Marketing & Communication

Mobile Networks for Social Entrepreneurs

Hosted by Steve Wolak (March 2010)

mobile networks

Beyond the Indian Fisherman: Real-world mobile solutions for social entrepreneurs

Betavine Social Exchange is an open community website which enables NGO’s or community groups to pose Challenges to Betavine’s mobile developer community. Together they devise mobile solutions which, once deployed with the help of local support partners, offer real-world solutions with a clear route to market.

There are more and more applications of mobile technology in emerging markets which have a social benefit such as banking for the unbanked (e.g. mPesa and Wizzit), and improving access to quality healthcare (e.g. CellLife and Phones4Health). Other examples show how change-makers have come up with enterprises that depend on mobile technology to reach disparate or excluded communities.

In South Africa,Ashoka Fellow Garth Japhet has built Heartlines, a “virtual movement” that uses mobile phone text messages and a web-based social network to inspire, guide and connect people, provide a sense of community and common purpose. The mobile component enables more people in more communities, especially schools and youth groups, to join Heartlines’ National Conversation on values.

In Kenya,KACE (a private sector firm) empowers rural farmers with market information using a web-based platform, and SMS messaging to enable buyers and sellers of agricultural commodities to trade directly with one another.

RLabs, based in Cape Town, is leading the way on mobile solutions for community issues and are looking at ways of stimulate local mobile businesses.

Opening up mobile technology to social entrepreneurs is the main purpose of the Betavine Social Exchange which is a new venture of Vodafone’s R&D Labs only launched in October 2009, and piloting with a focus on South Africa until May 2010.

What examples have you come across of using mobile technology as part of a solution to a social challenge or problem?
What are the barriers to using mobile solutions in the social sector?
What needs to be in place to stimulate the local mobile eco-system?
Would you use Betavine Social Exchange? If not, why not?

Join Stephen Wolak, with the Vodafone Group R&D, in the conversation, then continue the discussion at their conference on Mobile Technology for Social Entrepreneurs in London 15, May 2010.

Revisiting Social Games

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gaming
games

Hosted by Charles "hipbone" Cameron (August 2009)

Usually, my hope is that once you've arrived at this page, you'll stay around, read the intro and any current comments, and post a comment of your own.

Not this time -- or not just yet!

This time I would like you to get an experiential sense of our topic: games that can make a difference! I would like to give you a quick "hit" of what's possible -- and what has already been accomplished -- so you can see whether a game might be a helpful tool in your own work as a social entrepreneur. And I trust you to come back here when you've done that, to make your comments!

To give you a sense of how sophisticated the "serious games" put out by our colleagues in the "games for change" community can be, I'd like you to view the demo of the Global Conflicts: Latin America game.

Next, I'd invite you to play Nuclear Weapons: The Peace Dove Game, a far simpler game developed by the United Nations and hosted by the Nobel Prize folks -- to get an idea of the lower-budget end of the same spectrum.

Also check Climate Challenge, from the BBC, about climate change, and take a look at this description of A Force More Powerful and the award-winning Peacemaker.

One of the most poignant games, "Harpooned", deals with the Japanese whaling industry, and its attempt to continue whaling despite international protests by calling it "science". You can watch a video preview on vimeo, but I should warn you that it's not for the faint-hearted: although the game itself is brilliantly conceived and executed, its subject matter, the slaughter of whales, is horrific. You can download the game itself here.

Finally, I would like you to make a quick contribution to feeding the world's hungry, by testing your vocabulary skills by playing a few minutes of Free Rice. It's simple, it's fun, and it makes the world a better place.

All these games and more are part of Games for Change -- a movement that is doing for the games industry what social entrepreneurs are doing to entrepreneurship.

And now that you've got a taste for what's possible, I'd like to ask you:

• what did you think of the games you saw or played?
• are you afraid games are too "unserious" to be taken seriously?
• are there any games that deal with your own area of concern?
• should there be, perhaps?
• would you need something simple, like "the Peace dove Game"?
• something more complex, like "Peacemarker" or "Global Conflicts"?
• do you play computer/video games yourself?
• do the people whose lives you impact play games?

It's becoming pretty clear that games and playing are powerful educational tools. And where we used to think of "theory" and "practice" as opposites, we can now throw in "games and simulations" at the mid-point between them -- a means of learning by experience, but without the risks that making mistakes bring with them in "real life".

• Are there games for change in your future?

Join Charles "hipbone" Cameron once you've played a game or two -- to discuss the possibilities.

How to pitch your social venture to the media?

Hosted by Ode Magazine's Jurriaan Kamp and Marco Visscher (April 2009)

Ask yourself for a moment how Muhammad Yunus would have pitched his Grameen Bank to the media, when he started his microcredit institution in Bangladesh in the 1970s. Would he have hired a PR firm? Would he have written a press release to announce the launch of his business? Would he have created an expensive press kit to send around?

We didn’t ask him when we sat down for an interview with Mr. Yunus in his office in Dhaka in 2005, just months before he gained worldwide recognition by winning the Nobel Peace Prize. But we all know the answer: Mr. Yunus didn’t do any of these things for many reasons, but mainly because he wouldn’t have cared. He realized that press coverage would not have made the Grameen Bank any bigger.

• That’s the first question any social entrepreneur should ask herself: Do you need media coverage? And if so, what is the best timing to reach out to journalists? The practise of sending out press releases for the launch of your venture or even hosting a media event, seems to be part of any business plan, but do you need the press at that stage? Perhaps your idea is ahead of its time, and you might be better off building a portfolio of results and collaborations so you have something impressive to show.

That’s how it works at Ode magazine as well. We have covered fresh ideas to solve the world’s problems, but in nearly all cases, these articles have featured tangible results of the idea, never the idea itself.

• Here are some other tips:

Try to peg your business to a news event (a big conference, new legislation, a quote by the President in last night’s TV show). Remember that weeklies and monthlies (like Ode) have a long lead time, so for these publications, your pitch need not reflect today’s headlines; current affairs will do.

Journalists love celebrities. Your business will become more attractive if you have the endorsement of a famous person. (Yes, at Ode, we’re very happy with Bill Clinton’s endorsement. Thank you very much, Mr. President!)

Another way to get in the press, is by writing an op-ed piece. It’s better to avoid mentioning the name of your organization entirely because journalists will see this as self-serving. Instead, focus on the solution of the problem you’re describing. Make sure the piece is original and thought-provoking. If you say something that feels too familiar, your piece will end up in the trash.

To kick off our discussion, here are a few questions for you:

• What are the social results (or social revenue) of your social business?
• How would the op-ed piece look like that you can write?
• What endorsements by famous people can you get for your business?

We would be happy to use this platform on Social Edge to discuss some ways to pitch your social business to the media. Don’t blame us for keeping a keen eye for story ideas for Ode! Have a look at our guidelines for freelance writers (download the pdf). There are some useful tips in there for you, too.

How to pitch your social venture to the media? Join Jurriaan Kamp, co-founder and Editor of Ode magazine, and Marco Visscher, Managing Editor of Ode magazine, in the conversation.

Tools for Web Work

Hosted by Charles Cameron (January 2009)

We are all in the same venture -- making the world a better place than we found it -- -- doing what matters -- but we have different programs, different approaches, and sometimes our programs and approaches overlap, sometimes they parallel or oppose one another, sometimes they leave visible gaps that someone else could fill.

You may be working on education in the same part of the world as me, while I'm working on unemployment, or nutrition, or some specific health problem, and perhaps there are contacts we could share, common insights we could work with, tools for change that we could borrow from one another.

This week's event takes one program in Chicago as a case study, looks at some of the ways that program's website works within its local context, reaches out to others, and provides models for similar activities elsewhere, and asks you for your best practices and suggestions...

Dan Bassill at his Tutor/Mentor Connection site in Chicago is doing two things that I'd like to offer as examples:

• He provides those who are interested in tutoring/mentoring in the local community with tools for "seeing the lay of the land", offering extensive mapping tools, links to relevant websites, etc...

