There’s a new generation of nonprofits leveraging digital communication tools to reach communities where they are. Like Empower Work, which uses SMS to deliver immediate, confidential support for people experiencing critical challenges at work. And Lemontree, a tech nonprofit connecting low-income Americans with food via text message. Both of these nonprofits use Twilio, a communications platform. Twilio is the engine behind some of the world’s most innovative nonprofits, and earlier this year they released a first-of-its-kind report on the digital transformation of nonprofits: The State of Nonprofit Digital Engagement Report 2022. I sat down with Erin Reilly, Twilio’s Chief Social Impact Officer, to discuss these findings and learn how tech nonprofits are using digital communications to scale their impact.
Shannon Farley: The Nonprofit Digital Engagement report is packed with compelling findings. One key insight is that nonprofits actually outpace the private sector in digital engagement. Can you tell me about this?
Erin Reilly: Thank you! We found the findings fascinating too. One common myth our research debunked is that nonprofits aren’t technologically savvy. In fact, our research finds that nonprofits are ahead of the curve on digital innovation. We found that 65% of engagement between nonprofits and their beneficiaries is digital, compared to 55% of for-profit B2C companies. Looking just at the nonprofits Twilio supports, the number of people who have received help via digital communications has tripled since 2019. We expect this trend to hold. We anticipate that more and more nonprofits will leverage digital technology to expand their reach, which will redefine how - and at what scale - nonprofits deliver support.
Farley: That finding debunks another entrenched myth about nonprofits - that nonprofits are less innovative than for-profit businesses. What are some of the ways nonprofits are innovating with digital communications?
Reilly: Nonprofits are using digital communications to reach people in need where they are - on their devices. We’ve seen organizations deploy text messages to book appointments at local food banks, pivot to offer remote classes over video, and send refugees asylum applications via WhatsApp. Our research and the work we do provides countless examples like these. Collectively, they point to a sector-wide shift towards nonprofits strategically using tech as a lever to serve more people.
What’s more, digital channels enable organizations to quickly respond to whatever challenge is thrown their way. Take the Norwegian Refugee Council. They used Twilio’s WhatsApp interface to communicate with people affected by the Ukraine war, and empowered volunteers on the ground to arrange housing, food, and basic needs.
Nonprofits across the world, including the Norwegian Refugee Council, use Twilio’s communication ... [+]
Farley: That resonates. At Fast Forward, we see time and again how tech enables nonprofits to stay agile and best serve their beneficiaries. For example during the pandemic, many organizations needed to leverage new technologies overnight. For organizations that may be new to leveraging tech, what could this transformation look like?
For the kind of nonprofits that were earlier in their digital transformation journeys, the pandemic posed some really tough challenges. Our world became virtual practically overnight. Debt Free London’s story really highlights the resilience of many of these nonprofits. Debt Free London, which provided free, in-person financial advice to Londoners with debt, was forced to close its doors when the pandemic hit. Their team needed to come up with a new way to support their clients remotely.
Debt Free London’s solution was swift and effective. Working with a technology partner, Ciptex, they built a custom solution on Twilio without an in-house technical team. Within days, they deployed a modern contact center to distribute messages through multiple channels including web chat, video, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, email, and SMS. This digital setup meant Debt Free London could hire more staff and extend their availability to 24/7. Shifting to a tech-based model helped Debt Free London provide more Londoners with free financial advice when many were experiencing economic hardship.
The Trevor Project leveraged Twilio Programmable Messaging to help drive a 22% increase in LGBTQ+ ... [+]
Farley: In what ways have you seen tech nonprofits advance their technology to scale their impact?
Reilly: The Trevor Project is a great example of this. Digital communications have been key to scaling their crisis intervention services for LGBTQ+ youth. The organization reaches young people via SMS, which youth can access safely and discreetly. But previous technical limitations meant there was a 10-second delay for each message sent on The Trevor Project’s SMS platform. Those seconds can be absolutely critical when someone is in crisis. The Trevor Project was able to eliminate this message delay by implementing Twilio Programmable Messaging. The impact was huge: this technology saved an average of 10 minutes per conversation. Bigger picture, it contributed to a 22% increase in crisis contacts served by The Trevor Project over six months. Twilio.org and Trevor Project have continued to build our partnership utilizing AI and machine learning to improve volunteer communications and more.
Looking ahead, Twilio.org is supporting The Trevor Project's work to introduce their digital crisis services to LGBTQ youth in Mexico – the first time the organization is offering its life-saving resources outside of the U.S. Stay tuned!
Farley: 22% growth in 6 months is big. Speaking of growth, there’s a generation of tech nonprofits on the brink of massive scale. What does your report suggest these organizations should focus on to drive meaningful growth?
Reilly: It’s clear that technology can unlock scale for nonprofits. But digital innovation doesn’t happen on its own. Developers are the secret sauce behind organizations’ ability to grow their impact. And the reality is, nonprofits need more developers. Our report found that of nonprofits that described themselves as early in their digital maturity, only 1 in 4 have the developer talent they need.
This highlights a compelling opportunity for nonprofit funders. Donors often earmark money for specific programs, which means that funding can’t be used to hire developers and technical staffers. Bringing on technical talent is critical to tech nonprofits’ ability to scale their reach - yet doing so is one of the biggest challenges they face. There’s a huge opportunity for donors and institutional funders to help nonprofits hire key technical staff. These partnerships will fast-track nonprofits on the path to developing digital programming, and ultimately, magnifying their impact.
Farley: Absolutely. For the tech nonprofits we work with at Fast Forward, there’s a clear correlation between strong technical talent and scale. Erin, looking ahead, what does the report suggest about the future of the nonprofit sector?
Reilly: The report highlights the tremendous momentum of the sector’s digital transformation. I believe nonprofits will continue to utilize digital communications to not only help more people, but develop increasingly personalized solutions to provide better support. At Twilio, we can’t wait to see the innovative ways the nonprofit sector uses digital channels to scale impact. This is just the beginning!
To learn more about Twilio’s State of Nonprofit Digital Engagement, please visit: www.twilio.org/sonder-2022/
