Building the Groundwork First

Beth, Allison, this is one of the finest examples of what to do right in a social media campaign that I've read. I echo so many others' comments about the value of groundwork. What struck me as critical was the year of cross-country relationship-building that gave the organization the broad base of support to call upon to win an online challenge. AND that they understand how to capitalize on those relationships through meaningful, continuous engagements.

I don't know that the dollar budget of the organization makes a difference in who can win these widely-publicized online fundraising challenges. What I believe fully is that you cannot win without deep, broad engagement, and a movement that is based in that engagement. As Susan Gordon wrote earlier, they were thinking like grassroots organizers and that, at its heart, is what it may take to win one of these challenges.

Have you thought about linking the principles of community organizing, or grassroots organizing and movement-building, to this case study? Amy, Ivan and I talked about this at 10NTC this year, and it strikes me that there may be relevant links between grassroots organizing best practices/principles and this case study.

I also want to echo Brian and Johanna's suggestion that failed social media campaigns are oft-overlooked valuable case studies.

Can't wait to read the report!

Great testament to the power of people, story and human bonds

We give to people, not abstract causes, and this shows the power of putting a face to a movement. That's because giving is about relationships - as the organization DGW so eloquently says. All in all, a great case study that further emphasizes that the power of technology is to strengthen human bonds - and that technology is only as strong as the humans bonds behind it.

social media

Traditionally our supporters are older 50+. By adding social media can we make our organization more "relavent" to younger audiences? Do younger demographics see organizations that use this form of communication as more modern and interesting?

The Power of Storytelling

Darius Goes West - the film, the adventure, the presentations and the foundation - capitalizes on the unbeatable power of authentic storytelling. Darius is incredible and has a contagious personality filled with hope and purpose. Logan and the team successfully carried that into their efforts in the AGC. They could have taken the route to focus on the severity and intensity of DMD, or about the numbers of people touched by the disease, or even about inspirational stories to garner donations. Instead, they did what they have done all along and that was let Darius have an adventure and bring the entire community along, too. And the authenticity, the inclusion, the ope and purpose of it all made donating and supporting as contagious as Darius' personality.

Response

Fantastic conversation. Thanks so much for doing this story on our organization. I regret that I'm only just joining the post-publishing conversation.

I want to respond to everything, but for the sake of brevity I'll just respond to these two points for now.

1. Is Darius Key? @HolyRoss
I think what you are really asking is: Is it more important to lead with "the cause" or "the story." I emphasize "lead" because I think every good org has both a cause and a story of origin.

In our case the cause is "Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy," and "the story" is "Darius + Darius' HUGE personality + the crew's continuing story." In terms of growing an organization, KNOWING the answer to this question---what are you leading with in your outreach--is so much more important than what the actual answer is.

If your cause is universally known/appealing then you can spend less time/energy discussing story, and more time discussing the nuts and bolts of a "cause." If your cause is more "rare," "confusing," or less universally appealing then your org's story/personality needs to be front, center, and genuinely engaging. If your story isn't engaging enough, then you need to find/live one that makes your cause accessible immediately.

We were all story from the get go. We set out to make a film, not an org. When the film succeeded all twelve of us, especially Darius, realized that we were in the position to bring awareness and funds to a little-known disease. Luckily we had a little help John Madden along the way! (and please see Beth's Humor post above.)

2. How do we track our metrics @Beth
You identify a HUGE challenge for us, Beth. We have multiple social media outposts (facebook, twitter, Youtube). We also have a private list serve, dozens of groups created by supporters around the country....um, yeah, it is nearly impossible to keep track.

We have considered copying and pasting all of our "fans/followers/subscribers" from everywhere, merging them on a spreadsheet, and deleting the duplicates (there would be a lot of duplicates), but we've never actually done it. It would be a very difficult undetertaking and the accuracy would expire almost immediately, or as soon as we got another round of fans/followers/subscribers.

I think the tracking mechanism must fall on the contests hosts. The contest being on facebook helps because everything runs through a somewhat inherently valid credential system.

For any app developers out there. Our organization, many more organizations, and even for-profit companies would find a cross-platform metric system extremely useful.

We're going to publish this convo to our fans. I hope they will add their insights, as their voice is probably the only one that matters (aside from John Maddens!).

Thanks!

Success in Social Media - Thinking like a Grassroots Organizer

Thank you for sharing this, Beth and Allison! You brought up a lot of important observations and great lessons. I'd like to add a few thoughts:

Every winner of America's Giving Challenge used grassroots organizing to win. Darius Goes West used their grassroots network of people they spoke to on their road trip. Overseas China Education Foundation used their network of Chinese student groups on college campuses. Causes is a level playing field for nonprofits where it's not about how big your database is or how much money you spend on advertising. The winners of the Challenge were organizations that told a compelling story, made the impact of your donations crystal clear, and inspired their supporters to spread their message to their friends.

