HOUSTON, TX - 

The exhibition directly coincides with the encyclopedic exhibition WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath presented by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, which also includes work by Hetherington, Palu, and Trieb. HCP’s exhibition is on view through January 6, 2013 and is organized by Executive Director Bevin Bering Dubrowski, Curator Libbie J. Masterson, and the HCP Exhibitions Committee.

Tim Hetherington’s three-screen video installation, Sleeping Soldiers, courtesy of Tim Hetherington and Magnum Photos, is on view in the West Gallery during this exhibition.  HCP is also exhibiting all fifteen works from Louie Palu’s portraiture project, Afghanistan:  Garmsir Marines.  Alongside these images, HCP is exhibiting photographs by the soldiers, Louie’s journals, and various artifacts that he has collected while in Afghanistan. Erin Trieb’s compelling photographs of soldiers in Afghanistan and at home, part of her series Behind the Frontlines, Battle Company, and The War at Home, is also on view.

In addition, through the end of the exhibition HCP is giving free memberships to active duty military and veterans.

About the Artists:

Tim Hetherington photographed the experience of war from the perspective of an insider, mostly in West Africa and the Middle East. His film Restrepo, which he co-directed with Sebastian Junger about a platoon of soldiers in Afghanistan, was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award in 2011 for Best Documentary Feature. On April 20, 2011 while covering the conflict in Libya, Tim Hetherington and fellow photographer Chris Hondros were killed by Libyan forces in a mortar attack on the besieged city of Misrata. Tim was a member of Houston Center for Photography, and HCP is honored to share this important work with the Houston community and visitors to HCP.

Louie Palu is the recipient of numerous awards including a National Magazine Award, Critical Mass Book Award, Hasselblad Master Award, Best of Photojournalism Award from the NPPA, Silver Medal from the Society of Newspaper Design and multiple awards from the White House News Photographers Association. In 2009 he was awarded an Aftermath Grant for a project on veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Hearst Photography Biennial Award and Canadian Photojournalist of the Year, a 2010 Alexia Foundation Photography Grant for World Peace and Cultural Understanding for a project on Kandahar, Afghanistan and is a 2011 Bernard L Schwartz fellow with the New America Foundation.

Louie’s work has appeared in numerous books, catalogues, festivals and exhibitions internationally, which include the festival Visa Pour L’Image in Perpignan, France, Internationale Fototage in Mannheim/Ludwigshafen in Germany, George Eastman House, Ping Yao Festival in China, Fotografia International Festival of Rome, Centrum for Fotografi in Stockholm, Sweden, The Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, and he was also selected for the 2009 New York Photo Festival and CONTACT Photography Festival.

Native Texan and photographer Erin Trieb studied photography at East Texas State University and graduated in 2004. After interning as a newspaper photographer in Israel, she has since freelanced as an independent photojournalist and documentary photographer, covering major stories in the Middle East, Africa, and most recently the war in Afghanistan. Her work concentrates on a diversity of subject matter from international conflict and social concerns to local, feature stories in Texas.

Erin Trieb has gained international recognition for her work including awards from World Press Photo and Pictures Of The Year International on her coverage of the Texas Gubernatorial elections in 2006.  In 2010 she was awarded again from Pictures of the Year International for her coverage of a U.S. military medical unit in Afghanistan.  She has also been nominated for the Joop Swart Masterclass and PDN’s 30 Emerging Photographers, and was the recipient of a Rory Peck Trust bursary in 2009.

Her photographs have been published by TIME Magazine, The New York Times, MSNBC.com, Newsweek, Forbes, GEO Magazine, Der Spiegel, The Financial Times, The Times in London, Texas Monthly Magazine, Stern, Smithsonian Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal.

HCP is located at 1441 West Alabama in the Museum District of Houston. Gallery hours are: Wednesdays – Sundays, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. For more information, please call 713-529-4755 or visit http://www.hcponline.org.

A complete writeup of the event will be posted after this weekend. For more information about the Houston Arts Resource Fair you can visit www.houstonartsresourcefair.com.

Produced by the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the 25th Annual Houston Art Car Parade brings 300 rolling works of art to the city for a full weekend of colorful, artsy fun. An estimated 300,000 people will line Allen Parkway on Saturday May 12th to witness the world’s oldest and largest parade of its kind.

