2021 Compass of Design Trends for Non-Profits & Entertainment Companies

2021 DESIGN TRENDS

As we close 2020, we wanted to take a look ahead to 2021 design trends. Remote working is now in place for nearly every company and industry. This further opens the opportunity for businesses to use outside marketing agencies for their creative services in 2021, but not all agencies are the same. Staying aware and informed of the constant changing design trends, website standards, social media formats, and brand awareness is a must, and we have your 2021 Compass of Design Trends for Non-Profits & Entertainment Companies ready for your review. 

 

WEBSITE DESIGN

2021 Website TrendsAs we saw in 2020, Mobile-first designs will continue to take precedence. In 2019, 52.2% of traffic came from mobile phones, and continues to increase every year. In May, Google announced that Website load times will take a new precedent for google rankings. Page signals will be included in Google Search ranking and will measure how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page.

 

?Emoji’s will continue to contribute to the mobile user experience as tech and mobile phone companies assign a symbol to nearly everything. Simple icons will continue to replace text and offer animation customization.

Live Streaming

SOCIAL MEDIA

As all industries try to adjust to COVID-19, Live streaming will continue to be a part of daily/weekly strategies for businesses, entertainers, musicians and churches. Quality audio, video, lighting, and the streaming platforms that content-producers choose to broadcast from will start to determine how audiences engage with virtual events.

 

SMS marketing will become more widely used. Over the past couple of years your phone number has often been used to create user accounts, loyalty programs, and more. It’s only a matter of time until those databases are accessed for direct marketing via text messages. in 2018, SMS open rates were as high as 98%! Compared to email marketing at an open rate of only 20%, SMS marketing blows email out of the water.

 

The use of geometric shapes and patterns will dominate bright upbeat designs, minimalist designs will continue to rise, moving away from photo heavy elements, and textures will replace gradients. “The benefit of this trend is that it allows foreground elements such as bold typography or evocative imagery to pop against a near indiscernible background.” – 99designs.com

 

Over the past year we’ve watched as racial tension has risen in the US. As a result companies have taken a proactive approach on inclusion. (Diversity marketing is a marketing strategy that appeals to and includes diverse groups of consumers, including groups based on race or ethnicity, ability, gender, sexual identity, religious beliefs, age and more.) Look for a demand of further diversity in advertising materials.

Apple’s proposed policy changes announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will impact your personalized ads on Facebook. Facebook Business responded saying, “The changes plan to limit your ability to effectively reach, understand and engage people on mobile devices and across the web. They will impact your ability to understand performance, control who sees your ads and make informed decisions about your advertising budgets. As these changes take effect, over time you may see an overall decrease in ad performance and personalization and an increase in cost per action.”

NONPROFITS

With travel bans limiting access to project areas, nonprofits will need to get creative in sharing new content from the areas they work in. Heavier digital presence (such as Facebook Fundraisers) due to lack of in-person events will become more vital than ever before.  We will see a shift to outdoor fundraisers (golf tournaments will likely replace dinners, festivals will replace arenas, etc.) due to the ongoing pandemic. Streamlined donation processes will become necessary components of a fundraising campaign because the average consumer has now donated online through a platform like Gofundme or Facebook fundraisers, and has become used to an on-page / one click experience. 
2021 Fundraising for nonprofits
Nonprofits should use 2021 to focus on donor retention since new acquisition will be down. It will be more important than ever to retain current donors, engage them with updates, and potentially even upsell them with additional giving opportunities. This is also a great time to focus on reengaging past donors. Falloff happens even during a “normal” fiscal year, and thankfully, many nonprofits have reported that donor retention has remained steady through the pandemic, but as the unemployment rate rises and the vaccine distribution slowly rolls out, donors may have to make difficult choices with their budgets, and normally, charitable giving is one of the first items to go. With new donor acquisition opportunities not available, nonprofits will need to focus on reengaging past donors who haven’t recently made a contribution. Finally, due to a heavier push for online donations, financial transparency will be at the forefront of donors minds to make sure that who they donate to is a legitimate organization, so err on the side of trustworthiness, updates, engagement, and accountability. 

GLBAL media expands to Nashville

Westminster, MD
December 7th, 2020
For Immediate Release
 
GLBAL media, based out of Westminster, MD plans to expand its services to Nashville, TN with the hiring of veteran non-profit strategist, Bobby Lingo as Strategic Marketing Manager.

