We know that innovation is pretty reliably produced from adversity. When we are comfortable and content there is no pressure to come up with new and better ways of doing things. But when your entire organization suddenly has to go remote, well, you either innovate or sink!

At that moment, it becomes too risky to do things the same way we’ve always done it. Our inhibitions are lowered. We worry less about getting it wrong or embarrassing ourselves and instead we worry more about losing everything.

Did the field of fundraising research experience this lowering of inhibitions and increased risk taking? You bet!

As I reflect on nearly two years of pandemic, I wanted to share with you my experiences with some of the stand out innovators in the fundraising research LEARNING and TRAINING space.

DonorSearch Launched Unbounded

DonorSearch was the first to leap into action. They launched an ambitious, virtual “conference” that was completely free and lasted for many months. It was on a new platform that offered all kinds of ways to interact and provide information.

I wasn’t 100% thrilled with the platform, but I recognized that as the first out in the space, DonorSearch was setting the standard from which others could build. It was because DonorSearch immediately offered interactive content that I could experience and like or dislike aspects of the virtual experience.

And the quality of their speakers and content was (and is) tremendous! I was riveted and immediately wanted to participate.

Apra International All Virtual Conference

The annual Apra Prospect Development conference also moved swiftly to an all-virtual format. I could not have been prouder to be a member of Apra at that conference!

The online website for the conference was incredibly engaging:

• There were opportunities to search who was registered and send them direct messages.
• I could invite people to a zoom meeting on the website.
• Visiting the vendors was simple and intimate – just enter a Zoom room.
• Search capability was (not surprisingly) easy. So, finding a speaker, a session, or a link was easier than in real life. It helped that I could have multiple browser windows open, too.
• The actual sessions took on a whole new dimension with the chat feature. At times the chat was so robust, with so many people, that it was difficult to follow along with the speaker. But fear not! All the sessions could be watched long after the actual conference dates were over.

I researched the platform provider a bit and realized that the price tag on that magnificent experience was not small. I can only hope that an all-virtual signature conference persists as part of Apra’s offerings.  

I speculate that costs overall are indeed lower, and the ability to include so many more people from around the world feels like a critical gain for our profession.

Apra PA All-Discussion Conference

Without access to pricey platform options, could the small Apra chapters compete in the all-virtual space? Yes! Small is nimble and chapters across the U.S. flooded our profession with high-quality content. And having speakers that weren’t super-polished turned out to be a real advantage.

Apra PA showed us that there is no limit to innovating. They adopted a “flipped” conference approach!

Instead of having all of us on Zoom watching talking heads, learning content was provided ahead of time and the Zoom meeting sessions were organized as breakouts where the content was discussed with peers. Content could be in many formats, such as written, graphic, video, or audio.

The results were very intimate, engaging connections with peers around topics of interest. And isn’t that a lot of what we hope for in-person?

Apra FL WINE Downs

My home state of Florida is a special place. As a tourist destination we are surrounded by people who have lowered inhibitions – they are on vacation! When Aisha Maddox of Apra FL began organizing and hosting WINE Downs (Worthwhile Informal Networking Event), it sounded like a fun and informal way to connect with my Florida colleagues. What I did NOT expect were online trivia games!

I’ve always felt that games are a fantastic way to learn about others and can be great for learning content, too. Even though I am horrible at trivia, I happily embarrassed myself with wrong answers for the privilege of getting to know my colleagues in a social setting. The music, laughter, and hearing about people’s families and lives outside of work has been a very meaningful experience.

There’s No Going Back

Now that we continue to face uncertainty with the pandemic, it has become pretty clear that there is no going back to “before COVID.” And I am deeply grateful that there has been a surge in adopting virtual tools such as Zoom, Slack, and file sharing.

Because at the Prospect Research Institute we have always been virtual. We adopted the “flipped” classroom model back in 2014 when we launched. Now the Institute provides both on-demand and live educational opportunities. And, thanks in part to COVID, it has become much easier for people to understand and conceptualize the online experience.

As younger, all-digital generations start entering the workforce I can’t wait to discover some of the innovations that surge generates around technology and human interactions!

But for now, I’m thrilled when most people in a meeting are willing to turn on their video and talk.