Surrounding the 25^th Anniversary of the Houston Art Car Parade, the oldest and longest parade of its kind in the world, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art is thrilled to announce a fantastic weekend of events May 10-13, 2012. What started out as a small caravan of like-minded artists and individuals 25 years ago has blossomed into one of the largest and most beloved events in the city of Houston all year, drawing an estimated crowd of over 300,000 on parade day.

Over the past 25 years, the Houston Art Car Parade has received national and international attention as being the premier celebration of self-expression and “the drive to create,” and with this momentous anniversary the Houston Art Car Parade is seeing a record number of participants, including over 100 entries that have never participated in the parade before.

In addition, many of the favorites from parades over the years will be returning for the anniversary, and nationally acclaimed artists such as Dennis McNett from Wolfbat Studios in Brooklyn will be traveling into Houston to create original entries specific for this year’s parade.

“The Houston Art Car Parade captures the essence of Houston’s eclectic and fun culture,” said Houston Mayor Annise Parker. “It is among my favorite events and one of the most unique treasures our great city offers.”

A schedule of the weekend’s activities is below:

Thursday, May 10th

The Legendary Art Car Ball

7pm-11pm at The Orange Show, 2400 Block of Munger St.

Deemed as one of the wildest parties in Houston, the Legendary Art Car Ball will take place on Thursday May 10th from 7pm-11pm at The Orange Show! The colorful block party will feature live music by the world famous The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, as well as supporting acts Folk Family Revival, The Tyburn Jig, Poor Pilate, Benjamin Wesley, and DJ Graham 14.

Come dressed in your most outrageous costume and kick off Houston Art Car Parade Weekend in style while getting an up close and personal look at some of the most amazing art cars in this year’s parade. Enjoy raucous performances by Kiki Maroon’s Sordid Sideshow and Dem Damn Dames, and participate in the Art Car Ball Costume Pageant hosted by beloved radio personality Maria Todd while noshing on speciality bites and drinks from Chef David Cordúa of Cordúa Restaurants. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door, and can be purchased online at http://www.thehoustonartcarparade.com/art-car-ball/.

Friday, May 11th

Main Street Drag 

9am – 1pm – All over Houston

An annual Houston Art Car Parade Weekend tradition, the Main Street Drag brings the parade to the people, allowing those that may be unable to attend Saturday’s parade an opportunity to preview some of the participating Art Cars, meet with the artists, and experience first-hand the “Drive to Create!” This year, the Main Street Drag will run along two routes throughout Houston and stop at schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and many other locations. A complete history of the Main Street Drag as well as a

listing of this year’s stops and the map of the route is available online at http://www.thehoustonartcarparade.com/main-street-drag/

Sneak Peek at Discovery Green

6:30pm – 10:30pm – Discovery Green Park, 1500 McKinney

A FREE, family-friendly opportunity to get a fantastic, up-close preview of the cars featured in the Houston Art Car Parade the following day. Bring the kids for an incredible evening of live music, children’s activities, and of course Art Cars! Taking up the entire Discovery Green Park in Downtown Houston, the event will feature live music from The Houston Blues Society and a screening of the film Art Car: The Movie by Del Monte Films. Food and drink is available for purchase, so come enjoy an evening under the stars with Art Cars! More information can be found online at http://www.thehoustonartcarparade.com/sneak-peek-at-discovery-green/

Saturday, May 12th

The 25th Annual Houston Art Car Parade!

9am – 3pm, Parade rolls at 1pm.

For the 25th year, Houston will be home to the largest gathering of Art Cars in the world, with many coming from across the country (and Canada and Mexico) to participate! A huge metal dragon, a giant banana, an enormous chicken – are just a few of the over 250 rolling works of art that will be featured in this year’s parade. This international phenomenon draws nearly 300,000 people from around the world and is set to break all attendance records this year.

The Parade itself kicks off at 1pm with Art Cars beginning their procession down Allen Parkway starting at Waugh and turning at Bagby to parade back down the other side. Fans are encouraged to get there early and bring lawn chairs, plenty of water, and cash to purchase food, drink, and memorabilia, as the cars begin lining up at 9am.

