Sharing Entries For Awards-Part Four, The Fundraising Video

We continue sharing the Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America’s entries in the National President’s Marketing Awards, a marketing and communications contest held by the National Council of the BSA.

The Friends of Scouting campaign video is submitted in the Finance Support Material category.  (Friends of Scouting is the council’s annual fundraising campaign.) If we are recognized with an award, it goes to Marc Tenholder, a Development Director at the council, and Chuck Voss, a veteran Scouter in Cape Girardeau, Mo., who works in the creative services department at KFVS.

Objectives
The Friends of Scouting campaign video is produced to accomplish a number of objectives:
• Explain how Scouting influences the lives of thousands of young people throughout our council
• Show families of Cub Scouts that more fun and adventure await them if they remain in the program
• Explain how the council is funded
• Show Scouts and volunteers enjoying the program and talking about its value and outcomes
• Ask prospective donors to make a Friends of Scouting contribution

The video is primarily created for use during Friends of Scouting presentations at banquets and other unit gatherings where families will be asked to contribute. The video is posted on the council’s YouTube site so it can be accessed from other websites and e-mail solicitations.

The video was produced in 2011 for use during the 2012 campaign.

Planning
We received positive feedback from the previous year’s video that featured youth members in all levels of the program. We wanted to improve this year’s video by including more ethnic diversity, featuring all council camps and properties, and showing all levels of the Scouting program.

Council staff members used FlipCameras to record interviews and activities taking place at our council camps during the fall. The raw video was cataloged. A script was developed and a rough outline was produced. A member of the council’s marketing committee, who also is a video producer at a television station in the council, reviewed the video, the script and the outline. He performed the editing, sound mixing, and recruited the professional announcer from his television station to perform the voice over.

More than 150 DVDs were produced and distributed to volunteers throughout the council’s 15 geographic districts. The video also was played during the council’s Friends of Scouting kickoff dinner and Executive Board meeting.

Impact
This campaign raises approximately $750,000 each year. To date in 2012, the campaign raised $324,450, which is tracking approximately 5 percent ahead of 2011.

Lessons Learned
Scheduling the editing and production of the video needs particular attention during an election year as our producer communicated to us that his workload will be quite heavy between July and November. We also plan to get more video of Cub Scout day camps and Boy Scout summer camps to better showcase the wide variety of programs and activities made available by Friends of Scouting donations.

We also received some negative feedback on the professional announcer reading the script. Instead of the more polished approach, some believe the script should be read by an articulate older Boy Scout or Venturer.

Nonprofit Communicators Get An ‘Attaboy’ From McKinsey

A Pat On The Back, Photo by Jmehre

Many nonprofit communicators feel their efforts never get any respect or recognition. They often believe their marketing and communications initiatives never measure up to the work done by their counterparts in corporate communications or public relations firms. It’s the front-page newspaper story, the magazine cover or the Super Bowl exposure that captures the attention of executive directors and governing boards.

Those two groups often become too focused on the numbers of media impressions. It places unnecessary and ill-conceived pressure on communications and marketing professionals. They often place unrealistic expectations on communicators whose time can be better spent on other initiatives.

A story in the February McKinsey Quarterly affirmed this belief. It praised nonprofit communicators for successes in social media.

It was a huge “attaboy.”

The power of storytelling: What nonprofits can teach the private sector about social media shows how nonprofits are doing a better job than their for-profit counterparts in harnessing the power of social media. The article contains an excerpt from The Dragonfly Effect, by Jennifer Aaker and Andy Smith, and includes an interview with the authors. (It also includes an audio file for downloading or streaming.)

One area that Andy Smith emphasizes in the article is for organizations to keep focusing on goals. In the end, if you didn’t raise enough money to meet your operating budget, failed to provide services or programs for your members or clients, or stumbled in recruiting and engaging enough volunteers to fulfill your mission, it really doesn’t matter how many people follow you on Twitter or Facebook.

