Chad Norman's Webby Things : Viral Marketing

Hey, Your Org Was Just Named Nonprofit of the Year!

Chad Norman — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:50:00 GMT

What if all of your organization's wishes came true - instantly, overnight, in a flash, or maybe even granted via genie? That would certainly change things. Million dollar gifts, an unending supply of volunteers, loads of Whuffie - it could happen, right?

Check out what a scenario like that might look like with this customizable video report from Nonprofit Network News. Just enter your org's name, your name, and hit customize. Hilarity ensues.

» Customize Video

And while I'm a huge fan of magical impromptu windfalls, it probably isn't the best strategy to wait around for this to happen. Like Santa Clause, The Great Pumpkin, and possibly Big Foot, genies are technically fiction. (Though, if you're an actual genie reading this blog post, feeeeeeel free to stop by my house and prove me wrong. I only need one wish!)

If you want to do something today to help your nonprofit thrive, all of us Blackbaudian's are here to help. We've featured some resources on our nonprofit wishlist page. You can also read our blogs, check out an event, chat us up on Twitter, or download some white papers. Be sure to check out our Internet Solutions team blog at www.NetWitsThinkTank.com, or visit Blackbaud Labs for the latest in nonprofit tech.

Lets stop wishing and start doing - together!

Beth Kanter and the Real-Time Social Web Make Fundraising History

Chad Norman — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:50:00 GMT

On Friday evening, I watched something amazing unfold online - all while trying to get my kids into the bath and get their rooms ready for bed. Saying things like, "Hang on guys, I'm trying to copy and paste some of these tweets!" had little effect, but I couldn't help it. This was exciting, powerful, historical - This was Beth Kanter at Gnomedex!

For me, it all started with a simple tweet from Robert Scoble providing a link to a Ustream.TV feed of Beth's presentation. Click, and I was watching Beth rocking the Gnomedex 8.0 crowd with her tales from the front lines of the nonprofit social web. She was discussing her fundraising efforts in 2006 and 2007 that were geared towards sending a Cambodian woman to college, and then it happened.

Her challenge was simple: Can this room of highly connected gnomedexers get 250 people to donate $10 by the end of the conference?

She tweeted this challenge to the masses, and a few attendees kicked things off by donating onstage. That's when the real-time social web flexed its muscles, and the tweets, retweets, and donations began flying around the Twitterverse.

At the conclusion of the 90-minute presentation, $2,657 had been collected from 112 online donors (not to mention the $902 in cash given onsite). The goal had been to reach $2,500 by the end of the conference, and the real-time social web had done that (and then some) in 90 minutes. Hello world, meet the future!

We already knew the social web could get things done, but Beth's successful experiment demonstrated that it can be used to get things done RIGHT NOW. A well connected online community can make things happen when called to action, and nonprofits are in a great position to harness this power for social change. Combined with an engaged online community, real-time technologies like Twitter, Ustream.tv, and smart phones can be used as an immediate system for change.

I'm glad Beth is our nonprofit tech ambassador, and that she continues to inspire anyone who will listen. I'm glad that Scoble, Chris Brogan, Danny Sullivan, Chris Pirillo and the rest of the tech elite helped bring so much mainstream attention to this cause. I'm glad nonprofits can use this as an example of how emerging technology is changing fundraising forever.

In the time it took me to bathe my boys and put them to bed, a young student named Leng Sopharath was given the life-changing gift of education. That 90 minutes of furious tweeting, texting, and giving will ensure her housing, tuition, and medical bills are paid as she continues her college journey.

Is this a one-time thing that can only happen when well-connected geeks decide to make a difference, or can this be repeated by other nonprofits? I'm not sure, but I can't wait to find out. In the mean time, I'll be sure to read Because a Little Bug Went Ka-choo to my boys a few more times, and remind them that the butterfly effect actually has wings.

6 Degrees of Fundraising

Chad Norman — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 21:16:00 GMT

We talk a lot about nonprofits using the social web to attract and engage donors, but the concepts trend more towards awareness than action. Using MySpace or YouTube to deliver your message to a broad audience is one thing - getting them to act is another. That’s where SixDegrees.org, AOL Instant Messenger, and Network for Good come in. Someone had the brilliant idea to put these three ingredients into a giant Web 2.0 blender in the hopes of producing a tasty, social fundraising smoothie – and it looks like they have succeeded. With Kevin Bacon as the natural pitchman, 6Degrees.org is asking donors to choose a nonprofit, then get 6 friends to give to the same organization. Network for Good is covering the online donations, while AOL's MySpace equivalent AIM Pages handles the social aspect. The idea is to use a social network to form impromptu giving circles...got it? No? Here, I'll let Mr. Bacon tell it like it is:

All you have to do is use the AIM for Good module on this page. Simply pick the charity that you would like to rally support for, enter up to six e-mail addresses of your buddies and family members, and write them a note asking for their support. The e-mail that they’ll receive will give them the opportunity to give, right there, to the charity you’ve selected. All transactions will be private and secure. Another way you can help is by making your own AIM Page, which can include the AIM for Good module on it too. So, when your buddies stop by your page, they’ll be reminded to get the word out and rally support with their friends and families.

While I love the concept, the whole things feels a little thrown together. When you read about it, or hear Kevin talk about it, it's not crystal clear who is involved and exactly what you are supposed to do. With some tighter integration and better defined user paths, I can see this program really taking off. Cheers to everyone involved!