In midst of the chaos of shopping, gift wrapping and cookie baking I invite you to join me on Diva Marketing for a quiet moment to learn about the work of some smaller nonprofits. Throughout December I'll be highlighting stories from nonprofits that light the way for causes that may not be on the front page of the New York Times. It's my wish that together we can help raise their
visibility, perhaps find a new volunteer or even encourage a donation or two.
Because as Laura King Edwards, Taylor's Tale, says, "Nothing should stand in the way of a dream." Also the nonprofits that are using social media have agreed to share their strategies so we continue to learn together.
Story is told by Suzanne Conti who has been involved with the St.
Vincent and SarahFosterCenter for many years.
At one time the St. Vincent
and SarahFosterCenter
was a foster home for children with volunteers providing Easter Baskets and
Birthday toys.Through the Center's
studies they believed their efforts would be more fruitful if the children
stayed with their parents as long as they taught the parents how to provide and
parent for a successful family life.
Tutoring of all forms is on-going and the results are wonderful, but the
needs for these young Detroit
families are greater than ever.Sr.
Judith would be so grateful to any assistance given to help these children and
parents, whether it be crayons for the kids after school programs or warm coats
and boots.
Providing education and skill development opportunities for at risk children and families in Detroit
which have been devasted with the highest unemployment (38%) and highest levels
of high school drop out rates (28%).This charity is going to the heart of the problem- working to strengthen
the family unit to become nurturing productive sources for children.
The odds say many of the children served in the Brightmoor
and surrounding communities of Detroit
will end up dropping out of school and going on to lives of poverty. Children's
Learning Experience helps children beat those odds. Individual and small group academic support and
encouragement a positive, nurturing environment that fosters a love of
learning. Strict participation standards that include a high degree of
parental involvement. The goal of the Children's Learning Experience is to ensure
children are performing at or above grade level, and that goal is being met.
Many in the area are living in poverty, unable to support
their families. Lack of education is a major component of the generational
poverty that plagues this area. The Adult Learning Experience addresses this. The Adult Learning Experience has been designed around the
concept of First Steps and Next Steps. In this program we recognize that
getting a high school diploma or completing a GED is the crucial first step and
the foundation for self-sufficiency. To help our students take that first step,
we provide tutoring in math and language.
But a GED is no longer enough to give adults the ability to
support themselves and their families. It is an important first step, but only
a first step. That's why the Adult Learning Experience program goes further.
Building on the confidence that comes with reaching a hard-won goal, we work
with our graduates on Next Steps. Whether that Next Step is enrolling in college, attending a
vocational school or getting into an apprenticeship program, we support program
participants as they take measured, lasting steps toward self-sufficiency.
Values
The values of founders St. Vincent de Paul and Louise de
Marillac, continue to guide the expression of the Center's mission.
Simplicity
Honesty, integrity and openness in all of our words and
actions
Teamwork
Working together in service to others
Advocacy
Advocating for those with no voice
Inventiveness
Being creative in everything we do
Respect
Showing respect for those we serve and everyone we contact on their behalf
Service Quality
History
The agency traces its beginnings to 1844 when the Daughters
of Charity first arrived on the streets of Detroit
with only $8.50 in their pockets, with the intentions of opening a school.
Within two years, they responded to community need by establishing the St.
Vincent Orphan Asylum and a hospital. In 1869, the sisters opened a program to
provide for the needs of unwed and/or deserted mothers and their children.
It is this spirit that began the Daughter’s 150 years of
service to those in need in Southeastern Michigan. They
had no idea that they would be responsible for founding the first hospital in
Detroit, Providence Hospital in 1945, the first private psychiatric hospital in
Michigan, three schools, an orphanage, and a home for unwed mothers and
children in just over two decades.
