Designing for Nonprofits

🤔 Useful Questions For Stakeholder Interviews. With good questions to ask when interviewing stakeholders — to understand their needs, key goals, gather requirements and keep them on your side ↓ --- 🔶 1. Design For Listening, Not A Conversation One of the most impactful strategies that worked for me over the years is to design the entire conversation around listening to stakeholders, not speaking about them or even with them. And typically it all starts with only one single question: “Please guide me through the product and explain its key features.” There is no small talk, no introductory questions, no dancing around the topic, no deep-dive into my workflow. I merely explain that in the next 45 mins I'm trying to find severe problems that are worth solving, understand the context about these problems and project goals — and ask for a permission to record the screen for studying it later. This opens the conversation immediately — and then I pay attention to features highlighted, features skipped, and ask plenty of follow-up questions to understand the motivations and the goals that a stakeholder has. --- 🔹 2. My Stakeholder Interview Template Dear Ms. Krajewski, As a UX lead on the project, my team and I are currently in the process of discovery. As we start our work, we’d like to better understand your pain points, expectations and success criteria. 1. What’s the purpose of this project for you? [Interest, engagement] 2. Where does this project fit in your daily work? [Their perspective] 3. What’s the most important thing to get right? [Priorities] 4. How would you describe the target audience? [Their view] 5. If you could understand one thing about users, what would it be? 6. What important insights did you learn about users recently? 7. What does success look like for you and your team? [Metrics] 8. What challenges are top priorities for your team? [Pain points] 9. What’s the success criteria for the project? [Ideal outcome] 10. What constraints or frequent issues should we know about? [Risks] 11. What is your ideal level of engagement for the project? [Max] 12. Anything else you think nobody said to me yet? [Hidden troubles] 13. Is there anybody else who you think I should speak to? [Leads] --- ♦️ 3. The Real Insights Aren’t In These Answers I absolutely love Anton Sten's point that the real insights usually won’t live in answers to all these questions. They live in the follow-up questions and answers — and often in a way of how a stakeholder responds, what they leave out, and what they overstate or repeat a number of times. As designers, too often we see our clients and stakeholders as adversaries. Yet we rarely know how our stakeholders work, so we shouldn’t expect them to understand what we need either. The crucial part is to be genuinely curious, positive and engaged to elicit useful insights. “The other person will only stay engaged as long as you do, and they can sense when you check out.” Useful resources ↓

LinkedIn for Nonprofits really doesn't need to be complicated. Here are 8 simple approaches your charity can try today 👇 1. Turn Board Members Into Network Amplifiers 🤝 Your board isn’t just for governance, they’re your LinkedIn megaphones. Equip members with snappy, ready-to-share posts about campaigns or impact. Don’t just ask them to reshare your content: craft “board ambassador kits” with sample posts, topline stats, and hashtags that embed your message in their networks. 2. Go Deep With Boolean Search for Ultra-Niche Volunteers 🤓 Need a specific skill set (“French-speaking videographer in Manchester”)? Stop waiting for unicorns and start using LinkedIn’s advanced search with Boolean operators. String terms together (“volunteer” AND “videographer” AND “Manchester” AND “French”) and reach out directly. We often use this for specialist Digital Trustees. 3. Treat Your Career Page as a Culture-Sharing Platform, Not a Job Board 🌱 Don’t just list roles on your Career Page, use it to tell stories about your values, highlight day-in-the-life snapshots, and showcase micro-videos of staff sharing what makes your workplace unique. Show culture, not just job specs. 4. Supercharge Videos With Behind-the-Scenes Moments and Hyper-Short Cuts 📹 Attention spans are even shorter on LinkedIn than TikTok. Make bite-sized (30–90 seconds) “real world” videos featuring staff, volunteers, or project beneficiaries. Capture mini-moment, like someone explaining why they joined, footage from last night’s event, or a mission “fail” you learned from. Authenticity > polish. 5. Build Hyper-Targeted Donor Lists by Deep Diving into Connections 🪆 Export your board and team connections, cross-reference with your target funder or major gift prospect lists, and spot hidden “warm links.” This approach often uncovers connections staff didn’t even know about, opening doors to new major gift prospects. 6. Make the Most of LinkedIn Newsletters for Outbound Inspiration 📖 You can publish a LinkedIn Newsletter from your nonprofit’s page. Use it to share exclusive impact stories and sector insights. End every newsletter with a strong call to action—“Join us”, “Share this”, or “Nominate a changemaker”. Point to content you have on your site, blog or socials. Curat. Keep it simple. Keep it audience focused not organisation focused. 7. Tag People in Your Video Posts for Maximum Shareability 🏷️ When you post a video, tag every individual who appears—even minor participants. It’s a proven catalyst for resharing and exponential reach across networks, which is especially powerful when showcasing events or testimonials. 8. Set up a one-hour “LinkedIn Power Hour” ⏰ A monthly one-hour session where your team tests one high-impact LinkedIn tactic - like turning board members into amplifiers or finding niche volunteers. Involve staff beyond comms, set clear micro-goals, and use the time to experiment live on LinkedIn. Track results, share learnings, and build momentum.