There is something for everyone at the 25^th Annual Houston Art Car Parade, including:

VIPit Party at the Houston Heritage Society – The VIPit Party is a ticketed event starting at 11am. Join Houston Art Car Parade Chairs Tracy and Glen Larner at the 2012 VIPit, the absolute best viewing experience of the Houston Art Car Parade. The VIPit offers shaded bleacher seating, live commentary, cold drinks and tasty treats from Phoenicia, Natachee’s, BerryHill Hot Tamales, Whole Foods, Gigi’s Asian Bistro, Houston Texans Grille, GoodPop, La Fisheria, James Coney Island, Jim Benton of Houston Catering, and Tacos a Go-Go. Tickets are $125 (or $15 for children 12 and under) and can be purchased online at www.TheHoustonArtCarParade.com or by calling 713-926-6368.

The Starting Line Party – Crowds are invited out to the fabulous Starting Line Party near Taft and Allen Parkway, beginning at 9am, to mingle with the Art Car Artists and roam through the lineup of all the participating Art Cars. You’ve never been to a party like this before!

Free Press Summer Fest Stage at Eleanor Tinsley Park – FREE live music from our friends at Free Press Houston will be kicking off at 11am, featuring local favorites The Ton Tons and Portal Walker. Put on your dancing shoes and let the music take you away! Food and drink will be available around the stage for purchase, as well as art activities courtesy of the Contemporary Arts Museum Teen Council.

Sam Houston Park: Retreat From the Street – Bring the whole family to watch the Parade and participate in hands-on interactive craft activities with City ArtWorks who will be making miniature Art Cars in their workshop created by IKEA. The Family Fun Zone has food and drink booths and opens at 11am.

CW39 Zone Grandstands – If you want to make sure you have an excellent view of the Parade, make sure you get a ticket in the CW39 Zone, ideally positioned along the route on Bagby! Shaded grandstand seats are available for purchase online at www.TheHoustonArtCarParade.com for $39. Make sure you dress in your wildest costume, because there’s a chance you will be featured on the CW39 broadcast of the Parade!

Sunday May 13^th

The Houston Art Car Parade Awards Ceremony & Brunch

11am – 1pm

The Orange Show Center for Visionary Arts – 2402 Munger St.

The last blast of the weekend takes place on Sunday afternoon at The Orange Show! The Houston Art Car Parade Awards Ceremony features live music, food, and drink, as well as artists selling their creations. This year’s winners will be announced at the awards ceremony with more than $20,000 in cash and prizes going to the best Art Car creations in 14 categories. This event is free and open to the public.

Click here to read the Houston Modern Luxury article

Obviously, most non-profit’s do not have a huge marketing budget – which is why  social media’s zero-cost implementation is one of the most effective ways of online promotion. “But constantly maintaining my social media accounts will take up a lot of my time, which I don’t have” you may be saying to yourself. Never fear! Below are some simple and effective tactics you can quickly add to your current marketing activities that will ensure you are successful!

1. TweetDeck

There are a few different options out there for desktop applications that will connect your multiple social media networks together and send out tweets/posts at the same time, but TweetDeck is definitely the most widely used and all-around awesome one we’ve found. Just check out some of the amazing things TweetDeck can do:

• Update Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Google Buzz & Foursquare at the same time (or separately, if you wish)
• Manage conversations with @ replies and direct messages
• Schedule tweets and posts to go out in advance
• Check into FourSquare directly from the desktop client
• Share photos & videos
• Follow search topics that you create (ie. “heart disease”, “modern art”, etc.)
• Add additional networks such as WordPress or Tumblr

TweetDeck is free for anyone and a great way to keep your outgoing and incoming social media messaging streamlined and organized. Take a look at how JBC uses their TweetDeck:

We've been doing a lot of work for the Houston Art Car Parade

2.  Contests & Giveaways

EVERYONE loves free things! One of the best ways to gain fans & followers and give your organization a friendly, “we love our fans!” feel, is to hold small contests on a regular basis giving away prizes to your lucky fans. These can be tickets to an event, promos like t-shirts or koozies, or even gift cards/giveaways from some of your supporter companies (Whole Foods, car washes, etc.).

It’s completely up to you how you want to handle these contests – they could be trivia games, first person to post/retweet, uploading an original picture, or any number of different things. Below are some examples of contests that we recently created for The Orange Show:

We had over 60 comments - great feedback!

There were actually phone calls to the Orange Show office about this - people were loving it!

The same concept can apply for Twitter as well – simply keep track of those people who are responding to your contest through @ replies – TweetDeck helps out with that a lot!