Connecting with your supporters in a genuine way that empowers them to get involved and to get their friends involved takes a different approach than what's working on your website, with email marketing, and on your Fan Page.

My advice is to think about who your hard-core supporters are, think about what campaigns or stories they would most want to spread to their friends, and produce a grassroots campaign strategy that empowers those people to spread those stories.

These lessons are true for challenges/contests but they are also true for any fundraising campaign, petition, or membership drive you're doing on any social media platform.

Tech tools that support relationships

Beth, I am seeing increased awareness of the importance of CRMs in nonprofits. I think this may be a good sign--orgs are becoming aware that their tech systems should support their ability to grow and nurture their networks and stay connected to their constituents. I am also seeing anxiety about the lack of integration of CRM/CMS/metrics/social networking systems, and anxiety about how to make better, more holistic tech systems with constrained budgets and staff capacity. I don't know what's in the toolboxes of some of these more successful orgs. I want to learn more about the ad hoc systems people are using to integrate their data between silos and to measure their efforts, even if they seem hackish. If they work and are affordable for small and medium orgs, then they're of interest to me.

Johanna - CRM Question

You bring out a good point. What have learned in talking to other nonprofits about their use of social crm tools?

Holly, I think you're on to something...

Holly, I see a lot of validity in your observation: "In smaller organizations, supporters feel much closer to the people behind the organization's name." In some of these smaller organizations, often times, one or two people "are" the organization. Supporters are attracted to the cause, of course. But there are many nonprofits out there who share similar causes. I think it's the unique personalities -- and inter-personal hands-on approach -- that draw dedicated supporters to these smaller organizations. People become loyal to the cause and to it's leaders.

It could be argued that limited organizational capacity is a larger barrier/challenge for smaller organizations than for larger orgs. (e.g. In a small org, the Exec. Dir. may be solely responsible operations oversight, finances, fundraising, HR, communications, marketing, etc) However, I think a factor which may give smaller organizations a foot forward in social media is their malleability and capacity for adjusting swiftly to change.

As we know, adoption and implementation of social media strategy requires a new way of thinking and communicating -- an organizational culture change. With the right leader(s) in place, I think that smaller orgs can move more swiftly from "old" communication/engagement styles to social media strategy buy-in and implementation. Larger organizations, on the other hand, often require buy-in from a much larger leadership/staff pool. This pool may be as small as 5 - 7 administrators or may include administrators, several staff committees and/or board subcommittees. Because of size, larger organizations require a greater time investment in education and cultivation of buy-in.

Thanks, Beth! Social CRM...

Thank you, Beth. This is great stuff.

By "social CRM" I mean two things, I think, that really may be one thing.
1. I am wondering how they manage their fund raising data and their engagement metrics on the various platforms they are using (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, their fundraising database, their blog, etc.). I wonder how they track their efforts, measure ROI, and how integrated their data and tracking systems are.

2. Relationships are clearly central. Smalley says they try to keep a personal connection with everyone they've met. Do they track them all in their separate social networking silos?

I guess I just wanna know what's in their toolbox. :)

This may seem obvious but

This may seem obvious but what stands out to me in their campaign is how thoughtful they were. Not just in terms of the actual content but also how they shared content and engaged with followers. They were deliberate and focused. I highlight this because social media has a reputation that it is easy and doesnt take much time. On the one hand this can make it seem worth a try, on the other hand when it becomes apparent that it does take time/effort many organizations can become discouraged. Perhaps money isnt the greatest deterrent for organizations, but rather time is.

Something else that stands out to me is the amount of work put in long before the American Giving Challenge started. They seemed to have built up quite a following on and offline beforehand which makes me wonder if these online contests are only good for organizations that already have an online presence (I've heard the argument that these competitions can get nonprofits more interested in social media and refining their online strategy, but Im not so sure this is the case for truly beginners).

How does he make you FEEL?

It seems to me that the stronger someone feels about something, the stronger the emotion - the more likely action will result from it. DGW works because Darius feels really strongly about it, and he is able to communicate that feeling to us in a way that empowers and connects us.

I don't think its necessarily the size of the org that matters, but the degree of passion and empowerment that the members of the org feel, and how well they are able to tap into our feelings.

If something makes me sad, I might be 'moved', but not to action. I think one of the keys is helping us move through the feeling cycle into a place of movement that will make us feel good about ourselves.

The Benefits of Being Little

I'm the founder of an organization which, by the standards here, must fit neatly in the microscopic category. At < $150k/year, our startup nonprofit Epic Change is nowhere near the $5M cap set for small nonprofits - but still, I'd suggest we - and all small nonprofits - may have a distinct advantage when it comes to our use of social media. Our TweetsGiving effort, which has raised nearly $50k to date, and our To Mama With Love campaign, which raised nearly $17k just last week are just two examples.

