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 is mean?

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

People are complex, but as I’ve said along with my friend Mark Rovner, they have at least four needs in common.  When you fulfill these needs, you are better able to meet your own.

1: To be SEEN and HEARD

So acknowledge them.  Making someone feel seen and heard is the most powerful thing any of us can do with online communications.  On the other hand, not listening is the root of most problems, personal (just ask your partner!) and professional (just ask your co-workers!).

2: To be CONNECTED to someone or something

People are sociable creatures, and giving is a social act.  Engage by connecting to what your audience (NOT YOU) wants to hear.

3: To be part of something GREATER THAN THEMSELVES

We need to lay out the grand vision of our cause.  We should show how together we can leave the world a better place.  That means a hopeful, inspiring message.

4: To have the security of TRUST

People are starved for a sense of trust.  Use an authentic messenger, show where the money goes and honor the trust others have put in your organization with their support.

• Be thankful.  It’s the most important and most neglected basic.

• Be clear.  Show where the money goes.  Consistently, over time.

• Be accessible.  Make sure supporters can find you when they need to.

It’s not about gimmicks.  You don’t need loyalty cards.  You simply need to behave in a way that inspires loyalty.

This guide walks you through the right questions to ask in considering mobile, the basics of a mobile strategy and tips on implementation.

Enjoy!
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(If you don’t believe me, just check out these personal mini-stories about Generosity Day!)

One of the best ways to make this connection visible and powerful is to include your audience in your story. 

Here’s a great example of that principle in action from Neuromarketing’s Roger Dooley.  St. Bonaventure University uses Facebook Connect to render their online experience for prospective students deeply personal and highly connected.

Check out the site yourself here, but some of the fun ways they connect with prospective students include: creating a college ID with your photo, describing how far the college is from where you live, and referencing how it will be to transition from your exact high school.  You become part of the story—and a student in spirit.  Nicely done!

How can you bring your community into your story?  You should.  After all, we’re all part of the same big narrative of changing the world for the better.

Now in its 6th year, the DoGooder Nonprofit video awards program is presented by See3 Communications and YouTube in association with Cisco and the Case Foundation. The awards are completely free to enter and open to any eligible nonprofit organization in the U.S., U.K, Canada and Australia that created video in 2011.  The submission phase goes until February 29th, after which the public will have a chance to vote for the winning videos.  (See3 is the wonderful agency that brought you the Generosity Day video!)
This year, winners have the chance to win one of four $3,500 prize donations along with great products worth an additional $3,500 provided by the Cisco, a free registration to next year’s Nonprofit Technology Conference provided by NTEN and a special prize to recognize fearless use of video provided the Case Foundation. And… drumroll…the winning videos will be announced at this year’s Nonprofit Technology Conference hosted by NTEN and featured on YouTube’s homepage on April 5th. (The YouTube part is sort of like having your nonprofit video seen during the Super Bowl - last year’s winners enjoyed over 1 MILLION new views after being featured here for just one day.)  For nonprofits, video is a great way to share your mission, messages and goals. The medium educates, communicates urgency and tells honest, human stories that move people to create change.

For more details, go here.

And that’s not all…. TechSoup also has an award program—their 2012 TechSoup Digital Storytelling Challenge.  Nonprofits can submit a one-minute video or five-photo slideshow to win award donations from TechSoup’s partners.  The deadline is February 29, so hurry.

Submit a one-minute video here.

Or five-photo slideshow here.

Or register for a free webinar on post-production (2/16) with David J. Neff of Lights. Camera. Help.

First, you are amazing for devoting a big part of your life to a good cause.  Here’s a video from the team at Network for Good (created by Laura and Allison) thanking you for your work.

Thank you!

And thanks to Sasha for inspiring this all in the first place.

My eight-year-old daughter showed me how Generosity Day is done by spending the past week writing a handmade note to each of her classmates highlighting something special about them.  Here’s what she wrote to a classmate and teacher.

Today should be all about love, as our friends at Jubilee remind us.

This Valentine’s Day, thank your supporters, be kind to those who confound you and love everyone you can.  Make it Generosity Day!

And please share what you do here. 

Remember that?

Photo from businessblunder.com

This redesign cost Tropicana a 19% plunge ($33 million) in sales in two months.  The company trashed the new look.

Dan Ariely points out that the initial explanation for the consumer revolt was the emotional bond that consumers had with the old packaging.  But further investigation revealed something more: The change made it harder to spot Tropicana on a store shelf or to differentiate it from other brands.  He wonders, “Is it plausible that simple visual features of choice options, such as a package’s color or brightness, influence consumers’ choices?”

According to a group of vision scientists, the answer is yes.  In a study, they found:

When consumers chose between items they prefer (such as a Snickers bar) and visually enhanced, i.e., brighter, but less preferred options (such as Sour Skittles), a significant portion of their choices was biased toward choosing the brighter, less liked, item. This visual saliency bias, or bias toward brighter-colored items, was even stronger when consumers made choices while being engaged in another cognitively demanding task, akin to talking on a cellphone while shopping in a grocery store.  Finally, the bias toward visually brighter items was especially strong when consumers did not have a strong preference for one item over another (i.e., choosing between Snickers and KitKat bars, which consumers stated they like almost equally).  The latter two variations of the experiment is highly representative of today’s competitive market place and consumers’ tendency to multitask.

So what do Skittles and OJ have to do with us?

I wonder if there is a lesson here.  While these studies are focused on bright colors as influencing impulse buying, I do think the concept of visual salience has broader application. Just as simple, easy to read type can make people more friendly to your words, I think bold, recognizable colors may help make people pay attention to you.  It’s at least worth a test. When you’re promoting your cause in a crowded, noisy space like on a bulletin board, at an event or side-by-side with other organizations online, try to visually stand out.  Ask, are you catching the eye?  How’s your visual salience?  I think it helps - and there’s a reason the cover of my book is bright orange and yellow:)

And for more on the topic, here’s an infographic via Karen Zapp with more on the influence of color.

And here’s the interview.  (As as aside, I confess to some monkey and genius tendencies on my worst days.)  Fortunately, I’m surrounded by colleagues who do excellent in-house persuasion and collaboration.

Katya Andresen on the Art of In-House Persuasion from Communications Network on Vimeo.

(Thanks to the video wizards at See3 for generously contributing this video to the movement!)

Instead of forging V-Day connections with one person via chocolate, candlelight and a card, let’s forge G-Day connections with as many people as possible – including complete strangers – by saying YES on February 14th to every opportunity to be nice, help out, or delight with generosity.  It might mean tipping 100%.  Or telling a colleague how much you appreciate them and agreeing to that long-delayed lunch.  Or saying yes to that nonprofit canvasser on the sidewalk. 

Please pledge to participate here.  On this site, individuals and nonprofits can post how they are celebrating G-Day.  (It’s also a nice way to share your good work with a big audience, hint, hint.  Talk about your organization’s generous actions!) 

Thanks in advance for saying YES.