I’ve been drawn into several conversations recently where the theme was something like: “our results are down” or “the economy is finally hurting us” or “we just have to settle for this new reality.” (The “new reality” was some measure of poor results — cultivation or acquisition or whatever.)

Turns out there’s often a systemic issue to work on once we talk more.

But it occurs to me that one of the underlying issues behind these conversations is how significantly the world has changed (I know, that’s a “duh,” but stick with me).

In the good ole days, competition for attention wasn’t so stiff.

In the good ole days, the number of channels for messaging wasn’t so daunting.

In the good ole days, your donors weren’t bombarded with the tens of thousands messages per day (or per hour).

In the good ole days, your donors weren’t seeing or hearing from so many different, new, eager, exciting, efficient (and cool) small organizations occupying niches near you. Or bigger organizations who’ve turned up the volume and are everywhere.

Well you get the idea. Maybe you’ve been in these conversations or had them with yourself.

And “the good ole days” I’m talking about really could be as little as a few months ago. The rapid rate of change these days will take your breath away.

What worked before, doesn’t work as well now . . . or doesn’t work the same way.

I believe we have to acknowledge that what worked in the “good ole days” isn’t working today because today average isn’t average. And sadly, there’s been a lot of average work . . . that now fails.

Average strategies that used to deliver average results now deliver sub-par results.

Average creative used to deliver average results now fails.

Average performance by team members produces nothing.

Average isn’t average any more. The only thing that will stand out in this world of ours is the very best.

Because of how crazy the world is now, average will fail.

“Pretty good” will fail.

Mechanistic strategies will fail.

What used to work . . . will fail.

What works?

Here’s what I think, see if you agree.

• Relationships. Real relationships, not pretend relationships, are noticed. Relationship will cut through clutter and competition. No amount of frequency or intensity will replace relationships. In fact, I believe “it’s all about relationships”® (Yep, we believe it so much that we trademarked the phrase for our niche.)
• Uniqueness. Your donors are unique. You’re unique. This time is unique. What worked for another organization may or may not work for you. What worked last year may or may not work today. This is why canned doesn’t produce the way it used to. This is why dusting off last year’s creative may not be a good plan.
• Authenticity. Being real will get you noticed. Stop the corporate-speak. Talk to your donors like they are people and like you are a person (just try it). Real will get noticed.
• Analytics. Strategy in a vacuum is just someone’s good idea. Don’t settle for that. Track, analyze, report, test . . . rinse and repeat. There is no substitute.

That’s what I’m thinking. Too obvious? Too simplistic? I love knowing what you think.

Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity

(photo credit: USDAgov)

We just finished up speaking at the Christian Leadership Alliance conference (CLA) last week.  Our class on Social Media ROI was filled with lively discussions and interactive examples.

One of the major conclusions that struck me from our class was how differently organizations incorporate social media into their development and marketing departments.

If you are like most organizations I talk with, you fall into one of two camps:

A: Social Media is one more task to balance on an employee’s already overflowing plate.

OR

B: You have recently hired a social media person or intern and are still trying to figure out the best way to make this person’s time effective.

Either way, discovering ways to make best use of your time spent on social media is worth having a conversation about.

Below are 5 strategies to help you do just that!

1)   Know your roles in social media.  There is nothing wrong with having one person taking care of the day-to-day interactions and tasks related to social media as long as that person is equipped and supported by others at the organization.

•  All e-communication (blog, website, email) needs to be in weekly communication with the social media person to allow all e-methods to support each other.
•  Case mangers, field workers, and key volunteers need to have an easy open channel to be able to provide ‘day in the life of’ content for use on social sites.
• Marketing manager, development director, and even senior management need to be aware and involved in listening to what your donors are saying through social channels.  They also need to be part of the big picture strategy conversations on the best to make use of social tools to cultivate donors and acquire new ones.

2)   Commit to a monthly meeting to review results and create a plan for the following month. This monthly check-in, which we affectionately call the ‘Dipstick’ here at Oneicity, is pertinent to learning and staying on track with your social media goals.

Use this time monthly meeting to review:

• Analytics from your website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
• Online donation giving trends and amounts
• What has been said about your org through social channels
• What copy and photos gave you the best results
• Your strategic plan for the following month?

3)   Use scheduling tools to ease some of the day-to-day time spent.   I have found scheduling apps to be one of the greatest time-saving tools.  These can be used to fill in content while still allowing you to spontaneously post throughout the week as a need arises or a great success story lands at your desk. (Note: write a comment below if you want a recommendation on a great scheduling tool to use!)

4)   Create a daily checklist. Even being in the social media world, I am the first to admit that it can suck you in and consume way more time that you had planned.  Create a daily checklist to keep you on track with your objectives.

5)   Ask: what is the social media component of this? Pull social into all conversations during planning times and creative meetings.  Planning an event? Great! How are you going to integrate Twitter?  Have a newsletter going in the mail next week?  Know how you are going to use that content to share it on Facebook? By making social part of the initial planning conversations you save time in the long run.

And we can all use more time!

What do you think?  Do you agree with these 5? Are there other time-saving strategies you have put in place at your organization or company that have been working?  Love to hear from you about them.

Lindsey Lind
Social Media Director, Oneicity

(photo credit: images_money)

5 signs that your fundraising might be in trouble (it was hard to do only 5):

1. You mail all your donors in every impact. Direct mail is highly efficient and can have astounding ROIs but only if you “get” the concept of targeting by giving patterns, gift sizes and seasonality.