• And he offers those who have other social-outcome interests a model of how a website can facilitate increased awareness through the use of such tools and links.

To use the old analogy, he's providing his own "constituency" with fish, while offering others the fishing techniques he has pioneered and gathered together in one place....

What does this mean in practice?

If you are connected with, or hoping to start, a tutor/mentor program in the Chicago area, for instance, you can go to the Tutor/Mentor theme maps, and see how your program fits in with life at large in the city. But your program may not be about tutoring or mentoring, it may be about health, nutrition, refugees, internet connectivity...

What could you do with maps, that would help your organization develop strong local knowledge of nearby activities in your field, connect you with like-minded others, and provide another model for social entrepreneurs and activists who use, develop or visit your site?

Another fine resource works as a library and as a model for others.

What's the equivalent where you work? What documents and other resources would your ideal library contain? Does your website have some "best practices" to share with others -- close to home or globally, in the same field as you or working on a similar problem elsewhere?

I'm inviting you to:

• take a look at the Tutor/Mentor site, and think of ways your own projects could use some of the tools Daniel and his team have developed

• take at a look at your own site and programs, and think about links, resources, diagrams and maps you could offer as models to other social entrepreneurs

• tell us about what you've discovered...

Dan Bassill will chime in with more pointers to resources on his site, and some of you may find resources to offer him -- but this isn't just about Chicago, or Tutor/Mentor programs, it's about Wi-Fi in Kenya and the impact of the global financial crisis in Asia, decreasing funding and an increasing need for volunteers, so...

I'd like this event to spark some enthusiasm as we move strongly into the new year, because times are tough and we'd best get wise...

Let's get to work, let's share, let's talk...

Pumping up your Professional Network

Hosted by Beth Kanter (October 2008)

Using Online Social Networking Tools Effectively

Professional networking --meeting and connecting with people who can help you get things done-- is an indispensable skill for social entrepreneurs. Using online social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, and even Twitter can help you reach your networking goals.

But they are just tools. The secret sauce is relationship building, and here’s the recipe:

1. Meet people as people first.

I borrowed this phrase from Connie Bensen, a social media guru who writes about networking 101.

It is the quality of the relationships that you build online that really matters, not just how many people you meet.

Business relationships, like fine wine, mature over time, from first encounter to trusted colleague. Read Rachel Happe’s “Relationship Development is a process, sometimes tools can help”

2. Reciprocity is important -- It isn't always gimme, gimme, gimme

Don’t always ask people to help you or give you something every time you interact with them. And please don’t make that your first point of contact with someone you have just met. That’s a huge turn off.

It’s important to be helpful, share resources and connect people to other people. Social networks, like Facebook and Twitter, let you glean a lot of information about what your friends are up to or might need. Set aside some time to check status lines and think about how you may be helpful to them, not the other way around.

It’s like putting money in the bank for a rainy day. You will be surprised in the many ways approaching your network this way will reward you. Marnie Webb has written about this in her post “Networking Your Networked Network”

3. Interweave and connect with others within your network and keep connected

Uplift people in your network when they need it and they will do so back. Take every opportunity to keep connected to people in your network. It is like tending a garden.

I schedule time each week to tend to my network. It is part of my daily routine –5 to 10 minutes per day. I also try to take special care to follow up after I’ve met someone at a conference where the connection really resonated. Here’s some wonderful conference networking hacks from Chris Brogan.

Liz Strauss says: “Meet your friends by noticing people who have ideas that intrigue you and begin by asking them to elaborate on what they said.” June Holley’s Network Weaving Checklist can help you think about how to approach this interweaving in a structured way.

Check also Bob Allare’s “Care and Feeding of Your Network” for maintenance tips.

4. Make time to meet new people each week

No matter how busy I am, I try to connect with new people each week. I also get lots of new ideas by connecting with people who are outside my main industry or topic area. Life can get boring if you get stuck in a silo or only interact with people who think just like you or cover the same topics. Be a renaissance, cross-disciplinary networker. Think creatively about the new types of people and connections you want to make. Think outside your subject matter area.

5. Build your network before you need it

There are many reasons why it is important to invest in your network before you need it. As you’ve probably gathered from reading the other tips, building a vibrant professional network is time consuming. People don’t easily trust people who come asking.

6. Invest in yourself first

I like to share what I know with other people, but before I can do that I need to keep investing in my learning. For me, that translates to carving out time for my professional reading and blogging everyday. And the great thing about having a blog, is that it is a really extraordinary networking tool!

QUESTIONS:
- What works for you?
- Do you have any advice about using online networking tools?
- What type of expertise or connections have you found through networking?
- What kind of connections has proven more difficult to make?

Join Beth Kanter, a leading consultant to nonprofits in the area of effective technology use, in the conversation.

Stories of Change

Hosted by Sandy Herz and Cara Mertes (July 2008)

Social Entrepreneurs in Focus through Documentary

Social entrepreneurs understand the power of a story well told. And they know that film is a powerful medium to communicate with people in a small and interconnected world. But they don’t always know how to harness that power to drive awareness of their issue and adoption of their innovation.

Filmmakers know how to move people with stories. Their work has the potential to break through traditional mindsets, engage hearts and open minds to new possibilities. But they don’t necessarily know how to translate that power into direct impact on the ground.

In September 2007, the Sundance Documentary Film Program and the Skoll Foundation launched a three-year partnership designed to bring together the parallel but often unconnected worlds of documentary filmmaking and social entrepreneurship.

Entitled Stories of Change: Social Entrepreneurship in Focus through Documentary, the initiative creates opportunities for filmmakers and social entrepreneurs to connect, share best practices and collaborate on new documentary projects featuring social entrepreneurs.

One unique component of the initiative is a fund for film project grants to enable the development and/or production of new feature-length independent documentary films that frame, examine, and amplify social entrepreneurship as an innovative approach to the central questions of our time. The RFP is now available here with guidelines, FAQs and an online application. The deadline to apply is August 15.

This discussion is an open invitation to filmmakers and social entrepreneurs to ask questions about the Stories of Change RFP and to share your experiences with storytelling and social change. Some of the questions we hope to address include:

-    Who is a social entrepreneur and what makes their stories compelling?
-    How can social entrepreneurs work best with filmmakers to advance their work?
-    What are the opportunities and challenges inherent to collaborating?

This discussion is aimed at both Sundance filmmakers and the Social Edge community. If you have specific questions about the RFP, please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the press release, FAQs and guidelines and then fire away!

If you have stories to share, please just jump in!

And for more background on this topic, take a moment to read through the March 2008 discussion on Storytelling and Social Change.

To blog or not to blog?

Hosted by Bruce Lowry (June 2008)

I recently moved into the non-profit space after eight years in the private sector, most recently heading up global public relations for Novell, an enterprise software company. There, we were always looking at new ways to communicate with our stakeholders – customers, partners, employees, shareholders and the open source community.

In the private sector, of course, the objective is fairly clear: promote the brand, emphasize the business benefits of the solution, and sell the product. For social entrepreneurs, it’s not so easy. Social entrepreneurs, who are generally mission driven individuals, tend to be more concerned about highlighting the solutions to the problem they’re addressing, rather than promoting their own organization. It’s not their story they want to tell, but the story of the individuals and groups they’re serving.

At Novell, we launched a PR blog, Novell OpenPR, in the fall of 2005 thinking it would be a good way to reach certain of our stakeholders more effectively. It served as a vehicle for quickly making corporate positions known on issues that were out in the press. It allowed us to talk about things going on at the company that didn’t warrant a formal press release, but were still of interest for folks in the Novell ecosystem.

