5 Keys to a Successful Nonprofit App Launch
Taking these steps to roll out your new MilkCrate nonprofit app can make a significant difference in how well people receive the new tool and how many people start using it.
Are you thinking about signing up for a MilkCrate app? Have you launched an app but aren’t sure how to get people excited about using it? Here are five keys to a successful app launch:
1) Have a small audience test it out
Introduce the app during a small group meeting of either volunteers or your other target audience and have everyone download it onto their phone. Consider asking a few volunteers to try out the app as well. Be sure to invite people who are both very tech savvy, perhaps influencers in the community, but also invite who aren’t very tech-savvy. It’s important to get feedback from a range of people with different levels of comfort with smartphones and mobile apps. Ask them to start using it over the next two weeks to sign up for volunteer shifts, read materials, answer the polls - the usual content for your app. At the end of the two weeks, get their feedback with an in app survey. What did they like about the app? What did they not like? Was any particular feature difficult to navigate or understand? Use their input to make improvements to your customized MilkCrate app.
2) Review your changes with the test group
Once you’ve incorporated their feedback, ask the same group to try out the app again. Go with a shorter timeframe, maybe a week, and gather their input once more. Make any changes in the admin or work with our customer success team if you need help.
3) Get key influencers on-board
Who are the volunteer leaders others look up to? Who are the students everyone likes? Talk with these users and ask them to try out the app (if they weren’t already in your initial testing group). Get their input – hopefully, they love the app and are willing to help you promote it with the rest of your target audience. Once you’re ready to roll out the app to everyone, ask these influencers to invite their volunteer/member/student teams or small groups to start using it. You could even provide them with a frequently asked questions list and any other information they may need to help people get started with the app.
4) Announce the app
Make a video to introduce the app to your audience. Include how the app makes it easier for them to take sign up for events, watch content, get information about the program, and more. Communicate how easy it is to use and how they’ll benefit from downloading the app.
5) Help people get started
For the first few weeks, find opportunities for staff to help people download the app and to answer questions. We strongly suggest having a page on your website that you can direct people to. We have a template here that we will implement for you for FREE as an added bonus.
Taking these steps to roll out your new MilkCrate nonprofit app can make a significant difference in how well people receive the new tool and how many people start using it. This process may take longer than simply announcing a new app, but the results will be better over the long-run.