Three quick takeaways from the #GenerosityRoadshow

The #GenerosityRoadshow is officially over.

I drove from Denver, Colorado to New Orleans, Louisiana, with no significant issues. Benjamin Johnson ?? did not kill me, so I guess I'm working on my people skills.

We were able to get the Nonprofit Email Report out. And the Fundraising Effectiveness Project launched on time and added two new members.

I could see dozens upon dozens of people that care about data. I was able to make new connections and strengthen existing relationships.

I found my passion again for my work and a deep appreciation for the resiliency of the human spirit of generosity that exists within all of us.

There will be a much bigger breakdown that I'll be writing on the Neon One blog, but here are some of the key insights I wanted to share from the last week.

LinkedIn is being super wonky on resource inclusion this week, so I've sprinkled some useful insights from our report to supplement these three key points.

Nonprofits Need Their Own Benchmarks

You know you're on to something when people cheer after you make a point. During several stops on the roadshow, the nonprofit sector needs to have its own data, its own benchmarks, and its own systems of governance and oversight.

There has been a continuous slide away from the original intent of our sector to solve big problems and cultivate community building towards a consumer mindset that prioritizes a service-like approach to engagement.

Mind you, there is nothing wrong with treating donors with respect, but our work's foundations should be centered on impact. This was most clear when presenting insights from our Nonprofit Email Report, which demonstrated that nonprofits need to stop using for-profit data as the default assumption of what is "best" for engagement.

Small Nonprofits Rock

One of the best parts of the roadshow was meeting nonprofit professionals. I talked with community giving day hosts, executive directors, small shop fundraisers, marketers at large nonprofits, consultants of all types and a clear narrative is that we as a sector do not give small sized nonprofits enough credit for their work.

Especially regarding engagement data, we need to design better benchmark expectations around revenue size. Thankfully several industry initiatives are heeding my consistent call to focus on the 97% of nonprofits that bring in under $5 million in revenue. And after speaking with Fundraising Everywhere in our live stream at the Fundraising Everywhere booth at #AFPICON, it was shown that this is not just a United States issue but extends internationally as well.

A concerted effort needs to focus on empowering these smaller organizations with data tailored to their needs. Many signs show that when smaller revenue organizations are enabled with the right resources, they will thrive and have stellar year-over-year results.

What You Say Matters and How You Say It Matters Too

The final key takeaway I had from attending both #23NTC and #AFPICON is the importance of positioning and messaging and tailoring it to the channel you are designing.

Time after time, I came across a critical issue we face - language.

Much of the disagreements and friction we're experiencing is around the language we use and whether people are discussing the same things. I discussed with Nathan Chappell, MBA, MNA, CFRE on the last day of AFPICON to focus on artificial intelligence and establishing a responsible framework for its usage in the nonprofit sector.

A key discussion point? DEFINING THE PROBLEM

Making sure we're on the same page on what an issue may be and then if we're approaching it the right way is where we're going to start to solve some of these bigger questions.

#GenerosityRoadshow Rides Again?

I also had many requests to continue the roadshow concept that we debuted, which was an engaging quiz game that focused on making this research useful and actionable.

Are you interested in having the #GenerosityRoadshow stop in to your community? Comment below and let's see what we can do!