Bridging the Technology Gap: How HubSpot is Helping Nonprofits Scale Impact
By Julia Ford, Director of Nonprofits at HubSpot
Most of us will do whatever we can to avoid the feeling of uncertainty. That feeling: not knowing what’ll happen next — or how we can navigate the most plausible scenarios — challenges us in our personal lives as well as our professional roles. In this moment of global uncertainty, we are all called to do more, differently. Our ability to ground ourselves in the process of transformation and define success by both how we adjust as well as where we land is the new measure of success.
The good news is that we are not alone, nor are we on a new path altogether. In the nonprofit sector, where I focus most of my time, energy, and empathy, our work has always been about navigating uncertainty. In some ways, nonprofit professionals are experts on charting our way through uncertain times: we’re here to fill critical gaps for our communities when all else fails. In other ways, it’s clear that our sector needs more support as we navigate our own challenges.
One of the biggest challenges facing nonprofits today — and a place where uncertainty abounds — are aging digital platforms that are both disparate and locked into legacy systems. Nonprofit leaders need to ask not just why to replace these systems, but how their teams will be successfully supported during and after a digital revamp. In fact, according to industry reports, in 2022, implementing new technology solutions and upskilling employees to leverage those systems consistently rank among the top 5 concerns for nonprofit leaders.
This duality exists across industries. We know at HubSpot that technical solutions that leave the people who need to use them behind create more challenges than they solve. The focus on education and support, not just new products, is absolutely critical. In other words, the process of adoption matters as much as the solutions we propose.
HubSpot has long invested in organizations that are actively providing meaningful impact, but we knew we could do more to support the unique needs of those organizing, fundraising, and driving change in our global communities. That’s why we launched HubSpot for Nonprofits, which helps nonprofit customers grow better through access to our software, community resources, and support. Piloted in North America and now in Australia and New Zealand as of April 4, our nonprofits program focuses on three key initiatives moving forward.
Getting nonprofits the tools to grow better
Nonprofits that are time-strapped and focused on impact need systems that are easy to use, and crafted, not cobbled together. There are thousands of tools that solve disparate problems that nonprofits face in fundraising, volunteer engagement, and direct service. But in many cases, these solutions are siloed between teams, and when technology is disconnected, so is the volunteer, donor, and overall constituent experience. The team at IGNITE National credits HubSpot’s easy-to-use Marketing, Sales, CMS, and Service Hubs and “grow with you” approach for their outsized digital impact. With a small, agile staff, the team — which began with one program in California with approximately 12 participants — is now a fully supported program in close to 40 states.
These kinds of success stories are as much about how easy Marketing Hub is to use for marketers as they’re about the 500+ native integrations that make HubSpot a powerful platform to move to. An integration with FundraiseUp, for example, closes the gap between marketing efforts and support generated by digital audiences — the partnership offers the kind of donor experience that development team dreams are made of. And that’s exactly the point. Ultimately, the goal of HubSpot for Nonprofits is to streamline nonprofit tech stacks and migrations so that staff can focus more time on impact and less time on digital operations.
Offering upskilling resources with a nonprofit-specific knowledge base
Nonprofit teams are doing the most during the pandemic. We know that development, fundraising, and marketing teams feel overwhelmed by constantly shifting technology and new demands for digital tools every day. That’s why we don’t just want to provide easy to use technology without the guidance and support you need to use it effectively. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, which empowers educators to achieve excellence in learning and teaching, differentiates HubSpot by our best-in-class consulting. “We have a consultant that helps us with our marketing automation efforts and works with us to build workflows, emails, and trainings to help our marketing team write better materials.”
We offer a massive network to support nonprofits, but what we’ve found is that asynchronous support is just as important. That’s why there’s HubSpot Academy, our resource library, and nonprofit community — a full ecosystem of support and resources to help nonprofits get the most out of HubSpot in just minutes.
Addressing gaps in nonprofit communities
We know that the digital divide between nonprofits with agile teams who are well equipped with the technology they need to make an impact, and those that feel left behind and overwhelmed, will only grow if we’re not realistic about the true cost of both product maintenance and team training. With the support of solutions engineers or solutions partners, our marketing, sales, service, operations, and CMS Hubs can easily meet the needs of nonprofits. We’ll be upfront with you from the beginning about what it’ll take to get you up and running, and because HubSpot is intuitive and easy to use, most of the time nonprofit teams can pretty much take things from there.
At HubSpot, we know that listening to our customers and implementing feedback keeps our own flywheel spinning. HubSpot for Nonprofits is a direct response to core needs that nonprofits have called out for many years: accessible pricing, nonprofit-specific resources, and a network of support to execute HubSpot implementations.
We’re excited about the results that IGNITE National, The Association for Curriculum Development, the World Wildlife Fund, and 4,000+ nonprofits have experienced on HubSpot, and we’re just getting started. Keep an eye out for integrations that make advocacy, petitions, donor prospecting, and wealth screening seamless. And, though HubSpot for Nonprofits is currently only accessible in North America, Australia, and New Zealand, we’ll continue our regional expansion as we build our team.
From the very beginning, our mission at HubSpot has always been to help organizations grow better. HubSpot for Nonprofits supports nonprofit leaders in moving through critical digital transitions with the platforms, training, and ongoing resources their organizations and teams need to be successful. Learn more about how HubSpot for Nonprofits can support you and your team in technical decision making and implementation. Let’s go!