Many nonprofit communicators underestimate the value of the stories they have to tell. People who work in education, ministry or social services are so busy and consumed with their missions that they fail to make sure their best stories are told. This is where executive directors and board members can help in marketing or communications. It’s so simple for an executive director or a board member to start or use their Twitter or Facebook account to share short success stories.

Nonprofit communications efforts can be small, slow and steady and win the race.

My counterparts in corporate communications and public relations often told me they would love to be telling a story of human compassion or triumph instead of, well, pet food, soft drinks or beer.

Melinda Gates suggests nonprofits follow 3 of Coca-Cola’s strategies to better serve people

Here’s a juxtaposition. Someone who gained incredible wealth from a ubiquitous software platform is advocating the ubiquitous nature of Coca-Cola to improve the work of nonprofits.

Melinda French Gates, wife of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, gave a TED Talk in October, “What nonprofits can learn from Coca-Cola.” (See link below.)

Melinda Gates

Mrs. Gates dedicated her life to improving living conditions throughout the world through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She has travelled the world and witnessed extreme poverty. But everywhere she goes, there’s Coca-Cola.

Coke is ubiquitous. Clean water, wholesome food and adequate medical care may be nowhere in sight, but you can get a Coke in these far-flung places. If Coke can be produced, delivered, marketed and sold in these third-world nations, she believes nonprofits can help people live better lives there as well. She believes nonprofits must continually learn from innovators throughout the world and develop Coke-like strategies to save lives and make the world a better place to live.

Mrs. Gates earned her undergraduate and MBA from Duke University. With that educational background, she studied Coke and stated how nonprofits should adopt three of Coke’s strategies to improve effectiveness:

1. Take real-time data and immediately use it to improve.
2. Tap into local entrepreneurial talent.
3. Great marketing.

Most successful nonprofits in the United States utilize some of these strategies. But there’s great insight into narrowing the focus to these three elements. Here’s a few thoughts and some elaboration:

1. Mrs. Gates evaluates the work of many nonprofits that were assisted by the Gates Foundation. She criticizes nonprofits for analyzing data at the end of the project instead of throughout execution. She recalls a description of this type of evaluation as ”bowling in the dark.” You roll the ball, hear the pins fall, turn on the lights and then look to see what happened. But real-time data helps ”turn on the lights.” The problem with most nonprofits is that they’re so focussed on executing, many directors and boards may think continual evaluation of data might detract from completing the project. Plus, evaluating outcomes will continue to be a weakness of many nonprofits organizations.
2. Nonprofits need to continually recruit the talented staff, boards and volunteers. They must be allowed to take risks, but too often are punished for failing. Nonprofits can never have too many passionate people who are strategic thinkers and action-oriented leaders.
3. Marketing in this sense is much more than television commercials. It is every aspect of a nonprofit’s image and brand. Mrs. Gates states that most nonprofits make an incorrect assumption that if someone needs something–vaccinations, clean water or medicine–nonprofits don’t have to make them want it. She talks about how all people seek a “deep happiness.” Nonprofits need to show people how they will find “deep happiness” by receiving assistance from that organization.

So, I’ll be thinking about the three Coca-Cola traits as I write my communications plan for 2011–using Microsoft software.

Corporate Giving, Community Collaborations To Be Discussed At CSPRC November Luncheon

Bill Gates speaks to staff at Department for International Development in the United Kingdom. Photo by DFID - UK Department for International Development

Nonprofit and charitable organizations are continuing to struggle to fulfill their missions and serve their clients and communities. Corporations must focus on making a profit.

Both groups are continuing to struggle as the recession comes to an end. But where is the middle ground where nonprofits and corporations will and can meet to help serve those in their communities that need assistance?

This will be the topic during the next Community Service Public Relations Council monthly luncheon. It will be a join meeting with the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). The panelists:

• Kasey Bergh, Community Relations Manager, Nestle Purina Foundation
• Mary McMurtrey, President, Gateway Center for Giving
• Lucie Springmeyer, Senior Vice President, Forest Park Forever

The panel will discuss the current state of corporate giving and opportunities for community collaboration in the St. Louis area, plus provide some solid takeaways. Marketing and communications directors are encouraged to invite their President/Executive Director to attend.

