Nonprofit marketing and communication guru, Kivi Leroux Miller recently asked us to guest blog on her Nonprofit Communications Blog!  It is an honor to be a part of such a helpful resource for non-profit professionals all over the country. Here is an excerpt from the post:

How to Organize Your Nonprofit’s Photos

So you know photos are important and you have found staff and volunteers to help document the great things that happen at your organization. Now what?! It can be overwhelming to know how to organize all those photos. Here are some simple tips we have found helpful in organizing digital images.

Off the Camera and Onto the Computer

The first step in organizing your photos is pretty simple: download & backup your files. This may be stating the obvious, but how many of us have 500+ photos stored on our point and shoot. This is not only a recipe for file-loss disaster, but makes it harder to actually use the image. So plug in that camera, and get those files onto a computer. If your organization has a server, save the images on there vs. your personal computer. There is a phrase in the photography business that if your image doesn’t exist in three places, it doesn’t really exist.

Get Organized

This part is really the key in making your photos “findable” and “useable”. Creating a filing system on your computer that makes sense to you (and to your co-workers) is important. First, choose a naming system for your folders and sub-folders. The three primary naming systems are:

1. Date-based
2. Event-based
3. Client-based

The date-based system depends on organizing and naming folders by date. So a folder for the month of February might be named 2010_02. Be sure to put the year first so that the folders will sort properly.

In an event-based system, the folder might be named “Walk-A-Thon” or “Theater Banquet” or whatever your event is named. In these folders would be photos from all previous occasions of that event. So within your “Walk-A-Thon” folder, you might have a “2010” sub-folder.

The client-based naming system is a bit more rare for non-profits. We worked with an organization that brought professional musicians into schools to teach music lessons. That organization might want to keep all of its photos from a certain school in one folder. So they might have a “Lincoln High” folder and a “James Elementary” folder, for example.

Read the Other Tips on Kivi’s Blog (incentive: there are TWO more listed there!) Click here to read more

I recently had a conversation with a client that boiled down to this: how much email should an organization send to keep its audience engaged, without sending so much that the audience loses interest?

Kivi Leroux Miller, non-profit communication guru, recently conducted a survey of nonprofit communicators regarding how often they send out emails to their constituents.  Of the survey respondents, 44% send emails out monthly and 12% send weekly emails.  I think these monthly update organizations on to something.

According to EmailMarketingReports.com, about “247 billion emails are sent each day.” Click here to read more fun (and slightly disturbing) email stats.

Confession time: I currently have 2,652 unread emails in my inbox [insert collective gasp here]. Most of them are emails from organizations and list-serves that I have signed up for but have never gotten around to reading.  Do I like these organizations? Yes.  Have I signed up to get these emails? Yes. Do I open and read them? No. Even the ones that offer me something tangible and personalized go unopened most of the time.

So, if my situation is even remotely representative of the typical list serve member, is email communication even worth it?

Yes, I think email marketing is an essential part of any communications strategy. But here are three tips for figuring out when you’re in danger of sending too much.

1. Know Your Goals

First, identify the ultimate goal of your email communications (e.g. “to share life change stories,” or “to remind folks of upcoming events”). Then stay focused on that goal, sending out regular, focused emails. Keeping your goal in mind is a vital step in determining how often you should click “send.”

Ask yourself: how often do we need to contact people to accomplish our goal?

2. Find Your Frequency

Once you have your overall communication goal in mind, it’s time to determine the appropriate frequency. Life change stories do not demand the same frequency as current event listings.

When we miss the frequency mark, our emails becomes ineffective, annoying, and even wasteful.

Check out this article about a less-is-more-approach to e-marketing. While written about a retailer, I think the same message applies to non-profits. Linda Punch writes,

“It might seem logical to retailers that if one e-mail blast produces increased sales, follow-up mailings will do the same. What actually happens is they get higher unsubscribe rates, and lower click-through rates,” says Joe Colopy, CEO of Bronto Software Inc. “They end up burning their lists.”

