Sunflowers, marigolds and forget-me-nots: Five ways you can get noticed

One of the greatest challenges in running a charitable organization is recognition. You want to people to know who you are, and you want them to step forward to participate and help your cause.

One of Columbus’ hard-working agencies is learning just how this is done. The Furniture Bank of Central Ohio is planting a garden of opportunity. The seeds are volunteers. And the fertilizer ingredients are deep satisfaction, pride and a sense of connection with others.

The Furniture Bank (http://www.furniturebankcoh.org) connects people in need with the essentials that most of us take for granted: chairs to sit on, tables to eat at, beds to sleep in, dressers to store things in. Qualifying recipients come in from social and human service agencies and shop for the items they need as they reshape their lives.

The furniture comes from you. You might be moving or buying a new couch or deaccessioning Mom’s things as she moves into an assisted-living facility. FBCO has trucks. They come to get your stuff.  You just have to call them at 272-9544, Ext. 3.

Haven’t heard of the Furniture Bank? You will. The bank’s board committees, which get a lot of volunteer help (maybe you! give them a call), are working on ways to increase their reach. They are growing their garden. You can do these, too:

1. Get some seeds. Identify volunteers. Your organization surely could benefit from volunteers who help with office tasks, connect you with fundraising prospects, and help you with your community work.  They also could bring other volunteers to help.  Who do you know? Start where you are, with staff and families, the corporate community (your vendors?), folks from your church, synagogue or civic group, and work your way out.
2. Prepare and plant the garden. Give them jobs. The Furniture Bank engages volunteers from all over central Ohio to join committees (like outreach and fundraising), offer expertise with printed materials and promotions, help run fundraisers and communitywide furniture auctions and build furniture from kits.  My husband and I volunteered at their big March fundraiser in 2010.  I was a live-auction runner, and we both staffed the coatroom. But the furniture-building is by far the most exciting activity. Teams from companies come in and assemble precut nightstands, coffee tables and dining tables. They paint them. And voila, several days later, the furniture is in someone’s home or apartment. (500 pieces so far and counting)
3. Apply fertilizer. Tell the community you’ve got these opportunities. The FBCO does this on its Website, blog, Facebook fan page, through Tweets, through advertisements (such as on WOSU radio), with volunteer listings on local sites and in print media, and by telling reporters and bloggers so they will tell others. Oh, and the volunteers tell their friends and bring them the next time.
4. Water the garden. Give the volunteers something to brag with. Take their photos. Give them T-shirts (United Way’s got “Live United” shirts). Feature them in a bulletin, a blog, a tweet – and encourage sharing. The Furniture Bank does all these things and makes sure volunteers, donors and community supporters see them. It also e-mails photos to volunteers, and many of them turn around and share them on their Facebook pages.
5. Till the soil and adjust the nutrient levels. FBCO pays careful attention to the feedback it gets, verbally, virtually, by mail, in the media, and everywhere. Community relations meetings include discussion of “how it’s going” and ways to fine-tune or totally change each approach.

HARVEST: The outcome is manifold. You will widen your scope. You will get help with tasks that have gone undone. You will gain donors from among your volunteers who will tell their friends to volunteer and become donors.

You will strengthen your brand.

Now get out there.

Let us know what’s working. Share your ideas in the comments section.

Trunks, branches and human contact

“When you can sync your online monitoring efforts with offline measures, one calibrates the other – and the true ROI of social media can be measured, understood and appreciated. “

I just read this. Tom Webster wrote it in his blog, Brandsavant.  My take? When you combine virtual and human contact, you will really understand the power of all these tools.

Available Light Theatre gets it. And at the bottom of this entry, I offer their pointers for success.

For those who haven’t (yet) had the pleasure of enjoying a show, some background: AVL was founded in 2006 by local actors and directors, chiefly Matt Slaybaugh, who now is artistic director.

The theater company utilizes local talent to present classics that we all love (i.e., “Pride and Prejudice”, “To Kill a Mockingbird”) and to stage original plays and works that might not get a showing here or anywhere (i.e, “God’s Ear,” “Killadelphia” and “Dirty Math.”)

Audiences at the door “pay what you want” to keep live theater accessible for all. The official philosophy is to present theater that’s “healthy, organic and locally grown.” Or, as Artistic Director Slaybaugh explained to me, theater should be good for you, and feed your soul.

Amen.