When: Tuesday, November 9, 2010
11:30 a.m. to noon: Registration and Networking
Noon to 1:15 p.m.: Lunch and Program
Where: Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel, 7730 Bonhomme Ave., St. Louis, MO 63105
Complimentary parking is available in the hotel garage.
Cost: Members: $25; Non-Members: $35; Students: $20
Please note: Make reservations no later than noon on Friday, November 5th. Walk-ins may not be able to be accommodated. Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours in advance; no-shows will be billed.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE

Slides From UMSL Continuing Education Course: Developing A Marketing Plan For Your Nonprofit

There were great conversations, questions and interactions during a University of Missouri-St. Louis Continuing Education class on developing a marketing and communications plan for your nonprofit organization on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010.

More than 25 people attended on Wednesday and there were some great questions and conversations.

I failed to include a link to one of the templates I used in the presentation. The four quadrants of developing a marketing and communications plan and committee can be downloaded by clicking here (PDF).

Here’s a link to my deck of slides:

Join Me For 2-Hour Course On Developing Your NPO’s Communications Plan

Many people who find themselves responsible for their nonprofit organization’s communications fall into one of two categories.

One, their organization doesn’t have a viable communications plan and they’ve been delegated that responsibility.

Or, two, their organization has a communications plan and they have no training or experience in communications.

If you fall into one of these categories, or if you would like to learn how to develop an effective communications plan for your nonprofit organization, you’re welcome to join me for a two-hour non-credit course at the University of Missouri-St. Louis Nonprofit Management and Leadership Program.

Developing an Effective Communication Plan for Your Nonprofit Organization
Wednesday, October 20, 3-5 p.m.
J.C. Penney Conference Center
University of Missouri-St. Louis
$30

Click Here To Register Online

Download A Printable Flyer (PDF)

Course Description: Nonprofit organizations are faced with an increasing demand for their services and a more challenging fundraising environment. Perhaps more than ever before, success or failure is determined by how successfully NPOs commuicate their mission and services. Whether you’re an executive director, board or staff member, plan to join us as we help you develop an integrated communication plan and strategy for your organization. We’ll look at ways to measure success and help you define and develop marketing and communication channels.

We’ll look at integrating traditional communications channels as well as social media into a plans for orgainzations of all sizes. We’ll also review some fundamental elements that must be in place for any communications plan to succeed in a nonprofit organization.

My goal is that every person who attends this course will leave with at least one or two strategies–if not an entire plan–that will help their organization achieve a mission-based goal.

See you then!

Philanthropy Forecast: Same Stuff, Different Year

More than 600 nonprofit volunteers, board members and staff attended The Rome Group’s 2010 Philanthropic Landscape report at Washington University‘s Edison Theatre last month. (Click here to listen to the audio or view the slides.) It’s the nonprofit event of the summer in St. Louis. You could look around the auditorium and it was a who’s who of nonprofit and charities in our town.

There were two significant findings for nonprofit communicators. The Rome Group’s annual survey found that 17 percent of grant makers are willing to fund marketing/communications to raise awareness/funds. the other was that 21 percent of grant makers said nonprofits should market more aggressively.

Amy Rome summarized her presentation with three items:

Nonprofits are competing in a broader universe: Giving to international causes continues to increase. That takes into account the substantial gifts made by the Gates Foundation. But nonprofits must continue to improve their collective ability to effectively tell their stories.

Individuals are where the action is: The St. Louis community is having a difficult time shifting its focus from large corporations to individual giving. Corporate philanthropy once kept the community’s nonprofit organizations adequately funded. Those corporations are gone. Engagement of individual donors is now the name of the game and marketing and communications play a significant role in that task.

It could be a lot worse: The nonprofit community is eternally optimistic. But approximately 40 percent of local nonprofits only have two to three months of cash or reserves. When you’re struggling to keep the doors open, marketing and communications take a back seat. When that happens, the end is near.

Building Teams With Marshmallows

One of the great benefits of working for the Boy Scouts of America is witnessing thousands of young men and women learning how to lead others and build effective teams.