In 1928, a fire destroyed a summer home located in Farmington
Hills that housed children from the old St. Vincent
Orphan Asylum in Detroit. Mr. and
Mrs. Charles T. and Sarah Fisher of the Fisher Body Family read the news
accounts of the fire. Because of their extreme gratitude to the Daughters of
Charity and Providence Hospital for saving the life of their fifth son, Thomas
Fisher, Charles Fisher took action by donating more than $700,000 to build a
new structure at the corner of 12 Mile and Inkster Roads.
The formal opening took place one year after the date of the
fire on November 25, 1929.
The home reflected contemporary thinking in the institutional care of children.
The Center’s Farmington Hills
campus remained open as a residential facility for foster children until
October 2005. In 2006, the St. Vincent and SarahFisherCenter
brought 150 years of family and child experience to the Brightmoor area and the
surrounding community. The statistics for the area are daunting: A 40% poverty
rate for children; a nearly 30% drop out rate; and unemployment levels that
hover around 36%. Children are at risk, and families are failing under the
crushing weight of poverty.
In the
spirit of the season, to give back, Diva Marketing is showcasing the stories of smaller nonprofits throughout December. It's my wish that together we can help raise their
visibility, perhaps find a new volunteer or even encourage a donation or two.
Because as Laura King Edwards, Taylor's Tale, says, "Nothing should stand in the way of a dream." Also the nonprofits that are using social media have agreed to share their strategies.
Story is told by the founder Dennis
Hodges who explains how he came up with his unique concept where people can directly help others. As Dennis learned some times fate steps in and changes your dream for the better.
Lendego is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization based in Atlanta, Ga. that helps meet the needs of others by connecting
them with individuals wishing to give. Lendego empowers its donors to choose
the individuals, families, groups or organization they want to help.
Powered by
givers, Lendego positively impacts the lives of real people with real needs.
With Lendego’s peer to peer giving platform, funds can be directed to specific
individuals, families, groups or organizations in need.
I came up with the idea for Lendego,
a nonprofit peer-to-peer lending organization, where individuals hoping to
start a business could post their ideas and stories. Those interested could
lend money to the individuals and then be repaid at a later date. Hence, the
name Lendego. I created my business model, built the website and was ready to
launch Lendego when the 2009 flood happened in Atlanta.
Watching the floods and hearing
about all the victims so close to home had a very profound impact on me. The
incident made me think about all of the individuals who were affected by the
tragedies of life on a daily basis and how it was often extremely difficult, if
not impossible for those individuals to receive financial help in their time of
need.
In October of 2009, I converted my
online lending platform to an online giving platform and Lendego, a nonprofit
dedicated to peer-to-peer giving was born. Individuals or families struggling
with difficult circumstances can contact Lendego for assistance. Recipients can
post a need themselves or be submitted by a “sponsor” -- family members, a
friend, church, employer or another nonprofit that is working to help meet the
individual's need.
After the need is verified by Lendego staff, their story is
posted at Lendego;
where givers can browse all the needs and select those for which they wish to
help. Givers can give the amount they choose to each recipient. Once the need
is met, Lendego disburses the funds directly to the family or individual in
need.
Social Media Strategy
Lendego’s grass roots campaign is
conducted via Facebook, Twitter and traditional public relations. Right now the
organization is working on the Faces of Lendego, each month a different story
will be told to the public making them the Face of Lendego. The goal of this
campaign is to raise awareness of Lendego and to change the attitudes and
perceptions behind peer-to-peer giving.
The holidays are a time to give back to others. In that spirit, Diva Marketing is highlighting the stories of smaller nonprofits through out December. It's my wish that together we can help raise their
visibility, perhaps find a new volunteer or even encourage a donation or two.
Because as Laura King Edwards, Taylor's Tale, says, "Nothing should stand in the way of a dream." Also the nonprofits that are using social media have agreed to share their strategies so we continue to learn together.
Story told
by Virginia Sowers, Community
Manager, ChildFund International. For
more than 70 years, ChildFund International (formerly Christian Children’s
Fund) has been inspired and driven by the potential that is inherent in all
children; the potential not only to survive but also to thrive, to become
leaders who bring positive change for those around them.