3. Facebook Ads

Yes, yes, we know that ads are not free. But, we wouldn’t recommend you doing something if we knew it wasn’t effective and useful. If you’ve never thought about purchasing Facebook ads, we high suggest you continue reading. Facebook has structured their ad sales similar to the way Google sells AdWords. With Facebook ads you have the ability to determine a specific target audience you are looking to reach – demographically, geographically, and even down to what their interests are, where they may have gone to college, and who their friends are.

These ads are designed for local small businesses – because, well, they are cheap! You tell Facebook what your daily budget is, how much you are willing to pay per “click” or per “impression”, create a call to action, upload a photo, determine where you want the ad to link (to your website, your facebook fan page, etc.) and PRESTO! You’re getting your name out into the largest online community in the world.

We recommend starting with at least four different ads within your campaign, each unique in their messaging and photo, and determine which gets the most traffic. Facebook pushes those ads out that have specific keywords, an appealing image, and stay within their suggested cost. We could write an entire blog post about creating the perfect Facebook ad (in fact, we might do that next!) but for now, check out Facebook’s Ad page – there is great info and case studies on how to make your advertising campaign successful. You can take a look below at a few of the successful ads that we used for the 2011 Houston Art Car Parade. We had a budget of $40 per day, and ran ads for 10 days (a total of $400) which resulted in almost 700,000 ad impressions, 2800 new fans, and over 337,000 Facebook post impressions – an enormous difference compared to before running the ads.

4. Link to other pages

If you have community supporters that also have Facebook fan pages, one of the greatest things you can do its acknowledge them by linking them in your posts and statuses. This can results in double even triple the traffic to your Facebook page, and certainly increase the likelihood that new, interested users will “like” your page.

So the next time someone does something great for your organization, make sure you give them a shoutout on Facebook!

5. Be Frequent, Be Dynamic

Think about the types of Facebook pages or Twitter accounts you personally like to follow. We’d guess that they are probably providing you with fun, interesting and information content – and they probably upload pictures, videos and other forms of multimedia regularly. Now does this sound like what you’re doing? If not, start uploading some of that awesome content!

Every time someone “likes” something you post, or “shares” it with their friends – that’s publicity for your page! The more cool stuff you add to your social media sites, the more free advertising you’ll get!

Also, make sure that you’ve included links to all your social media sites on your organization’s website, and vice-versa. Everything you do should attempt to lead your fans back to your website!

Now go forth and conquer the web!

Over 20 artists will have their work for sale, ranging from ceramics and pottery to printmaking, paintings and photography.Many of the artists will have pieces for sale for as little as $5 – well worth the donation. Gallery space provided by Winter Street Studios, drinks will be generously donated by Spacetaker.

When: Saturday April 2, 2011  3-10 pm

Where: Winter Street Studios, 2101 Winter Street, Houston, TX  77007 – click here for map

Cost: Free! donations encouraged – bring cash or check, NO CREDIT CARDS

If you are interested in being a participating artists, contact Shane Tidmore at 832-283-9072

When it comes non-profit fundraising, one of the most important yet daunting challenges they face is garnering the support of businesses and corporations that will give cash sponsorships. This can include both event sponsorships and ongoing relationships that last throughout the year. Bringing aboard a couple big corporate sponsors can really bring big benefits to an organization, especially if there is a long-term commitment. We’ve put together a few helpful tips on how to go about seeking out, securing and keeping these “golden tickets.”

1. Know your audiences

Before you get started on seeking out any and all corporate donors, make sure you understand what type of organization you are, where your supporters come from, what you provide (whether it’s community-driven, arts-oriented, health care, etc), and who attends your events, visits your website, uses your services, etc. These demographics should all be part of your brand strategy and marketing plan, one of the first things an organization does when they form, and your sponsors are going to need this.

In general, most non-profits have two distinct audiences: donors and recipients. Within those two main categories you can break them down further. Donors can be individuals, other organizations, corporations, foundations, government, in-kind, etc. It’s important that you know these because corporations will want to know who else supports you – they want to be able to fit in.

2. Who are your low-hanging fruit?

Most non-profits and charitable organizations have a Board of Directors – this is the first place you should go. Figuring out what sorts of relationships your board has, what YOU have, and what your employees already have within the corporate world needs to be priority. Often we cloud our vision with grand ideas of capturing the big one – an ExxonMobil or WalMart – when there are many other, probably more viable, opportunities right in front of you.