But, given the focus of many social entrepreneurs around mission, rather than selling, is a blog a good communications tool for an emerging social entrepreneur? Some pros and cons:

Pros
-    Cost-effectiveness, both in terms of software and employee time: Blogs are self-publishing and easy to use and don’t require IT knowledge or support. Plus, there are free and low cost options for blogging software.
-    Relevance/currency: Blogs are much easier to keep up-to-date than are newsletters or changes to the web page.
-    Two-way street: A blog allows other participants in the ecosystem to participate via comments and/or guest blogs.

Cons
-    Focus: A blog might convey more of a sense of attention on the SE’s organization than he or she wants.
-    Bandwidth: To be useful to readers, blogs need to be updated regularly, so they require regular attention. Someone at the organization needs to have the posting to the blog as part of his or her core work objectives;
-    Reach: Blogs are great for building community for folks active online, but there are many people who still aren’t familiar with, or don’t have access to, the technology and may not be comfortable with it.

Questions to consider:
• Is a blog a “luxury” or a “must have” for a budding social entrepreneur?
• Where should a blog fit in the marketing mix for a young social entrepreneurial organization?
• Does it have to be an Executive Director blog? How about a group blog?

Join Bruce Lowry in the conversation, then decide whether you should start a blog or not. And if you already are a veteran blogger, tell us about your experience.

Disaster Recovery and Communications Planning

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Hosted by Jill Finlayson (May 2008)

disaster recovery and communications planning

Sadly we are in the wake of two major disasters --the Cyclone Nargis devastated Myanmar and a massive earthquake has hit the central province of Sichuan in China. The world is a small community and we were able to witness these events in real-time. The human response is, of course, to take action and support those in the field.

How can people around the globe support recovery efforts?
How can those so deeply involved in responding to the human tragedy also manage to rapidly facilitate donations?
What can be done ahead of time as part of contingency planning to ensure that in the event of a disaster, help and donations can flow where they are most needed?
If you are working in an impacted area, how do you get information about your organization out to the mainstream media?

Here are some ways support is currently flowing towards Mynamar and I imagine we can look to these venues for similar programs aiding the earthquake recovery in China shortly:

Global Giving has projects on the ground providing immediate relief in Mynamar

Direct Relief International is using their Facebook page to provide updates on their cyclone response

Google features Direct Relief International and Unicef

eBay is providing a channel for its community to respond and demonstrate their generosity of spirit by helping them buy and sell with the proceeds going to organizations working in Mynamar, including the American Red Cross, Unicef, Feed the Children, Doctors without Borders, World Vision and others. (Note: most of these organizations were already registered on eBay in advance of this crisis.)

The news media also directs goodwill, through articles such as "Here's how to help" written by the Associated Press that includes a list of organizations compiled by InterAction, an international coalition of aid agencies.

There is a different opportunity that also arises in the wake of disaster – government funding and previously unavailable sources of support can be released. It is unfortunate, but it often takes dramatic events to prioritize projects that should have been pursued as preventive measures, such as retrofit projects for earthquakes.

Are there grant applications or proposals for programs that you need funded that you can pull off the shelf and submit after a disaster? Having these written in advance can enable you to promptly take advantage of funds that become available (before interest and support wanes), without having to start from scratch or take time away from the critical response efforts at the point of an emergency.

So, if a crisis were to impact your location, organization, or beneficiaries, what would you do?
Do you have a disaster recovery plan that includes how you would enable the public to support your programs?
What can you do now in advance of an emergency? How can you get your organization known in advance, or find out who to notify at Google, CNN, MSNBC and other large international media organizations in an emergency, so that you can leverage the immediate media attention and the outpouring of support that occur when a crisis hits?
What other ways can people help right now with the cyclone and earthquake rescue and recovery efforts?

Join Jill Finlayson in the conversation.

How to Drive Traffic to Your Site

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Hosted by Jill Finlayson (April 2008)

In our last discussion, Open Thread, one of the topics that came up was social media marketing. One member of the community put networking and marketing on par with breathing! While another member spoke about the "fashionable hoops" that threaten to distract nonprofits from their core purpose.

What are the best ways drive traffic and what are simply time consuming, trendy distractions? Which websites can help you connect with people who will support your organization? Let's discuss your questions, strategies and techniques to get the biggest bang for web marketing efforts.

Before we dive in, it might be good to ponder what you hope to achieve... In web marketing terms are you trying to get more unique visitors? Newsletter subscribers? Donations? Or would you be happy if folks just spent more time on your site? How will you know if you have increased awareness? Would you consider your efforts a success if you get a story picked up by the press, or people are shared your site?

With those objectives in mind, let's drive some traffic. What are the most effective efforts to pursue first?

Natural search engine optimization or starting a Google Adwords campaign?
Start a blog on your website or write on blog on someone else's site that already has a lot of traffic and link to your site?
Ask other bloggers who cover your issue or region to talk about you or start posting yourself in relevant forums and discussions?
Share your videos on YouTube and iTunes or keep your original videos to yourself so people have a reason to visit your site?
Create a page on FaceBook or Second Life or LinkedIn or focus your efforts on adding new content to your own site?

This is your chance to pool your knowledge and experience about what really works and what doesn't. To pull another thread from last week's discussion, let's create our own Talent Co-op and share the expertise gained from real world results from your web marketing endeavors.

By the way, web marketing is only one way you can leverage the internet - check out our online cheat sheet for nonprofits for short-cuts and urls for online petitions, survey tools, contests, and other ways to engage and learn from your community.

Storytelling and Social Change

Hosted by Paula Goldman (March 2008)

Recent years have seen a number of effective projects using storytelling and marketing techniques to turn the needle on important social issues. In Sub-Saharan Africa, Population Media has been using radio soap operas to successfully encourage behavioral change on reproductive health issues. In India, Breakthrough has created popular music videos to raise the profile of gender-based human rights issues with a mass audience. Most recognizably, the film “An Inconvenient Truth” helped mainstream the issue of climate change.

While much of the social entrepreneurship sector focuses on service delivery and market-based approaches, there is also an important role for projects which exist solely to raise the profile of specific social problems. The use of compelling narratives and creative media allows larger audiences to understand and connect with issues; this in turn creates growing demand for market-based approaches to the same problems. There is a huge market for fair-trade products in the UK now, for example, because of decades of public education efforts on the subject– from films to community gatherings.

Such efforts, however, are also fraught with questions and problems. They tend to be less attractive to funders (and therefore less sustainable) because it is much harder for them to understand and quantify their impact… and because it often takes decades, and multiple public education campaigns, to achieve mainstream recognition on any given issue.

Here are questions for discussion:

1) How much profit potential is there really for these public education projects? Should their goal (increased awareness of social issues) be considered a social good, and therefore rely primarily on philanthropic and public funding? How much room is there for hybrid models which combine philanthropic and for-profit strategies?

2) What are best practices to predict and measure impact? A film like An Inconvenient Truth worked brilliantly in part because it came on the back of decades of grassroots public education about the environment. Can we model the quantity and structure of awareness-raising that is needed to finally create a tipping point in public acceptance on a given issue? How would this model differ from issue to issue and from country to country?

3) What are other effective examples? Can you think of a creative/media project on a social issue that changed your life? Conversely, can you think of creative public education projects that didn’t work—and guess at why?

Join Paula Goldman in the conversation.

Tech Solutions on a Shoestring

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Hosted by Jason Clark (February 2008)

Almost all start-ups run into limitations in two critical areas - time & money. You can never have enough of either. Technology is supposed to help you save a bit of both, but it always seems to end up taking more time and more money than it ever saves you. Even when you find a solution that saves you money, it almost always takes more time than you have to give, and vice versa. What choices are available to help swing things back in the intended direction?

Open source tools are free, but expensive in terms of time lost to implement. There are free web services available that allow you to utilize their capabilities - sans your own branding. Gmail is great, but how long can you get away without having your own domain associated with your email? Same goes for free wikis and other collaboration tools.

