Marketing & Communication http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/marketing-communication Marketing & Communication RSS 1.0 feed. daily 1 Marketing & Communication http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/marketing-communication http://www.socialedge.org/logo.png Mobile Networks for Social Entrepreneurs http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/marketing-communication/archive/2010/02/09/success-stories-in-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.
 
mobile challenges solutions deployment
 
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.

 

]]> 2010-02-09T16:40:00-05:00 2010-03-16T06:38:38-04:00 Social Edge Revisiting Social Games http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/marketing-communication/archive/2009/06/18/revisiting-social-games Hosted by Charles "hipbone" Cameron (August 2009) games_300.jpgUsually, 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.

 

]]> 2009-06-18T18:00:00-04:00 2010-02-24T05:45:15-05:00 Social Edge How to pitch your social venture to the media? http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/marketing-communication/archive/2009/02/27/how-to-pitch-your-social-venture-to-the-media Hosted by Ode Magazine's Jurriaan Kamp and Marco Visscher (April 2009) mediapitch_300.pngAsk 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.

]]> 2009-02-27T12:36:07-08:00 2010-02-24T05:56:34-05:00 Social Edge Tools for Web Work http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/marketing-communication/archive/2008/11/17/tools-for-web-work Hosted by Charles Cameron (January 2009) webtools_300.pngWe 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...

]]> 2008-11-17T16:35:40-08:00 2010-02-24T05:45:23-05:00 Social Edge Pumping up your Professional Network http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/marketing-communication/archive/2008/08/19/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. ]]> 2008-08-19T10:54:15-07:00 2010-02-24T05:45:30-05:00 Social Edge Stories of Change http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/marketing-communication/archive/2008/06/26/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. ]]> 2008-06-26T14:20:47-07:00 2010-02-24T05:45:33-05:00 Social Edge To blog or not to blog? http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/marketing-communication/archive/2008/05/27/to-blog-or-not-to-blog-1 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. ]]> 2008-05-27T14:28:28-07:00 2010-02-24T05:45:37-05:00 Social Edge Disaster Recovery and Communications Planning http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/marketing-communication/archive/2008/05/13/disaster-recovery-and-communications-planning Hosted by Jill Finlayson (May 2008) 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. ]]> 2008-05-13T12:03:14-07:00 2010-02-24T05:45:40-05:00 Social Edge disaster recovery China Myanmar How to Drive Traffic to Your Site http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/marketing-communication/archive/2008/04/29/how-to-drive-traffic-to-your-site 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. ]]> 2008-04-29T12:35:41-07:00 2010-02-24T05:57:00-05:00 Social Edge Marketing internet Storytelling and Social Change http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/marketing-communication/archive/2008/03/11/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. ]]> 2008-03-11T12:26:59-08:00 2010-02-24T05:57:08-05:00 Social Edge Tech Solutions on a Shoestring http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/marketing-communication/archive/2008/01/30/tech-solutions-on-a-shoestring 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? ]]> 2008-01-30T15:23:47-08:00 2010-02-24T05:57:11-05:00 Social Edge widgets marketing internet A Grandmother's Tribe - Documentary Film and Campaign http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/marketing-communication/archive/2007/10/17/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. ]]> 2007-10-17T13:21:04-07:00 2010-02-24T05:57:10-05:00 Social Edge Strategic storytelling and social innovation http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/marketing-communication/archive/2007/09/21/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. ]]> 2007-09-21T13:10:55-07:00 2010-02-24T05:46:01-05:00 Social Edge Creativity Pure and Applied http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/marketing-communication/archive/2007/07/25/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. ]]> 2007-07-25T12:51:57-07:00 2010-02-24T05:57:21-05:00 Social Edge Games Worth Playing http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/marketing-communication/archive/2007/04/24/games-worth-playing Hosted by Charles "Hipbone" Cameron (April 2007) 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. ]]> 2007-04-24T12:00:00-07:00 2010-02-24T05:57:27-05:00 Social Edge Marketing