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Is the reason for change about technology or more engagement in your mission?
We all know it. We all hear it. Leadership loves to talk about change. Employees love to ignore it. Talk is very cheap. If we are honest however, we all know it is true. Change is inevitable. The real question is what we will do about it. Will we lead it or will we be a victim?
The biggest challenge is knowing the right time to change. Often, by the time we realize we need to change, the moment has passed us by. The worst possible scenario is that others’ realize it before us and beat us to the punch. Rather than being strategic, we are impulsive and reactionary. Our perceived nonprofit competitor builds a website that does X and we have to do it to. Why? Maybe they have just wasted a ton of money. Mimicking others is not a strategy.
Are you inspired by technology or overwhelmed? Are you keeping up with technology or are you getting left behind? Have you see what a three-year-old can do with an iPhone? Does that intimidate you? This is all very disruptive. You know it and your constituents know it. The difference is that our constituents are embracing it.
As a nonprofit, is someone else about to displace you in the marketplace? Are you staying up with the pace of change with technology or are you about to get left behind? Do you have strategies, systems, processes, and protocols in place that will recognize that this is disruption? We need to assess opportunity, and we will need to facilitate the testing of Ideas? Is this your job? How much time and resources that you control are you devoting to it quarterly?
These are very serious questions. They need to be answered now. From the point of view of your mission, is this a case of only the strongest surviving? What will happen if the pace of change is so fast that your constituents adapt and change before you can? This is the reality we all need to face. We all know the role that technology plays in our personal lives. Do our digital properties at work match up to our personal experiences?
This might be a time for humility. Is the economy really our problem? If your nonprofit did well before the downturn of 2009 during bad economic times, why didn’t they do well during the downturn turn of 2009?
All nonprofits are facing disruption. Have you been displaced in the marketplace and simply don’t know it yet? There are nonprofits who are thriving and growing.
In the for-profit world, this is clear. Over 40% of the companies that were at the top of the Fortune 500, in 2000 were no longer there in 2010. Who are some of the top nonprofits today that weren’t on the list 10 or 20 years ago? I talked with a nonprofit leader recently that illustrates this perfectly I think. They probably aren’t on anybody’s list of top nonprofits. They are a $5 billion dollar international nonprofit. They are a single corporation with no separately incorporate chapters. They have a laser focus on the digital world. Their marketing is absolutely unified. Why doesn’t anyone know about them as a leader in the nonprofit space?
So as a nonprofit, you have established a presence on Facebook and Twitter. And so? Is the constituent experience and relationship any better than it was before? Perhaps so or perhaps not. Do you know?
This may be about survival. It could take more than a presence in new channels to improve the overall experience and relationship with those who can support us the best. It may take more courage than you think. It will certainly take more persistence to break through the resistance. In the end, it could be about how you work with your leaders and we’re back to you about how you personally lead.
Are you leading a movement towards empowered and constituent – centric culture? Are you setting in motion real business transformation?
You have a special path you can follow. You can set in motion the change that opens the door to an improved experience both inside and outside your nonprofit. You can lead the change you need your nonprofit to experience!
Relevance is defined by how relevant the experience is
The constituent journey is evolving (albeit very, very fast). That shouldn’t surprise you but it is good news. You haven’t been left behind completely. Your constituents are changing though. Their experience of you and your mission may not be what any of us would want. In this case, relevance is defined by how relevant the experience is. Passion for the mission is contingent on amazing experiences.
How you personally decide to react or lead is up to you. It, of course, is not about technology. What is the journey of getting closer to constituents and staying relevant really about? Here are some ideas:
- Creating a culture built around the constituent and their experience being the focus of all you do.
- Empowering employees to do what it takes to create amazing experiences.
- Opening up the floodgates of innovation.
Saying we want to get closer to constituent won’t get senior management on board. While a constituent revolution is at the C-Suite doors, someone (meaning you) needs to convince the top that change is imperative. Without that we will fail.
You know that most executives don’t use social networks personally. While they have smartphones the primarily utilization is for email and looking at the calendar to know where to go to next. The reality is that most won’t read this. Trying to make a case that this is about technology will be a losing battle.
What is the future of nonprofits built on? It isn’t about how Facebook, Twitter, iPhones, tablets or real time-time geolocation check-ins evolve. The future of nonprofits does depend on relevance and the ability to at least understand technology to be able to make decisions about new opportunities. It does require the ability to strategically adapt to the new opportunities to create a competitive advantage.
So much of this is about change. There is a technology revolution occurring. Other nonprofits (and for-profits that you compete with) understand this. But it is also about a whole series of real-world revolutions that are seizing how our constituents live which impacts their experience with us. Expectations are moving fast. We can’t afford to get left behind. The kind of change we are talking about involves three things:
- Listening
- Learning
- Adapting
What is on consumers wish list for 2013?