If you are planning an event and looking for sponsors, why not offer those friends or acquaintances of yours in decision-making positions at companies a spot on the planning committee. Perhaps even a spot on your Board if it looks like they are interested in long-term philanthropy. (Note: we highlighted “decision-making positions” because sometimes we get excited if we know someone who works at one of our targets…. but then they don’t end up being the contributor that we had hoped)

3. So what are your targets?

Think about what you provide as an organization, and how a corporate sponsor would benefit being involved with you. Remember that companies get hundreds of sponsor requests each month. Are your supporters primarily in a younger, 25-40 year old demographic? Think about large apartment complex owners (Camden, Gables), clothing retailers, restaurant chains, job boards (monster.com) or other companies that would target that demo. Are they primarily parents, or grandparents? Look for companies who would cater to them – electric companies, grocery stores and banks generally want to be associated with family-centric activities.

Now do your research. Instead of blindly going after everyone you can think of, spend a little time researching the companies you would like to get involved. Normally, you can find the types of organizations or events that these companies sponsor by doing some internet searching. In addition, if the company has an internal community outreach department they likely have their guidelines on their website:

Many companies have instituted strict guidelines for their corporate giving, and often they require a substantial lead time for applications submission. Give yourself enough time, especially when planning a large event, to fill out those applications and determine who your local marketing or community liaison is. Making a direct connection with that individual is important, as often times they are given a budget to work with for their region.

4. What can you offer?

When you’re putting together your corporate donor packages, be creative. Like we said before, companies are bombarded with requests for sponsorship dollars that all look the same – make yours stand out! In general, companies are going to be more apt to giving you a cash sponsorship if they can see that it is going to expose them to an audience that would be interested in their product or service.

For an event, some ideas include:

• Name/logo recognition on invitation, signage, program, gift bags, etc.
• Speaking opportunity
• Tickets attend/tables for attendees
• Sponsor “owns” a certain area (think festivals, parades, etc.)
• Product giveaways
• Special VIP preview party
• Ability to bring an exhibit (show off a car if it’s a car dealer)
• Category exclusivity (no other type of business will be present)
• Logo and company info on website and any e-blasts
• Name/logo mentioned in any tv, radio, newspaper, magazine, billboard ads
• Trade show booth space
• Special “goodie bags”

For an ongoing relationship, not specific to an event, some ideas include:

• Developing programs with the company’s name on them. For instance, Spacetaker provides emerging artists with quarterly financial literacy workshops, sponsored by Amegy Bank.
• Hold events at the company’s space
• Provide advertising opportunities on your website
• Give the company right of first refusal for event sponsorships
• Offer a position on the Board of Directors
• Use cross-promoting to promote a product of service along with your organization
• Brainstorm with the companies you are targeting to come up with other creative ideas

5. Think like a Businessman

It’s very important that your mindset be focused on the fact that dealing with corporate donors is like handling business transactions. While your passion for your organization and those that you affect should be evident in all of your materials and interactions, keep in mind that it’s special and rare to find others, especially a corporation, who holds the same feelings. For your sponsors, they are looking to get the most out of the money they spend, which means you need to make those opportunities available for them.

Finally, we want to stress that it’s important to have all your ducks in a row before you go out looking for your big ticket sponsors. A well-developed and maintained marketing strategy, easy-to-understand goals and benchmarks that your organization has achieved, demographic information, and a clear vision of your future is going to make all the difference to a company who is looking to become associated with you. They do not want to get involved with a charitable organization if there’s a chance that it could look poorly to their customers and/or investors. As we said before, securing corporate donors is one of the most challenging things a charity faces, but don’t be discouraged. Keep your passion, it will take some time but you’ll get there!

Needless to say, we were thoroughly impressed by what they have to offer.

A little background on these two organizations… Based in New York but with a national reach, Fractured Atlas is a non-profit organization designed to help artists and arts organization function more effectively as businesses by providing them access to funding, healthcare, and education. In addition it allows them the opportunity to raise tax-deductible funds for projects and giving them the guidance to do so effectively. IndiGoGo, based in San Francisco, provides the actual tools and infrastructure (landing page, social media integration, etc) to actually raise the money and get your name out in the public.