As with most things, moderation is the key. Can you order up Dell machines with Ubuntu? Yes you can. But are you comfortable with Ubuntu? If not, do you and your staff have the time to become comfortable with it while tackling the work you have set out to do? If the remedy eats away at your time, then the money you save may not be worth it. If you are comfortable with a do it yourself approach to tech, you could set up a donated PC with Ubuntu for free. Throw in OpenOffice, a browser and an IM client (AOL or Yahoo!) and you have a full featured office computer without shelling out the big bucks for a top of the line Lenovo laptop with enough RAM to run any edition of Windows Vista.

Sometimes, of course, choice is a luxury. You make do with hand-outs and hand-me-downs. It can feel like the whole world is your tech older brother or sister and they were a lot older than you. But sometimes, you wear your older siblings hand me downs because you don't know that there are other options. TechSoup is a great place to start, and they list options for acquiring new hardware at non-profit rates. Once you've figured out where your hardware is coming from, you can take a look at some software options that won't break the bank.

Of course, you might not need to buy any applications. If you are working somewhere with a reliable internet connection, you might be able to get away with running your business entirely online. PBwiki & WetPaint offer free collaboration tools online. Google offers a number of ways to run your business online for free, and Zoho has perhaps the most comprehensive set of online productivity tools available, including office apps, project management, CRM, and a whole lot more. 37Signals is another place to find some useful online tools for project management, CRM and the like.

The negative aspect of online tools? You can't use them offline. If your data is stored online, then you have to be online to get at it. Of course, this would also allow you to run you business from a series of internet cafes anywhere around the world. It also means that if you lose your laptop, and your data is online, you really haven't lost that much.

How do you achieve a balance between time and money when dealing with your organization's technology needs? Can you build your business with online apps? How important is it to inject your brand into your collaborative solutions?

A Grandmother's Tribe - Documentary Film and Campaign

Hosted by Qiujing Wong (October 2007)

Our documentary, “A Grandmother’s Tribe”, began as a personal challenge. Would it be possible to create a film that was independently funded by a community of supporters and could it, in turn, benefit a challenged community of strangers?

The impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic has devastated the “parent generation” of sub-Saharan Africa. There are now more than 13 million AIDS-orphaned children in the region and the number is growing. It is estimated that grandmothers are raising 50% of orphaned children. In quiet and selfless ways, these elder women have taken on the burden of housing, feeding and educating the future of Africa and yet their efforts remain largely unnoticed by international aid organizations.

The time had come to tell their story. The resulting 53-minute documentary, without narration, has provided a direct voice and connection between African grandmothers and the world. Their message of hope, courage and love creates a much-needed sense of humanity in the crisis, a message that is relevant on any continent.

We quickly realized that there was a special momentum to this story and a powerful opportunity to inspire and motivate change. It was an effortless first step in becoming social entrepreneurs.

• The Film

The 54-minute documentary was financed entirely by private donations from business and individuals initiated by word-of-mouth referral. The film cost US $60,000 to produce, and has had more than US $90,000 donated in time and discounts by producers, directors, executive producers and film industry experts.

The film was released on September 29, 2007 at the DocNZ Film Festival in Auckland, New Zealand where it won a Special Mention award. It is now being submitted to a series of selected film festivals. Avenues of theatrical and television distribution will be the second phase of the film’s roll out. Screenings will also be booked in North America, Australia and New Zealand. There will be a companion book and DVD released at a future date.

• The “For-Purpose” Campaign

“A Grandmother’s Tribe” is both a documentary film and a “for-purpose” campaign. We decided at the outset of the project that we would dedicate proceeds from distribution, sales and special events to grassroots solutions in Africa. In addition to informing and educating the public through the film, we wanted to motivate people to engage in solutions.

By aligning with like-minded organizations, we have been able to take a village tale and make it a global story. Our business model is premised on proceeds from the film flowing directly to our beneficiary partner, the Stephen Lewis Foundation in Canada, which supports African community-based organizations that serve those affected by HIV/AIDS, including “grandmother families”.

We have also aligned with the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education in Vancouver to position the launch of the film in North America.

Our role as social entrepreneurs has evolved from creating and distributing a product to stewarding a thread of humanity’s voice. Business becomes process. Social enterprise in film and media is the process of educating hearts. Our role was to ensure that the voice of the grandmothers would be direct and unobstructed, and to research and align us with organizations that would make a tangible, community-level impact.

• Discussion Points

1. On a couple of occasions while filming, we learnt the important lesson of “how to give”. I had wanted to buy schoolbooks for one of our main characters (a young boy) and soon learnt that if I had given that to him, he may be the butt of jealousy at school and could even be put in danger if friends think he had come into money. We followed the guidance of our local guide and ensured we no longer imposed our western views of giving onto them.

2. Having NO agenda: Our approach in making this film was to ensure that as filmmakers we would not “get in the way” of their story. We felt that this was the best way to stay authentic to the story – without a voice over, or agenda.

Questions? Comments? Join Qiujing Wong in the conversation.

Strategic storytelling and social innovation

Hosted by Michael J. Margolis (September 2007)

Through THIRSTY-FISH, the consulting firm he launched, Michael Margolis helps business and social innovators find the essence of their story and make it real to those constituencies that matter most. He enables organizations to shift perceptions, raise money, and reframe conversations.

What do stories have to do with social enterprise?

At its core, social entrepreneurship is about introducing a new story of social innovation – and convincing others to believe in your market-based solution. Too often, the status quo stands in the way of behavior change and idea adoption.

Most social entrepreneurs must ask others to reframe some of the basic assumptions that we all take for granted. That’s why reason alone cannot overcome the intractable forces of culture. You need a story that inspires and emotionally connects to what people care about.

A well-crafted story becomes the platform that allows people to See, Feel, and Believe in what you are doing. By starting with the right story frame, you accelerate the pace at which people will be able to locate themselves and feel drawn into your story.

See
Your story should call people to a higher truth. Help people see something we tend to ignore or overlook. Illustrate a new path where everybody wins. Frame your message around universal needs and aspirations. What do we all deserve or want? Rather than pontificate on the moral value of this truth, develop a point of view that is refreshing, unique, or even provocative. Get people to think from a new perspective.

Feel
Great stories are driven by sincere emotion. This kinetic energy is what engages people, and gets your audience to invest in the outcome of your story. We make choices based on feelings, not reason. Your story must establish an emotive connection, compelling someone into caring and wanting to be a part of what you do.

Believe
Every story is ultimately at the mercy of its audience. They hold the power to judge and perceive your story however they wish. Get clear on the audience you are trying to persuade and take the time to understand their motivations. How will they identify with your story, and why should they believe in your ability to deliver on your promise?

Let's explore key questions as they relate to social entrepreneurs:
•    What is the truth at the heart of your story?
•    Why would someone feel connected to your story?
•    Who do you need to believe in your story?

Join Michael Margolis in the conversation.

Creativity Pure and Applied

Hosted by Charles (Hipbone) Cameron (August 2007)

In a recent comment on The Edge, Prof. Ravi Arapurakal suggested there are two types of creativity, viz: creativity for generating anything new, and creativity for fulfilling a purpose.

I'd like to rename those, Creativity Pure and Applied, and discuss them both here, getting into some tips and techniques.

Applied creativity is creativity that is pointed in the direction of problem solving, where the problem is known in advance.

Pure creativity is free-roaming, and typically introduces materials we are aware of but haven't brought into consciousness -- often in response to some deep-seated concern or issue that has been "in the back of our mind" for some time.

In both cases, switching off, relaxing, or "sleeping on it" is likely to play a role in the process.

There are dozens of methods for practicing and increasing creativity, ranging from such basic strategies as the reporter's Who, What, When, Where, Why, How? via Edward de Bono's celebrated Lateral Thinking and more recent Six Thinking Hats, and visual mind tools such as Gabrielle Rico's "clustering" or Tony Buzan's Mind Mapping, to curiosities on the order of Future Memory, in which sequential time itself is abolished.

