Digital Media

Overview:

This session presents the various digital media and storytelling options and examples for non-profits, including Web 2.0 tools and techniques.

Session Facilitator:

John Kenyon (www.johnkenyon.org)

Biography:

John Kenyon is a nonprofit technology strategist who has been engaged with nonprofits for over 16 years providing advice, teaching seminars and writing articles about technology. Along with Michael Stein he wrote both "The eNonprofit: a guide to ASPs, internet services and online software" and the Nonprofit Quarterly article "A Decade of Online Fundraising". He recently served as Training and Consulting Manager at Groundspring.org/Network for Good before returning to private practice in 2006. John’s practice concentrates on strategic uses of appropriate technologies with a focus on leveraging the internet. He developed Tech Academy, which teaches nonprofit technology advisers - consultants, circuit riders and staff - how to build excellent practices. John is an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco and has been a featured speaker at conferences and workshops across the US, England, Australia and online. Clients include Bioneers, Community Information Strategies Australia, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, CompuMentor, Democrats Abroad, Hospice Foundation, Legal Services Corporation, London Advice Services Alliance, Meals on Wheels, New Progressive Coalition, River Network, Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Women’s Funding Network, AFP Chapters and Community Foundations across the US.

Session Notes:

John introduced the session about how to engage people with web 2.0 with stories to connect. John explained his experiences and examples of his journey of working with nonprofits and the stories of organisations and their technology and communications. Current challenges … John asked the audience, tell me about, what are your challenges… "As a CVS a second tier infrastructure organisation - how can we tell our stories, get loyalty and recognition and understanding; present engaging stories and how to be approachable." "Digital media tools" "Finding the things/examples that work or not, and identify where appropriate"

Online engagement

John showed a slide of a triangle of online engagement, from the Nonprofit Handbook The ladder of engagement to drive forward from prospects to committed supporters… attract - engage - commit - retain. Collect and drive traffic from email address, interact and engage by web and email will lead to online action which can be either donations or petitions.

Four Key Website Attributes -

John explained the changing ideals of funders, they will use your website to see how fit for purpose you are, they may also have funds to give and share, and will seek you out. With a good website, they may come and offer funds to support your good work. The four areas he covered as the four key website attributes and gave examples of how this can be used to good effect.
  • Credibility - The public face of your organisation
  • Cultivation - Outreach and building relationships
  • Clickability - Interactive user experience
  • Content - most important elements - requires regular input.

Digital media and storytelling overview

John explained in detail how organisations are involving and creating wider conversation and experiences of people within an organisation to tell stories to reach out to stakeholders using a variety of media. Anybody can do it, he cited an example of an 80 year old who began to blog. Your organisation if using web 2.0 is 24 hours a day and global, you are no longer just a local organisation. Even if a local focus, you connect with the wider world. You can bring the audience to you and use media to illustrate your work in a live and real way. Be transparent and open. Be personal and specific. Focus on your needs, your audience and your message.
  • Content Generation - Organisation and user generated content
  • Interactive content - surveys, quizzes, blogs and wikis (examples shown: http://www.youthnoise.com showing quizzes and the language used and different interactivity and innovation to create good content to connect, blogs used the Rainforest Action Network as an example of a blog and also show the anatomy of a blog with the environmental defence blog site, and the openness of the Nonprofit Management wiki got collaboration and user generated content)
  • Digital Storytelling - Audio (downloadable podcasts, streaming online, CD's) Video (Streaming online, downloadable, DVDs) - John showed an example of a search on iTunes for 'nonprofit' podcasts and showed a long list. Videos can be an easy and powerful form of storytelling using real people and volunteers for example, has a instant quick impact, moves the viewer to wanting to volunteer, participate or donate.
  • Online Engagement and Web 2.0
  • Maps - Planet Hazard, Google Earth, Frappr
  • Photos - Flickr (use for events, programmes, website integration)
  • Games - Games that teach - Ayiti and Darfur is Dying were cited and shown as examples these games put the user/web reader into a scenario which educates and gives experiences.

Digital Media - Reflection

What does this mean for my organisation? Which of these elements do we have / need? What ideas does this generate for me? Questions raised… "How to integrate these tools within existing sites?" "How to change the 'traditional' site into an interactive site without losing focus?" John explored the idea of rotating areas on the front page regularly to keep things moving and interesting to readers and introduce different concepts to reach out. "Whats the return of investment?" Build relationships. Use relationships. Who would you give your money too - the updated website that reaches out to it's audience or the bland 'brochure' website? Credibility again, as a donor would you think, they can't manage their communications, therefore can they manage my money? John talked about the most important part of organisations, first is the people; second is the data (and knowledge)…is that reflected the same way in your budgets? Does your data feature as highly? Remember to include technology in all funding bids.

Resources

Guides and Books o The eNonprofit Guide to ASPs, Internet Services and online software (free download) o Online Fundrasining Handbook o Successful Internet Strategies Website Resources John showed a list of good resource websites under the headings of design and navigation for your site, images, accessibility, and general resource sites such as Tech soup, digital storytelling and more on digital media for nonprofits (see attached presentation)

Discussion

  • Tips for online fundraising - if you are doing this, have a process for first time donors, don't hassle them straight away for more funds, give them space, communicate and converse before campaigning for funds with them again, say giving a space of six months. You want to retain your donors and supporters.
  • Links on websites - should groups have links to other sites from their websites? Yes, create those links, you'll make new friends and relationships, others will link back to you.
  • RSS Feeds - how can they be used? John showed his blog website and talked about his transition from a static site and how easy it now to keep a site updated so now updates and remixes data more. Tip for RSS - if using with a site, help your readers add a page explaining 'What is RSS' to explain what is and how it can be used. RSS enables readers to be notified when a site is updated. The reader doesn't need to hunt for the data, the data goes to the reader automatically. RSS feeds embedded on a website from external sites can help keep your website alive and fresh with new links and content.
  • What is the shelf life of your articles, podcasts, videos? Do we just leave them up 'there' forever? You can rotate, keep them updated, renew them or keep them there as an archive of the stories and journey of an organisation. Some may keep their stories timeless if they are not likely to create regular media feeds (video, podcast).