The Bamboo Project Blog

The Bamboo Project Mantra

We've been working on this blog for a few months now and it's been a great way for us to continue to hone our thinking on nonprofits and how to build a community of excellence and capacity-building. As we've surfed the Web and worked on our posts, we've been exposed to tons of great people and ideas, which have only made us more passionate about what we want to do in this space.

Lately, we've been feeling like we're a little all over the place, though, and have been talking about how to refine our focus. We think that one of the great values of a blog is that it serves a niche. There's so much information on the Web, so many directions in which we could go, but if we follow all of those roads, it can be hard to pull it all together at the end.

So we've decided that, in the interest of continuous quality improvement, we need to re-visit our purpose here. We need to get clearer about what we want to accomplish with The Bamboo Project. Influenced by our friend, Guy, we've come up with our Bamboo Project Mantra:

Educate, Advocate, Innovate, Collaborate to build nonprofit capacity and community.

Ok, great. What does that mean?

We believe that the greatest opportunity for nonprofit capacity-building lies in using new, collaborative web-based technologies to create a community that shares resources, ideas, information, etc.  In the past, nonprofits were bound by geography and limited resources. But in a new networked world where technology tools are cheaper and easier to use than ever before, there are no boundaries to what can be done, other than those imposed by lack of will or imagination.

It’s not just about the technology, though. It’s not just about having the technical skill to create a blog or record a podcast. It’s about marrying this technical knowledge with the right content, the right stories, the right practices. It’s about leveraging the transformative power of multimedia and web-based applications to operate more effectively. It’s about using these tools to more effectively educate, advocate, innovate and collaborate, marrying technology with the best practices necessary to do each of these things well.

We think that as more people turn to the Internet for information, expressions of self, and inclusion in community, this creates a perfect door into a broader world than most organizations have ever known. For non-profits, it means that individuals who don’t even live in your community can be aware  of and supporting your cause because they found out about you on the Web. It means you can gather more information faster. And you can use that information differently to provide better services and to tell important stories. In this world, you can use e-learning and knowledge sharing to train staff from 20 different organizations that share the same mission.  Or you can create a weekly podcast to communicate with your community about what you’re doing.

We recognize that most nonprofits feel that they don’t have the time or the energy to really delve into what technology can do for them. We know that you are so busy doing your work that it can be overwhelming to consider doing things a different way. So with The Bamboo Project we want to do some of the thinking for you. We want to consider your real problems and the concrete solutions that can “heal your pain.” We want to see how we can build community and share resources in new and innovative ways so that you can take your organization to the next level.  We want to see how you can do things better than you have before. And then we want to see how you can "turbocharge" your efforts by using technology to do it even better or faster or cheaper than you ever imagined.

We see The Bamboo Project as a resource to support your non-profit's efforts to join and thrive in the web community.  We also want to know what you think and where you see problems. Please add comments or email us. We look forward to building community with you.

Vox is Open for Business

I love Typepad--we created this blog using Typepad and compared to Blogger, I think it has an incredibly easy-to-use interface and great opportunities to create a look.

Now the gang at Six Apart has created a new blogging tool, Vox, which just came out of beta. I have to say that for the "personal blogger" it's probably even easier and more fun to use than Typepad.  They've integrated Flickr, Photobucket, YouTube and Amazon so you can pull content over directly from sites you already use with just a click of a mouse. They have a ton of attractive templates to use and the instructions for posting, designing, etc. are integrated directly into my template, rather than me needing to go to different pages as I have to in Typepad.

I don't necessarily see this as being the best blogging software for a non-profit's main blog, although it could work for some. I see this more as a tool for those nonprofits that work with customers who need a form of expression. For example, I have a friend who runs a domestic violence shelter. This would be the perfect tool for her clients and their children to use to create a space for sharing essays, poetry, pictures, etc. to express what they're working through. Or for programs that work with teens, this could be an easy tool for them to use to create their own personal blogs.

One feature I really like--n addition to the templates, ease of use and usual features like tagging-- is that you can easily send invitations to friends, family, etc. for them to join Vox and to visit your blog. With that feature, I can also add them to the "Friends" or "Family" section of m blog. So if I added three friends and they each started a blog, then in the "Friends" section of my blog, I would then be able to keep track of what was going on in their blogs, too. A great way to create community.

You can also find someone on Vox by just entering their name. Of course, if they didn't use their "real" name, then you need to know the nickname they're using. But still a way to see who else might be "in your neighborhood."

I started my own blog there, just a simple page right now to see how some features work. You can see what I came up with here.  (I would appreciate only kind words on the photos, please!). You can also take a tour of Vox here .

Time vs Money

All organizations are constantly battling the cost issue. I am often struck by how  much we waste in order to save a little. This is especially true in government, my home base. Whether we are government, non-profit, or for-profit we live by budgets and the image of how we manage them. Let me illustrate. In government today, there is a constant pressure to cut spending especially around election time. We tell constituents that we're cutting the budget another 10% to lower their taxes. What we don't tell them is all they are losing as a result of trying to meet a short-term goal of a tax cut. For-profits do the same thing when they cut personnel and research costs so that a business looks leaner and meaner for acquisition. In the non-profit world many organizations are so accustomed to doing without that they seldom look for a better way. Non-profits are also keenly aware that the image of fiscal responsibility is important to keep donors.

