Aug 1, 2024
All in One Connect Plus + Virtual Office for Non-Profits by NEP Services w/ Stacey Yudin
AZ TRT S05 EP29 (245) 7-28-2024
What We Learned This Week:
- Non-Profits and Union type orgs need to upgrade their use of tech to connect with members & donors
- Connect Plus + offers an All-in-One Virtual Office
- Control distribution of Marketing & Message
- Need operational efficiency to scale a business
- Traditional Non-Profits not always run like a business, good on raising $, need more structure
Guest: Stacey Yudin
Website: https://www.nepservices.com/
Connect Plus - https://www.nepservices.com/products/connect-plus
CEO Stacey Yudin, CEO of NEP Services is leading a new era of digital transformation for nonprofits and was recently named Fast Company’s 8th Most Innovative Company of 2024 …in the company of Amazon and other global leaders.
NEP Services provides innovative communications solutions for nonprofit organizations including an array of markets such as unions, education, essential services, regional non-profits and even Cal Fires. Its proprietary Connect Plus+ communications platform is an all-in-one solution for seamless community management, communication and empowerment. So, think of it as one part Go Fund Me and one part Facebook and one HUGE give back to the community.
To date, the company has helped its clients raise $65M to give to the community and $7M for its “Help a Hero” crowdfunding platform that raises money for community heroes in need.
Stacey Yudin is chief executive officer of NEP Services and a champion of change. As a tech trailblazer, Stacey is known for her unstoppable drive and creating transformative technology to advance unions and non-profit communities securely. Stacey spearheaded the launch of NEP Connect and Connect Plus+ mobile app, NEP’s proprietary employee management and empowerment solution, and has been instrumental in creating a world-class team that celebrates gender diversity and female empowerment.
In fact, under her leadership the company was named aFast Company Most Innovative Company in 2024. Prior to NEP Services, Stacey was in the healthcare sector as well as a consumer products entrepreneur. She actively supports numerous charities and served as Collegiate President for Face Aids and UNICEF at UCLA and is an active speaker at events. Stacey earned her bachelor’s degree in Science, History and Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Industries - Law Enforcement, Fire, Non-Profit Business, Education Departments
Platform – Fundraising, Recruitment, Marketing, Community, Communication, Web Dev’t
Notes:
Seg 2
NEP services is a software company. They are an all in one hub for remote work. They can help you handle communication, data, and software interface. Helping you to run an organization remotely. They have added features so you can keep in contact with members and donors.
The hybrid workspace is here to stay. It’s not uncommon that you have remote staff that’s in multiple states that needs to share data or have online meetings.
Traditional nonprofits have had issues in the past because they don’t run like a business. You need to run your organization like any normal business, working on cash flow and managing a staff. With remote workers it’s harder to manage data, documents, and the Calendar. You need the right software so you can schedule events meetings meet ups. NEP Services is an Omni channel, all in one.
Control distribution of your marketing and messaging. You also want to do your best to have engagement with members and donors. You build your brand internally to members and employees. Then you have your public brand for customers and donors.
How to manage a software platform? Do you want to consult with clients, communicate with members and survey how it is working. What is helping and what is not helping?
Then you do need to measure your feedback with data. Analyze the data to see what analytics matter. You make part of the decision with data. You can segment your Execs and VIP donors in different groups. You chat with them and get feedback. See about the delivery, the open rate, click through rates, check who filled out a survey.
Seg 3
NEP services was founded in 1997 by Drew H. He was building a CRM for nonprofits to help with fundraising, Geo sensing and heat mapping. Build programs to bring in dollars.
Staci joined 10 years ago. Initially, she was working in day-to-day ops of the nonprofit. Had to build the internal ops and make it more of a community focused organization.
Still needs to be a business, with business structure. You have to grow operational efficiency, which is the key to scaling and growing a business.
There are plenty of marketing and fundraising tools and software in the marketplace. But there are a few tools to help actually manage the business. Building a good operation you have to listen and build backwards. Ask the question, what features are needed?
Communicate with members, as part of any nonprofit. Normal business, like collecting dues, invoicing, storage of documents. Also want to work with third-party tools to integrate with software you use. Cost benefit analysis for the software that have the API’s for connect with third-party tools and ease of use for small business.
NEP services provides an easy on ramp to engage with your audience and build a brand.
All companies are technology companies now. You need to have IT involved in your business and know how to use technology.
UX features which are accessible and easy to do to non-tech type people. Drag and drop features to make it easy. Reduce the technology required, and encourage that step into the future. Making it easy, and non-threatening for non-tech people to adopt.
If a current nonprofit has 50 K members, that’s a huge data set. If you add onto that another 50 K donor list, it’s lots of data. Some handholding may be needed as there could be hesitation moving from an old system to a new system like NEP. The tech revolution is here and businesses need to adapt to survive.
It’s always a challenge by tech companies that they need to listen more and help customers. Customer service part needs to be better. NEP services answers the phone you’ll always talk with people in customer service.
Seg 4
Staci‘s on the road often meeting with customers.
Emotional challenge of older businesses to adopt new technology.
Room for improvement with the customer service model in Big tech.
Often there is little onboarding support with software companies. NEP services is proud of their 97% retention rate. They have a listening culture and are customer obsessed.
Most businesses have different audience demos that they need to put messages in front of. This could be 3 to 4. How do you reach your core audience?
For example, audience demos can change. Members of unions are actually getting younger. They need a different message than the past. Work on your current systems to upgrade. NEP services offers communication with Connect Plus. Can buy in pieces and adopt slower.
People adopting technology need to be honest about where they’re at and where their brand is. Determine what tools are needed in the next 5 years. Typically it’s a 1 to 2 month transition with the Connect Plus and NEP products.
You have to organize your data sets, your member list, and your donor list. Good data in, equals good results. Opposite is true if you put bad data in. Customer support with a SaaS platform
Seg. 1 – talking Tech Adoption with clips from:
Crossing the Chasm & Tech Adoption Revisited w/ Geoffrey Moore
AZ TRT S05 EP11 (226) 3-17-2024
Things We Learned This Week
• Crossing the Chasm book (1990) has become part of the lexicon for Tech Industry knowledge, mass influence on Tech CEOs last 25 years, constant references
• Chasm – early market vs. mainstream market
• 5 Stages of Adoption – Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Market Pragmatists, Late Majority, Laggards
• Win tech ‘primaries’, win some ‘beachheads’ & create whole niche market – get mainstream market to create momentum to the point everyone wants the product
• Legacy Co’s fail to make tech turn, because they lose money in short term shifting to new disruptive tech away from mature industry that brings in bulk of profits $
Guest: Geoffrey Moore
http://www.geoffreyamoore.com/
Full Show: HERE
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