The iPhone ranks first on Americans’ 2013 consumer technology wish list. 23.5 percent of 2,285 U.S. consumers surveyed in October 2012 by Strategy Analytics said they are somewhat or very likely to buy Apple’s smartphone during the next twelve months. A smartphone with Android comes second, with 21.6 percent. This is followed by a portable PC (17.4 percent) and again an Apple product, the iPad (15.3 percent).
The top 10 consumer electronics buying intentions list is rounded off with Android Tablets (10,7 percent) and E-Readers (10,6 percent). You can find the full list including 22 key consumer electronics products on strategyanalytics.com.
http://www.statista.com/markets/15/topic/126/electronics/chart/815/top-10-consumer-electronic-products-in-the-u.s.-2013/
Related articles
- Consumer Reports Ranks iPhone 5 Worst Top Smartphone (usnews.com)
- iPad eclipses iPhone launch (businesstechnologypartner.wordpress.com)
- Report: Apple may build less expensive iPhone (kfwbam.com)
- In 2013, Americans want to buy an iPhone, followed by an Android phone, portable PC, and then iPad (thenextweb.com)
iPad eclipses iPhone launch
When Apple introduced the original iPad in January 2010, many analysts were sceptical whether the new device could replicate the iPhone’s success in establishing a new product category. Two and a half years and 100 million shipped iPads later, the answer has to be: yes!
Not only has the iPad redefined (or reignited) the tablet market, it even eclipsed the iPhone in terms of launch sales. In the first ten quarters after the iPad’s launch in April 2010, Apple shipped 98.16 million units of its popular tablet. During the same period after the iPhone’s launch in 2007, Apple shipped 33.75 million units of its popular smartphone. I.e. the iPad outsold the iPhone 3 to 1 in its first two and a half years on the market, making it one of the fastest consumer electronics launches ever.
The recently launched iPad Mini could give iPad sales another boost, as the entry price to Apple’s tablet products dropped from $399 to $329. This chart shows cumulative global unit shipments in the first 10 quarters after the launches of Apple’s mobile gadgets: the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad.
http://www.statista.com/topics/847/apple/chart/753/apple-s-mobile-product-launches/
Related articles
- YouTube updates iOS app with iPad and iPhone 5 support, adds AirPlay, faster video loading, improved playlist management (9to5mac.com)
- Apple’s iPad Grabs 98% Of Tablet Web Traffic (misco.co.uk)
- The New iPad vs. iPad 2 – What’s Different & Should You Switch? (epicagear.com)
- iPad mini before Christmas has limitations (product-reviews.net)
Which mobile platform should you pick? Android, iOS, Windows 8 or HTML5?
The last month has introduced much new food for thought if you are trying to decide which mobile platform to build on first:
Thirty days ago, you were probably thinking to start with iOS, not just because of the launch of the iPad Mini but also the preponderance of Apps in iTunes
Then Microsoft launched Windows 8 (and the Surface), driving a full-court press to get developers to build apps for the Windows Store
A few days later, IDC came out with the latest numbers, showing Android was crushing everyone, with a 75% market share of new phones sold in Q3.
As a result, some declared that iOS was going the way of the Dodo–until last week, when iOS (especially the iPad) crushed the competition in online purposes purchases on Black Friday.
It has definitely been an eventful pre-Holiday Season in mobile.
With all these different metrics and shifts in leadership, which platform do you pick? The market share leader (Android)? The eCommerce leader (iOS)? The one most familiar to enterprise (Windows)? The one most open of all (HTML5)?
If you are Fortune-500 company with a big mobile budget the decision is easy: build on several. If you are smaller, you probably can only build one or two at most (or at least one to start on first). Which one do pick?
Question 1: What is the (Intended) Usage Pattern of Your Customers?
Question 2: If You ARE Building an App, What Are Your Customer Demographics?
Guest blog: Vinay Nadig – Have you checked on the health of your Operating System lately?
Vinay Nadig is my guest blogger today. Vinay’s mission in life is to help people practice leadership as a daily behavior and enable themselves and their teams to achieve exceptional outcomes. 
Vinay has spent more than 2 decades building companies, delivering value, serving clients, sometimes failing and ultimately succeeding on his own terms. From a serial entrepreneur, to the leader of a business unit in a corporation, and entrepreneurial positions in technology startups, Vinay constantly “lives leadership daily.” Vinay is usually engaged with a select group of client companies, doing meaningful work to help them grow the next generation of leaders. On occasion, he works with motivated individuals who wish to take their performance to the next level and live exceptional lives. He enjoys speaking at conferences and company events and discussing his opinions on his blog.