The problem with these short-term, often image driven solutions, is that your organization runs a strong risk of burning people out. For the non-profit this is a critical issue as human resources are so hard to recruit and retain. There is a better way. Equip and train your staff adequately to do the job. You can prove the return-on-investment you get by upgrading your computer system and software by the staff hours you will save. That is more time they can devote to your organization's mission. Convince your Board that working smarter, not longer benefits everyone. I propose that "smarter" not "thrifty" is the image to work toward in the 21st century. Continue to look for more innovative technologies that can make your work, and that of your staff, more efficient and easy.

The following book is an engaging read regarding how organizations waste the professional, and then consequently the private time, of their staff.  Finding Time: How Corporations, Individuals and Families Can Benefit from New Work Practices by Leslie A. Perlow, makes a strong case for the fact that our high pressure work culture places our employees in a chronic state of crisis, that actually costs the organization and the individual. I saw my own organization in the situations presented in this book.

A final point on this discussion for non-profits. This field constantly discusses the lack of talent and the problem of competing with for-profit salary structures. By using technological innovation, you can attract bright people interested in learning. It can be a selling point for your talent recruitment strategy. The other side of that coin is burning out good people because they get tired of making due and realize that they are not learning new skills. From a human resources point of view, that is a lose-lose position.

Jann

Are You on the Rich List?

I've been busy on another project, but was interested to find this effective little piece of marketing through Seth's blog. Created by London-based "creative company," Poke, it was designed  to help people get a little perspective on their wealth and to support Care International.

Just click through, put in your annual income and then get your "rich list" rank. Then, it's all about choice:

"Many peoples lives could be happier if you donated just one hour's salary (approx $34.72 - UK estimate).

All you have to do is make a choice.

$8 could buy you 15 organic apples OR 25 fruit trees for farmers in Honduras to grow and sell fruit at their local market.

$30 could buy you an ER DVD Boxset OR a First Aid kit for a village in Haiti.

$73 could buy you a new mobile phone OR a new mobile health clinic to care for AIDS orphans in Uganda.

$2400 could buy you a second generation High Definition TV OR schooling for an entire generation of school children in an Angolan village."

Cool on a lot of levels.

Keeping it Short

Guy Kawasaki's video presentation on "The Art of the Start" has convinced me of, among other things, the need to have a mantra instead of a mission. (If you want to just read about what he has to say, go here.)

Compare this:

"To deliver superior-quality products and services to customers and communities through leadership, innovation, and partnership."

To this:

"Healthy Fast Food"

The first is Wendy's mission statement. The second is Guy's suggested "re-write."

Which is simpler and tells you exactly what Wendy's is about? Which is more compelling?  Which one makes you want to jump on board to help Wendy's get to where they're going?

When I used to teach job search techniques, we used to discuss the "elevator speech"--what would you tell a potential employer about yourself if you only had 30 seconds with them on the elevator. What would be the most important, compelling information you could provide?

Your mantra is your elevator speech. It's the essence of who you are as an organization. It's what makes you stand out from every other organization that does what you do.

You can try out your mantra at Your Elevator Pitch,  which allows you to enter your "speech" and then have others review and rate it. A good way to see if you've exchanged your mission for a mantra.

The World is Connected

There have been books that have captured our imagination because they  explained the point where one era dissolved or evolved into another. The Third Wave by Alvin Toffler did that in the 80s and recently, The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman explained the combined forces that have allowed the world to be more connected.

Central to this connection is the world wide web, which has become a fixture in the business life of any organization. We all communicate via email, share documents across the web, which, as Friedman explains, only became a mainstay of business in the 90s. 

I was at a planning conference in Texas in January 2006. Texas State Technical College had representatives there to explain some of the new technological evolutions that were coming within the next 5 to 10 years, that would create jobs that don't even exist presently. They discussed nanotechnology, its effect on medical treatments of the future, and the miniaturization of computers among other things. While their presentation amazed and scared me just a little, one of their statements has echoed in my head countless times. They stated,

"We will see the equivalent of 100 years of technological change in the next 25 years."

Don't just blow by that statement because it's huge. It explains why the web is currently undergoing an evolution within such a short-time of its becoming a main-stream tool.

What am I talking about and why does it effect you? Excellent questions.

To answer the first part: I am talking about the confluence of media that can work interactively with each other across the web to the near seamless service of the users, the growing influence of the web's "community-building" abilities, and the resulting dramatic increase in non-technical individuals (such as myself) building sites and sharing information. This is truly one of the most important historical periods in information dissemination and I would dare to compare it to the advent of the movable type.

To answer the second part: Remember the presentation I attended. You and Your Non-Profit can't afford to be on the backside of this cusp. Because of the compression of time between introduction of technologies and their wide-spread applications, staying up-to-date is essential. Again you ask why? Because the method of communicating and "building community" is evolving before our eyes. More people are turning to the web and to their peers to share new  information, to develop opinion and to develop "community." Cympony, a media influence analysis firm, has multiple studies on their sites I invite you to read. The very fact that I can easily turn their name into a hyperlink to their site is an example of the ease of web use I am discussing.

