No more cake, or how Neon One is evolving how we give back

I hate Facebook groups for nonprofits.

More specifically, there is one question that I hate that gets posted in Facebook groups for nonprofits.

what donor crm is everyone using?

As Maureen Wallbeoff has outlined numerous times, the answers to this question almost always devolve into the following set of answers:

• I love ORANGE, their support is great!
• I hate ORANGE, their support is the worst
• I'm looking at GRAPE
• I work for APPLE, would you be okay if I DMed you?
• You should get CAKE, they have a free version for nonprofits

Let them eat cake

It is mainly that last answer that I hate. Technology will always come with a cost.

Let me repeat this more clearly.

There is no free technology for nonprofits.

Any vendor that provides a free version of their software for nonprofits will automatically mean one of a few things:

• No support or access to experts
• Needs a lot of work to be configured for nonprofits
• Little to no focus on success outcomes of usage

The time and energy costs of making things work for nonprofits often preclude a large part of the market. And especially given that 90% of the nonprofit sector has annual revenue under $1 million, the best technology experiences are often reserved for the well-resourced.

Rethinking how we give back

So when Neon One's CEO Steve Kriter came to our leadership team and outlined his vision for a new path forward on a product donation offering, it started something that I'm thrilled to talk about publicly.

Around late summer of 2022, our company put together a cross-functional team that comprised of leaders in sales, marketing, support, product, and operations. This team was charged with establishing a new offering for when we want to donate our software and services to nonprofits.

One of my jobs was putting together a market analysis of current programs offered to nonprofits. I established a core guiding value system that drew inspiration from Professor Peter Frumpkin's insight that "all philanthropic activity involves a choice about how to join public needs with private commitments in a way that is both beneficial for others and satisfying for the giver.

Understanding the core values assisted in prioritizing what should be most important. We started doing a ton of research, including a survey of hundreds of nonprofits regardless of their affiliation with our company and began asking key questions about their views on technology and how it aligns with their work. In fact, I used this research as a kick-off point for my brand work in early 2023.

We discovered that nonprofits are keen to leverage technology if it makes immediate strategic and tactical sense. And many nonprofits struggle to prioritize creating a new environment for their work to thrive in, so the technology itself isn't enough.

What we developed

Over the last few months, I've been working with a fantastic group of folks at my company, and we are now entering the public phase of our offering.

I will outline the core basics of the initiative, with a massive caveat that we're still working out everything - so I'll be outlining the beta portion so that we can kick off applications for today.

After this period, we'll have a more formal debut internally to introduce our team to the beta participants and do a formal announcement during our Generosity Xchange conference in October.

If you know a nonprofit or are a nonprofit that qualifies, then please reach out to me. I don't want to just throw the application URL around but let's make some magic happen!

We believe that nonprofits are the key agents of change in our society.?

We want to empower non-profits who are under-recognized and under-resourced to increase their impact and expand their ability to serve their community. We do this by providing subsidized access to Neon One technology, curated resources, a guided learning path, and ongoing engagement with a cohort of their peers.?

We are seeking organizations that meet the criteria below to participate in an 18-month beta. In addition to experiencing what the Initiative entails, you will be part of helping to improve the Offering before our full launch.

How to qualify

• Have at least one paid Staff Member (Can be the Founder/Owner)
• 25k-$250k in Annual Revenue
• Designated as a Health & Human Services organization based on IRS NTEE CODE
• Headquartered in the United States
• Actively engaged in trying to grow and expand your reach over the next 18 months
• Ready to provide ongoing feedback and collaborate directly with Neon staff and others in your cohort
• Not currently utilizing any Neon One products in your organization

Beta Offering

Free usage of Neon CRM, including the services necessary to migrate them to our platform. (Neon Pay Processing fees are not covered)

Ongoing engagement with cohort of organizations who operate in the same sector via a regular group meeting and shared Slack channel.

Learning curriculum leveraging online courses and group webinars structured around the following principles:

• Tech Assessment: Assess your organization’s current technology usage, and provide education around best practices for technology a growing organization should have in place.
• Neon One Engagement: In-depth training on Neon products, and resources to make progress on non-Neon platforms.
• Effective Fundraising: Apply fundraising best practices and develop a strong fundraising program for your organization.
• Constituent Management: Implement best practices for engaging with constituents in ways beyond exchanging money. Learn to manage data effectively to succeed.
• Building Awareness: Implement best practices for web presence and mass communications.
• Financial Fitness & Measurement: Measure your organization’s success and connect fundraising efforts to accounting and internal operations.?

I'm particularly excited about the curriculum since we're establishing the core principles of Generosity Experience Design through the lens of this initiative and I've been able to work closely with Mallory Erickson and Tim Lockie on how to best design this.

Beta FAQ

What is the timing of the Beta?

Applications for review will be accepted by the close of business on July 14, 2023. Notifications of acceptance will be made in early August and the program will begin on August 21, 2023. Space is limited, but organizations that are not accepted for Beta are welcome to re-apply when the full initiative is launched in 2024.

What expectations does Neon One have of Beta participants?

Ongoing engagement with Neon One staff to provide feedback and a willingness to share your thoughts and feedback in a collaborative environment.

What happens at the end of the Beta?

Up to you! You can choose to stay with Neon One and continue your growth on one of our subscription plans, or you can choose to move to another company and we’ll help you with exporting your data at no cost.

What kind of feedback will I be asked to provide by participating in the Beta?

We will be seeking feedback on the Curriculum, the Cohort structure and the Initiative structure so we can adjust the Initiative to make it more effective at helping non-profits grow their impact.

What are the Neon Pay Processing fees and when do I get charged?

The Neon Pay processing fee rate is 2.99% +$0.30 and is charged every time a credit card transaction happens through Neon Pay (i.e. when you sell tickets to an event or someone makes a donation). The amount owed is deducted automatically from the amount that is disbursed to your organization on a recurring basis. Please note that ACH or AMEX may carry different charges than what is listed here.?

Repeating this! If you know a nonprofit or are a nonprofit that qualifies, then please reach out to me. I don't want to just throw the application URL around but let's make some magic happen!