Through a partnership, the two entities have come together to bring the best of both worlds right to the fingertips of the arts community, allowing for a turn-key operation when it comes to designing a campaign, spreading the word, securing donor dollars, and eventually using them for a project.

“But I’m not a non-profit organization. How can I be raising tax-deductible funds?” you may be asking. Well, it’s due to the act of fiscal sponsorship. Tax laws allow for certain non-profit organizations to share their 501(c)(3) status and provide assistance, on a project basis, to groups engaged in activities related to the organization’s mission. With that said, a campaign through which you are raising tax-deductible funds is 9 times out of 10 more appealing to a donor than simply asking for money without giving that credit. This is one of Fractured Atlas’ most important contributions to the partnership. In order to retain their status as a non-profit, Fractured Atlas takes in all the monies donated, sends the tax-deductible letters to the donors, and then releases the funds to the organization as needed (artist fees, supplies, rental space, etc.) This allows for less hassle on your part, and keeps things organized come tax season. And as we mentioned before, their services are open to only artist groups and arts organizations.

Courtesy: IndieGoGo.com

“But I’m unclear HOW I will be able to spread the word about my campaign – I feel like I’ve used up all my ideas” you may also be asking. Fortunately, IndieGoGo exists to help you through that confusion. IndieGoGo has helped over 15,000 campaigns raise millions of dollars – they know what they’re doing. Here’s a buzzword for you – “crowdfunding.” Crowdfunding is nothing new, it’s essentially getting people within your networks (friends, family, colleagues, fans) to donate small amounts of money to reach a specific goal. You see this often with AIDS walks, Little League teams, raffle ticket sales, etc. But standing on a street corner and handing out flyers, or mailing thousands of letters to everyone you know isn’t the most effective solution anymore. IndieGoGo’s integrated platform allows for the user to set goals, get ideas on how to best create the campaign, and spread the word via social media, email, events, etc. Their business model allows for a broader selection of beneficiaries besides just artists or arts organization, and includes small businesses, entrepreneurs, and the like.

“This can’t be all it seems to be – where’s the kicker? How much does this cost me?” Well, here’s the great part. Separately you would be paying 6% of your donated income to Fractured Atlas, and 4% (9% if you don’t reach your goal) of it to IndieGoGo, plus an additional 3% for third party processing fees (PayPal, generally). This new partnership however, only takes a flat 6% fee, with no restrictions or third party fees. The partnership is, however, limited to artist groups and arts organizations – due to the aforementioned tax status requirements. However, you can certainly still work with one group separately from the other.

We really found this to be an important addition to the arts community – fostering growth and spreading the word for individuals and groups who haven’t until now had an easy way to be recognized. We’re excited about it, and are looking forward to seeing some of our own local arts groups use this service and really benefit from it.

Click on the links to learn more about Fractured Atlas, IndieGoGo and Spacetaker

DON’T PANIC. This is a very common occurrence with online media, and can be found anywhere from comment sections on local news reports to message boards about actors on IMDB. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re doing something wrong, or even that someone is actually mad at you. And while your first reaction may be to retaliate, we’ve got a few tips that will help you keep your cool, understand what’s going on and stay true to your messaging.

Where is it coming from?

If you’ve received the unwanted comment via a social media site such as Twitter or Facebook, it’s generally easier to trace it back to an actual living human than if it’s on your blog or through your website. What we find in the interactive media world is that because of recent privacy settings designed to deter “robots” from creating their own Facebook pages, spam comments seem to be more frequent via message boards and blog sites where those settings aren’t as frequently used.

What is it addressing?

Sometimes people just have differing views, sometimes they are trying to help you out with suggestions. Some people want to be viewed as MORE of an expert than you, and sometimes people just want to start a fight. What you need to do first is determine what their motive is. From what we’ve found it will generally be one of the following:

Actual Problems – someone who has had first-hand experience with your product or service feels there is something wrong with it, has provided you with the reasons why, and likely is showing your business in a bad light. They may even be trying to bad-mouth your company and start a conflict.

Constructive Criticism – often a customer who is suggesting ways you can improve your product or service.

Spammers – generally a person or “robot” that doesn’t have any valid reason for being angry at you, but is just there to promote their competing service.

What are you going to do about it?

Before we even continue, the number one rule to always remember in any situation where you are being attacked is to STAY POSITIVE. Even though you may feel personally hurt or that all the effort you’ve been putting into your business has been thrown out the window – you must not overreact or engage in a “digital fight.”