I almost didn't post about today, which is International Day of People with Disabilities. Yes, disabled people live with disability every single day. Still, awareness days matter. They spark conversations and, ideally, actions. The difference lies in allyship: - Performative allyship: Companies post today, then go silent until next year. - Genuine allyship: Companies make progress every day. This year’s theme is “Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress.” True progress means disabled people must be seen as leaders, not just participants. Too often, we’re underestimated, told “it’s a lot of work,” or only considered for roles tied directly to our disability. I know this firsthand. I held many nonprofit PR, marketing, communications, and digital roles. It's more than enough experience for a VP role. No one asked. The one time I put my name forward, I didn’t get it. Fortunately, that changed recently! I was asked if I wanted to take on an officer role with a nonprofit board. That's why I devote much of my volunteer time with this organization more than any other. Another time, I applied to a committee addressing issues that affect all residents, including people with disabilities. The two chosen were leaders of nonprofits serving disabled communities. They didn't have someone with lived experience. That’s not inclusion, and it doesn’t advance social progress. Meanwhile, I’ve run a successful business for 20 years. Not by “resting on my laurels,” but by working hard. If companies want to foster disability-inclusive societies and advance progress, here are steps to start: 1. Normalize accessibility as part of culture, not an exception. Make accommodations seamless and proactive so disabled employees don’t have to fight for them. This fosters inclusion at the systems level. 2. Create pathways into leadership, not just entry-level roles. Mentoring and coaching should explicitly prepare disabled employees for management and executive positions, not stop at “support roles.” 3. Pairing with experienced colleagues should be reciprocal. Disabled employees bring lived expertise. Encourage two-way learning so inclusion advances social progress across the organization. 4. Invest in professional development with equity in mind. Training should be accessible, funded, and scheduled during work hours. This signals that leadership growth is valued for everyone. 5. Include disabled voices in decision-making, not just consulting. Representation must extend to strategy tables, boards, and leadership committees. Progress requires lived experience shaping policy and culture. 6. Measure and report progress. Track how many disabled employees are in leadership pipelines and roles. Transparency drives accountability and societal progress. #Accessibility #MerylMots Image: White generic person figure with a flourish around its top half and International Day of People with Disabilities

Most inaccessible documents aren’t created out of bad intent. No-one does it on purpose. They’re created out of habit. The good news is you don’t need to be an accessibility expert to help build a culture where accessible documents become the norm. Small behaviours, repeated often, shape organisational culture far more than policies do. Here are five simple things anyone can do, right now. (You can also find some further resources in the comments.) 1 - Build accessibility into your workflow Treat accessibility checks the same way you treat spellcheck. Before sending a document, take a minute to run an accessibility check and scan for obvious issues. When accessibility becomes a normal step in the workflow, it stops being an afterthought and starts becoming routine. 2 - Be an ally. You don’t have to personally need accessibility to advocate for it. Ask whether documents have been checked. Encourage colleagues to think about accessibility. If something isn’t accessible, raise it constructively, push back gently if someone sends you something that isn’t accessible. Cultural change often begins with someone asking the question. 3 - Learn the tools you already have Most people already have everything they need. Simple features such as document headings (heading 1, 2 etc), meaningful link titles, and built in accessibility checkers make a huge difference. Learning how to use these properly can transform the usability of a document in minutes. 4 - Think beyond screen readers. Whilst a crucial part of it, accessibility isn’t just about screen reader compatibility. Clear structure, readable layouts, logical headings, and descriptive links make documents easier for everyone to navigate and understand. Accessibility improves usability for the entire organisation. 5 - Automate your mailbox One simple trick is creating an Outlook rule that replies to anyone who sends you an attachment asking whether the document has been checked for accessibility. It’s a gentle prompt that helps build awareness and encourages better habits over time. Bonus tip - set the standard. If you want others to care about accessible documents, your own documents need to set the standard. When people consistently receive accessible content from you, it reinforces that accessibility is not an optional extra. It is simply how good work gets done. Accessibility culture doesn’t start with experts. It starts with everyday habits. ID: a Robbie Crow Purple infographic titled “Five top tips to build a culture of document accessibility”. It summarises the points in this post and full alt text can be found in the image. The graphic uses purple, pale yellow and gold branding with a “Progress Over Perfection” badge at the bottom.