We help
deprived, excluded and vulnerable children around the world and in the United States to improve their capacity to
improve their lives and have the opportunity to become young adults, parents
and leaders who bring lasting and positive change to their communities.
We believe
that change must be child-centered. Our distinctive approach focuses on working
with children throughout their journey from birth to young adulthood, as well
as with families, local organizations and communities globally to create
environments children need to thrive.
Our work
would not be possible without the generosity of our child sponsors and donors,
and we are most grateful for their support.
Social Media
We have used social media extensively as part of our
rebranding effort that began last July. In changing our organization’s name to
ChildFund International (to align with the ChildFund Alliance), we have found
social media to be an important tool to communicate the name change, build the
ChildFund brand and also engage more interactively with our supporters.
In July, we launched a Twitter campaign. For every 200
followers we attracted on Twitter, an anonymous donor would provide a gift to
country in which ChildFund worked. For example, one gift was a goat to a family
in The Gambia. We shot video of the goat’s arrival and shared that back through
Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. We gained 2,200 followers in the two-week
campaign, resulting in 11 gifts to vulnerable children.
We also ran a Twitter event this fall. In conjunction with
the 20th anniversary of the Convention of the Rights of the Child on Nov. 20,
we invited Twitter followers to tweet on a right they believed children should
have for healthy development. After a set time, we voted on the top 5 tweets
and put those back out on Twitter for a bit of competitive retweeting. We’re
about to announce the top 2 tweets (as based on the number of retweets). Those
two individuals are receiving a coffee table book with photographs of children
around the world.
Through out December, Diva Marketing is showcasing the stories of smaller nonprofits. It's a small way to give back to others who give so much. It's my wish that together we can help raise their
visibility, perhaps find a new volunteer or even encourage a donation or two.
Because as Laura King Edwards, Taylor's Tale, says, "Nothing should stand in the way of a dream." Also the nonprofits that are using social media have agreed to share their strategies.
Story by Ramona Nichols, founder and Executive Director of GCI. My mother and sister have epilepsy, and I experienced through their
eyes the stress and isolation that disability may create for every family
member. My animals provided a support system of unconditional love, which
helped the family deal with the physical, emotional, and social effects of
epilepsy.
After studying animal behavior at the University
of Georgia, I dedicated my
life to training dogs to improve the quality of life of people with
disabilities. Photo: Ramona with canines Mary Kate and Ashley
Georgia Canines for Independence is
a 501-c-3 nonprofit. Donations are tax-deductible. Georgia Canines for
Independence (GCI) provides trained
assistance dogs for children and adults with physical disabilities and other
special needs. GCI
is an all volunteer organization.
Each service dog learns 90 commands and performs skills such as
opening/closing doors, turning lights on/off, retrieving dropped or needed
items, and pulling wheelchairs. After completing 2 years of training, each
canine partner is given away at absolutely no cost to someone in need. GCI
also provides a lifetime of instructional support for each service dog team.
Service dogs increase independence. Many of
our service dog recipients have gained employment or been able to attend
college as a direct result of having a dog to assist them with daily living
activities. Assistance dogs also increase self-esteem and social interactions
and decrease stress and loneliness. Many service dog owners have also reported
improvements in physical health and a reduction in the number of doctors'
visits leading to decreased healthcare costs.
Because GCI does NOT charge for its
services, our programs are made possible by community support. Insurance does
not cover animal therapy or service dogs.
Social Media
GCI has a donation page on Facebook, several videos on YouTube that demonstrate how these amazing dogs help "their people" in daily living, a MySpace page and of course a presence on Twitter.
The Back-story - Last week I met an amazing women, Laura King Edwards, who told me the story of the nonprofit she launched to support her little sister Taylor. Taylor has Batten disease, a rare neurodegenerative disease, with no known cure.