For the most part, with the exception of the spammers, you should attempt to deal with the disgruntled user directly. In the worst case scenario, if your commenter has pointed out an actual problem or mistake that your company has made, your audiences should be notified of it and be made aware that steps are being taken to fix it.  Thank the commenter for pointing out the problem – many companies will offer a refund, gift or future discount on services to this so-called whistleblower.

Other times individuals will attack you based on what they perceive as a problem, when it fact it’s simply the way that your company operates. Offering an explanation to that person, in a public forum, about why it is that you do business in the way you do is likely the best option. Keep in mind that your positive reactions and letting your followers, readers and customers know that you are there to listen to them and that you are acknowledging their criticism and complaints will help you to build loyalty and return clients.

Those who offer you constructive criticism should be handled in a similar way. Being upbeat and very open to this type of feedback is best – even if you know that you won’t be implementing their suggestions (and it’s likely you won’t). A lot of times, as we mentioned above, individuals will feel the need to spread their own knowledge – whether it’s right or wrong – out into the public. Taking it in graciously will avoid any future conflicts.

And finally, as far as responding to spammers is concerned – it isn’t necessary. If it appears on your blog or website, you can simply delete the comment and move on. If it’s on your Facebook you can delete it as well, and if it’s on Twitter you can probably just ignore it. Spammers change their usernames so frequently that if you were to try and report its existence, there is a strong chance it has already been discontinued.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Now more than ever charities and non-profits are having to compete for a piece of the donor pie. With the frequency of new 501(c)(3) organizations being created – think how many were set up after Hurricane Katrina or the earthquake in Haiti – your non-profit may get lost in the mix and potentially lose its donor base. Yet while many of these larger and seriously well-funded nonprofits (The Red Cross, American Cancer Society, etc.) are putting millions of dollars into advertising and spreading their information globally, that doesn’t mean that you have to be left behind.

Starting a fundraising campaign via social and interactive media tactics can be an inexpensive yet effective way to increase awareness of your organization and ultimately secure more donor dollars, but there are some important steps you must take prior to launching this type of promotion. First, however, lets take a look at a few recent successful interactive campaigns.

Raising curiosity, not cash…

You may recall last year (it’s happened a few times over the past 5 years) women on Facebook seemed to be posting strange, cryptic messages on their status updates, generally revolving around a color – take a look:

The social media-turn-viral campaign started as a simple Facebook Group, asking women to send a message to their friends telling them to post on their wall the color of the bra they are wearing. The “game” was designed to raise awareness of breast cancer. While neither Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breastcancer.org or any other organization involved with breast cancer research took credit for creating the group, spokespeople for those organizations said they were very pleased with the free publicity. And publicity it was! The day the colorful statuses took over facebook, the phrase “color status on Facebook” was number 11 on Google Trends, a system that tracks Google searches worldwide.

So while this wasn’t an actual money-maker, you can see the power that an interactive viral campaign can have on piquing curiosity and getting media attention.

Celebrity Power

You may not have a big-time celebrity backing your non-profit and helping you to get donors, but the way in which celebrities are using their online presence to raise money for charities can teach us something about what the public responds to. Take for example when Alicia Keys announced that she and her celebrity friends would be “digitally dead”  to raise money for her charity Keep A Child Alive that helps fight HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. Keys used her star power to get her famous friends and active Twitter users such as Lady Gaga (8.6 million followers), Justin Timberlake (4.1 million followers)  and Kim Kardashian (6.6 million followers), among others, to inform their followers that they will “die”, and will not tweet until $1 million has been raised for the Keep A Child Alive charity.  This was all accomplished both through their Twitter pages, as well as a mixture of YouTube videos and distributed images on their personal websites.

Courtesy: The Huffington Post

As expected, they reached their goal of $1 million in funds raised, and provided us with a memorable fundraising campaign.

Integrating the Quirk-factor

You may not know it, but March 13th is “World Poopin’ Day!” It sounds ridiculous, but you’re kind of intrigued aren’t you? That’s the point. World Poopin’ Day was set up by the organizations Water.org and Give Love, both dedicated to providing safe drinking water and improving public santitation in developing countries, as a way to raise money by appealing to the “quirk-factor”.  The website, worldpoopinday.com, allows users to integrate their personal Facebook or Twitter pages so that on March 13th they will automatically post or tweet about poopin’, with a link directing viewers back to the website where they can learn about the situation and make a donation.