2. You aren’t connecting your online giving with your offline strategies. If you’re not connecting email, websites and direct mail you’re missing out on income (plus it’s really easier than you think).

3. You don’t make it really, really easy for your donors to give online. Please don’t make me register to give a gift. Please . . . new donors probably aren’t going to go to the effort (and many current donors probably won’t either). And put your URL near every call to action and remind the reader that they can give securely and easily online to “help more quickly.”

4. Your donor acquisition strategies look different than your cultivation strategies. Acquire donors the way you’re going to cultivate them. Donors won’t respond well to bait-and-switch on offers, topics or design.

5. You’re not wrestling with ROI. If you’re not wondering how to fairly and accurately assign responses and ROIs, then you’re probably not integrating enough. You really ought to be having conversations about how phone campaigns fit with direct mail and Facebook. You really ought to be debating how donors acquired online compare with donors acquired through FSIs (free-standing inserts usually in newspapers). If you’re not, you’re probably not integrating strongly enough.

Those are my top 5. What about you? If you don’t do fundraising, and many of you are on the marketing side of things, how would you adjust these for marketing? What did I miss? Love to know what you think.

Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity

(photo credit: Kyle May)

The viral, connected nature of this world can be good to you and at other times it can kill you. 3 events in the media/online-world stacked up at the end of last week that have me thinking.

First, Jason Russell of Invisible Children had an unfortunate media meltdown. He was arrested in San Diego. It’s not easy to know what was going on, but the headlines have been brutal.

Second, Mike Daisey whose one-man show’s indictment of Apple’s manufacturing practices in China has ridden a rocket of acclaim. Turns out his hugely popular act contains significant fabrications (actually just making stuff up). He appeared on the NPR radio show two months ago, This American Life, and subsequent fact checking revealed the fiction. Unfortunately, the situation came to light only after This American Life’s episode on him aired (and was the episode with the most downloads in their history, naturally). This American Life’s show this week deals with the problem.

Finally, on American Idol (yes, a guilty pleasure at our house—I watch mostly to see Steven Tyler’s wardrobe and to try to parse out his best quotes) a contestant, Jermaine Jones, didn’t disclose outstanding arrest warrants to the producers. And, in true reality TV fashion, they confronted him with cameras rolling and aired the confession and his subsequent removal from the show.

As I write, Russell hasn’t made a public statement.

Daisey said that his fabrications didn’t change the facts . . . he said that his stage show was different from journalism and that is regret is letting This American Life air it as if it was journalism.

And poor Jones, on camera, managed to say something like: “I was hoping it would go away.” (Who hasn’t hoped that, huh?).

A few thoughts are rattling around in my brain about this . . .

I’m astounded by the people who rejoice, revel and have fun with these kind of sad moments. It diminishes us all. And for those of us who are Jesus-people, it is painful when members of our tribe join in the “fun.” I love what Eugene Cho has to say.

Secondly, Daisey and Russell are men whose lives are connected with their messaging . . . Daisey apparently says that his fabrications don’t change the facts — horrible conditions are present at factories in China — he just didn’t have the encounters he claimed to have. Russell’s troubles this week aren’t directly connected to Invisible People’s message . . . but it taints Invisible People’s cause — no way to avoid it.
Here’s what we can’t avoid: individuals are the message (I say that at risk of Marshall McLuhan rolling over in his grave). Daisey cannot dodge the bullet by claiming his act is theater and therefore his fiction doesn’t change the stituation. His show will suffer, plus he harmed This American Life, although Ira Glass will not only repair the damage, he’ll make it work to his advantage.

The stickiest, most memorable messages are connected to people. Either about specific, real people representing an issue or delivered by passionate people.

Russell brought a relatively unknown issue to the world’s attention — whatever you think about him, you were thinking about it. Agree or disagree . . . you thought and discussed the issue. 4 weeks ago I suspect it wasn’t even on your radar.

Daisey did the same. He had us Apple-guys cringing and hoping that they’d right that wrong. It was hard to enjoy great Apple technology and design if they were damaging people in the manufacturing. That wouldn’t have happened without Daisey’s act.

Of course, I’m not defending any of these guys. It appears they all have really blown it. Daisey’s fault was premeditated and probably born out of his passion, I’ll give him the over-zealous card. Russell may have had something medical happen or the pressure got to him . . . who knows? And Jones was afraid if people found out about his past, he wouldn’t be able to live his dream.

I’m always going to have sympathy for the rogues, trouble makers and broken people . . . that’s who I am.

Bottom-line? People are their message. You are your message. And what happens to you in your life, happens to your message. And as Jones, the ex-American Idol contestant learned, it won’t go away. That’s the way the world is.

So what do you think? Are we are our message? Does Daisey’s fabrications alter the impact of his message? Has Russell’s problem hurt Invisible People? Let’s hear it.

Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity

(photo credit: griffithchris)

It’s been educational to watch reactions to Invisible Children’s viral video campaign, Kony2012. I’m sure that unless you’re just back from a 3-week dog-sledding expedition across Antarctica, you’re up-to-speed on the Kony2012 video.

But just to be sure, here’s a link to the video that started it all. (As I write, the video has 78,176,891 views on YouTube — the views are going up as I’m writing so I’m not even going to try for accurate — just round down to 78 million; and between the time I wrote and posted this blog, the video appears to have been blocked on YouTube due to some question about copyright infringement).

The timeline goes something like this: video released!

Tons and tons of views, press, attention, kudos, Facebook “shares” . . . and then the inevitable backlash. Followed by backlash against the backlash . . . more backlash and the inevitable “fun-poking” backlashing.

