In relation to the Technology Roadmap, a community foundation’s Web presence delivers the interfaces, branding, dynamic content and interactivity to key constituents via its Web site. Once considered an attractive ‘extra,’ Web sites have become integral parts of community foundations’ communications and marketing efforts. The TSC believes that the importance of Web presence will only increase, as other components of the Technology Roadmap evolve. Things like CRM will increase targeted use of the Web, seamless processing and expanded Web interfaces will speed donor use of the Web portal.
Most community foundations have a Web site that provides them with an Internet presence. However, capacity varies according to foundation size and sophistication in using the Internet medium:
- A large number of sites, even those of mid-sized foundations are simple, relatively unchanging and consist of ‘brochures’ placed on-line. The high cost of outside consultants, often required for site maintenance, keeps the sites static. Using sites for regular communications and marketing is difficult.
- Even larger foundations find that Web sites grow ‘old’ rather quickly. Because of this, community foundations find themselves ‘overhauling’ their sites every few years, which is an expensive proposition.
While details are still being finalized, the TSC anticipates that Funding Syndicate resources will be used to identify resources and tools that are available to support community foundations’ Web presence and disseminate information about resources and options broadly in the field.
Additional resources will be used to promote the development and offering of shared Web content and shared Web functionality for the field. While community foundations prefer custom-designed information that promotes their local flavor and services, there is a wide range of information that is common among community foundations. The field has recently experienced a new spurt of shared content through the National Marketing Action Team’s (NMAT) Community Foundation Portfolio of marketing support. CFA has also demonstrated the ability to develop shared content through GivingNet, a subscription service targeting Web sites. Because of the sophistication of our competition, shared content must equal or exceed the type of content national financial services firms use.
Committee Priorities
The following have been identified by the committee as priorities:
(i) Personalized Home Pages for donors/grantees/ advisors
Personalized Home Pages are the homerun that surveyed community foundations want long-term. This capability will change the way the entire field communicates with their audiences. It will work with content management, e-marketing and CRM tools to tailor communications to the client in a secure environment.
(ii) Single Log-In Point of Entry
One of the primary enabling technologies behind the Personalized Home Page is the ability of all of the services that are displayed within that home page to share user authentication – a “Single Log-In”. Thus, the same login that allows a user secured access to edit their home profiles will provide entry to any other information (e.g. from FIMS/Foundation Power, CRM, Impact Manager, specialized content delivery, etc).
(iii) e-Marketing Suite
This concept is a suite of tools that will provide e-Newsletter and email marketing/communications services to community foundations. This includes template and tagged content from websites and all of the subscription maintenance and list maintenance tools that are typically associated with these services
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