There are thousands of large and small small businesses that spend millions of dollars to teach or enhance leadership skills and develop high-performing groups. Most people who participated in Scouting programs are miles ahead of their peers when it comes to these skills. That’s why so many parents continually testify that Scouting helped their child excel in school, sports, jobs and life.

The embedded video by Tom Wujec shows how effective certain groups are when confronted with a simple challenge — build a tower using tape, string and uncooked spaghetti noodles to hold a marshmallow. The takeaways from Wujec’s research can help nonprofit marketing and communications professionals in the following ways:

• Be flexible with communications and marketing plans during execution
• If you fail, learn why and how you failed and don’t forget those lessons
• Always plan for multiple ways to tell your story
• Be inclusive; share your plan with others throughout the organization and they might help you be even more successful.

As always, you’re welcome to leave a comment. How has leadership and team development played a role in your success as a nonprofit communicator?

Educating Staff On Social Media Guidelines

Nonprofit and charitable organizations can gain more from effectively using social media than for-profit companies.  The passion and commitment of donors, members and volunteers can be effectively harnessed through these new media channels.

During the last year or so, the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America developed a presence on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. During the last few months, the BSA published social media guidelines.

A number of staff members of the Greater St. Louis Area Council asked for assistance as they began to work with volunteers in developing Facebook pages. But the biggest challenge for staff members was their online persona.  Many staff members struggled as they decided if they should accept volunteers as friends on Facebook.  Others had scores of friends who were hard-working and engaged volunteers and they used social media to cultivate and motivate these groups.  Many staff members reacted to a post by an employee who commented on their salary increase.

These are just a few social media issues that organizations are dealing with.  In an attempt to educate our staff, I reviewed the BSA’s new social media guidelines and made the following presentation to the Council’s professional staff members on March 31, 2010.  It was recorded so the remaining employees could watch and listen to the presentation and receive the same information as the professional staff members.

How are you helping your organization maximize its effective use of social media? Are marketing and communications professionals going to be the leaders in this new territory?  Or will executive directors and those with legal and human resources responsibilities be expected to provide guidance?

You’re welcome to leave a comment and start a conversation.

Join Me At Nonprofit Services Consortium’s Communications Peer Circles

Listening to the panel. Photo by mmpartee

If you are new to nonprofit marketing and communications or if you need to “reboot” your plan or efforts, join me for the Nonprofit Services Consortium’s first Communications Peer Circle. The event is free. It’s from 9 to 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 4, at the NSC’s new location, 326 South 21st St., Suite 301, St. Louis, MO 63103. (Click here to see location on Google map.)           

 CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.          

One benefit of being a Community Service Public Relations Council member throughout the years is networking with other nonprofit marketing and communications professionals. During those opportunities, I’ve experienced countless times when a fellow CSPRC member or nonprofit professional provided outstanding advice, a breakthrough solution or encouragement to continue my efforts. NSC’s Communications Peer Circles promise to deliver that type of experience. You might learn a new strategy, tactic or approach. You might solve someone’s problem.   

Most nonprofit and charitable organizations face the same challenges in marketing and communications. They strive to raise more funds, improve awareness of their programs, gain more members or serve more clients. The atmosphere can be filled with apprehension or anxiety when marketing and communications professionals share struggles with peers. It’s as if admitting these problems will put their organizations at a competitive disadvantage.             But when professionals come together during NSC’s Communications Peer Circles — like my CSPRC experiences — there’s an understanding that sharing experiences, lessons learned and best practices can help everyone. If you mention a problem, someone might offer a solution that changes the situation from quagmire to success. If you contribute an idea that helps a nonprofit or charitable institution become more successful, you help the world become a better place.             

Communications Peer Circles will be held on the first Thursday of odd-numbered months: March 4, May 6, July 1, Sept. 2 and Nov. 4. The NSC also offers a Fund Development Peer Circle, led by Donna McGinnis, and held on the first Thursday of even-numbered months: April 1, June 3, Aug. 5, Oct. 7, Dec. 2.