Invisible Children responded to critics, fairly well it seems to me (without making judgments on their work).

Critics complained, explained and reasoned.

The video was shown in Uganda, of all places, where apparently it was not a big hit.

And on it goes.

I’d prefer not to debate the validity of the Kony2012 video or the validity of Invisible People’s work or their promotional efforts or the way they allocate their organization’s expenses.

What I do find interesting for the Oneicity tribe is how the more widely the video was seen — the broader the reach — the greater the critique.

I really don’t know much about the issue (still) but I strongly suspect that it’s complex and multi-faceted. The lesson for us is that if you want a viral campaign, something that’s going to reach beyond your newsletter and the typical fundraising/marketing effort, be prepared (and prepare your boss) for a little backlash.

No matter what you do, if you gather attention and get people talking about your cause, they may not say EXACTLY what you want. If you want to control the message, stick to direct mail. Direct mail is infinitely controllable, measurable and safe (we do a lot of direct mail, we know that strategy well).

But if you’re going to swing for the fence and try to get some strangers talking about you, you will not be able to control everything they say. That’s not a bad thing. It’s only a problem if you’re surprised by it.

Here’s a non-Kony example of what I’m talking about. At SXSW, the techno/music/hipster/social media conference in Austin,
human hotspots were featured (these are homeless people who functioned as 4g hotspots (I think they were 4g, maybe 3g, that’s not the point).

No surprise, human or homeless hotspots gathered mixed reactions. Some thought it was great — it brought awareness to an issue. Others thought it was dehumanizing and soul-less.

My point? Homelessness is a complex issue. I know more about this one and I’ll say, it’s not easy, and there are a variety of opinions on causes and solutions.

So, the greater the reach the more the conversation . . . and the more the criticism. Here’s your quotable line: the greater the reach, the hotter the heat.

As you think about taking the conversation about your ministry outside the walls of your newsletter, understand that everyone won’t love you. In fact, some are going to be sure you’re really going about things in the wrong way.

And the only way to avoid that criticism is to just stay in your little box and not make waves. Me? I’m OK making waves. Besides, I really think you can stand a little critique and a little heat. You’re doing good work. But don’t be surprised. In fact, be excited. As one of my buddies in Texas used to say, “Dogs only bark at moving cars.”

What do you think? Did you follow the Kony2012 campaign? What about homeless hotspots? What do you think about that? And finally, what do you think about my thinking that the greater the reach the greater the heat? You know I love to know what you think.

Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity

(photo credit: jurvetson)

I stopped reading “leadership” books last year because I realized that I didn’t need to learn anything new. I needed to actually do more of what I’d already learned. I’ll go back to books on leadership eventually, but for now I’m enjoying the freedom not to read more on leadership.

Understand, it’s not that I think I know a lot about leadership or that I’m a good leader, it’s that I need to practice more of what I’ve read and spend less time reading about it. The funny thing about leadership and management type books is that you can fool yourself into thinking that reading the book is the same thing as actually doing the work.

Anyway, with that context, I thought I’d ask you about fundraising and development (and marketing). I’d observe that many fundraising professionals know more about fundraising and development than they’re actually doing. Yet, they’re all about learning new things.

Seminars are great fun. Presentations are a joy. It’s a rush to learn new techniques and strategies. I love presenting and teaching on strategic fundraising. Shoot, give me an audience, a whiteboard and a screen and I’ll wow ‘em and make you proud. Plus, I’ll deliver top-notch, cutting edge, actionable strategies.

Yet.

Over and over I see organizations and leaders who aren’t doing what they already know to do. They’re not thanking and acknowledging their donors quickly. They’re not connecting their donors with the heart of their ministry’s mission. They’re not fixing that cranky donation form. They’re not . . . (well you get the idea).

So, like I decided to take a hiatus from leadership books, maybe you oughta consider taking a break from learning about fundraising and spend more time doing great fundraising. (Of course you can still read our blog).

So this is one of the crazier topics I’ve covered (which is saying something for sure). What do you think? Have you ever found yourself “learning” about something instead of doing it? Do you find yourself loving the learning but struggling with the doing? I’d love to know what you think.

Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity

(photo credit: ralph and jenny)

One of Oneicity’s distinctives is our focus on delivering customized net income solutions backed by strategic, actionable analytics. We’re blessed to serve wonderful organizations and have the opportunity to provide a range of services from direct mail to full-on integrated campaigns.

A part of our work that continues to grow like crazy is helping clients sort out Social Media — you know that whole “What do we do with FaceBook?” question.

It’s not unusual for leaders to end up polarized at of one of two positions:
“Social Media will solve all our problems and raise gobs of money.”

Or

“Social Media is for narcissists and 14 year-old girls, it’s worse than useless for our organization, it’s a waste of time.”

It doesn’t help that there are social media “experts” out there championing strategies where they claim just because something works in the for-profit sector that makes them valid for nonprofits.

We’ve been thinking a lot about the return on investment for social media. In fact, we’ve had a pretty spirited debate internally at Oneicity around social media ROI and if it’s even possible or fair to calculate an ROI on social media . . . And if you do calculate ROI, based on what? And what metrics? . . . well you get the idea.

Maybe you’ve wandered down this path as well.

Our thinking and our work for clients led to an interesting turn of events, we’re speaking at the Christian Leadership Alliance’s Annual conference in April on: “Improve Your Ministry’s Social Media ROI.” (I know, I know, you thought CLA was smarter than to let the Oneicity troublemakers loose, but in a moment of weakness . . . they invited us). Plus Hoots and I have shanghaied Lindsey Lind, Oneicity’s Social Media Director, into joining us in the free-for-all.

