Participate in a demo of Vokle to find out how
Video, streaming, live events, Hangouts…live video is changing rapidly and many of us are trying to understand the options and the opportunities for our causes. Vokle, a major player in live video events, will join us next week for a combined live demo and conversation about how their users are leveraging the Vokle platform (most are using their free services).
Vokle co-founder Edward Dekeratry recently demonstrated the platform for us. It was impressive. You can easily broadcast live events online directly to supporters, donors, and stakeholders no matter where they are, right from your organization's website. You can host a panel. All events are archived for later viewing and sharing. This could take online community interaction to a new level, empowering organizations to reach out to their online community, engage in meaningful, real-time dialogue, and expand their brand presence.
We've asked Vokle's founders to do a live demo right here on our site. They'll demonstrate the platform in action, and you'll be able to interact with it. They'll share case studies like Richard Branson and Imogen Heap's charity fundraiser for Pakistan, with virtual live performances from musicians such as Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer, Zoe Keating, and others. And we can talk about possible uses such as town halls, fundraisers, dialogues with donors, and more.
Please join us here on our website
Thursday, December 22 at 1:30pm - 2:30pm Pacific time
Meet the founders of Vokle
Participate in a live demonstration of their online video broadcasting platform
Yesterday, Dec 1, YouTube made significant changes to the Homepage and Channels. Nonprofits using video to tell our stories need to understand the changes - how they impact us and how they can help us. Visit the YouTube blog to get details. You can also login to your YouTube account (personal &/or your organization's channel) for information and tutorials.
The changes are meant to:
While the jury is out on the new design (less than a day old) this new emphasis could be extremely helpful to causes.
1. HOMEPAGE: Here's what YouTube has to say about the new Homepage:
To help you get more into YouTube, we’re making it easier to find and follow great Channels when you arrive. On the left side of the homepage you can create your own, personal, customizable YouTube Channel line-up.
2. CHANNELS: Here's what YouTube has to say about the new Channel design. Note: there are four options for your organization's Channel layout so you can pick the one that best suits the nature of your content.
Today we're launching an improved Channel design focused on what matters most: helping users find great videos. As different uploaders have different goals, we've created new Channel templates to meet your needs whether you produce one video a week or have thousands of videos for a fan to browse.
Also relevant to many nonprofits YouTube writes on their Channels help page that the changes create...
A way to keep your audience engaged even when you don’t have new uploads
Thanks to visionaries and evangelists like Andy Goodman, causes have learned that storytelling is critical to nonprofit success and that web video is a great way to tell our stories. Yesterday's changes have the potential to supercharge the impact of our video. Stay tuned.
As we see examples of organizations leveraging the new layout and functionality we'll share those examples. Please feel free to post great channel examples as a comment or email me at larryeason [at] dotorgpower.com.
Last week, for the second year now, International Medical Corps used mobile to raise significant
additional funds at their annual dinner. The additional $85,000, came not only from people who had already given, but also from people who often don't convert to donors - the guests of table-buyers.
There are two important lessons here. First, with thoughtful preparation and good storytelling mobile can be an effective tool for bringing in large donations and raising significant dollars.
The second - and the more powerful lesson - is that often the buzz about a technology can be distracting noise that keeps us from the real opportunities, the real potential. And sometimes, as is the case with this example, the opportunity is really low-hanging-fruit.
Let's take these in reverse order.
Mobile came on the radar for most nonprofits in a big way after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Huge amounts were raised. Lots of new donors gave $5 and $10. A wave of nonprofits signed up for text2give services - micro-donations that donors pay on their phone bill.
This was a pivotal moment because mobile was already important to nonprofit constituents but most nonprofits weren't paying attention. After text giving to Haiti mobile was on the radar but not for the right reason.
The media and buzz, understandably, focused on this new, easy way for people to give. Manna from heaven. Lost in the frenzy were critical facts about a rare alignment of circumstances - the nature of the disaster and need, 24/7 media coming out of the country (related to proximity and media's ability to camp out there), new technology and - of course - Presidents, First Ladies, et al asking people to text.
How does this relate to most of us? It doesn't. That doesn't mean there's not an opporunity. There is. But the hype and buzz was a distraction we had to ignore to see with clarity. And sometimes the opporunity is not what we want it to be. Sometimes it's better.
First I want to add that text2give fundraising will grow up quickly (increasing amounts, monthly giving, ways of getting contact info beyond cell number, ability to message after the confirmation, etc.) and I'm an advocate of organizations that qualify jumping in and learning now given the low cost.
But let's take off our nonprofit leader hats for a moment (I'll take off my Healthy Child Healthy World board hat) and think like a human with a cell phone. What's the first thing we'd want causes to do with mobile? Enable drive-by micro-donations from strangers? OK maybe that's in the top ten for some groups. But how about:
Here's an example. For 25 years U.S. PIRG and the state Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) have produced their annual toy safety report. These are unsafe toys they find on the shelves of stores. They get amazing coverage across the nation. Parents see the report on TV... then stand in the aisle trying to remember what not to buy (the reports and media attention have forced these products off shelves and saved lives).
Two years ago they added a mobile site www.toysafety.mobi and now parents can not only access the information when they need it - at the toy store - but they can report unsafe toys... from the app. The Federal Consumer Product Safety Commission also has a database of recalled products which we can access from anywhere - like a garage sale.
As always with new technology nonprofits need to pause and take the time to think strategically about opportunities. What are our priorities? Who are our audiences? Are they using this technology? How? What are our assets (e.g. existing programs)? Do we have hidden assets? What's the biggest opportunity here?
Back to International Medical Corps. Last year they raised about $47,000 above the $25,000
challenge donation. There were 82 donations averaging $577. Of the 82 contributions 35 were new donors with an average gift of $255. The fulfillment rate (International Medical Corps staff did the calls to fulfill the pledges) was about 97%. The feedback across the board was positive.
We don't have the fulfillment numbers for last week's dinner yet but $85,000 was pledged including $25,000 from Research In Motion to kick things off (RIM was honored for Blackberry's contribution to saving lives in Haiti).
Preparation and powerful storytelling were both key.
We'll take a deeper dive on all these topics in the near future - large donor text-pledge fundraising, mobile opportunities beyond fundraising and sorting through the noise around new technologies to find the biggest opportunities for your organization.
This was on our minds because of last week's dinner success and we wanted to share. Congratulations to International Medical Corps for a wonderful evening.
