[b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Max Jaychuk:[/font][/b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"] For me, it’s how Givology focuses on benefiting high-impact organizations that otherwise would not have the ability to market themselves to a large and active base that we offer. These organizations, they’re putting all their focus into the work that they do in their communities and often times, they don’t have the resources or the manpower to reach the people who might be most interested in actually helping them. [/font]
[font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]The quality of the organizations that we support is also very important to me. I really appreciate how thorough Givology is in sourcing our partners. I know that Joyce [Meng] is very stringent with the set of characteristics that she looks for in our partners, and she’s really not willing to compromise on those. Just having that standard of excellence and working for a [/font][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]organization[/font][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"] with those standards, makes you really proud of your work because you have complete faith that the work and the money from your donors is making its maximum impact. [/font]
[b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Megan Foo: Why did you decide to volunteer with Givology?[/font][/b]
[b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Max Jaychuk: [/font][/b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]I’d never heard of Givology until last spring when I visited New York [/font][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]City [/font][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]with my university. I heard from Joyce and Jennifer [Q. Chen], they came and spoke to us. They were both so impressive, so accomplished, that I was ready to join on the spot. I’ve always had a passion for supporting education; in the past, I’d mentored disadvantaged youth in my hometown, I talked to them about the importance of education. When I heard about Givology, I felt it was a great way to really broaden or extend my impact to not only those in my community but also to make more of a global impact. [/font]
[font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]As a business student, I was also interested in Givology’s organizational and cost structure. With dozens of team members and partners and a great website, I was really amazed by how it was able to run so smoothly with virtually zero costs. Things like that really interest me.[/font]
[b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Megan Foo: Can you tell me about your experience as Givology’s Director of Analytics?[/font][/b]
[b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Max Jaychuk: [/font][/b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]It’s been a fantastic experience and I really like how I’ve received the opportunity to collaborate with so many smart, driven people from across the world. There’s definitely a special bond that you forge with people in this organization; even if I haven’t met somebody before, I can reach out to them with zero hesitation via email or reach out to them and ask them a question by phone call. I’ve gotten to work with really talented people who are really skilled at web design, social media marketing, graphic design, definitely been able to pick things up here and there. [/font]
[font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]I’ve always liked numbers, so focusing on Analytics with Givology has really been fun for me. More specifically, we’ve been working to get a better picture of who actually visits our site and what traffic sources generate the most donations and the highest impact for us, whether it be social media, AdWords campaigns, or just organic traffic. If we know what type of people are coming to our site and which are the most active, that way we can work to better attract them to come to our site through advertising and other means. [/font]
[font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]We’re interested in that, and we’re also interested in social media analytics, so we’re always looking for ways to impove ourselves on our various outlets, like Facebook, Twitter, even our newsletter! Finding the type of content that really generates the most interests to our members is hugely important because we’re not perfect and we’re trying to figure out what messages resonate and what our members and fans want to hear from us. So with Analytics, we can tell what’s been successful in the past, what’s failed, and incorporate what we’ve learned to move forward.[/font]
[b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Megan Foo: Can you explain exactly how Google Analytics works?[/font][/b]
[b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Max Jaychuk: [/font][/b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Google Analytics allows you to track various data points that you’re interested in with regards to your website. You can track donations; we’ve been able to figure out who our donors are and where they’re from, and how they got to our site. You can track how they interact on our site as well. If they’re on this web page, what stands out, and what’s the next logical step for them to continue.[/font]
[b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Megan Foo: What do you see in the future of marketing, predictive analytics, and sales?[/font][/b]
[b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Max Jaychuk: [/font][/b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]I believe that we’re going to see Analytics continue to grow in organizations everywhere. Clearly, many large companies right now compete on Analytics and they employ hundreds of people in analytical roles. I believe that Analytics is going to become even more accessible to small organizations like Givology, and smaller businesses that you may not have pictured using Analytics in the past. [/font]
[font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Small nonprofits and businesses can harness this power to Analytics and it can help them understand the ways that they can increase revenue and optimize things like social media. The growth of user-friendly platforms like Google Analytics has given people the power to use Analytics in their strategies.[/font]
[b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Megan Foo: [/font][/b][b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Why[/font][/b][b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"] is giving important to you?[/font][/b]
[b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Max Jaychuk: [/font][/b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]At this time, giving is really about education or giving the resources for education to students who typically would not have had access to them. Providing this is a basic right that we all deserve. I’ve experienced first-hand what it’s like to get a quality education and I believe that everybody else should have the access to one as well. Giving is often associated with short-term benefits, but for me, it’s more about the long-term impact that I expect to [/font][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]see[/font][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]. [/font]
[font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Providing an education may have short-term benefits but really what’s most important is what we’re going to see 20-30 years down the line. [/font][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Givology is young, yet we have seen the impact our finding has had on students,[/font][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"] compared to those who did not have that access to education. In focusing on education, we’re going to see benefits in future generations too; like a reduction in poverty, oppression, [/font][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]and a multitude of other problems.[/font]
[b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Megan Foo: What do you enjoy the most about your volunteering?[/font][/b]
[b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Max Jaychuk: [/font][/b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]With Givology, I really enjoy the people that I work with. I also enjoy supporting a cause that I care about. Givology’s full of very fun and driven people who are very united by this cause. It’s really been amazing being able to work with such a devoted group of people. Givology gives me something I’m interested in, because I’m most passionate about helping working with education projects because I feel that’s going to have one of the biggest impacts.[/font]
[b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Megan Foo: What advice would you give to someone who’s considering volunteering?[/font][/b]
[b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]Max Jaychuk: [/font][/b][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]There are not many things that feel as good as volunteering; feeling like you’re making that tangible impact on others. I recommend finding something that you like and going with it. Volunteering is also a great way to meet like-minded people, and learn new skills. Volunteering is not only going to benefit the people that the organization is looking to help, but it’s also going to benefit yourself because you’re going to learn a ton of new things and people are extremely receptive and open to helping you when you’re part of the organization. When you’re committed to helping the organization and the people within the organization, they’re going to be equally committed to helping you as well, equipping you with resources to help you learn and improve. [/font][font=" times="" new="" roman","serif"]The organization's members will be grateful for all that you’ve done, and will surely be looking to reciprocate the favour whenever possible. [/font]