• Do social entrepreneurs have a greater than usual need for creative thinking?

• How important have "aha!s" and "creative leaps" been in your life and work?

• How do you balance the needs of "creative" thinking with the normal business of getting things done and getting on with life?

• What "creativity techniques" work best for you?

• What happens when you "draw a creative blank" -- or suffer from "writer's block"?

• What does all this have to do with the state of "Flow"?

• Is creativity a set of techniques, or a state of mind?

Join Charles "Hipbone" Cameron in our discussion of the care and feeding of the creative process.

Games Worth Playing

Filed Under:

Hosted by Charles "Hipbone" Cameron (April 2007)

Why play? Well, play turns out to be the human "operating system" that children use for their most successful learning, and that our keenest minds (think Einstein, Picasso) use to express their mastery. So it's not games worth playing childish or a cop-out to play, it's an excellent strategy, close kin to creativity and thinking outside the box.

Having said that, it's also the case that we live in an increasingly play- and game-oriented culture -- and just as business has begun the long swing towards taking social obligations seriously, so the games industry has been figuring out how to provide serious games, and Games for Change in particular.

Charles "Hipbone" Cameron suggests: Let's talk about games we've played, games we'd like to see, games as education, games as therapy – games as they impact our lives as social entrepreneurs.

To get us started:

• The United Nations' Hunger game, one of the "stars" of the movement, is available for play in English, Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese and Polish.

• PeaceMaker ($20) is an impressive game designed to promote peace through geopolitical understanding of the Middle East – a topic also explored in Global Conflict: Palestine.

• In MTV's Darfur is Dying, players experience the fight for survival in Darfur, Sudan.

• The International Center on Nonviolent Conflict's A Force More Powerful teaches techniques of non-violent civil resistance to activists.

Questions to ponder:

• Do you consider yourself a gamer?

• What games have you played? Have you played any games with social content? How were they as games? How would you rate them as vehicles for social learning?

• Have you ever used games in your work as a social entrepreneur? Would you, if appropriate games were available?

• What kind of games would you like to see developed? What questions would you ask a game designer, given the chance? What requests would you make?

• What games would you like to be playing ten years from now?

Join Charles "Hipbone" Cameron in the conversation.

Working with the Resources Wiki

Our brand new Resources Wiki is an encyclopedia of social entrepreneurship. It is also is a reader-edited encyclopedia. In this discussion, Charles “Hipbone” Cameron assists you in working with the Wiki both as a reader and an editor. Let him know your questions.

There are two ways to use the new Resources Wiki. You can search and read it to find resources that may be of help to you, and you can also edit it, adding new pages or correcting existing entries. That’s because a “wiki” is a shared web-document that offers editing power to its readers.

• Reading the Wiki

Our Resources Wiki is an encyclopedia of social entrepreneurship.

As a reader, you can take two main approaches to finding the resources you need within the Resources Wiki.

If you point your mouse at the "Resources" tab below the Social Edge logo at the top of any page in our new site, a drop-down menu will allow you to choose a particular section of the Wiki – “Concerns, Problems and Solutions” for specific topics such as human rights, homelessness, or hunger and famine, “Tech Resources” for pointers about the use of computers in the field, useful software, the charitable recycling of old computers and so on.

On your first visit, your best bet may be to click on that Resources tab, rather than using the drop down menu – this will give you a brief description of each section of the wiki, and allow you to familiarize yourself with its overall structure.

That, in a nutshell, is the most direct way to access material on a specific resource or topic – but many of our entries could have been places under a variety of headings, and even if you find an appropriate heading or sub-heading to read, it’s also worth using keywords and the search function to catch other items, which may have been filed in other parts of the encyclopedia, and which also touch on your area of interest.

Thus “Technology Grant News,” which covers upcoming grant announcements and news about computers and technology from the government, technology funders, trade associations and private foundations, is filed under the “Technical News for Social Entrepreneurs” sub-heading of the “Tech Resources” folder – but if you looked under “Funding” you’d miss it.

So the most effective way to use the Resource Wiki is to search first using the category headings under the “Resources” tab, and then using appropriate keywords – describing the area of the world you’re dealing with, problem your facing, etc. – with the search function, to pick up on additional resources.

• Editing the Wiki

Our Resources Wiki is a reader-edited encyclopedia.

By “reader-edited” we mean that it is built along similar lines to Wikipedia, the well-known online encyclopedia. Like all encyclopedias, it aims to provide a wide coverage of people, organizations, ideas and things of interest within its topic area – in this case, the convergence of for-profit and non-profit approaches to improving -- or perhaps even “healing” -- the world we live in.

But like Wikipedia, it does this not by paying a bunch of experts to write “definitive” articles, which in some areas are frequently outdated by the time they are published, but by inviting volunteers – Social Edge members in this case – to contribute articles on their own organizations, the social entrepreneurs they admire, or books and other resources that may have inspired them.

Anyone who is logged in as a Social Edge member can edit the Resources Wiki, adding new entries or correcting existing ones. Your enthusiasm, editing and new entries are what will take this project from seed form to fruition. And the encyclopedia is still in its beginning stages, so there is plenty for us all to do.

Questions? Comments? Join in the conversation!

Questions on the Social Edge Site Relaunch

Hosted by Jason Clark, Social Edge Web Manager (February 2007)

We are very excited to bring the new and improved Social Edge to you today. We launched over the weekend, so we've been up for a couple of days, but it's not official until you come and tell us what you think.

if you experience any issues with the site please contact us via the Contact Us page. We will get back with you as quickly as possible.

There are some new features on the site, and new features to come:

Patrick O'Heffernan is hosting a series of podcasts where he interviews former Peace Corps Entrepreneurs who are now social entrepreneurs.
Charles "Hipbone" Cameron has pre-populated our new Resources Wiki with over 800 entries. Are you an expert on microcredit? Let the community know what you know. Once you log in you can edit the existing entries or add our own.
Previously our blogs were hosted on a different platform than our discussions and required a separate password. Now one username and password will allow you to add comments to our discussions, blogs, and podcasts while also allowing you to contribute to the Resources Wiki.
We have a new, integrated search in the upper right hand corner of the site that gives you near instantaneous results as you are typing.
Member search is still a bit of a work in progress, but for new discussions (and archived discussions soon) you will be able to click on the name/picture of a person and send them a message via a form that emails them directly without sharing email addresses. Watch for improvements in this area in the coming weeks.
Watch for related items to appear in the right hand column of discussions and blogs. We've added tags to all of our content and are refining how we use them to bring you links to the most relevant content.
Bookmarklets are at the bottom of the right hand column and allow you to bookmark a page on Del.icio.us, Digg, Yahoo, Google or Reddit.
Blogs are accessible from anywhere on the site via the drop down menu above, new and archived discussions are grouped by category in the Discussions menu, and the GlobalGiving Index and other site features are located in the Features menu. Resources Wiki entries are also categorized in the Resources menu.
We have added a Site Tour to help familiarize you with the new site.
In other site launch related news this week, Global X dishes the dirt on change, and I cover lessons learned in my Untangled post.

And there's more to come! New blogs, new features, new tools - 2007 is going to be an exciting year on Social Edge. Let us know what you think of the new site, the new features and what you want to see next.

Assessing Your Communications Strategy

Filed Under:

Marketing

Hosted by R. Christine Hershey (July 2005 - Closed)

Lessons from Communications Toolkit

Author of Communications Toolkit: A guide to navigating communications for the nonprofit world and President and Founder of Cause Communications

Nonprofits have two goals for their communications programs – raising awareness and raising funds. Yet, getting your messages heard has never been more challenging, or more important.

Non-profits can take lessons from the corporate world and invest resources in communications programs. Effective communications can target the right messages to the right audiences at the right times. And an investment in appropriate, well-planned communications can increase rather than detract from the bottom line when resources and staffing are tight.

