Universal confirmation roots Obama's win in the melding of community organizing and internet-based networking (parlayed into a high-power ground game).
If your organization has poo-pooed social media or simply shied away from it, there's no bigger signal that it's time to step in.
More to come.
P.S. Obama got this simple and heartfelt thank you email out to his network just minutes after his victory was declared. That's immediacy.
My husband Sean, who works down in the Wall Street area, called in yesterday with this hot story: The Rainforest Action Network(RAN) had hoisted a huge "FORECLOSURE" banner, printed on a 150 square foot American flag, over the Wall Street bull. About 50 protesters and an interested crowd had gathered, including several media reps. Sean's photos here.
Frame or be framed, as they say. RAN did a fantastic job in framing their campaigns as attacking the foundation of the current financial crisis. You see, RAN is generally perceived as a typical environmental organization. But for some time now, the org has broadened its focus to include a socially just and ecologically sustainable economy. It's just that most people don't think of RAN that way.
With today's dramatic action, RAN linked its Global Finance and Sustainable Economies campaigns to a broader concept of sustainability. In connecting its work with the financial debacle as follows, RAN grabbed headlines and boosted awareness of its focus, work and impact:
It is critical that we look beyond the bailout to the underlying cracks this crisis has exposed in our financial system. We have an unprecedented opportunity to rebuild our economy and establish a financial system that operates within ecological limits. It’s time for Americans to demand structural solutions that put families before financiers and the planet before profits.
Linking your org's work and impact with page one news works time and again to boost media coverage. Make that connection clear to your media contacts who cover those issues/stories. It'll increase awareness and engagement among your entire base while charging up your staff like the Wall Street bull.
P.S. Learn how to craft a compelling story for your org in 8 words or less. Download the free Nonprofit Tagline Report for must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 1,000+ nonprofit tagline examples!
Urging millions around the world to "play the game" and "deliver nets," the UN Foundation's Nothing But Nets(NBN) campaign just launched an intriguing interactive game to build understanding (in an incredibly fun way) of how insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria get to users in Africa.
''Deliver the Net'' teaches users about bed net distribution and challenges individuals to deliver as many virtual nets as possible before the sun goes down and malaria-carrying mosquitoes come out to bite. Players are urged to "race the sun and hand out as many insecticide-treated bed nets as you can to African families. The more nets you deliver—before the mosquitoes come out—the more lives you save. Once you’re done playing the game, sign up for news about the campaign and a life-saving bed net will be sent on your behalf!"
This is one of the most ingenious nonprofit marketing campaigns I've seen, ever. Here's why:
Just a few days post-launch, 2,673 players to date have generated a gift of a net to Africans, and
understand how nets can combat malaria -- all while having fun. Fun while learning; nothing's better than that.
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I never thought much about the potential political power of the nonprofit sector -- stemming from its influence and economic contribution, thinking more along issue lines. But now, with the launch of the V3 Campaign, Robert Egger (President of the D.C. Central Kitchen) clarifies the power of the nonprofit sector's "Voice, Value and Votes."
Many of Egger's factoids are startling in their quantification of nonprofit impact:
What's incredible is Egger's mobilization of nonprofit staffers to use their power (and their votes) to vet candidates at all governmental levels. All I can say is, why haven't we used our voice before? Now that we know how strong it is, let's shout it out.
Thanks to Katya Andresen for the tip.
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Over the past few years, text messaging has become a core organizing tool for advocacy orgs, even more so in Europe than it is here (yet). So it's not surprising that NARAL Pro-Choice America put texting to work to motivate citizen advocates to contact their representatives on to protect choice.
What is astonishing is that (and how) Verizon Wireless rejected NARAL's application for the short code required for texting:
VZW will not accept programs that are issue-oriented from lobbyist [sic], PACs, or any organization that seeks to promote an agenda or distribute content that...may be seen as controversial or unsavory to any of our users.
Seems that because NARAL makes Verizon Wireless cringe, users of the service can't get the text messages they have subscribed to. And, since texting is not legally protected by telecom legislation, Verizon Wireless censors because it can.
Happy ending though, and a great example of how a nonprofit that's on the ball can turn a crisis to its advantage. NARAL (a Verizon Wireless customer) worked this story big time:
Result? By 11:25 this morning, when I combed the Times online for the censorship story, I found that at 10:30 Verizon had reversed its decision. Win-win-win for NARAL now able to text, better known than ever before and even perhaps piquing the interest of civil liberties supporters not previously involved in pro choice activism.
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I asked fellow bloggers to weigh in on best practices in nonprofit use of online video (the faintest outlines are just appearing as it's a whole new world) for this week's Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants. Here's my take, which I'll introduce by sharing a Greenpeace video that had a huge impact on me and explaining why it works:
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These two case studies are compelling examples of effective use of a host of new communications tools, most of which fall under the 'social networking' umbrella. Because these are new tools, and most of us don't have a lot of time or money to experiment in depth, case studies are more important than ever. Look for more to come in the course of the next few months.
Read the complete case studies here.
DeadElephant.ORG – Fall 2006
The Genocide Intervention Network – Ongoing
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Update--11/9/06
Frogloop, a blog published by the online progressive community Care2, reported recently on an amazing primary victory by Peter Franchot, a candidate for Maryland Comptroller. It was amazing because the victory was generated primarily (claims Frogloop's Justin Perkins) via volunteers recruited and motivated by the power of social networking -- MySpace and Facebook to be specific.