Laura and Taylor touched my heart and inspired this series, Stories From Smaller Nonprofts. In the spirit of the season, to give back, the month of December will showcase wonderful nonprofits. It's my wish that together we can help raise their visibility, perhaps find a new volunteer or even encourage a donation or two. Because as Laura says, "Nothing should stand in the way of a dream."
Story told by: Laura King Edwards: Current board president, founding member and
older sister of our namesake, Taylor King; also the blogger, Webmaster and
Facebook.
Taylor’s Tale
Story was inspired by Taylor King, an 11-year-old native of Charlotte, NC.
She was diagnosed with infantile NCL, a form of Batten disease, in July 2006.
Taylor's Tale
raises funds for research and promotes public awareness of Batten disease. We
are a non-profit, tax-exempt entity pursuant to Section 501(c)(3). We were
originally founded by a group of dedicated volunteers in Charlotte,
N.C. in early 2007.
For two years, we
raised funds for the Batten Disease Support and Research Association (BDSRA).
In January 2009, Taylor's Tale was
granted non-profit status. Today, we work in tandem with BDSRA and other
non-profits to provide financial support for Batten disease research. We have
raised close to $200,000 since our inception.
We made it possible for a prominent researcher, Sandra
Hofmann, MD, PhD, of the University
of Texas SW-Dallas, to begin
evaluating and testing enzyme replacement therapy as a cure for infantile NCL.
Today, she is in the preclinical studies stage.
Her close colleague, Beverly
Davidson, PhD, of the University of Iowa, whose work is very similar to Dr.
Hofmann's but for a different form of the disease, just had a major
breakthrough for not just Batten disease, but all of medical science. Dr.
Davidson figured out a way to cross the blood brain barrier and deliver
therapeutic molecules directly into the brain - a discovery that has
implications for all brain-based diseases (i.e. Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, brain
cancer).
In addition to Dr. Hofmann's work, we have supported or
currently support work at WashingtonUniversity
in St. Louis, the University
of Rochester and the National
Institutes of Health (NIH).
What is Batten disease?
Batten disease is an inherited neurodegenerative disease
that primarily strikes infants, toddlers and school-aged children. Presently,
there is no known cure, and it is always fatal. Batten disease is rarely
diagnosed immediately and is often mistaken for epilepsy, mental retardation,
retinitis pigmentosa or even schizophrenia in adults.
Onset is characterized by
beginning vision loss, seizures, clumsiness and personality and behavior
changes. After onset, Batten disease causes continuing physical and mental
deterioration, and affected children eventually become blind, bedridden and
unable to communicate.
Why Taylor's
Tale?
All children have dreams. Some dream of becoming astronauts
and exploring outer space. Some envision careers as baseball players or
firefighters. Others want to be doctors or teachers.
Taylor King, a girl who
loves princesses, sparkly jewelry and the color pink, dreams of becoming a pop
star or fashion designer. She loves to sing. She believes in fairy tales. Her
courage inspired us to fight for a cure for Batten disease.
We are writing her
story because we believe that it will help us save children like her. Every
child is entitled to dream; every child's story should be a fairy tale.
Taylor's
Tale began as Taylor's story, but
along the way, it has become a story for all children. Because nothing should
stand in the way of a dream.
Goals
Specifically, we work with the BDSRA to identify promising
proposals made by Batten disease researchers and then provide the funding to
make their work possible. Taylor's
Tale believes that proposals should be built upon a "bench to
bedside" philosophy; we want the work we support to work toward the end
result of a human clinical trial and a possible cure for Batten disease.
And,
we are proud to say that we have been able to help make history over the past
several years: we are infinitely closer to a cure - perhaps only a few short
years away - than we were when we began.
Social Media Strategy
Our small size, limited resources and strong desire to
reserve the vast majority of funds we raise for research grants led us to
position social media and digital marketing channels as major players in our
overall public awareness/marketing strategy. Along the way, we've discovered
that these tools are not only the cheapest way to spread the word - they're
also the most effective in many cases.