I think there's a few reasons why small organizations like ours may actually use social media more effectively than large organizations. Just a few quick thoughts:

Is personality key?

My own personal experience leads me to agree with others comments here that the success of small NPO's use of social media is largely driven by the personal connection supporters feel to the founders. In most small and/or new non-profit's the founder is involved in nearly every aspect of communication and mission - they are the primary voice of the organization...with good reason! When you're a young organization without years of audited financials to prove your integrity and effectiveness the only way for people to judge your organization and it's potential is for them to assess you as an individual.

People trust in my organization, Big Love Little Hearts, because my passion for this cause is authentic and transparent. My sister died from a heart defect and I talk about this often via social media. I talk about the long and late hours I work and the personal sacrifices it takes to do this work. I talk about our triumphs and I talk about our failures. I blog about my thought process in making certain organizational decisions.

We ran a social media campaign a month ago that was two-fold: we raised $25K in 24 hours w/ a per use of the hashtag #100X100 matching donation and twelve days later reiterated the campaign for social change via advocacy by using the hashtag to link to a site where people could find out about The Congenital Heart Futures Act and contact their representatives to ask them to support it.

We know that more than 1,000 people clicked through to find their representative, but the amazing thing - and what's relevant here - is that almost 800 people tweeted, facebooked, emailed, texted or called ME (not my organization) to tell me they had just contacted their Senators and Congressman.

I am still absolutely stunned by the success of that campaign - we are just over 10 months old. What it taught me is that for right now people view Big Love Little Hearts and Estrella Rosenberg as synonymous.

I believe the same is true for Darius...it is also true for Stacey and Sanjay at Epic Change. (ex - @epicchange hardly tweets but Stacey and Sanjay do all the time. #tomamawithlove was a very successful campaign because people connected to them as individuals and to their passion for their cause)

Great post and very thought provoking!!

Johanna - Question

What do you mean by social crm?

Also, the final report will be an executive summary - not too long to read!

Serendipity ...

Johanna,

This is one case study - there is also other data to be shared - so stay tuned.

I think serendipity is a factor but not random serendipity. I think success (or failure) is understanding whether or not the contest fits well with your organization's strategic goals. And, if you've done a good SWOT analysis - and there are current activities, assets that can be leveraged - perhaps there is a better chance of being successful!

In the first evaluation, we included a round of depth interviews with "failed" contest participants - those that did not win any of the prizes or had, in fact, very low dollar amounts. A couple things we learned:

* Failure is hard for people to talk about because there is some shame in it. Those interviews were not as robust - but we did learn that lack of capacity, lack of network engagement, and lack of vetting are some reasons why participation is as successful.

Respones to Brian - #Failure

Hi Brian:

In the both evaluations, Allison and I looked into the question of why did some groups fail, while other succeeded. Many times it is because they did not do what the successful contest participants did in their campaigns.

So, obviously, there is a still need for education about what works or we'd have way more winners and less failures.

A few observations re: failures:

A lot boils down to capacity issues - the amount of time devoted to careful planning and execution of the campaign. Many failures occur from not devoting the time to manage a well choreographed campaign.

Also, the lack of engaged network on FB - not identifying and supporting influencers, tactics were only online, lack of engagement, lack of personalized or compelling conversations starters or calls to action, etc

One issue that has come up and will be the topic of the next blog - and from a successful organization - is need for contest vetting process. Perhaps some of the "failures" were failure because they jumped into the contest without a good screen to determine whether it was a strategically a good decision.

Will tackle your questions in separate comments

To piggyback on Brian & Holly...

This is a really valuable piece that reinforces some of the best of the best practices for social media (relationships; know your audience; personalize your network; use creativity and humor; close feedback loops).

These are all excellent take-aways, but something still feels missing to me. I think Brian Reich's suggestions are right on.

Darius Goes West used all of those excellent best practices here. But I also see a familiar pattern: serendipity. A confluence at the right moment of opportunity, audience, media and message that all fit perfectly together. Also, Holly pointed out that there is a stellar personality behind this effort, and his message and style are conducive to making his org business personal. And he's aiming at a young audience, using popular culture, he has a fabulous sense of humor, he's using video. Recipe for success.

As Brian posted above, this has resulted in something worthy of a case study. I think small orgs can look for those opportunities, but I am interested in how those best practices can be deployed in smaller, quieter ways. I'd also like to see more examinations about failures in this space (I know you have done much this critique work, Beth; like Brian, this is not a criticism of your and Alison's work, but rather just an echoing of Brian's call for more perspectives). I've seen so many orgs just look at case studies like this and kind of shut down as they say, "But we serve elderly low-income workers; what do we do with this?" Social media is not for everyone, I know, but I'd love more data that would help break up the refrain I often hear in some form or other, "Social media success happens mostly to orgs that raise money via MTV viewers/young people/who have a compelling message about saving puppies."