A well-planned communications strategy first must determine where an organization is now and where an organization wants go.

FIND OUT WHERE YOU ARE NOW.
Research how your organization is perceived.

To know where your organization should go, you need to know where you are right now. Research takes the guesswork out of your communications program. It gives you concrete evidence of how your organization is perceived, including whether the perceptions of those inside your organization match those of your key audiences.

Are your publications highly valued and read? Is your Web site easy to navigate? Do your direct-mail appeals include an effective call to action? Research will help you answer these questions and will give you the evidence you need to allocate your limited communications budgets wisely.

Research is one of the most important and valuable steps in the development of any communications initiative. Nonprofits often shy away from conducting such research, fearing it will be too costly and or too complicated, but it doesn’t have to be.

There are two basic kinds of research: primary and secondary. Primary research can be as simple as asking core audience members five or ten questions via phone or e-mail, listening to the feedback and tabulating results.

Secondary research uses information that already exists in the public domain (published in print, on the Internet, or through media, libraries and universities).

Primary research is invaluable for testing materials and messages. Surveying your audience, or conducting focus groups, can help you make any necessary modifications before you invest significant funds in printing an expensive direct-mail solicitation or launching a new Web site.

Pros of secondary research are that it’s free and available everywhere. Cons are that it may be not exactly what you’re looking for and can be time-intensive.

FIND OUT WHERE YOU WANT TO GO AND THE ROUTES YOU’LL TAKE TO GET THERE.
Determine your goals and work backward to determine how to achieve them.

Knowing your final communications goals make it much easier to plan the most efficient and appropriate program. Envision what success physically looks like and then work backward to develop a plan of action to get there

Your organization’s mission and the research you’ve conducted are the starting points for developing your strategic communications plan. Ideally your plan should be linked to your organization’s overall strategic direction. At the least, it must define your unique position in the market and frame your organizations and its key issues in a way that resonates with your audiences. How do want your target audience to perceive your organization? What actions do you want them to take?

In your plan, avoid generic goals such as “raise awareness’ or “increase media coverage.” Be specific in identifying your key audiences and develop strategies to effectively reach each target group. What actions do you want your audiences to take?

Your goals must be measurable. If you run a theater company and your goal is to boost attendance, state how many people you want to attract. If you want more media coverage, identify the number and quality of placements (e.g., one placement each month in major national media).

Do your goals match your available resources? Do you have the wherewithal to support the increased volume if your communications efforts are wildly successful?

Be prepared for success. Many campaigns fail because of implementation issues; faulty business reply cards, ineffective donor tracking. Be ready. Think through all of the steps, from developing your concept to reaching your intended audience. For instance, don’t forget to include a distribution plan for your print materials. If you’ve gone to the trouble and expense of creating an annual report or a newsletter, make sure the publication gets into people’s hands and doesn’t just sit in boxes. Also make sure to include your Web site and electronic communications in your communications planning.

This is just the beginning of a diverse range of communications tactics non-profits can use to gain success. To learn more communications tips, tools and resources tailored for non-profits, visit www.causecommunications.org, where you can download a free pdf version of the Communications Toolkit.

dbb54 - Jul 27, 2005 4:41 pm (#1 Total: 1)
HOPE worldwide

First steps

The communications strategy advice above sounds logical and well thought out. For the small non-profit that is in the transition from "entrepreneurial" to "organizational" and faces resource constraints as well, however, it can come across as somewhat overwhelming. Such an organization very likely is going through development processes in a number of different areas at once-board, organization, controls, structure, fundraising, etc. It would be helpful to get some additional perspective on "first steps" on a communication strategy for a younger organization that is resource constrained and is not necessarily in a position to embark on a holistic change all at once.

Creating Effective Newsletters

Filed Under:

Marketing

Hosted by Al Czarnecki (February 2005 - Closed)

Creating Effective Newsletters
Fifteen tips on writing and editing

A newsletter is the paring knife of communication tools. It seems simple and is easy to take for granted. Handled well, however, it's a highly capable tool.

Keep your strategic audiences in mind, always. What is relevant to them? What is important?
Effective management involves planning and influence. Develop a publication structure, an editorial calendar and written writers guidelines.
A newletter must be sustainable. Be realistic about the amount of content you can consistently produce.
Begin with good basics and build on solid ground. The most basic newsletter should have a few lead stories, shorter news items, and a message from your leader. A more developed publication might include features, departments, columns, an editorial, cartoon, in-house news, news tidbits, regional round-ups, etc.
Deadlines are sacred. Build in a safety cushion to allow for unexpected delays.
An editor, like a captain, needs to know where the ship is going. When dealing with writers, negotiate topic, length, treatment and deadline before assigning an article. Include important sources and the key questions which the story will address.
Offer feature writers a byline and an author's note. Writers gain exposure and your publication gains credibility.
Be concerned about how your newsletter reads before you worry about how it looks. Attractive graphics can obscure important content needs. Relevant and well-written content should be able to stand on its own, even as plain text.
If you're doing an e-mailed newsletter, 'clean and simple' spells 'effective'. Keep it to plain text. Be concise, and put an 'in-this-issue' outline at the top. The footer should have complete 'subscribe' and 'unsubscribe' information. You should archive back issues, with an annotated index, on your Web site.
Good writing and good editing require direction and hard work. Your copy should sing rather than drone. It should ring when tapped. Write compact copy in the active voice. Edit for clarity, conciseness, jargon, length, correctness. The bottom line is your readership; give them top priority.
Lead with strong items that have broad appeal. Learn from the best daily newspapers — people decide within seconds, whether or not to read. Your editorial or a message from the CEO should have a regular spot after the lead items. In-house or more parochial news should have a regular spot much further in. This gives you the best chance of competing for attention, while those familiar with your newsletter know where to find what they want.
Learn the distinction between simple information and a story. Information comes to life as a story when someone talks about it. Try to cite sources as part of the way you do things.
Any successful newsletter depends on plentiful and reliable sources. Consider an acknowledgment box that lists everyone who contributed to an issue. This will reward people for helping and encourage others to participate.
Look for reader feedback, always. Watch to see how people scan your publication. Talk with a new sampling of readers after each issue. Do a formal readership survey on a regular basis. Track what's happening.
The true test of performance is behavior. You'll know you have an effective publication when your strategic audiences clip and save articles and when people are eager to write for it.

Al Czarnecki APR is an accredited public relations professional with 20 years experience. He's worked as director of communications for three non-profit organizations and now has his own consulting practice. He's served on the board of the Canadian Public Relations Society and is a frequent judge at PR awards competitions. For more information on his services, see http://www.topstory.ca/.

Copyright © 1996-2005 Al Czarnecki Communications

Al Czarnecki - Mar 1, 2005 1:41 pm (#1 Total: 8)
Al Czarnecki Communications

Welcome

Thanks for coming to this workshop!

Have a look at these 15 tips. How do they apply to your situation? Do any appeal to you or fit with your own experience?

Let's hear your questions and comments. I look forward to working with you this next week.

Al

Gladys - Mar 1, 2005 11:49 pm (#2 Total: 8)

What is 'realistic?'

We now do an online newsletter - very simple one done exclusively by one person. We're just beginning to discuss a quarterly newsletter in paper as a group project, which will demand more commitment from the community. How do we decide what's realistic for us to attempt? Writers of our group are interested in this, but at many stages of expertise, and all with busy lives.

Gladys Tiffany, OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology, Fayetteville, Arkansas USA

andy.brady - Mar 2, 2005 2:34 am (#3 Total: 8)
APU

A lot of them about

I was interested in your 15 top tips. I think another one could be "differentiate yourself from the others". Like most of us, I am deluged with newsletters by post and electronically - I tend to actually open the ones that have a clear message (they do what they say on the tin) and that don't take too much time!