We chose the name "Taylor's
Tale" because we want to play the role of storyteller in the fight to cure
Batten disease. Social media channels have an uncanny ability to help us tell
our story virally - and it allows others to be storytellers, too, which fosters
further support and keeps people inspired. Without social media, we'd be left
with local person-to-person networking and special events to build awareness.
We'd have our Web site, but alone, that'd be a pretty static tool. Coupled with
social media tools like blogging and Facebook, we've been able to reach more
people than we would have ever imagined. Our blog, for example, garners
feedback from people scattered across the globe. We've been able to position Taylor's
Tale as a major source of funding for the research community and a reliable,
welcome information source for families whose children are newly diagnosed.
So what's next? We want to add Twitter to our social media
toolkit and continue to enhance our presence elsewhere. We also want to
continue pushing a campaign we launched recently called Project E-wareness - a
call to people who want to help us build support for Taylor's
Tale using social media channels. We even created a pdf e-wareness guide that
people can download.
Diva Marketing Talksis a live, internet radio show. 30-minutes. 2-guests. 1-topic about social media marketing. Why? To help you understand how to participate in the "new" conversation without getting blown-up. Miss today's show? You can pick it up as a podcast or listen on your computer.
Today's Diva Marketing Talks explores how nonprofit organizations are using social media to not only tell their stories but to encourage donations to their causes, build community and expand their reach. Beth Kanter, prominent social media consultant and founder of BethKanter.org, and Alex Brown, visionary of AlexBrownRacing, will share their insights about the most effective social media tactics to the ROI of social media to how to make it all work on a budget of limited funds and human capital.
A much in demand speaker and trainer, and she has trained nonprofits in social media techniques literally around the world. In 2009, she was named by Fast Company Magazine as one of the most influential women in technology and one of Business Week's "Voices of Innovation for Social Media." In March, 2009, she will serve as the 2009 Scholar in Residence for Social Media and Nonprofits for the Packard Foundation. You can also reach Beth on Twitter.
Prior to his involvement in AlexBrownRacing Alex worked in Business School Admissions and managed online communities for Wharton (Alex's interview with Diva Marketing). He's also written whitepapers on Engagement Marketing and Transparency and is a sought after conference speaker. In 1997, Alex was one of the first to teach Internet Marketing in 1997 at a higher education level. He taught the topic for 10 years and his innovative approach included to teaching was one of the first to include student and course blogs.
Tips From The Diva Bag
Complements of Alex Brown
1. Integrate and be deliberate. Your social media campaign should be integrated within itself and the remainder of your marketing. And you should be very deliberate in your strategy and tactics. ex. If you have a facebook group, and e-mail the group members. Then what is the strategy regarding using this e-mail outlet, and how do the e-mails integrate with other vehicles used. Just because you can should not mean you should!
2. Just because there is a social media tool does not mean you need to use it. Myspace may or may not work. Facebook may or may not work for you. Take risks and experiment, but then stick with what works for you.
3. Don't forget "old" social media tools. A discussion board is older than the web itself, yet it still might be your most useful social media tool.
Recently while doing some research for a presentation I stumbled on what almost 6 Million Facebook members have been doing .. planting virtual gardens. (Late to the party .. yeah I know!)
While I thought the little avatars were too cute and the game seemed fun what was intriguing was (Lil) Green Patch is a fund raiser for The Nature Conservancy.
Sue M. Citro, Senior Digital Membership Manager, of The Nature Conservancy graciously agreed to provide some of the back-story of how the organization came to be the recipient of a generous donation program that is one of the most popular games and one of the highest fund raisers on Facebook.
Toby/Diva Marketing: Where did the idea to create a Facebook application, (Lil) Green Patch, for fund raising come from? Did you approach the developer first or did the developer approach you?
Sue M. Citro:In regards to (Lil) Green Patch, two developers created it and chose our organization as the beneficiary.