Finally, I know it's a new buzz term, but I'd also love to see this case study rendered through a filter of "social CRM." Maybe you touched on this in the full report (which I, like Brian, sadly have little time to read in full).

A different kind of open discussion

This is a terrific case study and there is much to be learned from Darius Gies West and other organizations who successfully used social media to advance their efforts related to the latest America's Giving Challenge. But as I read through the post and think ahead to what I expect the final report will include, three thoughts come to mind:

- why did groups fail? There is more than enough analysis already available about how organizations have, or can/should use social media effectively to build community and raise funds. And yet, still only a small number of groups (a minority for sure of those involved in any competition of this kind) do anything worthy of a case study. What's the disconnect? We likely don't need more case studies, more data, or even more analysis of what worked. Are we looking enough at and critically assessing all those who failed, in hopes of revealing insights that everyone - including the Case Foundation, can learn from?

- call and response. Beth and Alison are crazy smart, no secret there. Your analysis of the competiton, like everything else you do, will be a must-read. But even with 720 survey responses, interviews, and now these case studies the process seems very structured, and thus limited. Based on the early responses to the post, I expect the case studies will mostly generate endorsements for your analysis, as opposed to new and different thoughts. How might you tap the crowd for new and better insights here? How could you go beyond the call and response dynamic that is created when you post a finished case study and seek a response?

- too many reports. A big report that discusses the challenge and provides recommendations - both to the case foundation and to participants - seems destined to find it's way to the bottom of the giant virtual pile of reports and studies already on my reading list. I suspect I am not alone. I know you are following orders, fulfilling what the Case Foundation wants you to do. And I know whatever you write will be smart. But how does this report break through? Beyond the celebrity status that Beth/Alison bring as authors, what will make this report truly different? Instead of a single deliverable, what keeps this critical analysis and learning (two staples of the america's giving challenge that Case has embraced so well) going, and moving in the right direction?

You probably already thought of these things, and already addressed these and other opportunities in your plan for the final report. Eithe way, I look forward to what happens next.

(Note: I submitted a response to an RFP issued by the Case Foundation to lead the process of evaluating the America's Giving Challenge but was not chosen for the project. These comments are not intended as criticisms of Beth/Alison (both of whom I have tremendous respect for, and have worked with and consider friends and peers) or the Case Foundation (who I work with in various capacities, though not formally). Rather, my hope was simply to spur some new or additional thinking about how this assessment, and other reports from within and/or about social media and related issues in/around the non-profit/charity/philanthropy/social change space might be advanced further).

NOTE: this comment was also written on my iPhone starting at about 4:30am while my three-week old baby, Lucy, slept on my lap, so apologies for any spelling or similar errors.

Is Darius the Key?

One of the tensions that comes up when we talk about social media is the personal/organization boundary. Social media is about people, and I think we often advise that people at least put personality, if not persons, into their organizational use of social media.

I'm wondering if that's one of the reasons that Darius and other small organizations can do so well in social media - in smaller organizations, supporters feel much closer to the people behind the organization's name. And in the case of Darius Goes West, Darius IS the organization.

What do you think?

Responding to your Tweet

Definition of small versus large - sort of arbitrary .. but I'd say under $1 million or $500,000
http://twitter.com/AdamScottDay/status/13880753113

A comment on Facebook

I posted this link over on Facebook and some one commented that their sense of humor was brilliant - and probably part of the appeal of making it shareable.

Humor might be the delivery mechanism for the truth, but it also helps spread your cause
http://www.facebook.com/Beth.Kanter.Blog#!/posted.php?id=212577490407&share_id=106954979348824&comments=1#s106954979348824

Spot On

Great post @Beth and @ Allison!

DGW is a great example of how so many small but mighty organizations can successfully broadcast their message and fundraising efforts by leveraging the power and reach of social networks -- and it's free!

DGW is two people who ignited a movement, educated the masses and impacted communities across the country.

At our annual Craigslist Foundation Boot Camp we have hundreds of similar small organizations who come to learn about social media strategies and community success stories just like this one.

For more on the event at UC Berkeley check out:
http://www.craigslistfoundation.org/events/

Great summary

Darius Goes West is a terrific example of a small org that has been able to leverage video as a storytelling medium and make human connections through YouTube. In fact, they also won the small organization prize in the recent Nonprofit Video Awards (www.youtube.com/nonprofitvideoawards).

If you're a nonprofit looking to take advantage of YouTube, a few links you may want to check out:

http://www.nten.org/blog/2010/03/23/activating-your-youtube-audience-rec...

http://mashable.com/2010/03/26/non-profits-youtube/

http://www.see3.net/youtube-for-nonprofits