Here’s how you’re involved:

First, even though we’re nearly finished with the presentation I’d like to be sure we’re answering as many questions that NPO leaders have about a Social Media ROI as possible.

Would you share with me what you’ve been wishing you knew about social media and ROI? What do wonder about? What do you wish you knew about the best thinking in Social Media ROI? What would help you make good Social Media decisions? And generally, what would you love to hear us answer?

Second, you could come to Orlando and see our little circus for firsthand. CLA puts on an amazing conference and it always delivers top-flight speakers and content. Here’s the brochure link and more info. You won’t be sorry.

So help us out. What do you think about an ROI for Social Media? How do you think about it? And wanna meet up in Orlando? Either in person or digitally, I love the conversation with you.

Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity

(photo credit: hoyasmeg)

I saw this poster recently. Notice the tagline down at the bottom . . . “emotions make you move.” (It’s for a casino of all things).

It got me to thinking about how often ministries and nonprofits forget that truth: emotions move people.

Don’t be afraid of making emotional appeals to donors. In fact, your messages to donors should be chockfull of emotion.

Go for the throat.
Pedal to the emotional-metal.
Wide-open emotional impact.
Turn the emotion volume up to 11 (a little Spinal Tap reference for you).

“Whoa, whoa, WHOA!” you’re saying. “Wait a minute. We don’t want to manipulate or coerce our donors or make them feel guilty. We just want to tell them our need and let them make a thoughtful decision.”

The argument continues, “If we just tell them the facts, they’ll make a thoughtful, prayerful decision.”

Yep. I’ve heard that. I’ve had clients tell me that. The truth is, that’s wrong. Sorry.

If you only tell potential donors the facts, the vast majority will remain potential donors not actual donors. I’d even say that if you want your current donors to stay current, the rule applies.

Facts alone won’t motivate donors. It takes emotion to break through the clutter. You must have a rallying cry of a great need! You have to excite people to join your cause. You need a lump in their throats to motivate them to action.
Trust me on this one: facts alone won’t do it.

Some will tell you that Major Donors are fact driven. Nope. Major Donors are just like your other donors. They must have an emotional connection and motivation, too. (The Major Donor component of this will require another blog post but for now: if you disagree, why do so many buildings have donor names on them? Is that fact-based? Don’t think so. But that’s another blog post).

Give a full blast of emotion. Want a good rule of thumb of when you have enough emotion in a message? If you’re not nervous about having too much emotion in the message you don’t have enough.

What kind of emotional themes should you craft?

Never do guilt. Ever. Don’t guilt your donors about budgets or programs. That’s worse than ignoring emotion. Just forget about guilt.

So how do you do it?

Paint the picture of how they will change a life.

Demonstrate how they can change hopelessness into hope.

Show how they can destroy the power of evil in a child’s life.

Help them feel the despair of poverty and joy of helping someone become self-sufficient.

Plant the seeds of outrage over sex trafficking and child slavery.

Fill their minds with thoughts of indignation over injustices done to the innocent.

Help them feel the devastation of hopelessness…

Rally them to join you in an adventure (hopefully there are fearsome giants and terrible forces to overcome).

Use facts and stats to support your message but aim for the heart.

Remember, you don’t want your potential donors to be all blasé and only think “ummm, that’s interesting.”
You want them to feel outrage over a wrong.
You want them to feel joy for rescuing a child.
You want them to feel tears on their cheeks.
You want them to feel satisfaction swell in their chests for helping.
You want them to feel a lump in their throats as they decide that they have to help . . . have to volunteer . . . have to become a champion.

If your cause is just . . .
If your mission is true . . .
If your dream is lofty . . .
If you’re changing the world . . .
If you’re asking donors to join in a mighty cause . . .
Go ahead. Grab ‘em by the throat. That’s not manipulation, that’s telling them the truth.

So what do you think? Is your mission worth getting worked up about? Are you comfortable with injecting some good ol’ emotion into your messaging? I’d love to hear what you think.

Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity

(photo credit: Steve Thomas)

Graphic designers rejoice! Facebook timeline for pages has been officially announced as a reality.

What’s the deal? On March 30th all Facebook pages will be required converted to the new format. Don’t wait ’til the last minute…start considering how the changes will affect your page.

So what’s the big change? In one word…visual! The new timeline design allows for large visual areas that you are able to customize and design.

-The new cover photo (at 815 pixels wide by 315 pixels high) plus the profile image (200X200) gives you A TON of visual space to promote your organization and raise awareness for your cause.

This is where the graphic designer comes into play…to make best use of this space, consider spending a few dollars to get the design right the first time! Your timeline will be the headquarters of all your Facebook activity.

This is the first place Facebook users see before they choose to become a fan.

Also if you’re running Facebook Ads (if you’re not you should be) to acquire new fans and donors, the cover photo and profile image might be the first introduction they have to your organization…EVER.

There’s more?

Yes! This update is significant! It includes more changes than just the visual aspects. Thus more blog posts will be coming as we look at all the changes to Facebook pages and strategies to help you make the most out of these new features.

Lindsey Lind
Social Media Director, Oneicity

The one missing ingredient in most fundraising messaging is the bad news. Hopefully, when you communicate with your donors (and prospective donors) you help them understand the problem your ministry solves. I’m sure you tell them how you go about dealing with the problem. Maybe you even tell them how they will be different and better by joining in your cause…

But…do you tell them what happens if your work doesn’t go on?