If you’ve been to a show (the company uses various venues, including the Riffe Center), you know they attract hundreds of people. “Mockingbird,” the last show, drew a full house. But you might not know this:

ALV does it without any direct mail, with very little paid advertising and not much traditional media coverage.

Their strategy? Sure. Put up a lot of posters and fliers and hand out business cards. But mainly: Use social media to connect, and face-to-face contact to cultivate.

I make a point of this, because I’ve noticed that many organizations establish social media tools. Then they wait, hoping for a “friend” or a “like.”

Then when not much happens, they declare the tools a waste of time.

AVL has realized that without a strategy, these tools are, well, just sitting in the box. So it has devised a method that has grown organically: The tree is the Website (avltheatre.com) with information, subscription tools, previews, links, etc. The branches are tools such as the “feedback” button that allows direct communication with AVL, and icons linking you to Twitter, Facebook, You Tube and other utilities.

However: virtual contact is but a portal.

During each show, someone appears on stage (I’ve seen Matt do this) and says hello, in person, on behalf of AVL. The ambassador asks everybody to please tweet about the show, post comments on their Facebook pages, talk about the performances to friends — whatever they can do to provide word of mouth if they liked what they saw.

And to take that a step further: AVL staffers watch to see who has participated, who’s coming to the shows, and they make an effort to find them and talk to them. This happened spectacularly when a group of fans planned a “Tweetup” (that is, they agreed to meet) at a performance of “Dirty Math” last year. Emily Rhodes, the theater’s development manager, and Slaybaugh met up with the group in person and made some lasting theater friends.

Result? The company is, as Slaybaugh describes, “well in the black,” with a $150,000 budget (up from $45,000 a mere two years ago), one full-time and three part-time employees, and more than 40 volunteers (and growing). Folks who have never acted before, and many who have never seen a live show, have joined the list of participants. Artie Isaac’s mom even occasionally bakes her famous candy for sale (correction: distribution free) at the company’s fundraisers. (see Artie’s post below.)

And now what you’ve been reading for. Here is Available Light’s best advice for using social media as a promotional tool:

1. Be yourself. Tweet and communicate with your personal identity and don’t hide behind your organization’s persona. People love to know you as a human.
2. Empower everyone in your organization to communicate on your behalf. Available Light has given some 25 interested people (so far) the tools to spread the word about the company’s activities. So far, it has worked wonderfully, says Slaybaugh, and it gives everyone a sense of ownership.
3. Recognize there is an actual human being at the other end of the social media connection. Real people are reading your posts and your tweets. These are people “who will care about you and you care about them,” said Rhodes.
4. Meet your virtual friends. When you notice someone whom you’ve seen online, say hello. Make “live” friendships.
5. Let it storm. Take on new ideas. One of AVL’s strengths is its brainstorming capacity and flexibility. Involve your board, your volunteers, your spouse, your mother. You never know. For instance, as a result of open dialogue, Available Light is trying stuff that isn’t totally about stage performance.  Stay tuned for the upcoming “Food Show,” a You Tube-based dialogue about eating and saving the planet.

Pretty cool, huh?

I just know ‘em when I see ‘em

In 1964, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart declared that he probably could not intelligibly define “hard core pornography” as it occurred in popular film, but added, “I know it when I see it.” His utterance has become legendary.

Unfortunately, many of our nonprofit boards are using this type of logic when choosing board members. They read about community leaders or talk to someone at a networking event, and think, “Eureka! That person would make a good board member.”

Or sometimes it’s Board By Association — looking at the local law firms and large corporations with well-known names (we’ve got a big insurance company in Columbus – you might have heard of it; they’re On Your Side – and a trendy clothing company with international reach). I mean, if so-and-so works there, that must mean he has pull with the CEO, or at least knows the CEO. Maybe we can get a grant.

And the result? Candidates who really don’t know why they were selected for the board, and probably new board members who don’t know why they are on the board.

A search for board members needs a more deliberate approach. First, develop a set of criteria that will ensure you have picked someone with A) interest in your organization and B) the commitment and capacity to support it in some meaningful way.

Make a list. Decide what you want from your board. Is it technical skills? Marketing expertise? Someone with obvious passion for your cause? And above all, do you want someone willing to help you connect with potential donors? You may very well want to cultivate a board member with connections to Nationwide Insurance or Limited Brands. But finding just anyone isn’t the answer.