As the election nears, and I hear and read constant coverage of the bitter, hard-punching battles between incumbents and their challenges, I've been thinking a lot about how social networking can be put to work for campaigners. This recent MD victory, reported first in a great article by Chicago Tribune reporter Mike Dorning on social networking's role in the 2006 elections, is just one of many influenced by social networking. NOTE: I'll dive into Dorning's article for more social networking being put to use in these midterm elections in another post.
What's particularly interesting about the MD campaign is the warp speed -- only four weeks -- with which 23-year-old organizer Jacob Colker recruited 80% of the entire volunteer base (by searching for college students in the region whose profiles indicated a poli sci major and liberal perspective). and put them to work making 15,000 phone calls and dropping the 50,000 pieces of campaign literature. Pretty incredible, very inexpensive, very easy and very likely to have implications for your nonprofit.
Colker credits the success of his online organizing skills to his experience promoting his band, Medici. Strangely enough, even prior to this win, the folks at Care2 had produced Think Like a Rock Band: How to Use Social Networking Sites for Political Campaigns which guides nonprofits and campaign staffs alike to use the Web and social networking sites to engage and motivates audiences.
Remember -- If your target audiences include those under 35 (and that ceiling is likely to change), your nonprofit can't afford to ignore this increasingly important channel. Take a look at the free first chapter for a useful checklist of prerequisites to effective messaging in an online social network.
Social networkers, take your mark. The elections, and your issue areas, are up for grabs.
Note to readers: Care2 and Getting Attention are both members of the Nonprofit Blog Exchange.
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Here’s the latest Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants – on the theme of nonprofit marketing this week. I tell you, I’m more impressed than ever by the great bloggers out there focused on the nonprofit sectors. So, read away, and don't forget to comment, and to participate in next week's Carnival.
Always funny (as in haha, not weird) Joe Waters at Selfish Giving jumps off from the somewhat-successes of the Verb campaign, guiding nonprofits on how to be Merchants of Cool. Hats off to Joe for nudging us nonprofit types to put ourselves out there a little more boldly.
Beth Kanter at Beth’s Blog offers an incredibly practical post on Using Flickr as a Visual Resource for Presentations. Beth makes introduces some very specific ways to increase audience engagement in presentations, and outlines the value of Flickr images as a no-cost, high-engagement presentation component. Thanks, Beth. Love the how-to stuff.
Pithy, punchy Jeff Brooks at Donor Power Blog cautions against The White Man’s New Burden, reporting on a recent change in the way international relief organizations like the International Red Cross are limiting images to those that convey the “dignity” of the subject. Jeff contends that when the needs disappears (as it does in these more dignified photos), so do the level of engagement and giving. I'm with you, Jeff.
Kivi Miller at Writing911 discusses Activities v. Accomplishments in Annual Reports. Kivi’s on-target recommendation to focus on what your nonprofit has achieved, rather than the work its done, is particularly relevant as we plunge into annual report season.
Marc Sirkin, VP of eMarketing at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) and blogger extraordinaire at npMarketing Blog shares a useful Case Study in Online Event Fundraising. Make that events, as the campaign was put into place at the national and chapter/local level. In his post, Marc details the strategies – most centrally, a wiki -- LLS used to ensure that chapters shared experiences, materials and successes. And no, Marc isn’t a consultant, but he’s an insightful, innovative communicator in our field who shares some very useful recommendations and perspectives. Just coloring outside the lines a bit.
Celeste Wroblewski of Studio 501c pitches her concept that a blog can be like a business lunch. There’s nothing I relate to more than food metaphors, Celeste. Ideal for a nonprofit CEO blog, but applicable in other situations as well, Celeste’s approach is a great way for nonprofits to start blogging. What’s next, the all-you-can-eat-buffet blog?
Betsy Harman of betsy's blog advises nonprofit organization on Reaching Donors Under 40. Especially important is Betsy’s point about executing multiple marketing strategies to different target audiences to ensure you engage each one (or, to put it conversely, to make sure you don't alienate anyone). That’s a particularly vital technique when segmenting donors and prospects by age.
And last, and maybe least, Nancy Schwartz, of GettingAttention, shares the story of How a Small Nonprofit Shaped a Clear, Memorable Brand – Five Steps to Low-Budget Branding for Big Results.
Next week's Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants hones in on Young Professionals in Philanthropy. Don't forget to submit your post, and to read all on Monday, October 2nd.
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Believe me, I'm used to frequent advocacy requests from the nonprofit organizations I support via participation and/or contributions. But yesterday's email from Continental, asking me to email the U.S. Department of Transportation to request approval for Continental's Shanghai flight proposal, was the first request from a corporate entity.
Don't get me wrong. I was actually sort of tickled pink that Continental had strategized so effectively, asking those who had flown their Beijing routes to campaign for route extension in China. Our trip to China two years ago was life-changing -- we picked up and adopted our wonderful daughter, Charlotte. So maybe that strong emotional connection makes me a little different from the folks flying to China for business on a regular basis.
Nonetheless, I do want more convenient flight access to other areas of China, and I did as Continental asked. I guess they've made me a loyal Continental flyer to China, whether I realized it or not.
But I do wonder what corporate advocacy (frequently requested to shareholders) means for issue advocacy? If I was the Asia management at Continental, I'd do the exact same thing. What happens though, in my email box this morning, was that I choose to advocate on this request. If I had ten requests for advocacy in my email box this morning (as I sometimes do), I'd be likely to pass over one of the issue advocacy campaigns.
What this suggests is that we, as nonprofit communicators, need to get more strategic about when, and on what, we launch email advocacy campaigns. Probably a good idea to profile registered advocates on specific issue interests, and focus advocacy emails around those selects, just to reduce your emails to those most likely to generate a response. Any other ideas?
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