Of course, it’s not about budget or guilt. It’s about helping people who love you understand the consequences of their inaction.

Go ahead, help us understand the downside of ignoring your appeal. The hard part is to resist heaping on the guilt or making about your budget.

Give us the consequences, it’ll help us make a good decision.

What do you think about giving the bad news to donors? Does it feel like manipulation or guilt? I’d love to know what you think about it.

Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity

(photo credit: laszlo-photo)

Recently, Seth Godin had one of his usual “poke in the eye” blog posts. I love how he does such a wonderful job of cutting through clutter. The Thomas bottomline out of the post is that many professionals don’t check back to see how things worked out. I have to confess that’s something that bugs me, as well.

Lots of people who do work for NPOs and ministries seem to have the luxury of giving advice or providing services and don’t have to deal with how things worked out.

One of the reasons we love the work we do is that we’re constantly examining, evaluating results. Even our digital/estuff has a direct response loop (I’m always about ROI). “How’d it work out” is also one of the reasons that we offer money-back guarantees on many of our consulting gigs.

So that’s what I think about “how’d it work out.”

Well…one more thing…if you’re on the nonprofit/ministry side of things, do you ever ask donors your version of “how’d it work out?” Wouldn’t that be an interesting conversation?

How was the receipting?… Did you feel appreciated?… Are you thrilled with how your donation was spent?

If you’re not asking those questions you’re missing out.

So, are you asking “how’d it work out?” What are you hearing? And if not, why not? I’d love to hear why you think it can be difficult to ask, “how’d it work out?”

Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity

(photo credit: helgabj)

The juggernaut Blackbaud recently released their report on online giving in 2011.

Surprisingly they do a good job of not selling too much and definitely making some actionable points.

Overall, online giving grew 13% over the previous year. I’ll let you spend some time on the report. It’s worth a quick read followed by a long examination of your situation.

Some interesting points from the report:

Growth by sector (page 3):

Education grew 26.3%

Higher Education grew 21%

Arts grew 13.1%

Human Services Grew 12.5%

Growth by org size (page 2):

Small (less than $1M) grew 12.8%

Medium ($1M -$10M) grew 13.1%

Large ($10M+) grew 8.6%

And in a helpful section they report what percent each sized organization’s income was from online giving (page 7):

Small (less than $1M) 8.7%

Medium ($1M -$10M) 6.0%

Large ($10M+) grew 6.1%

So…where do you stand? Blackbaud has a nifty worksheet beginning on page 9 so you can step through where your organization stacks up.

I guess it is possible that Blackbaud could have a motive for this kind of report (OK, I can’t even write that with a straight face). But you don’t have to buy their stuff to get a good takeaway from this report.

The best thing this report could do for you is validate what your gut has been telling you.

Use this to either confirm that you are on the right track with that redesign. Use this to confirm that you really, really, really should be concentrating on fixing that donation page. Use this to confirm that a redesign (a strategic redesign, not a “pretty” redesign) is worth it.

And you can always do a quick “Aunt Ruby” and get some directions to go.

What do you think about this report? How’s your online giving? What are the barriers that keep you from growing? I love the conversation!

Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity

(photo credit: k.landerholm)

Last week Hoots took me to a Roger Daltrey concert.

I didn’t really know much about what to expect except that Daltrey was connected to The Who and I knew two songs from Tommy. Until she showed me the tickets, I had been pretty sure Daltrey was dead.

Dead he isn’t.

It was a great night of watching an old rocker (he’s really an old guy) give it everything he had. And he had a lot. He sang for 2 plus hours without a break. He was spectacular.

It was a great show, but what I enjoyed most was watching the crowd.

The audience was mostly 40- and 50-somethings (and a few of their kids). There was none of the “put your iPhone away” nonsense. So phones were up and videos were rolling. The vibe was everything you could have asked for.

Across the aisle and down one row were 5 or 6 guys—all late 40’s to mid 50’s. They were having a great time. Shooting photos of the stage. Shooting videos of Daltrey, the crowd and generally celebrating. They were totally in the moment.
I don’t think it was the first concert they’d come to together.

I could imagine them with more hair and less belly jamming to The Who 20 years ago.

The guy on the end, right on the aisle, caught my attention. He was having a BIG TIME. Constant swaying. Constant clapping. Constant fist-pumping.

I enjoyed Roger’s work that night, but what I loved most was what a good time Fist-Pump Guy was having. So I shot a video of him at work. You can see it below, too.

Notice how his arm gets tired and he switches arms so he can keep cheering Roger on. You can see Roger on stage swinging the microphone while Fist-Pump Guy works with him. It was like that all night…fist pumping, swaying…shooting videos…clapping….more fist pumping.

Here’s my takeaway for you.

Who are you “Fist-Pumping” for?

Who are you cheering on?

Who do you know who’s giving it everything they have?

Who do you know who’s shipping every day and creating good stuff?

Who do you know that’s giving their all…and needs to know you’re cheering them on?

Whoever that is…tell ‘em. Right now.

Send ‘em the video or send them this blog and say: “I’m in your crowd and I’m cheering so hard for you that I have to keep switching arms!”

Everyone needs a “Fist-Pump Guy” in their audience. It’s hard work to do great work. It gets tiring. It’s easy to lose focus on why you’re doing what you’re doing. It’s easy to think moving emails or massaging budgets are all you’re doing.
But I know the Tribe that hangs around here. You’re changing the world.

You gotta know I’m cheering you on. Fist-pumping, yelling and hooting. I’m clapping like crazy. Whew…my arms are tired.