Bobby joins an already ultra-experienced team of graphic designers, photographers, videographers, and non-profit experts lead by Creative Director and Owner, Justin Willet. GLBAL media is a creative agency serving non-profit organizations and the entertainment industry. Clients include international charities, Grammy-award winning artists, and White House officials.

 Bobby Lingo is a communicator, brand/campaign developer and strategic visionary. During his almost ten years at Compassion International, Bobby was instrumental in developing or advancing many campaigns such as One Meal One Day, Water For Life, Live58, Create Compassion and Bite Back. Today, Bobby uses his communication skills as a tour speaker for Thriving Charities Advocates (TCA), where he has represented organizations such as Children International, World Vision, and ChildFund. Bobby also serves as GLBAL media’s Strategic Marketing Manager, building brands, creating campaigns, and helping non-profits, churches, and para-church ministries expand their impact and influence.

Website Design for Maryland non-profit ECW Ministries

Maryland nonprofit Website

In 2016, I met with Vickie at a local tea bar in Westminster, MD to discuss concepts for a new nonprofit website. A fellow Marylander herself, I loved having the opportunity to meet in-person and hear her dreams for creating an organization that would serve both children and adults with disabilities.

We shared stories of traveling overseas and the different needs we had both seen firsthand.

Vickie knew that having a modern website that could accurately convey their cause was a must for communicating their needs to potential donors. We brainstormed ideas and design concepts for the new website and ways that the site could continue to grow with the organization. Focusing on global issues, this non-profit website needed to be user-friendly and accurately describe their mission.

Four years later, while we aren’t able to meet up in-person for a cup of tea because of the pandemic, ECW is still a valued client. In fact, ECW is currently making a difference in Ukraine and Zambia by helping hundreds of disabled children and their families have access to medical equipment, provide special education training and community-based support. They have also supplied sponsorships for orphans with disabilities to attend summer camps. Finally, while working with the local church, they have helped in providing wheelchair accessibility and supporting day/respite programs within the church.

About Every Child is Worthy Ministries: “Every Child is Worthy Ministries, also known as ECW, is a cross-disability national non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to promoting health and wellness initiatives for children and adults with disabilities. ECW is dedicated to making a lasting impact upon the disability community with the Message of Jesus Christ.”

Please consider visiting www.ecwministries.org and getting involved in their work.

Here’s what Vickie from ECW had to say about working with GLBAL media to build their new non-profit website:

5 of 5 stars

“George and I are extremely happy with what you have done with the website.  We have had several compliments about it and I will send anyone that needs your services your way.”

Fundraising Ideas for Non-Profits

justin willet, humanitarian photographer

Fundraising is no easy task for non-profits.

A lot of times the majority of a non-profit’s operating budget comes from some form of fundraising. Whether you’re a missionary who needs to raise your individual support, a 5 star rated organization on charity navigator or a brand new organization; you all have one common goal: raise funds to better provide for your cause. Below I outline what I believe to be the Top 3 tips for successful fundraising for non-profits:

1. Visual components

Studies conducted by Psychologist Jerome Bruner show that people only remember 10% of what they hear, 20% of what they read and around 80% of people remember what they see or do.

People need to see what you feel so strongly about. I believe that a good 30 second promo video can be more powerful than a 2 hour speech about your non-profit. One of my favorite quotes is from Dale Partridge who often says “People don’t refer ugly.” You must provide visual content to help equip people to accurately share about your cause.

How are you catering to the visual learner with your fundraising? Are you sending newsletters with professional pictures and informative infographics or are you sending a 10 page document hoping that someone will take the time to read and retain everything you’re trying to share?

2. Personal Connection

The personal connection is what drives the point home for your audience. It’s one thing to talk about why your cause is worthy of donations it’s another to put a face with a name and share how or why you got involved. Building off of point number one, photos and videos are an excellent way to share your personal connection.

People will connect with your vision if they can see it in action.

REMEMBER: 65% of the population – need to see what they are learning – William C. Bradford

3. Why

There is no shortage of crowdfunding campaigns on the internet which means that people are being asked frequently to donate money. This makes your “why” more important than ever before. You should be able to easily explain how the funds or materials that you collect will be used and distributed.  A couple questions to help with this process are:

  1. What is it that makes your organization, goal or passion different then work that’s already being done?
  2. How do you plan to use the money that you collect?
  3. What is your focus area? Local, domestic or international?

Childfund Display

ACTION STEPS:

Now that that you understand the importance of photography, video and design, it’s time to start implementing them into your fundraising. Do you have an upcoming trip or event planned that you could capitalize on by hiring a photographer or videographer to capture your vision? Contact me today.