Maximizing stakeholder engagement and sparking new innovation
for social technology
Hong Kong, June 12, 2015 – Microsoft Hong Kong held the 11th NGO Day together with The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) with a full day of discussions and exchanges showcasing the various practical applications of technology in the NGO sector. This year’s theme is “Stakeholder Engagement in the 21st century” – how ICT tools can help maximize stakeholder engagement. It serves as a good opportunity for the exchange of ideas, providing NGOs with new insights into how to take full advantage of technology. The discussion extends beyond daily operations, such as files management and daily support, to include some frontline services, such as promotions, fund raising, strategic analysis and management, acting as an important communication tool among stakeholders. This year, the NGO Day saw the unveiling of the latest NGO survey findings on stakeholders’ engagement, looking into how NGOs are using digital marketing and social media, in order to understand the best and most efficient approach to engage with their stakeholders.
“Now in its eleventh year, Microsoft has, once again, partnered with HKCSS to share ideas around technology and innovation with NGOs in order to improve their productivity. As technology is revolutionizing different industries, it offers both greater opportunities and new ways of engaging with the community for NGOs. Cloud, CRM solutions and business analytics can provide insights for NGOs as well as offering them new ways to manage stakeholders, be it for fund raising, case management or advocacy.” said Horace Chow, general manager of Microsoft Hong Kong. “Microsoft, as a leader in IT, can offer NGOs valuable insights on technology trends, best practices in different industries and around the world.”
The latest NGO survey findings conducted by Microsoft Hong Kong and HKCSS on stakeholder engagement were also unveiled on the NGO Day. With the wide adoption of digital marketing and social media in organizations worldwide, the findings indicated that NGOs use digital marketing and social media to enhance the organizations’ public awareness and promote their activities, but more than 74% of them assessed their digital marketing results through observations only, and more than half of surveyed NGOs did not use any CRM solutions for data tracking, analysis and management. In this digital era, NGOs should realize the power of technology and the importance of data analysis to further improve their overall communication strategy as well as service quality.
NGO Survey Key Finding: Challenges in promoting digital marketing
- Surveyed NGOs lacked systematic tools to evaluate their digital marketing results. More than 74% of them assessed their digital marketing results through observations, and nearly 20% of them did not perform any evaluations.
- The biggest challenges in promoting digital marketing were lack of resource (52%) and lack of digital marketing specialists (37%).
- More than half of surveyed NGOs did not use any CRM solutions for tracking and data analysis (52%).
“Digital marketing and social media play important roles for NGOs, but at the same time we need to think about how we can use them in a more effective and intelligent way. The power of internet, especially social media can be tremendous, and with a clear social media strategy and the help of data analysis, digital marketing is definitely a valuable and sustainable tool for engaging various stakeholders of NGOs,” said Chua Hoi Wai, Chief Executive of The Hong Kong Council of Social Service, “HKCSS values Microsoft’s partnership in bringing innovations to NGOs in Hong Kong. It is with thanks to these initiatives and timely support that NGOs are able to evolve their service offerings to the community whilst remaining efficient and valuable.”
A highlight of this year’s NGO Day is the introduction of a brand new pitching session – The “Tech X Social -Idea Generation Zone” (co-organized by Incu-Lab), which invites young entrepreneurs and college students to pitch their innovative ideas on stakeholder engagement. To make their pitches relevant and practical, these young entrepreneurs also spent time with NGOs to understand the current workflow and challenges. Around, who was awarded the grand prize, is a district-based application aiming to tighten the connections between people and their neighborhoods to build better communities. While the winner of the Most Creative Award was SOCaring, who designed an integrated platform for seniors and their families to enjoy multimedia entertainment, personalized healthcare services and convenient social experiences. Most of the ideas are not only creative but also highly practical in usage. Microsoft and its partners are actively evaluating these ideas, identifying ways to bring them to live and put them to use in the community.
NGO Day is under Microsoft’s flagship community that drives SparkHK to empower Hong Kong’s growth and competitiveness through innovation. In the past years, some of the major achievements in supporting NGOs include a total of HK$180M investment through different community initiatives, software donations at HK$109M for 434 NGOs under the TechDonation Program, HK$9.5M investment into YouthSpark training, and Community Technology Learning Centers (CTLCs) run by NGOs, benefitting over 500,000 people.
 Horace Chow, General Manager of Microsoft Hong Kong, spoke about how Microsoft helped NGOs improve efficiency and productivity through digital marketing and social media on NGO Day. |
 Chua Hoi-wai, Chief Executive, The Hong Kong Council of Social Service shared his views on the challenges NGOs face with, and how they can maximize stakeholder engagement through innovative ICT tools. |
 Around was awarded the IG Grand Award in the “Tech X Social Idea Generation Zone”. |
 SOCaring won the Most Creative Award in the “Tech X Social Idea Generation Zone”. |
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About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Microsoft Hong Kong was established in 1991.
About The Hong Kong Council of Social Service
The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) was established in 1947, representing, with clear vision and professional expertise, non-governmental welfare agencies committed to sustain and develop social welfare in Hong Kong. HKCSS has grown since then to become an umbrella organization of over 430 Agency Members, that provide over 90% of the social welfare services for those in need through their 3,000 service units all over Hong Kong.