I love hearing what you think about encouraging those we admire and what you think about my Fist Pump Guy. I love knowing what you think.

Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity

(photo credit: Shayne Kaye)

Your big fundraising event is over. Whew.

You’ve done a great job with everything…including a dash of social media to keep things interesting.

Now what?

Of course, lots and lots of gift acknowledgments…anything else?

How about a nifty follow up email with photos, a video and more good stuff to connect your donors with your organization?

Hoots and I attended a gala and auction for one of our favorite charities a few weeks ago. It was a great night and we had a ball. (I was out-bid for a auction item I really wanted, but it was fun running up the price for a good cause).

A couple of days after the event an email popped into our personal email box. It was a thank you and a wrap up from the event.

Here’s the top half of the email.

Notice that the email assumes our support (completely true) and doesn’t assume that we attended. My guess is they sent this to the entire invitation list. I might have missed out on the event or I might not been paying attention during the whole event (I do have a tendency to get involved in side conversations). But now I have the chance to know what happened.

Here’s the bottom half of the email.

Here’s where it gets interesting.

They recap sponsors, table sponsors and all of their primary supporters of the event. That’s a nice additional “thank you” to all of those important donors.

Then they restate the reason their work is important (you have to keep reminding us why you do what you do).

Then they toss in photos! Here’s the live link to their Flickr site.

I flipped through and sure enough there are we are in a couple of photos. Plus I saw lots of people I knew. Just flipping through the photos took me back to the event in my memory. Excellent. A huge bump in stickiness.

Oh, and the subject line on the email? “Thank You & Photos from the Heritage Home Auction and Gala!”
Nice.

Everyone wants to see their photo from an event.

And if I didn’t attend the event, I get to see what it looked like…maybe I’ll be sure to make it next year. So they give me the date of next year’s gala…I’m set.

Oh and I get a chance to see the video from the event and just in case I didn’t give or give enough…TA DA: a donate button.

The email closes out with personal contact information for the email signer who offers to give me a personal tour! Nice and unusual for a big organization.

I probably would have shortened the email and reordered portions of it but it’s a great email doing the right things.

How about you? How do you follow up your big event? Are you offering social media opportunities? (Those who’ve been in our seminars know that it’s a much bigger world out there than just Facebook—this is a great use of Flickr).

What have you loved from events you’ve attended? I love hearing from you.
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Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity

(photo credit: Alan Light)

Two people who changed the world died within days of each other last week.

One you know, the other you don’t.

Both lost valiant battles with pancreatic cancer.

Both died at nearly the same age and far too young (at least from where I’m sitting now they died too young).

Both were about changing the world.

Both were great leaders.

Both left behind organizations grieving the loss of great leadership.

Literally the whole world spent last week thinking about Steve Jobs’ contribution to the world. You’ve probably read a ton about his life and death. The other great leader who died…there wasn’t that much out there about him.

A couple of things that stand out to me about Steve Jobs:

Apple finally outran Microsoft as the world’s most valuable technology company (he’d love that).

Jobs celebrated the rebel, the artist, the quirky genius. He made each of us feel like we could create. And he put technology at our fingertips that worked and was nice to look at.
He put songs in our pockets. He put movies on our tablets. He connected technology with our lives.

He made us feel cooler than we had any real reason to feel (at least that’s the way he made me feel at times).

Here are some things you might not have known about Jobs.

When I think of Jobs, this video is what I think of: celebrating the rebels and the dreamers. Jobs does the narration. The commercial that aired had Richard Dreyfuss doing the voiceover. Jobs’ version is better.

Jobs wasn’t universally loved (and not just by the PC die-hard crowd). Many point out his less than pleasant side.

Steve Jobs changed the world, no question about it.

The other man who died last week changed the world, too.

You won’t know him, but he was a great leader. His name is Bob Heerspink. Bob led a ministry devoted to telling the world about the love of God: Back to God Ministries International. Some years ago I had the pleasure of helping them with strategy, some branding and fundraising.

I got to know Bob while serving him as my client. You learn a lot about a guy when you work for him:

Bob changed the world through making sure that Good News was heard in places that were desperate for good news—China, India, the Middle East and even the US.

Bob was passionate and focused, but never scary. He was thoughtful and wise. He built a team with love and service, not demands. He cared deeply about everyone around him. He was a joy to work with and work for.

No one would have much negative to say about his leadership.

I’ve been thinking about Bob’s death since he died a week or so ago.

Candidly, I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind. His battle with cancer lasted only 3 months.

Far too fast. Far too a good a man to lose. And knowing Bob, he wasn’t done changing the world.

I read about Steve Jobs’ death coming home on a plane from the East coast. It was fascinating to see the social media and web-world light up with the news. And I thought about how news of Bob’s death came to me via email but there wasn’t a lot of hoopla on the web.

It occurs to me that both Bob and Steve did what they could where they were.

They led teams.

They created with what they had.

They made the most of what opportunities they were given.

And life ended too soon for both of them.

It seems like the whole world grieved Steve Jobs’ passing. I felt the loss, too.

A smaller, less visible portion of the world celebrated Bob’s life. Even though he wasn’t profiled in Wired or FastCompany, he made many people’s lives better, fuller and most importantly, he helped them know they’re loved by the One who created them. Bob gave many, many people the gift of knowing Jesus. I have to say, as much as I believe Apple has changed the world, it’s nothing compared with what Bob did.

Here’s my bottom-line: I’m pretty sure neither Steve nor Bob were finished with what they were doing here on planet earth. They ran out of time. It’ll happen to all of us, which has me thinking about leading, purpose and what you and I spend our time on. We have to recognize that at some point it’ll be over.