Nonprofits don’t lose donors because their campaigns are bad. They lose them because they expect people to act like machines. See campaign → click donate → gift received. But donors aren’t machines. They’re human. With a client, we recently mapped their donor journey and found at least eight to twenty touch points* before someone gave. And even that might not be enough. Because real life looks more like: hear about a charity in passing → see a campaign → wonder if it’s legit → buy something online → see it again when a friend shares → think about it later → get distracted by TikTok → finally give when a friend asks to support their fundraiser (or shows up at an event). So remember, your campaign is not the destination. It’s just one stop along the way. Which is why consistent branding matters. Not just your logo, not just your campaign, but showing up in a way that creates the same feeling everywhere. And that allows your donors to recognise you everywhere. If you’re not consistent, every touch point is starting from scratch. So, stop expecting instant results and stop blaming yourself for “failed” campaigns. Instead, start building the trust that sustains giving through strong branding and donor journeys. Have you ever actually seen the “campaign → donate” journey work? Or what’s been the most surprising donor journey you’ve seen play out? * A touch point is any moment someone comes into contact with your organisation: a social post, a friend mentioning you, seeing your logo at an event, reading your newsletter, or even hearing your name in passing. Each one nudges trust a little higher or lower. ___________ Hi! I help nonprofits untangle messy comms and build strategies that actually work. Follow me if you want more of the practical (and honest) side of nonprofit comms.

Want to boost your charity's LinkedIn presence? Here's how to maximise engagement and create meaningful connections on the platform 👇 Post consistently Maintaining a regular posting schedule is crucial for LinkedIn success. Aim for 3-4 posts per week, focusing on peak engagement times (typically Tuesday to Thursday, 9am-2pm). Use LinkedIn Analytics to understand when your specific audience is most active and adjust accordingly. Share impact stories LinkedIn audiences respond particularly well to real stories of impact. Showcase human rights wins, volunteer achievements, and organisational milestones. Include compelling statistics and data to demonstrate the tangible difference your charity makes. Remember to always obtain proper permissions and maintain dignity in storytelling (more on this soon). Interact with other charities Expand your network by engaging with other organizations in your field. It will allow your charity more visibility and access to new and aligned audiences. Leverage advocacy Encourage your colleagues to share and engage with your content. Their networks can significantly amplify your reach. Communicate with internal staff on how to share posts effectively and provide key messaging points. This organic approach often generates more authentic engagement than paid promotion! Mix up your content formats LinkedIn rewards diverse content types. Alternate between text posts, images, videos, and documents. Native LinkedIn videos typically perform better than external links. Use carousel posts for impact reports and infographics - they're great for explaining complex issues in digestible formats. Engage authentically with your community Don't just broadcast - participate in conversations. Respond to comments promptly, ask questions in your posts, and actively engage with other organizations in your sector. Join relevant LinkedIn groups and contribute meaningfully to discussions. This helps build a genuine community around your cause. Optimize your company page Ensure your page is complete with an engaging about section, regular updates, and clear calls-to-action. Use keywords that your supporters might search for. Keep your banner image and profile picture aligned with your brand guidelines. Track and adapt Use LinkedIn's built-in analytics to monitor what works if you don't have access to a social monitoring tool. Pay attention to post engagement rates, follower growth, and click-through rates. Test different approaches and refine your strategy based on data, not assumptions. Charity social media managers - what other LinkedIn strategies have worked well for you?