Next, consider the sources. Yes, you have friends and colleagues. But you also read the local business paper and business magazines (or should). You will find stories about businesses and leaders at all levels who might just talk about their community interests. You might find a great match for your organization’s mission.

Don’t be afraid of younger board members. Board Source blogger Dave Sternberg pointed out recently that GenX and Y’ers,”can bring a real depth to the board — blogging, Facebooking, and Twittering in real time to your circle of friends; linking your values and interests to those of like minds in seconds and creating awareness for a cause.”

And lastly, don’t be afraid to interview your prospective members. Ask them questions about their willingness to serve. Will they commit to showing up at board meetings? Are they willing to talk about your organization to others and assist when you talk specifically about financial support? Ask them to sign an agreement stating they will assume the responsibilities the board needs.

Start here, and you will be amazed. With this and a little focused planning, you just might meet your annual goals.

OMG. I’m a publisher!

I keep telling everyone: Quit thinking so much about traditional news media. It’s fine to contact your local daily or TV stations about a fundraiser, event or product launch, but you are overlooking one significant fact:

YOU ARE THE MEDIA.

Yep. That’s right. You. Because today, as the cliché goes, “We have the technology.”

I’ve been reading a lot of blogs on this topic.  For instance, I subscribe to American Express’ OPEN Smart Briefs on several topics, including social media. Mashable has a great blog, too. The messages are the same: Stop hiding and get out there, online. Post videos. Tie all of your social media into a neat package for cross-access. No. It’s not the ONLY way to garner support. I strongly believe that person-to-person communication is always best. But social media comprise one tool you can’t afford to ignore anymore.

My take: Stop worrying about whether a local news reporter is coming to cover your event. Because the naked truth (and believe me, it’s not something I relish saying, being a former print journalist) is that people, especially the younger ones, are not reading the paper much. They are not watching TV, either. If you want to reach people, you have to go where they are. I know it’s scary. I know there’s a learning curve. But there is with everything! Yes? (Remember typing class? Your first cell phone? Your new DVD player?)

Here are five ways to plunge into the virtual universe right now:

1.    Set up Facebook, LinkedIn, You Tube and Web sites for your organization or cause. These are not difficult to launch. In fact, Word Press is one example of a FREE (yes, gratis) way to start a Web site or a blog. (You are reading one right now!) And the setup is intuitive. Just follow the instructions. Then fearlessly click the various boxes and links that power your site to see what they all do.  This is the best way to learn. Then send messages to your constituent base and TELL THEM you’ve done this. Make it the lead item in your newsletter.

2.    Buy a small video camera, such as a FlipCamera. And get a small tape recorder. The cameras plug into your USB port! Editing is a snap with software such as iMovie (my current choice). Take the camera with you to events and activities showcasing your work (Flip is small and fits in your shirt pocket or purse!). Record great testimonials. Make movie clips. Transcribe your quotes and post them and the vid clips on all your sites. Also: Send photos and clips you’ve taken DIRECTLY TO the folks featured in them. (People love to share!)

3.    Ok. This sounds counterintuitive. But GET OUT OF THE OFFICE more. Truly. I worked for newspapers for most of my career. Believe me, your contact with the public is not going to happen if you just sit in your swivel chair sipping stale coffee. This is where you will find content for your sites. You will talk to constituents and board members and donors and people in need. You will hear them say things that surprise you and that you will want to share.  You see things happen that you want others to see, and you will be able to record them for use later.

4.    Befriend someone a lot younger than you. This person will likely be plugged into social media. Ask this person to look at your sites. Ask this person for help and advice.  Spend time “spying” on other peoples’ sites. See what you like and why. See what works and how. Here are two examples: www.charitywater.org and www.furniturebankcoh.org

5.    Stop saying: “I don’t have time.” You do. You can spend 10 minutes per day updating your pages and site. You can take one hour each week (or month) to write a blog entry. You can spend a half-hour each evening surfing and reading other sites. I am willing to bet good money that you spend more time than that catching up with friends via email or by the coffee urn every day. Conquer your fear! You’ve made time for important tasks before. This is important.

Bonus tip:
Get a hat and stick a little sign in it that says “PRESS.” (Like in old movies.)
Ok. Don’t. But start thinking of yourself as ruler of your publicity kingdom. You do not need to rely on traditional media as your sole and main source of publicity. So when you write your communications plan, lead the list with “record and convey our stories with words, pictures and video on our sites.” And abracadabra: you are a publisher!