BridgeTECH Preview: Leveraging Technology to Improve Donor Rates

Joshua Meyer

Joshua Meyer, vice president of marketing at Bloomerang, has more than two decades of experience in fundraising, volunteer management, software and marketing. Though he now helps various nonprofits acquire and retain donors through innovative marketing and fundraising strategies, his career began at the Human Rights Campaign where he used technology to improve the organization’s efficiency and advance its mission. 

“My first project involved exploring how we could use technology to streamline our silent auctions and event ticketing, which were mostly done manually,” he said. “By investing in technology, we could save time and increase our fundraising efforts. As a result, I became a strong advocate for incorporating technology into our work.”

Meyer will be presenting at this year’s inaugural BridgeTECH, a tech-focused event for nonprofit executives, fundraisers and marketers on Aug. 2 at the 18th annual Bridge to Integrated Marketing & Fundraising Conference. In the session, “Leveraging Technology to Improve Donor Rates,” Meyer and Hannah Jacobson Blumenfeld, chief development officer at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, will discuss best practices in digital communications, including email gift acknowledgment and other tech tools. 

NonProfit PRO caught up with Meyer to learn more about his work in nonprofit technology and why he’s so passionate about technology that can strengthen your donor retention strategy.

What impact has technology had on nonprofits you’ve worked with?

I have dedicated much of my time to improving fundraising technology for nonprofits. By investing in and utilizing these technological solutions, organizations can become much more efficient. Not only does the technology save them time, but it also provides valuable data and insights to help accelerate their growth.

What is the most common misconception nonprofits have about technology? 

There are two common misconceptions — that the technology is out of reach for a nonprofit in terms of being able to use it properly, and that it’s too expensive and can’t fit into their overall budget. 

Investing in the technology may require an initial cost, but it often proves to be a worthwhile investment, generating significant returns in the long run. As far as usability and ease of use, more and more platforms are being designed so that anyone can use them and you don’t need to be a data scientist or analyst to pull actionable insight — this has been a focus for Bloomerang all along.

Why is it so important for nonprofits to embrace technology regardless of staff size, revenue, overhead misconceptions, etc.?

Nonprofits who don't adopt technology risk falling behind in the industry. Despite having limited staff, technology offers the advantage of enabling smaller teams to achieve more. At Bloomerang, we consider ourselves an integral part of our clients' teams. Our support and services team provides assistance with our software, while technology helps nonprofits to become more efficient.

What will you be presenting at BridgeTECH and why are you passionate about the subject? 

Donor retention rates in the industry have been declining in recent years, which is problematic because acquiring new donors is more expensive than retaining current ones. If Amazon had the same retention rate as the average nonprofit, they would have likely gone out of business by now. 

However, there are tools available to help nonprofits improve donor retention, even without an Amazon-sized budget. During our session, we will explore these tools and hear real-life examples from Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, presented by their chief development officer, Hannah Jacobson Blumenfeld.

Join Us at BridgeTECH

Listen to Meyer and Blumenfeld share donor retention trends and strategy at BridgeTECH on Aug. 2 at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Sign up for BridgeTECH and the Bridge Conference by selecting the "BridgeTECH + Bridge" option.