Wired Causes

You are browsing the archives of 2009 October.

Do most charities fail to demonstrate their social value?

Even at 4 p.m. on a gray day with drinks just 30 minutes away, philanthropic communicators enjoyed the social media game (photo by Thom Clark) Note from Beth: I’m at Pop!Tech in Maine where I did the beta version of…

Fund raising the Don Draper way, and more: Monday’s roundup

All four television networks this week are incorporating the themes of volunteering and service into the plot lines of many of their most popular shows.

To keep track of what’s happening — and to discuss how this effort is affecting the …

A good one!  If there is one thing nonprofits need to do more, it is telling stories.  Storytelling should be the way we communicate our mission, win support and show impact.  Storytelling is how we learned 70% of what we know in this world.  Yet most written materials, websites, appeals, grant proposals and presentations are devoid of good stories.  We need to fix this.

If you’re seeking some guidance on why storytelling matters and some inspiration for crafting great stories, a good starting point is a new book by Michael Margolis, “Believe Me: Why Your Vision, Brand and Leadership Need a Bigger Story.”  This short yet valuable manifesto describes why we personally seek stories - and how that need translates into a broader mandate for story as the key tool to organizational vision and change.  The book is not a how-to guide but rather meant as a call to action.  Margolis is trying to get us to change how we communicate rather than telling us how to do it.  He intersperses his book with quotes that eloquently make his points:

The ability to see our lives as stories rather than unrelated, random events increases the possibility for significant and purposeful action”—Daniel Taylor, Author of Tell Me a Story.

If you’re looking for this kind of inspiration, you can get a free sample of the book here.  If you choose to buy it on that site, use the code 7Z8WDVU3 and you’ll get 15% off.  (Thanks, Michael!)

If that’s not enough to get you thinking of your stories, remember what Maya Angelou said:

There is no greater burden than carrying an untold story.

Yesterday, Twitter announced its first corporate social responsibility effort on its blog:We’re just getting started as a company, but we believe thinking long term about making a positive impact will allow us to grow in the right direction to make…

Yesterday, the Real Time Web Summit hosted by Read/Write Web took place in Mountain View, CA. What’s the Real Time Web? Here’s a good basic definition from the introductory post on the Read Write Web Blog: Real-time information delivery is…

As a nonprofit marketing person, I often talk to nonprofit groups about their “audience,” but it’s a bad word.  An audience brings to mind a group of people quietly listening while you deliver a message.  And in this day and age, there is no such thing as a passive group of people content to simply lesson.  Everyone from your funders to your donors to your volunteers to your constituents expects participation.  They want to talk.  They want to act.  And they want you to listen and enable.

Today, I want to highlight three examples of great nonprofit marketing and fundraising that do just that.

1. Join My Village from CARE and General Mills.  Visitors have the opportunity to ‘join’ one of ten real Malawi villages on the site and track its progress.

2. A Billion Views Helps a Billion from WFP and YouTube, which takes something people love to do (watch videos) and allows them to turn their actions into a collective force for change.

3. The Escuela del Sol website, which is about what the school does for its kids more than anything else.  Nice job making it about the community rather than the institution!

4. Find Your Mission, which is all about what the donor can do rather what organizations do.

As a nonprofit marketing person, I often talk to nonprofit groups about their “audience,” but it’s a bad word.  An audience brings to mind a group of people quietly listening while you deliver a message.  And in this day and age, there is no such thing as a passive group of people content to simply listen.  Everyone from your funders to your donors to your volunteers to your constituents expects participation.  They want to talk.  They want to act.  And they want you to listen and enable.

Today, I want to highlight three examples of great nonprofit marketing and fundraising that do just that.

1. Join My Village from CARE and General Mills.  Visitors have the opportunity to ‘join’ one of ten real Malawi villages on the site and track its progress.

2. A Billion Views Helps a Billion from WFP and YouTube, which takes something people love to do (watch videos) and allows them to turn their actions into a collective force for change.

3. The Escuela del Sol website, which is about what the school does for its kids more than anything else.  Nice job making it about the community rather than the institution!

4. Find Your Mission, which is all about what the donor can do rather what organizations do.

How universities calculate the price of naming opportunities, and more: Friday’s roundup