I'm producing a 2 page quarterly newsletter for social enterprises and support organisations in Essex (UK), and we've deliberately made it fairly low tech, and we're also posting it as well as emailing it. It's just a perception, but I think people are more likely to read something they have in their hand, than something on a screen, or which they have to print. What do others find?

Gladys - I think you're best starting small. It's better to be telling people "sorry, we'll put it in next time" than be frantically begging for stories with 12 pages to fill by tomorrow. You can always expand later.

More generally, I'd be interested in looking at other's bulletins or newsletters, if only to steal ideas - is there any way of hosting some on "social edge" as a kind of exhibition? I've attached ours here.

Attachments:

Social Enterprise Matters 2.pdf (116 KB)

Jessica_Jackson CKP - Mar 2, 2005 7:03 am (#4 Total: 8)
Said Business School, Oxford

I am pleased to see this topic being discussed on Social Edge! In our small, jack-of-all-trades office, all of us wear many hats, so one of my duties is creating our monthly newsletter. I imagine ours might seem a bit long--it averages 5 to 6 pages. That's because we currently have 5 field programs--called "Campus Kitchens"--each of which submits at least one feature story each month. Add to that our national news and partnerships and it gets a bit lengthy. But we've gotten great response from our readers, and I've found it serves as a great tool to reconnect with people and rekindle interest in what we do. I often hear from people who've fallen out of the loop a day or two after we send out our latest newsletter.

I've got one question to start off with, although I am sure I will have more:

I'm interested in this "message from your leader" idea. Our newsletter comes out each and every month, so I worry a bit about things becoming too personality-focused with the same person speaking each month. Is there a way to put a twist on it--perhaps a "message from our leaders" section with a different leader (our field staff, volunteers, etc) within our organization? I'd be interested to hear thoughts on this idea.

Andy, thanks for posting your newsletter. I'm going to do the same, as well as provide a link to the page on our website where our past newsletters (pdfs) are archived. Al--thanks for the tip--we're going to ask one of our interns to index the contents of each newsletter. I also like the "In this issue" idea and will give that a shot for next month.

http://www.campuskitchens.org/newsletters.html

Best,

Jessica

Attachments:

0205 newsletter.pdf (129 KB)

jared.rhoads - Mar 2, 2005 12:03 pm (#5 Total: 8)

1) Keep your strategic audiences in mind, always.

Number one is a good number one. After all, you aren't writing the newsletter for your benefit--you already know the information--you are writing it in order to communicate with your readers.

I am involved in a printed newsletter and, keeping in line with this first commandment, we are trying to determine whether making a full-blown, navigable, online version is really the best use of resources given the extra time needed to manage that, or whether we can still get all of the benefit of taking it online by simply making a PDF version of the hard copy available for download.

We're finding that most of the readers that go online for the newsletter print it out anyway, so by going with the latter option, we were able to save ourselves a lot of time and effort (which are always in short supply in this field).

Know thy reader! And if you don't know, ask.

mrobin - Mar 2, 2005 12:58 pm (#6 Total: 8)
Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition

Thanks for posting your 15 Tips. They look great. Several years ago I co-authored, with Michael Stein, a manual for the Independent Press Association on using email to build community, and have been involved in planning online newsletters.

Keeping it simple and keeping your audience in mind are crucial! For instance, if your create an online newsletter and readers are spread across the globe, you probably can't assume they have high speed connections. That will influence the format and how often you publish.

Closely connected to these two points is to figure out what your goals are: -- why are you publishing a newsletter? Community building? Providing information? advocacy? fundraising? -- who is the target audience? What information do they need/want?

One person told me that most successful newsletters arrive mid-morning on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Michael Robin Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, San Jose, CA

Al Czarnecki - Mar 2, 2005 1:34 pm (#7 Total: 8)
Al Czarnecki Communications

Re: What is realistic

Assuming your writers are working as volunteers, if you don't rest and rotate your resources, you'll soon burn them out.

When I was with the Canadian Mental Health Association I was editor of a 12-page tabloid called Re:Action. Over seven years I dealt with about 200 volunteer contributors -- most were doing 1,200-1,400 word features for us.

One writer did five pieces for us during that time. Maybe a dozen contributed more than once. Over seven years we approached and involved 180 people in covering issues for our publication. So see what your options are for recruiting contributors. The issues and feeling that they're a part of something will bring them in.

I'd recruit people and get commitments six weeks before the copy was due. Every week I'd touch base with everyone (usually about eight people) and see how things were going. I kept them informed on how this issue was taking shape, and they often used our conversation as a sounding board on their piece. If someone bailed out, this almost always happened during the first two weeks; they just couldn't get started. About three weeks in, there were always a few who needed some nudging and cheering to meet deadline. Most people said they put in 15-20 hours on their piece.

A great publication can be a great motivator. See how much time everyone is prepared to commit. Consider a role for occasional contributors. Then start small and build on your success.

Al Czarnecki - Mar 4, 2005 9:46 am (#8 Total: 8)
Al Czarnecki Communications

newsletters and organizational culture, helpful books on story

The Bonding article at topstory.ca includes some thoughts on organizational culture and newsletters. This is a feature I wrote for the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy a few years ago.

Also, my Recommended books page lists a half-dozen excellent books on creative non-fiction, writing for story, etc. Any of these will find frequent use on your bookshelf.

Let me know if any of this is helpful.

Al

Designing the Right Special Event for your Organization

Filed Under:

Marketing

Hosted by: Dominique Callimanopulos (March 2005 - Closed)

Designing the Right Special Event for Your Organization:
Factors to Consider

One of the most traditional methods of fundraising, special events have always been part of organizations' repertoire to raise money, build a constituency and increase their visibility. We have all been to terrific fundraisers that accomplish all of the above. But there are also terrible failures. Here are some of the factors to consider in trying to design a special event that will reflect well on your organization.

1. What is the primary purpose of the event?

If it is to raise money, decide on the amount you intend to raise in advance. This may sound obvious, but many organizations throw an event just hoping for the best. And many times, the costs exceed the intake.

Approach everyone who might be willing to underwrite the event. This is a good opportunity for corporate sponsor visibility as well as for high net worth donors who have been waiting to "autograph" an event.

2. Think carefully about the best way to meet that fundraising goal.

If you are a small organization without a lot of resources, would you be better off "piggybacking" on a previously planned event, like a concert wherein the performers agree to donate a portion of the profits to your cause or organization, or an art exhibit where artists likewise donate proceeds from their sales? This involves minimal financial outlay on your part for maximum reward.

3. Staffing.

If you are embarking on an ambitious event--a large fundraising dinner/dance, for instance, assess whether your staff can handle the planning and execution without becoming derailed from their other responsibilities. Many organization opt to outsource the event planning for this reason. When staff and Board are already overtaxed, or do not know how to execute a successful event, you may be better off hiring an event planner. A successful event is seamlessly and perfectly executed.

4. Secondary reasons for the event.

For many organizations, raising money is not the only reason for a special event. Highlighting the organization's cause or mission, attracting publicity and "rewarding" or attracting donors may be other motivations. It is worth carefully thinking through whether all of your motives can be satisfied in a single event. For instance, an exclusive donors circle may not take kindly to being exposed to publicity, or mixing with the general public. Conscientiously consider whether the design of your event matches the nature of those it is serving.

5. Tone.

This follows from point #4. Who is your constituency? Do you want to through a bash in the ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria, or would your constituent donors be offended by such indulgence, and prefer a weekend retreat in the Redwoods? Depending on your cause, consider political etiquette in your choices and planning. An organization that rescues sled dogs will most likely prefer a very different event from an organization that promotes inner city art. Plan in keeping with your constituency and their psychology.

6. Creativity.

A Manhattan philanthropist once told me that he would pay good money to organizations NOT to have to attend any more charitable events.

Consider that most donors and philanthropists give to multiple causes.

A Manhattan philanthropist once told me that he would pay good money to organizations NOT to have to attend any more charitable events ... It is a good idea to try not to bore them.