Toby/Diva Marketing: Lucky The Nature Conservancy! Was it challenging to get buy-in from your Executive Director and/or board? What were their reactions?
Sue M. Citro: I wouldn't say challenging. Like anything that's new, we try to understand it and determine what the impact both positive and negative will be. Often we approach things as a pilot and I think that helps us get buy-in. I think the key to working online is just to be open to trying new things -- doing so yields invaluable learning that's often applicable to other channels too.
Toby/Diva Marketing: Did you establish goals or success measures? If so what were they?
Sue M. Citro: For (Lil) Green Patch or other Facebook applications, we personally did not. Although the developers may have. We did launch our own widget tied to our Plant a Billion Trees campaign at plantabillion.org. Through plantabillion.org, our goal was to raise enough to plant 1 million trees the first year.
We thought price point was important for the campaign we were promoting through social networks -- each tree costs just $1 -- and while that is something to think about, we learned it isn't the most important thing. I'd say our biggest learning is to think of the application like a video game -- there always needs to be another level. There needs to be a reason to keep it going and come back and that's what I think is so brilliant about (Lil) Green Patch, you get characters for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day. It keeps on going and going.
Toby/Diva Marketing: How much money has been donated to date? Facebook indicates: $109,500 in donations. How many square-feet of rain forest have been persevered to date?
Sue M. Citro: The figure Facebook indicates for the amount donated by (Lil) Green Patch to The Nature Conservancy is accurate and correct. The money donated to The Nature Conservancy ties into our Adopt an Acre program (more can be found about this program at nature.org/adopt) and helps to protect the lush rainforest sanctuary of the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica (more info can be found at nature.org/adoptcostarica)
Toby/Diva Marketing: I noticed in addition to the Facebook app there are also cute (Lil) Green Patch widgets. How's that working for you?
Sue M. Citro: Yes, that's something else the (Lil) Green Patch developers recently created.
Toby/Diva Marketing: What has been the most surprising aspect of the program?
Sue M. Citro: I heard a stat that people now check their facebook page before checking their email accounts. When I heard that stat, I thought can that really be true. Only then did I realize, that's exactly what I do!
Toby/Diva Marketing: What has been the most challenging aspect of the program?
Sue M. Citro: I think it all comes back to staff time and resources.
I don't believe there's some new thing that's going to be born on Facebook that means we no longer need to fund raising on web sites, by email, through search -- rather social networks are another mini-channel within the web where we must also focus some of our time as they add to and complement all those other efforts.
Toby/Diva Marketing: Any plans for future social media initiatives.
Sue M. Citro: I think social media has to be a part of all future plans any organization has -- so yes, we plan to continue testing and trying new things in this space.
Sue M. Citro on Social Media
I think many view social media as some big, new, crazy thing. While it's newer, it's really just another form of communicaiton, another avenue to share your message. I think the biggest thing is trying to figure out the best way to share your story via this newer mechanism in a way that's truly tangible and compelling. Hopefully in the new year, we'll all get better at that.
On November 4th, what seemed like the never ending U.S. presidential primary election race (thanks for the catch Edward) will at long last come to the end of its run. Kyle Young, founder of the Atlanta-based social media networking community - Multi-Tasking Women, has launched a non-partisan campaign of her own. Help spread the word .. You Are Never Too Busy Too Vote.
My first time was in a crowded school room near Beacon Street in Boston. Finally I did it. I felt important and so very grown-up. Growing up in Boston it was something that everyone talked about all the time. Right Polli? Oh, when I finally did it my folks were excited too. As a little girl I remember watching my mom and dad do it and thinking one day I'll get to go behind the curtain. Diva Marketing 2006 post. When was your first time?
If this is your first time or your tenth time .. as Kyle reminds us, "You are never too busy to vote!"
