Albert Einstein famously said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. So if you’re a non-profit and desire to increase donations to support the mission, then doing the same thing over and over again probably won’t get you the increase you’re hoping for. Stop the insanity with innovation. 

We recently launched a publication tablet app for Heifer International, an organization whose mission is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. Innovation is already in Heifer’s DNA. They were the first to develop the gift catalog to purchase animals as gifts in the 1960s. They have now become the first non-profit to launch a publication tablet app for their magazine World Ark.

To take Heifer International’s innovation one-step further, the World Ark app has an ecommerce component. Ecommerce is the future of apps. Gaining customer donations or purchases while they are in the moment of experiencing your app is a sure fire way to get the increase you are hoping for.

“It is exciting to see Adobe Digital Publishing Suite bring Heifer International’s World Ark magazine and online catalog to life on tablets,” said Terry Fortescue, director of product marketing, Digital Publishing at Adobe. “With an efficient digital publishing workflow and immersive interactivity, DPS allows them to not only reach additional audiences on tablet devices, but also increase awareness, engagement and donations.”

All indicators suggest that Heifer’s advancement into tablet apps is a success. Analytics will tell you the number of downloads the app has achieved and the increase in number of purchases or donations due to the ecommerce component. Not only that, but the World Ark app has received attention in one of the biggest PR stages, Times Square. In addition, the innovation of the app has won PR coverage from major news outlets including Mashable, whose article was picked up by over 20 other news sources. The app even won the attention of Adobe, who proclaimed it App of the Week in November 2012.

Seth Godin had a recent blog post about innovation at non-profits concluding, “Innovators understand that their job is to fail, repeatedly, until they don’t.” Innovation takes leadership and vision, neither of which you find in the comfort of doing the same thing over and over again. Heifer International has taken a big leap into innovation with the launch of their tablet app and all signs point to its success.

Have you downloaded the World Ark app yet? It’s free in the App Store and Google Play. What are your thoughts on ecommerce being the future of apps?

Authors: Heather Shelton and Amanda Jennison

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