. In the midst of crises, we depend on artists for escape, for catharsis, for wonder, and for an exploration of what it means to be human.

As the world and our societal behavior changes, the technology sector has an opportunity to help these organizations adapt to a changing landscape of patron and audience engagement.

You are challenged to consider:

How can you contribute your skills to raising up cultural institutions during this time and beyond?
What are the short and long-term solutions that meet the unique needs of these organizations in an increasingly digital and virtual world?
How do new technologies complement the timeless act of creating and sharing art?

You can develop platforms, software tools, Alexa/AI skills and/or other creative solutions that keep cultural patrons engaged because they provide ongoing value, capture new audiences, nurture fundraising, and fill a gap in existing delivery mechanisms of cultural content.

Here are a few ideas to get you started in the preserving cultural institutions category:

Digital Arts Community - Develop platforms, software tools, Alexa/AI skills and/or other creative solutions that enable art patrons and curators to engage virtually and directly with artists in a way that complements in person, cultural experiences.
Cultural Content Delivery & Fundraising - Develop platforms, software tools, Alexa/AI skills and/or other creative solutions that extend cultural institution content into a digital landscape and integrate cultural institution revenue streams such as ticketing, merchandise, memberships, and other institutional fundraising which enable the operations of these community pillars.
Audience Engagement - Develop platforms, software tools, Alexa/AI skills and/or other creative solutions that help cultural institutions understand the type of programming that audiences want to see. Expand organizations’ use of data to help predict “what’s next” in terms of audience preferences and how to develop cutting-edge, engaging content. Help the cultural community curate experiences that are inspirational and innovative with the understanding that audiences often don’t know what they want until they see it.