Working with clients is..?

Stressful.

There’s no argument about that.

Don’t think of working with clients in a bad way though. The stressful part comes from the constant changing of the mind, wants and needs, and trying to figure out what it is that the client needs.

(the following is an example of client/designer interaction, not my interaction with my client)

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Communication is essential, but can be frustrating. Each party involved, the client as well as myself, has different areas of specialty. While the client’s specialty is their nonprofit, what it does and how it helps people, my specialty is design and seeing things from a graphics point of view. I think in terms of, how will this help my client, but how will it pull in the audience that we need?

Because of the differing points of view, this is where the needs can get confusing, so communication is essential to help clarify ideas, as well as what will work out best for both the client and you.

5 Ways to get them to act..

My mentor, Bill Novelli, once said to me, “If we’re simply in the business of ‘building awareness,’ we might as well be shoveling pamphlets out of airplanes.”  The point is, nonprofit marketing (and fundraising) is about motivating people to do something - not just think something.  Channel attention into action if you want to change the world.

So how do you get people to act?  You want to speak to their values and connect to them emotionally, obviously.  But it also helps to have a sense of urgency.  Don’t just tell them to act, show why they need to act NOW.

Here are five ways to build that sense of urgency.

1. Set a deadline.  As any procrastinator knows, nothing concentrates the mind like an imminent deadline.  Set a goal and tie it to a date.  People will be far more likely to give or take action as the deadline approaches.

2. Make it close.  When people sense you’re close to the finish line on a goal, they are more inclined to help you cross it.  If you’re close to your goal, show how people can put you over the top.  It creates tremendous urgency.

3. Create scarcity.  When people feel an opportunity is running out, they are more inclined to take action.  “Get your tickets now - only ten seats left at our gala!” is better than “attend our gala!”

4. Be specific.  As I like to say, it’s easy to say no to something hard and hard to say no to something easy.  Make your call to action clear, quick and easy and people are more likely to act now.

5. Build a campaign - or join one.  On this topic, the Case Foundation and Razoo have a new guide to fundraising under the umbrella of giving days: “How Giving Contests Can Strengthen Nonprofits and Communities.”  Check it out here for tips on using these giving days to generate donations for your cause.

Source: ht.ly

Non-Profits and social media hysteria

For everyone trying to do a social media campaign with their non-profit, this is a good article to read over and remember!

According to a new report from Fenton on social media (download here after noon ET), there are several stages to what I would call social media hysteria.

Stage 1: Urgency.  As in, “Everyone’s doing it. We need to do be doing it. Set up a Facebook page. And start tweeting!”

Stage 2: Existential Handwringing.  As in, “Wait, what are we doing here? We’ve gotten some fans and followers but are we really attracting more donors and members this way?”

Stage 3: Disappointment.  As in, “This social media thing is a bust. It takes a ton of time and I’m not sure we’re getting enough out of it.”

Fortunately, this kind of angst is preventable by setting goals and measuring them in simple but meaningful ways.  Specifically, Fenton lays out an elegant framework:

  • “See” Metrics. These metrics track eyeballs or impressions.  They measure your exposure - though not necessarily your impact.
  • “Say” Metrics. These metrics are when people take your messages and repeat them verbatim across their networks.  This gives signs people may be more engaged with your cause.
  • “Feel” Metrics. These metrics track the degree to which people get involved with your message - they comment on your Facebook content or they react to your Tweets.
  • “Do” Metrics. These are the best - people donating, volunteering, signing a petition etc.  It’s where you want people to be!

For each metric, ask yourself:

Who is engaging?  What are they responding to?  What are they saying?  What does it mean?

This kind of questioning will lead to smarter reflection and better results.  Don’t wring your hands - just put on your thinking cap!

Source: ht.ly

How do you promote education?

Finding advertisements promoting education wasn’t exactly the easiest. However, it does give me an idea of what kind of obstacles are out there when trying to promote the benefits of education to the public.
There’s three different campaigns going on here, each promoting education in their own way.  Links to each of the websites and the images have also been provided beneath the blurbs beneath each photo if you wanted to take a look further into each of the campaigns. 

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CQE bills itself as a national education advocacy organization dedicated to advancing a quality public schools agenda. They are going after President Bush in several key states to educate the public on the failure of the No Child Left Behind program.

The commercials feature local teachers from the various cities in which the ads are running.

http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/2004/06/no-education-disaster-left-behind/

image“Change A Life”, the branding campaign created by Wall-to-Wall Studios for Robert Morris University, a private, coeducational university in Pittsburgh, PA, was recently honored with several awards.

CASE, the Council for Advancement in Support of Education, recognized the campaign with 2 Silver Awards (Advertising Campaign, TV/Commercial Spots) in itsCircle of Excellence competition, advancement’s premier international awards.

And, The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania honored the campaign in the 47th annual Golden Quill Awards, a competition that recognizes professional excellence in written, photographic, broadcast and online journalism in Western Pennsylvania.
Winner: Most Creative Use of Technology to Tell a Story

“Change A Life”, the integrated marketing initiative, was deployed across outdoor, print, web, social marketing channels and admissions recruitment materials. “Change A Life” promotes the unique Engaged Learning curriculum, whereby students “reach-out” into the community to inspire change, including their own.

http://www.walltowall.com/news/view/207








I guess you could say that I saved the best for last. This is one of my favorite advertisements that I’ve seen promoting education. It is simple, and yet still, grabs your attention. This is actually from the CollegeBoard, the people who issue the SAT’s, as well as the Advanced Placement program. But the way that their advertisements are put out there is so clean, so simple, and at the same time, the point comes across clearly. Their campaign is for Five ways education pays, focusing in on better health, a closer family, greater wealth, more security, and a stronger community. 

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Five Ways Ed Pays: The Campaign For most students who go to college, the increase in their lifetime earnings far outweighs the costs of their education. That’s a powerful argument for college. But more income is by no means the only positive outcome students can expect. More security, better health, closer family, stronger community, these, in addition to greater wealth, are the real value of a college education. Five Ways Ed Pays gives you the tools to help students, and their families, explore the benefits of going to college. Share the facts about how higher education can change a student’s life and lifestyle by hanging a poster in your office or sharing the brochure with a parent.  The Houston Independent School District is the first district in the nation to participate in a pilot of the Five Ways Ed Pays campaign to promote the value of education to individuals and society. In May 2011, all middle and high schools in Houston will receive brochures and posters in English and Spanish promoting the campaign and 50 Houston ISD school buses will be outfitted with campaign advertisements.

Creation of the Five Ways Ed Pays campaign is supported in part by the Gene A. Budig Fund for First-Generation College Students. http://advocacy.collegeboard.org/fivewaysedpays image image image image