It is a good idea to try not to bore them. An internet auction is inexpensive and profit making. A short cocktail hour at an exclusive address beats a long dinner in an expensive venue. Travel has become an increasingly popular way for some organizations who work overseas to show off their work, engage donors, and raise money. Be open to suggestions from your board, your staff, and your constituents. Be outrageous when you brainstorm. It's fun and you can always rein in your ideas later.

7. Track record.

When you stage an event, you are creating an energetic field for your guests to share. Be attentive to the spirit and energy you infuse that field with, for you want people leaving your event to come back for more. Repeat annual events are one of the best ways to engender your constituents' loyalty. It is easier to remember and look forward to an event that happens with annual regularity. To ensure a positive spirit, be authentically appreciative of everyone taking part in the event: staff, guests, celebrities, etc. People will remember how they felt during the event more than what happened.

8. Asking for money.

If your event does not lend itself to prepaid reservations, and you plan on asking for money during the event, design a time during the evening for your guests to take our their checkbooks all together to write their checks. This will encourage check writing, as no one wants to sit inactive as everyone around them is brandishing their pens. If possible, collect and count the checks before the end of the event and tell guests what you have been able to raise. They deserve a pat on the back and to feel proud and excited about what they have made possible.

9. Hearing it from the horse's mouth.

If your organization benefits youth, minorities, disadvantaged or other populations, let them speak! They are much more likely to move the audience than a staff member or principal of the organization. Try to mix up styles and media of presentations so as not to bore...slice a video clip in with a testimonial, in with a game, with a celebrity appearance.

10. The Unexpected.

The road of planning an event is rarely smooth. Take contingencies in stride and with good humor, if you can. Mess-ups can pave the way for greater bonding if handled right. Remember that the point is to come together with others to enjoy one another and focus on a great cause!

Questions for you to answer:

What kind of special event might work for your organization?
Do you have any special resources or restrictions you should consider?
What was the most fun or rewarding special event you've ever attended?

What are other factors affecting an event's design or execution that have not been mentioned above?

I look forward to hearing from you!

Dominique Callimanopulos - Mar 14, 2005 12:46 pm (#1 Total: 7)
Elevate, Inc.

Let's get the party started!

Hi, Let's really get into this subject this week! I look forward to hearing from everyone who has had experience with special events and providing a full discussion of what has worked and what hasn't. Share your best (and worst) stories--as event planning is an area where we really learn a lot from our mistakes. Spring is prime Special Event season--a great time for this workshop! Dominique

Pamela McLean - Mar 14, 2005 4:04 pm (#2 Total: 7)

Internet auctions

Internet auctions is the fundraiser that might be appropriate for us - a kind of "virtual charity shop". Please explain more about the practicalities.

Dominique Callimanopulos - Mar 14, 2005 7:11 pm (#3 Total: 7)
Elevate, Inc.

There are good companies now specializing in internet auctions, which are a great way to raise money without the time/financial costs of staging a real life event, or the impracticalities of gathering an organization's membership in one place. Donations are bid on much the same way as they are on E-Bay, and your organization benefits! Some resources to check out are: www.cmarket.com, a company that specializes in online auction events; www.ephilanthropyfoundation.org for more general internet fundraising advice; www.convio.com, an expert online fundraising consultant.

Michael Chertok - Mar 16, 2005 5:27 pm (#4 Total: 7)

Why bother with events?

Hi Dominique,

Thanks for hosting this!

There are philanthropists here in Silicon Valley, too, who have told me they would pay NOT to attend events!

In my experience, event-based fundraising takes enormous effort; the bar for holding a "creative" event seems to climb higher each year. Other forms of fundraising are typically more cost-effective. Why bother with events?

Dominique Callimanopulos - Mar 16, 2005 6:23 pm (#5 Total: 7)
Elevate, Inc.

Because they are part of your brand's biorythm...

I think it's a fair question. And yet, there is a high that comes from joining with others who are value driven in similar ways. There is no replacement for meeting others live, especially if you are participating in an interesting and ingenious evening of some kind or meeting a particularly inspiring leader/celebrity/visionary.

Events that emphasize some kind of select intimacy seem especially popular right now--perhaps a reaction to the mass culture and e-waves we are all participating in.

Events have the opportunity to wreak their own antidotal social alchemy, ie they can provide people with what they need at any given point in time--events are flexible in form and function.

A well thought out fundraising event should NOT feel like a conference or meeting or anything too ordinary! The best events create a forum for sacred space and purpose of some kind, and can be fun and enlivening in the process.

Donor retreats and trips are a good example of popular events that give donors something they are looking for outside of giving money away.

The regular annual event is always a good idea--it becomes part of both donors' and your organization brand's biorythm and can be an important fundraising "signifier". An event of this kind is often seen as a reward to donors.

But let's face it--everything these days is a pretty crowded field...! This has certainly raised the bar for event organizers.

On a purely financial front, let me come back to the idea of piggybacking on another planned event, like a concert that people would go to anyway, where the talent donates a percentage to your cause. This kind of sponsorship is easy and requires very little from an organization (other than securing a committed talent).

Dominique Callimanopulos - Mar 17, 2005 6:55 am (#6 Total: 7)
Elevate, Inc.

An extraordinary event

This is one of the more extraordinary events coming up that I know about.

Kuki Gallmann, the Founder of the Gallmann Africa Conservancy--a 100,000 acres wildlife conservancy in Lakipia Kenya, on the edge of the Great Rift Valley, is bringing some of the world's master artists to perform a symbolic tribute and return to humanity's origins.

She writes:

Major world masters in all fields of creativity will be invited to ‘return' to the place of their origins, to create and perform together with African artists in a fusion and celebration of talents. This will happen throughout the year and will culminate with a yearly Great Rift Valley Festival.

The beneficiaries of any income the project will eventually generate, will be local African communities, African children in need ravaged by wars, poverty and disease, and environmental and cultural schemes which will be identified by the board . At the local community level, the focus will be improving the standards of living, constructing health facilities, providing clean water, better housing, education and training, jobs creation in appropriate, creative and innovative and environmentally and culturally sensitive endeavours, while supporting reforestation and environmental restoration.

By involving from the beginning local Africans to be the protagonists of the event-and the major recipients of its benefits- and to perform with their stunning grace and versatility, in conjunction with sophisticated world masters for a world audience, their potential will bloom and the positive and healing image of Africa will be superimposed to the negative.

For more info, go to www.gallmannkenya.org.

C Kirabo - Mar 20, 2005 4:30 pm (#7 Total: 7)
Webbed Strategist, Life in Africa Foundation

Internet Auctions

Hey Pamela,

FYI I've got a new site concept coming online later this year called Auctions4Africa.com. Life in Africa's "Art4Life" team will be launching it soon. The idea is to auction African products in a global online envionment where part of the proceeds go to a verified local community project chosen by the African producer.

Along with the Auctions4Africa concept, I've been playing around with the concept of "webbed auction events." The idea here would be to play on the global time differences to have offline auction events scheduled simultaneously and connected through the online auction interface. For example, a brunch in California, a dinner in Holland, and a party in Uganda - all with guests invited for the purpose of bidding on art or artisan products to benefit small scale African producers and the community projects they bring with them.

"the positive and healing image of Africa will be superimposed to the negative."

Thanks so much for sharing this, Dominique. This is very much one of Life in Africa's intended outcomes too. Any thoughts on the webbed auction event idea??

I've got a few more event ideas I'll toss out soon. Meanwhile...

Here's a concrete take-away for any African project checking in: we've got a yahoogroup set up for the potential member projects that artists and artisans will be able to direct funds to from sales at any of the Life in Africa Network websites. There is a verification system we need to put into place to be able to do this on an Africa-wide scale. If you would like to be a part of discussing that, with a view toward working with us to build a flexible online revenue stream for your African community project, then please join us in the MicroSuccess Team Discussion.

My best to all -

C

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