Creating a new “holiday” such as World Poopin’ Day is a clever way to spread the world about your cause. And World Poopin’ Day isn’t even the most ridiculous “holiday” out there – as evidenced by the fact that today is apparently “National Crown Roast of Pork Day.”

So you know that it’s possible to create an interesting and memorable interactive marketing campaign to raise money for your cause, but what are the steps you need to take to actually get it implemented? We’ve put together a list below of key things you must think about before jumping into the ring.

• Be clear about your message, but don’t give it ALL away
  As we mentioned before, there are so many charities out there – some which may not be completely legitimate – that for an individual or corporation to want to give their dollars to it they need to know what the cause is and that it’s a well-respected organization. To that end, if you’re developing a twitter or youtube campaign, make sure to always link back to your official website. 

  However, our busy schedules have trained us to simply glance at information we are monitoring via our computer, because there’s so much of it. Producing something eye-catching, intriguing, or strange is how you can get people to stop and give more of their attention. Ask questions, give people a reason to learn more, keep it updated and frequent. You need to be interacting on a personal level – this is very important when it comes to social and interactive media.

• Explain why we should care
  Seems pretty simple, but if you had mastered this already then you probably wouldn’t be seeking fundraising advice. It’s really important to make a connection between your prospective donor and your cause – evoking an emotional response is key, but it can come in many different forms. For instance, the World Poopin’ Day folks have relied on the strangeness of talking about poop, something that everyone does but no one talks about. AIDS awareness often will give staggering statistics, Autism is frequently referred to as an epidemic, Literacy invokes the sentimentality of providing for a future generation. Depending on your cause, there is a way to create an emotional tie so that when your campaign is launched you will have people interested in your message.
• Tell us what you want
  As a charity, it’s likely that your biggest push when launching a campaign will be for donor dollars. It’s what you survive on – so that’s completely understandable. But companies and individuals alike are bombarded on a daily basis with requests for donations – why not lure them in a little differently at first? Both the Facebook bra color and World Poopin’ Day campaigns had to do with posting a status update on your Facebook or sending a tweet out to your followers – a pretty simple task. Organizing a competition where people submit videos, writings or some other form of media regarding your cause to win a prize has been used by organizations with great results. These are the types of things that spread around via word of mouth because they’re unique and interactive. 

  Keeping your message consistent within your campaign, and having it directly relate back to your website where all your information is housed and where people can find out how to make donations is key.

• Why is THIS going to help?
  You’ve got to include something that lets people know why them posting a status on Facebook, submitting a video, filling out a survey, or doing something else creative for you is going to HELP. One of the simplest ways to get this accomplished is to be clear that this is to help in raising awareness. Making it easy for people to share this information with the friends, family and colleagues (ie. links to share on social media sites, through email, etc.). Start a hash tag on twitter. Hash tags are the “#” followed by a word or phrase. These tags are searchable via twitter and can be helpful in tracking trends. 

  A heavily trafficked website and well-utlized social media sites look good to potential corporate donors, because it shows that through their donation, they will be getting exposed to a targeted group of people interested in a specific cause. Promoting awareness through these networks is your first step towards garnering donor dollars.

• Be Specific – What do we do next?
  If you’re not clear what you want from your followers, you’re just going to lose them. Make sure that you are specific in your wording. “Click here to post on your Facebook page” or “Text XX to 99999 to donate $1″ is your call to action. You’ve given them your message, made a connection to them, let them know how exactly they’re helping, and now is where you get them engaged! Like we mentioned before, the simpler the better, but it all depends on the audience you are attracting. 

  Make sure that you keep track of your results and inform your audiences of your accomplishments. We don’t suggest the “charity thermometer,” because, and let’s be honest, what if your campaign isn’t going as successfully as you had hoped. However, words of encouragement to your followers and milestones that you hit during you campaign will keep people engaged, excited and more willing to either donate or pass along to their friends.

The beauty of most of these different types of interactive and viral media campaigns is the relatively low overhead that goes into maintaining it. We have found that there is a dramatic difference in monies spent when looking at an online interactive media campaign as compared to placed advertisements, radio or tv spots. After all, why would you spend all that money when you could be giving it back to the community!