And rather than wait for the opportunity to run Pixar or develop the next new Apple product, I think we oughta decide to change the world we can get our hands on.

Me? I’m thinking I want to be like my friend Bob.

What about you? Are you finished with what you’re doing? If it had to end in 3 months, would you be satisfied? If not, so what are we going to do about it?

I’d love to know what you think.

Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity

(photo credit: *Nicci*)

When I was the client, the strategy guys doing what I do now used to make fun of how many times I wanted to run a map in our materials. I was always looking for a reason to show a world map with our work displayed “in some kinda new cool way” (that was what they used to say I said…I don’t remember it that way).

Here’s the deal: Maps make things real. Maps help the abstract become concrete. I stumbled upon “She’s the First” because of a map.

“She’s the First” is a nonprofit that helps send girls in the developing world to school. The “she’s the first” thing is the girl you help is the first in her family to graduate from high school. Pretty vivid title huh? And now you and I pretty much know their mission.

They make a compelling case for why their work is important.

And then they use simple maps very effectively to show where fundraisers are held and where the girls are being helped. Maps everywhere!

And they’re into cupcakes. You won’t know why I like that, but in some circles I carry the nickname “Cupcake” (loooong story). Even their cupcakes are memorable — tie dye cupcakes! Yum.

I’m not promoting “She’s the First” and I don’t know much about them…but:

They have a clear brand. And a great name.

They are memorable, sticky and they’re getting media exposure because of the brand and their grassroots roots.

They demonstrate donor impact. (Maps are always great).

If you’re a big, traditional nonprofit, take a lesson from their clear branding, great message and concreteness. And maybe you might be a little uneasy about what a great brand they are. There are many cool growing NPOs out there.

If you’re not one of the biggies…the lesson is easier.

Get a map. OK, seriously, show your impact.

We need to see impact.

What do you think about the power of maps? How does your NPO make your work concrete to your donors? What’s your favorite cupcake flavor? I love hearing what you think.

Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity

(photo credit: clever cupcakes)

There have been several backchannel conversations with members of our Tribe who say they just aren’t going to use “Social Media.” It’s interesting how usually when I ask a couple of questions, the “Social Media” in question is usually one particular Social Media tool, Facebook.

Facebook dominates Social Media (one could even say dominates the Internet in terms of traffic and in terms of online photo storage among other categories), but Social Media is much more than Facebook.

When we talk about Social Media, we’re talking about a wide range of tools, some that might surprise you. Here’s a slide from one of our recent seminars. Facebook’s there, but so are also the tried and true tools like email and blog.

It’s easy to think “Facebook” when you hear that you should be using Social Media. That’s fine. You need to consider Facebook for your NPO or org’s use. But Facebook is very limited and you should never use Facebook exclusively. If for no other reason than you don’t own the content that’s on Facebook.

Your Social Media mix should be centered around your website and blog.

We hear lots of resistance from clients about blogs. Believe me, I understand. Blogs are tough. But a blog isn’t always a blog in the classic sense. A good blog can be more like a news page or a “Did You Know” format” that isn’t authored by one single individual. This strategy allows you to keep fresh engaging content but doesn’t force one person to carry the whole load. A good blog doesn’t have to be many words. In fact, some of the best blogs are often very short.

And the second big question that’s been popping around, driven by all these latest Facebook changes, is “how will these changes affect my fundraising on Social Media?”

Well…I’d really rather you didn’t think about fundraising as your primary outcome from your social media activities. That’s not a great strategy.

Here’s another slide from that seminar. We believe that Social Media (including your blog and email) can be a powerful tool for engaging your donors in a variety of conversations. One powerful use that many forget is using Social Media to encourage and teach donor development.

Social Media is wonderful for having donors tell other donors how their lives were changed by giving to your cause or organization. Social Media provides you the platform to teach, enlighten and encourage your constituents. Social Media allows people who aren’t donors to learn more about your cause. Social Media allows people to explore who you are on their own terms. And Social Media is a terrific platform for letting donors be your champions.

So when you think Social Media, don’t just think Facebook. In fact, consider how you can use this wonderful “e-stuff” to engage your donors in conversations…and help your donors engage each other in conversations.

That’s what Social Media is all about.

What do you think? Do you consider your blog and email as Social Media? I’d love to hear what you think.

Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity

It’s the time of year for your annual breakfast or banquet or gala or fashion show or dogwash. It’s not even October and we’ve already been to several and there are several more on our calendar.

It is the season for events if you’re a nonprofit or ministry.

And I suspect that if you’re like most, you’ll forget one key ingredient.

You do a good job on the invitations and program. You get the right people in the room and make sure that you have a good Ask. You KNOW that the “food count” has a few extra built-in, just in case. You have nametags and places for everyone (names triple checked). You make sure that those special major donors have just the right person sitting next to them. You double-check the PowerPoint deck and triple-check the video projector. You test the microphones. Everything has fresh batteries.

What did you forget? What else is there?

The keynote speaker is set…and briefed. The response cards and envelopes are 100% correct—one last double-check for typos. The room is perfect. Oh, and you have extra business cards in your pocket. Oh and there ARE pens at every place. All set.

What are you missing?

Nothing. Maybe. But.

How about a little Social Media?

Wouldn’t it be great if on the way in or the way out or during the event your donors could connect with you on Social Media?

How about a laptop or two set up where people could “check in” and tell all their friends what they’re up to? Maybe even connect with your organization if they haven’t already.

