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Why Every Fundraiser Needs an iPad

Posted by on November 8th, 2011
Posted in Blog, Nonprofit Communications, Nonprofit Fundraising    Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When you sit down with your best donor prospect, chances are that you’re armed with a well-written and nicely designed case statement or case for support. But while a printed piece is essential,  it may not be enough.

Electronic presentations of your case for support are no longer a “nice to have.” They’re now a “need to have.” In the age of digital, your organization also should develop an electronic presentation that can live on your iPad and support your paid and volunteer fundraisers as they make their appeal.

If you’re still considering the best way to get your case on to your iPad, we review the best tools available to help you create a case that leaps off the page and grabs your donor’s mind and heart.

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Acrobat PDF

If you have an existing case statement, Acrobat may be the easiest way to move the presentation to your iPad. Nearly every computer has Acrobat installed. PDF files are easy to transfer, share, and use.

What it Most Closely Resembles in the Analog World: A printed report

Benefits:

  • Easy
  • Preserves design elements
  • Simple to send, move, and share

Drawbacks:

  • Unless you’re a master user, your presentation will be static. You’ll only be able to show slides on a page, and you’ll lack transitions.
  • Embedding video and links is more difficult
  • Updates could be more challenging, depending on what original application was used to create the document

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PowerPoint

The old stand-by. PowerPoint has been the go-to presentation tool since it debuted in 1990. For better or for worse, it is still with us. The great thing about PowerPoint is that it’s easy for the novice user to use it. My 7-year-old uses it in school. Of course, the challenge is that most PowerPoint presentations look, well, PowerPointy.

What it Most Closely Resembles in the Analog World: An Old School Slide Projector

Benefits:

  • Easy to use
  • Easy to update
  • Transitions, videos, and effects are relatively easy to include

Drawbacks:

  • Design usually suffers, which can make your organization look less professional
  • Requires additional software to be installed on your iPad

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Keynote

Apple’s answer to PowerPoint, Keynote does everything PowerPoint does but adds that touch of design for which Apple is known. Keynote’s effects are prettier; it’s templates are better designed. Keynote and iPads are also made to play better together.

What it Most Closely Resembles in the Analog World: A cross between a slide show and a documentary film.

Benefits:

  • Design
  • Ease of use
  • Great effects
  • Easy to add video
  • Easy to update — even on your iPad

Drawbacks:

  • Requires purchase of an additional app
  • Although you can export a copy of your presentation for PC,  there’s no Windows version of the software

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Prezi

Here’s the one you probably haven’t heard of — yet — but likely the presentation tool you’ll soon covet most for your iPad. Prezi’s are gorgeous and completely change how we think about presentations. Like the web, a Prezi doesn’t have to be navigated linearly. Although a user can play a presentation that will take him through a set course, Prezi’s can easily be manipulated — moved, zoomed, and expanded to dig deeper into a particular subject.

What it Most Closely Resembles in the Analog World: A flight simulator

Benefits:

  • Beautiful
  • New navigation concept allows you to change your presentation more easily, as needed, on the fly

Drawbacks:

  • As with any new software, there’s a learning curve before you can use it
  • While simple Prezis can be created for free, the on-going usage fees make Prezi a more expensive option over the long haul.

Sample Prezi:

We Can Help

Mission Minded specializes in helping you create your case for support, whether it’s in print, Prezi, PowerPoint, Keynote, or video. Drop us a line.

And no matter whether your case lives in print, on your iPad, or on the web, the best practices of case writing will always apply. Check out Mission Minded’s “Make Your Case For Donations: Create a Stand Out Case For Support.” Just one of our many Free Marketing Guides.

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Zach Hochstadt is a Mission Minded Founding Partner and runs Mission Minded’s Denver office, leading the company’s creative teams in the areas of message development, writing, graphic design, and web design and development.

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4 responses to “Why Every Fundraiser Needs an iPad”

  1. iPads also come in very handy for showing donors videos of the impact of your work. At Micro-Documentaries we recommend that our nonprofit clients load their short films onto their board members’ iPads too, in order to make it easier for them to seize impromptu fundraising opportunities.

  2. You’re absolutely right, Natasha. I considered including video in the list above, but left it out because the number of different ways one could include video might start to make this post feel a bit overwhelming. I’m glad you mentioned, it though. Maybe that can be the next post!