Vinay lives in the Dallas, TX area with his wife and two children. Here are his thoughts.
Have you checked on the health of your Operating System lately?
i.e. Your Core Operating System – the “software” that helps your leadership behavior…..
No, I don’t mean your version of Windows or Macintosh or Ubuntu. I am listening to Daniel Pink’s Drive on audio, and he talks about the “operating system” for motivation (and the fact that it is outdated to fit today’s workplace). It is fascinating and provoked me to apply it to the area of my particular passion – that of daily leadership behavior.
I believe that each of us has to design, build and polish our Cores – and the concept of Operating Systems (OS) fits right into this! What kind of Core have we built? Do we think it is sufficiently refreshed to keep us relevant today? Are there parts missing? To wit:
- Is your Operating System Open Source or Commerical? – {Are you in this for purely monetary rewards or a longer term sustainable objective? Listen, be honest – both models obviously work in the computer industry}.
- Does your Operating System perform fast and reliably under peak loads? – {Do you have a Core set of competencies that you rely on to execute at exceptional levels, especially under pressure?}.
- Does your Operating System support a large number of applications? – {Do you know how to enable, rather than direct and control? Do you know how to play well with others?}.
- Does your Operating System try to occupy a lot of space and features and try to gobble up single feature tools? – {Are you able to rely on your peers//teams//bosses and trust them to perform their roles as you perform yours? Or do you have to do it all and always be at the forefront?}.
- Can your Operating System be upgraded smoothly, with a minimum amount of loss to existing features and capabilities? – {Do you have the capacity to continue refreshing your Core, learning new skills, while retaining an unflagging Core?}.
So, take a few minutes and reflect on your Core. You will be able to figure out that “upgrade path” as the technology mavens are always talking about – only this time it is your own internal “software”………
You can connect with Vinay:
No mobile — no future | Inspiring Generosity
Everything we do must begin with the mobile experience. It is that clear? Without that, from a business perspective, we have no future.
Now that is something to think about. Are we ready?
Much has been made about the necessity of developing a mobile web strategy. Mobile now comprises 10% of global web traffic. This year’s Millennial Impact Report shows how important mobile has become for U.S. nonprofits. Without a mobile strategy, nonprofits have no online future. Why? Because millennials use their smartphone like a computer, reading e-newsletters, emailing people, and engaging in social media.
Related articles
- 8 Things Small Businesses Must Know About the Future of Mobile Marketing (blogs.constantcontact.com)
- iPad is king of mobile web traffic, plus more intriguing data from OnSwipe (venturebeat.com)
- Tablets, smartphones account for 20 percent of US web traffic (lenovo.com)
- Tablets, smartphones account for 20 percent of US web traffic (lenovo.com)
Apple iPad market share is dropping as rivals are catching up
The global tablet market continues to grow. According to market research group IDC, Apple, Samsung and co. shipped 27.8 million tablets in the past quarter, almost reaching the record of 28.2 million from last year’s holiday quarter.
With the iPad Mini, the first Windows 8 tablets and the popular $199 tablets from Google and Amazon all lined up for holiday season, the fourth quarter is likely going to be a blowout quarter for tablet vendors.
This chart shows global tablet shipments since the second quarter of 2012, the quarter in which Apple released the first iPad.
http://www.statista.com/topics/841/tablets/chart/695/global-tablet-shipments-since-q2-2010/
Meanwhile Apple’s market share in the global tablet market begins to erode. In the third quarter, Apple accounted for 50 percent of global tablet shipments, down from 66 percent in the June quarter and a new low since the introduction of the first iPad in April 2010. The launch of Google’s $199 Nexus 7 tablet and Amazon’s refresh of its popular Kindle Fire have clearly hurt Apple and the upcoming holiday quarter will show whether the iPad Mini can help Apple to re-strengthen its position. Starting at $329, Apple’s lower-end tablet is priced significantly higher than the entry models of Google and Amazon, a strategy that hasn’t fared well with many consumers.
This second chart shows global tablet market share in the third quarter of 2012, based on unit shipments.
http://www.statista.com/topics/841/tablets/chart/696/global-tablet-market-share-in-q3-2012/
Related articles
- Android gains momentum in the tablet market as Apple loses ground (itpro.co.uk)
- iPad dominance slides as Samsung and Amazon tap tablet sales (slashgear.com)
- IDC report: Tablet market grows nearly 50 percent, Apple loses iPad share (zdnet.com)
- Apple says it sold 3 million iPads over the weekend (kansascity.com)
- Apple loses ground in the tablet market to Android devices (neowin.net)
Business Technology Partner 