I also invite you to go to Wikipedia and read about Web 2.0.  Wikipedia is an example of a multi-lingual, web-based, free content encyclopedia written collaboratively by volunteers and its users. Then start to think about your non-profit's presence on the web. Does your site invite traffic (do you get a lot of hits?) Does it have compelling content that changes often and that attracts people to check in on a daily or weekly basis? Can you start to see the potential for this type of traffic in support of your organization's mission?

Jann

Seth's Top 10 Secrets

Seth Godin shares his top 10 marketing secrets. Some of my favorites:

• If it makes you nervous, it's probably a good idea. If you're sure you're right, you probably aren't. This reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where George decided to go against all of his life instincts and as a result found himself with a great girlfriend, money, etc. I think that we're often ruled by fear and anxiety, so we go with the safer option. We then convince ourselves that what's safe is what's right. We will often continue to do this long past the time when the evidence proves us wrong. I like the idea of going with what makes you nervous--it means you're taking risks and the best marketing always has an element of going out on a limb.

• Focusing obsessively on one niche, one feature and one market is almost always a better idea than trying to satisfy everyone. We often find ourselves in the business of being all things to all people. But the best organizations have what Jim Collins calls the hedgehog concept. This is a deep understanding of what drives your organization in three areas--what are you deeply passionate about; what can you be the best in the world at; and what drives your economic engine. I'll talk more in another post about the hedgehog concept because I think it's really critical to all organizations, but in the marketing arena, this tight focus is what allows you to really connect with and sell to your key customers.

• Test, measure and optimize. Find out what's working and do it more. Seth's a big fan of running a bunch of small tests and then measuring what did and didn't work so that you can continue to refine what you're doing. That means taking a mailing, dividing your target market into three groups and sending a different piece to each of the groups so you can see which one worked the best. Or changing pieces of your website and tracking what happens when you do this. His point is that you need to continually experiment, monitor what you're doing, pull out the stuff that isn't working and do more of what is working.

• Read and Learn. The other way to "learn from mistakes" (besides making and learning from your own) is to read about what other have done. Blogs are actually a great way to keep up with that because they will often point you to stories of what is and isn't effective. And don't just stay within the scope of nonprofits. I find that there's much to be gleaned from the for-profit world, even if we don't always share the same goals and processes.

You can read more about Seth's marketing ideas here.

Gaming In Education

We've talked a lot about the use of technology for non-profits. I heard this story today on NPR 's All Things Considered, October  19, 2006 and loved it. The University of North Carolina at Greensboro has an microeconomics course (for credit) that is a video game. It's Econ 201! Click on this link and check it out. It starts with "What does a stranded alien race and microeconomics have in common?"

This is the kind of thinking we believe is absolutely necessary if providers of youth programs are to engage and stimulate youth as well as prepared them for a future in a society in which technology is used in every aspect of life. This is a generation (actually the second) raised on visual stimulation from an early age. One of my favorite books on this subject (and believe me, I understand I am not an educator, but this makes logical sense to me) is "Endanger Minds: Why Children Don't Think and What We Can Do About It" by Jane Healy, PhD. She made the case the the type of stimulation our brains receive at early ages helps to determine the synaptic growth. I am over simplifying this argument, but the core of it is this: the youth of today are literally "wired" differently-not sub-standard, not wrongly, but differently. Maybe instead of shaking our heads at the drop-out rate, we should change a 19th century model of education to fit the 21st century population it is meant to educate. The professor that developed the game was convinced by his ten-year-old son. His son hated paper and pencil math problems but would play a math teaching game for hours.

Maybe its time we change our methods instead of trying to change the person. I personally think they are "wired" correctly for the world in which they live. When will Non-Profits and Educators catch up?

Jann

Collaboration Redux

A little while ago I had a conversation with a colleague about collaboration in nonprofits.

"You NEED to collaborate," she said, "for survival. You won't make it if you don't."

On one level I think this is true. Anymore, it's hard to get funding if you try to go it alone--funders won't even look at your application. So you have to at least LOOK like you're collaborating, or you probably will die a slow, painful death.

But is it real collaboration or is it just collaboration on paper?

Is it collaboration to have several different agencies apply together for a grant, only to turn around and each do their own thing once the money's rolling in? Is it collaboration when customers have to give the same information to three different organizations, even though those agencies are supposedly in the same collaborative? Are we collaborating when each organization's success is measured in different ways so that we end up "poaching clients" to boost our own numbers?

It may be the nature of the work that I do and the types of organizations with whom I tend to work, but from what I've seen, in a lot of cases we're only calling it collaboration and we're still able to get by. So I have to wonder--is true collaboration really going to be necessary for survival or will the paper version keep us going for awhile longer?

Michele

The Future of Nonprofits

The Nonprofit Congress just finished their Washington DC meeting where they discussed a common agenda and voice for all nonprofits in the country. You can check out their priorities and strategic direction, here.  I'd be curious to hear what others think about the plans.

Michele