We talk, some times ad nauseam, about the community of the blogosphere. Well today, October 15, 2008 thousands and thousands of bloggers across the global are joining together to support Blog Action Day - a non-profit event. Blog Action Day was launched last year when two bloggers asked, “What would happen if all the bloggers of the world united for a single cause?”
Blog Action Day 2008 focuses on raising awareness and initiating action to combat Poverty.
Act Locally. Think Globally. Change The Conversation
In his role as Director of Web, Film and Interactive Strategies for the American Cancer Society's High Plains Division David J. Neff has worked with ACS in some exciting social media intitiaves. One of the most successful has been Sharinghope.tv the non profit world's first total user generated content site.
The other side of David J. Neff is .. he is an author, speaker and social media maven. He's also a guy with a big heart. Skipping along Twitter a couple of weeks ago I caught tweets about a Tweet-up. Following the teeny bread crumb trail I learned that David was part of the Tweet-up team. Sounded like a Diva Interview to me and David agreed.
Toby/Diva Marketing: So David, what is a Tweet-up?
David J. Neff: A Tweet-up is the same thing as what used to be called a meet-up. From the meet-up.com days. It’s a bunch of people who know each other online meeting in real-life. Usually to enjoy some Tex-Mex and Adult Beverages if it’s an Austin tweet-up ; -)
Toby/Diva Marketing: What was the ACS Tweet-up about? How many people signed up?
David J. Neff: Well Toby we didn’t have a ACS Tweet Up. We had a Blood Drive Tweetup to benefit the Central Texas Blood and Tissue Center. The American Cancer Society was not involved at all. We had 45 to 50 people sign up and we had 45 people show up.
Toby/Diva Marketing: Let’s put a little traditional perspective around that number. In a typical Blood Drive out reach what would be your average response?
David J. Neff: We doubled their traffic for that day!
Toby/Diva Marketing: Did you have any expectations? What did you “hope” would happen?
David J. Neff: I hope I would get to meet a lot of the Central Texas/Austin commuity and talk to them about giving blood and even our newest Web Community www.sharinghope.tv. Luckily we did a lot more than that!
Toby/Diva Marketing: As with most social media initiatives the “oomph!” comes from relations build with a community .. with Twitter it's the “Followers.” This is sort of a chicken and egg question. Do you first have to build a base of Followers before you can have a successful Tweet-up? How do you do that?
David J. Neff: Good question. I don’t have a third of the followers you do Toby (add me at @daveiam) so that was not an option for us. But what did happen was people spread the word on twitter and email! Michelle Greer my awesome co-partner on this did the same thing and soon we had the whole Austin Twitter Community interested in the Blood Drive. It went viral since it was such a good cause.
Toby/Diva Marketing: Twitter has a unique challenge. As the tweets (or posts) continue to increase exponentially based on the number of people you follow you can easily miss a tweet. How did you compensate for that?
David J. Neff: Michelle Greer and I talked the heck out of it. We also partnered with two local groups to get the message out. The 501 Tech Club of Austin and the Austin Social Media Club. They were a big help!
Toby/Diva Marketing: From a marketing view .. congrats! on integrating other social tactics such as the YouTube video and @Twitter messages .. which is how I found out. Please talk a little about that part of your strategy.
David J. Neff: That was just the summary.
If you are going to have an event around your non-profit be sure to Blog about it, Video tape people and take photos. It’s all you can do to spread the word!
Toby/Diva Marketing: What are a few of the Lessons Learned? Would you do it again?
David J. Neff: Whew! We learned a lot. The most important thing is that people really do care nowdays. You just have to break through the clutter and get them to notice your event. In this case the community on twitter really helped us do that! We do plan to do it again very soon for another non-profit here in town. Toby/Diva Marketing: What would you tell non profits and profits who are exploring micro blogging/Twitter as part of their communication out reach?
David J. Neff:
Make it happen. You need to experiment. Watch this video and follow some of my tips.
Follow David on Twitter! FI Space - blog about innovation for non profits.