“But why do you need a DAF payment option - can’t DAF holders just go through their portals?” 🤔 This is a question that I get from almost every DAF provider that’s learning about us 🙋🏻♀️ And I have both snarky and thoughtful replies - I’ll share the thoughtful one first! ☺️ There’s 3 key functional reasons this is so important for donor experience that increases giving: 1️⃣ Friction Extra steps create friction, which reduces conversion and usage. No denying it ⚠️ There’s a reason it’s smart to have Google Pay and Apple Pay in a checkout form in addition to a straight credit card check out. Consumers have grown to expect tap to pay & express checkout experiences ⚡️ Especially with giving… every extra click, redirect and second has a negative impact 😔 2️⃣ Lack of specificity A portal only lets you select a nonprofit at the EIN level. Many large nonprofits could have a laundry list of programs or chapters that you can’t select within the portal 🤷🏾 Or what if you want to support a walker or rider in a peer-to-peer fundraiser? All of these examples rely on unstructured data - a memo field - for the DAF holder to provide written instructions, which often doesn’t happen or isn’t clear enough (reference point number 1!) and generates more work for staff at the DAF and nonprofit🤦🏼♂️ 3️⃣ Time Delay What if the reason they are giving is time sensitive? A crisis response or participation in a giving day? 🚨 If they make their gift through their DAF portal, the receiving nonprofit has no idea it was initiated and won’t know until it arrives - for most DAFs, there is a multi-week lag 🐌 That gift will not be a part of the moment that inspired it 😕 Because of these reasons, DAF holders regularly make credit card or check gifts instead of using their DAF - or worse, just give less than they would otherwise 🤷🏻♂️ These don’t even get into all the nonprofit issues with receiving DAF gifts! 🙈 The delays, data mess, unidentifiable donors… gifts through DAFpay mean nonprofits convert more DAF donors, that make large gifts, provide their name + email and know about the gift right when it’s initiated 🌟 My snarkier response is… Why do you need a credit card when you could just use cash? Why don’t you log into your bank account any time you want to buy a pair of shoes you see online? 👀 It’s convenience, it’s access and it’s the data disconnect that make our modern payment rails so powerful 💥 The world of philanthropy deserves that same kind of power - now more than ever! 🙏🏼 #nonprofit #fundraising #philanthropy  

"Working with business stakeholders is easy" Said no product designer ever. Getting the right input from stakeholders is tough; probably one of the hardest things for a designer to get right. And the truth is, there is no one-size-fits-all answer here. However, the following communication tips have helped me and my teams tremendously in working with stakeholders effectively and getting the right answers. 1. Be concise in what you ask Stakeholders in most cases are busy and context-switch constantly. Long-winded openings and a lot of detail upfront are not effective in getting their attention or setting the ground for a good answer. Instead, start with the TL;DR and what you are looking for: ↳ 🔴 “This happened and so and so. We were thinking about it internally and this is the process we followed. We wanted to let you know about this so we are putting in a session to discuss in detail. The agenda is as follows...” ↳ 🟢 “Here is a short summary of the problem and why it's important. We are looking for your input in X. If you’d like more detail, you can find it here [link]” 2. Provide recommendations, ask less open-ended questions ↳ 🔴 “What do you recommend we do?” ↳ 🟢 “Here are the options we are considering [list suggested approaches]" 3. Give them the right tools to make decisions ↳ 🔴 “Here are 3 options: pick one” ↳ 🟢 Here are our suggested approaches [share the options along with an expected impact, supporting evidence, and risk]. We think the best option is X based on our past research and speaking to our customer success team. The biggest risk is [...] but we are confident we can tackle it by [...] What other tips have helped you work better with stakeholders? --  If you found this post useful, consider reposting ♻️ #productdesign #uxdesign

Seven years. That's how long a single survey comment carried forward into a donor's story. Buried at the end of my latest survey data, I read this: "I took your survey seven years ago, and had mentioned there my partner was sick. I continue to give because you called to check on me within days after that survey." That moment of care? It wasn't random. It came from the previous survey. The one where this donor shared about her life when asked about future engagements. Someone on the team read that response, picked up the phone, and checked in. Seven years later, here it was again—this time in a new survey—telling us why the donor stayed, why they gave, why they felt connected. And it reminds us: a survey isn't a one-time thing. It's not just: ask → collect → report → done. It's a conversation. A process of trust-building - of listening and then acting. When people see their words turn into action, they respond differently the next time. Because it contributes to that trust. They show up. They share more. They believe the data has a life beyond the form they filled out. Nonprofit friends, can we commit to only use data listening tools as non-extractive bridges? #nonprofits #nonprofitleadership #community

Employee engagement surveys are broken.   There, I said it.   Companies spend thousands each year on surveys. Promising insights into how their people feel.   Yet the results are often inaccurate, incomplete, and unreliable.   And why is this?   1. Mistrust of anonymity Employees open up when surveys feel safe. But 45% think HR can track their answers, so they hold back. Reframe surveys as confidential and explain how the data is used.   2. Outdated survey design Generic surveys miss the mark. Every company is different, so should its questions be. Tailor surveys to your culture and goals to get useful insights.   3. Timing matters Annual surveys? Outdated. Engagement shifts all year. Regular pulse checks give a clearer picture.   4. The trust gap Nothing kills engagement like ignored feedback. If employees don’t see change, they stop caring. Share results, communicate next steps, and follow through.   How do we fix it?   - Run shorter, more frequent pulse surveys. - Focus on patterns, not individual responses. - Follow up with action and communicate results.   Employee engagement builds trust. Not simply collecting data.   Are your surveys doing that?