How about a QR code or two for them to play with during the mingling time?

Speaking of mingling, how about a time for them to “mingle” with each other out there in the social media world? Why couldn’t they “friend” each other during that time.

I betcha there will be a lot of smart phones in the crowd.

What if right after the big close, on their way out, you gave people an opportunity to say 30 seconds of nice things about you on video? Don’t worry about the videographer…just have staff with their smart phones videoing. They’ve just heard great things from their favorite charity and are feeling wonderful about the big gift they made, why not capture the moment on video? And, with their permission, you post it on your YouTube channel or Facebook or your website. And you help them share it with their friends…

Or maybe even if you have a really killer closing…why not encourage everyone in the audience to pull out their smart phones and capture a 1 minute passionate moment about your cause. Then ask them to post it everywhere they can. Help them share their influence and love for you. They’ll love it.

That could help your event live beyond the moment. And it adds to the overall experience which is vital to today’s successful events.

Don’t forget to add a little social media spice to your next event. You’ll love how it changes the dynamic and how it extends the reach of the event.

What about you? How are you using social media at your events? What do you think about combining social media with your events? I’d love for you to share your ideas with the tribe.

Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity

(photo credit: Tracy Hunter)

We just finished a delightful time teaching and sharing with a razor-sharp group of pros at the CLA’s Leadership Academy. We loved the experience: great people, great conference, great organization. We made lots of new friends.

Something that was central to our message was the strategy of engaging constituents on Social Media not simply using it to push content. We talked with our group about how to balance content and not simply push fundraising and “needs.”

I ran across this while catching up on what had been happening “out there” while we were holed up teaching.

Exact Target did a study appropriately titled “The Social Break-up,” (registration required to download survey). Here’s part of what the Harvard Business Review summarized from Exact Target’s study:

55-percent of Facebook users reported liking a brand and then later deciding they no longer wish to see the company’s posts. Half of fans say that they really aren’t even fans, as they don’t visit the page or web site after the “Like.”

Seventy-one percent of consumers say that they’re now becoming more selective about the brands they like.
When asked why consumers were breaking-up with brands in Facebook and Twitter, the top reasons cited were:

Notice that many of these “fans” weren’t really fans. Too frequent posts, repeating posts and too much selling were deadly. And as always, boring is a killer.

Be careful about only pushing content.

Social Media really is about the conversation. And that means you have to talk “with” not talk “to” your audience.

What do you think? Surprised by the findings? How are you working to avoid these kinds of problems. Love to hear your thoughts.

Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity

(photo credit: Waifer X)

You’ve seen ‘em, they look like the unattractive love-child of a bar code and a bit-mapped maze—QR Codes. The QR is “quick response” as in a something you use your smart phone to do quickly (I don’t know, doesn’t really make sense to me either, I didn’t come up with the name).

Hoots and I were sitting in a little coffee shop in Seattle a weekend or two ago and I was reading the posters in the window. You know the ones advertising bake sales and dog walkers and indie band and walkathons. About half of them had QR codes. I entertained myself by popping the codes to see how they were being used. Most took me to a website, usually not mobile-optimized but the iPhone managed it OK. One gave me their event information ready for loading into my calendar (nice). Another allowed me to “like” their FB page (I didn’t). Another prepped me to tell all my friends about the event (tempted but didn’t). Really a nice range of uses for a coffee shop window.

One thing to consider is that not many organizations are using them in the nonprofit space.

Oneicity is gently steering our clients into experimenting with QR codes. You can find as many detractors as proponents. At this point, we like ‘em.

Here’s the kind of things you can do with QR Codes:

• Show a special mobile webpage;

• Take people to your FB page (or just about any other social media page you want people to see);
• Link to a blog post that they should see;
• Give calendar info for an event;
• Share contact information;
• Really, there’s a long list of uses.

So why should you slip one of these funky little squares into your next newsletter or new donor brochure? I mean, really there aren’t that many people using them. It’s kind of a hassle…

I have 3 reasons based on what I’m reading and my gut-instinct about ‘em. All of these are centered in what I believe about who might use their smart phone to grab your QR code.

The people who are using QR codes are:

Nope, don’t have a lot of research to back up my conclusions. But I think I’m right. And here’s the worst thing that can happen. No one uses their smart phone on your QR code. But your donors see it in your newsletter and think: “Hey, that’s pretty cool. They’re on top of all this high-tech stuff.”

Not a bad thing.

I had the opportunity to speak to a business group recently. Used a QR code as my closing slide. Easily half of the room hopped up and started scanning. It was fun. So I think I’m making a QR code as part of my PowerPoint deck.

Oh and QR codes can be very trackable depending on how you deploy them. If anyone does hit it, you’ll know it and know something about them.

And unlike what many do, give people who aren’t techno-savvy an explanation of what the code’s for. Something like: “Use your smartphone to like us on Facebook” (or whatever you’re doing).

Oh and one more thing, don’t go QR code wild. One QR per piece is enough. You don’t want to overwhelm people or cause them to dismiss your message if they’re not QR Code equipped.

And just to show, we’re playing, too, scan that code below! Come on, and play. The QR code will lead you to what I think is a cool and easy use for an NPO. And yes, it is a little weird to use a QR code on a blog, but we’re pretty much digital around here. It’ll work off your screen.

What do you think about QR codes—flash in the pan or a decent tool? Are you using them? Does your smart phone have a QR code reader? What’s the most interesting/effective use of a QR code you’ve seen? I love hearing what you’re thinking.

Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity

(photo credits: Steve Thomas)