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Mobile workers of the world, connect! If you like what you read, support us by becoming a member.
INTRODUCTION
Hey, you! Yes, you! Could you put your phone down and pay attention for a minute? No matter where you are or what you are doing, you'll find people on their phones, and they are not just for talking any more. People are playing games on their phones, texting, emailing, and browsing the web. The mobile phone is now ubiquitous, and that means it's the newest way for you to think about delivering your message, providing your services, activating your stakeholders, and even raising money. If you're new to all this, start with the primer, which tells us that mobile is more than texting. If you're ready to dive deeper, we have case studies, tips for success, fundraising examples, and a little advice on how to fit mobile into the rest of your marketing mix. OK, I'm done here. You can go back to that game of solitaire on your phone now. Remember, if you like what you see, you can become part of our community. Join NTEN today. Best, Holly 
NOTES FROM THE MOBILE REVOLUTION
Many thanks to Katrin and Corinne for providing all this terrific content, and for their great work year round at MobileActive.org. Mobile Advocacy: A Primer of Concepts and Terms Mobiles are becoming increasingly intertwined in Americans' daily lives: 75% of Americans have their mobile phones on and within reach during waking hours, and 59% wouldn't lend their mobile to a friend for a day. Fifteen percent of survey respondents even said they've answered their mobile phone during sex. The mobile landscape truly is primed for NGOs. Nonprofits can tap into the power of mobiles and learn from many of the mobile marketing techniques that are already being used in the commercial sector. The DOs and DON’Ts of Mobile Advocacy There is increasing evidence that mobile social marketing works in increasing awareness and moving people to actions. It is also becoming an effective way to engage users and constituents. Throughout our experience with mobile campaigns, we've run into some great campaigns and some failures as well. Here are the top ten things that nonprofits should and shouldn't do when running a mobile campaign. Mobile Case Studies from Advocacy, Service Delivery, and Fundraising The numbers speak for themselves: There are currently 236 million cell phone users in the U.S. – an astounding 76% of the population. In December of last year alone, 18.7 billion text messages were sent — up 92% from 9.7 billion in December 2005. Estimates for this year are topping 195 billion text messages sent in 2007. That is 600 million text messages a day. Nonprofits and advocacy organizations around the world are increasingly turning to mobile phones for advocating for issues and engaging constituents, for providing services, and even for fundraising. Txt4Choice: NARAL's Experiences with Mobile Advocacy NARAL Pro-Choice America recently began a mobile program -- they're calling it Txt4Choice -- and has been exploring how to use mobile in ways that compliment and integrate into their already developed communications strategy. Curious how your state ranks on reproductive choice? NARAL makes it easy to find out. By texting the word "grade" and the abbreviation of your state to a short code, you get an almost-instantaneous text response with your state's grade and opportunities for more information.
Your organization needs to understand how to send different messages to different people through different channels. It would never have made sense to run a TV commercial over the radio trying to reach a newspaper reader, just as it doesn't make sense trying to get an instant response from business people by messaging through your org's MySpace page. Getting the mix correct means you send the right message, through the right channel, reaching the right people to accomplish your goal. So, how should mobile fit in your mix with regard to the messages, the people, and the goals involved? 
Jeff Slobotski, United eWay
The first major U.S. fundraising effort via SMS/text messaging garnered over $10,000 from a 10 second commercial spot. While text message fundraising is now common outside the U.S., and has made brief appearances during natural disasters inside the States, this initiative by the United Way of America and its partners was the first to offer this new avenue of contribution for donors to give to everyday causes. Even with the success, there were many things United Way learned from the project.
NTEN's Communications Manager broke his hand in an unfortunate smelting accident, but "How To" will be back next month, with a focus on web sites. In the meantime, here are some more great resources from MobileActive.org.
A monthly roundup of our favorite nonprofit tech resources. Read more posts on our blog.
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JOIN NTEN TODAYSo, aside from our discounts, and our conference, and our online learning opportunities, and our ability to connect you to others, and our sponsorship opportunities, why should you join NTEN? How about 25% off membership, with our prorated dues? 2008 COMMUNITY SURVEYTo keep track of the growing community and your technology needs and interests, every year we conduct a Community Survey. It keeps us on our toes and helps us determine which programming and content is most relevant to you. Oh yeah: you can enter to win a FREE registration to the 2009 Nonprofit Technology Conference in San Francisco while you're at it. UPCOMING WEBINARS
NTEN members save up to 50% on our topical online classes. Upcoming webinars include:
MEMBER DISCOUNTSYour NTEN Membership lets you save on a host of products and services: Foothold Technology GrantStation NTEN OFFICE HOURSIf you need help configuring the security settings on your new server, or deciding which email vendor to use, you don't always know where to turn for advice. That's why we've set up NTEN Member Summer Office Hours! We've scheduled volunteers one hour at a time to help you with a wide variety of tech topics, no matter what role you play in your office. |
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NTEN CONNECT is the monthly e-newsletter of the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN). |
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Katrin Verclas and Corinne Ramey, 
Michael Sabat, 