3. Know Your Audience

We need to match our communication goals and frequency with the needs of our audience. We may find that we need different mailings for our multiple audiences. For those of you interested in more on this subject and how to increase the quality (and quantity) of your e-newsletters, check out this blog article from e-newsletter platform,MailChimp.

What do the folks who love our organization want from us? What about those who don’t know us yet?

Speaking of audience, if your organization works with high school students, you already know that email is as old fashioned as snail mail. Before you build your entire communications strategy around email, ask yourself: “Will email even be a viable means of communication in 5 years?”

I recently asked a high school student if I could have her email address to follow up. She laughed and said, “Email? Who checks email?  Just text me or Facebook me.”

Yes, I did feel old after that conversation.

What do you think?

Am I on to something here, or do I just need to go clean out my inbox? I would love to hear what you have you learned in regards to email and your preferred method of communicating with your support base.

• How often do you send out group emails and what do you see as the goal of these communications?
• What do you think the next wave of digital communications is going to be?

When you write a blog entry, you are creating a snapshot. You carefully frame your subject, hoping to achieve just the right focus, tone, and clarity. Then you edit it until it’s perfect.

• Focus: A good photographer cuts out – or blurs – anything that might clutter the photograph and take the “reader’s” eye away from the primary subject of the photo. I have many subtle tricks  and techniques to accomplish this that most non-photographers don’t know about. Whatever I want the viewer to focus on is in crisp, sharp focus. Everything else is either blurred or cut out of the frame. The same is true with good writing. Even a single word that doesn’t contribute to the primary subject of the piece should be changed or removed.
• Tone: A photo with warm yellows and reds usually creates a comfortable, relaxed feeling. A photo with cool blues creates a more professional, clinical, or formal feeling. Similarly, your writing can incorporate slang, contractions, or intentional grammatical errors to give it a comfortable, relaxed, spoken feel. Or it can incorporate industry jargon, pristine grammar, and formal titles to give it a more professional, polished, distant feeling.
• Editing: Every great photo that you see has been edited. Just like the great books of the world were written by the sweat and blood of the authors, the great photos of the world were not simply snapped and printed. They were created. Manipulated. Edited. Changed. Formed into something that matches the photographer’s vision.

What draws the eye?

Here’s what I mean. Below is a “before and after” version of the same photo. The first picture is the original capture. It’s crooked, and the eye is drawn mostly to the lower middle section of the photo. The subject’s face is almost the last place the viewer looks.

However, with some editing, I have reframed the subject. Added some brightness and warmth to him, while also darkening, blurring, and cooling the background. Now where is the eye drawn? If I’ve done my job, the viewer’s eye is drawn to the subject’s face, and more specifically, his eyes.

Click the photo to see it full size:

I’m not saying this stuff isn’t helpful. Quite the opposite. If it weren’t helpful, I wouldn’t try so hard to read all of it.

And yes, I’m participating. The irony of writing a blog post about how blog posts, among other things, have hindered my creativity is not lost on me.

The daily flow of information – even within the niche genre of nonprofit communications – is simply too much to keep up with. Always something else to learn. Always something else to share. My Twitter and Facebook and Google Reader streams are flooded with information, and I’ve been washed away.

Even conversations like this one – about information overload – pop up ever day in every corner of the bloggiverse.

In my life, the information overload has led to a certain level of creative atrophy. All that time spent listening to other people’s thoughts – or thinking solely for the sake of our clients – left me with no time to think for myself. I begin to hear myself saying, “What would Kivi do?” or “What would Seth say?”

So I’ve made a few changes. The goal is to quiet things down a bit so I can hear my own voice among the clamor.

I’m learning to draw. I have always been horrible at drawing. It’s actually a scary process because I was so ridiculed by art teachers when I was a child. But I got a book and some pencils and I’ve started the long process. My guess is that I’ll never be a great sketcher or painter or illustrator. I’ll probably never even be good at it. But trying is a whole lot of fun.

And of course the irony deepens because I’m blogging my progress. And perhaps tweeting it, too, on occasion.

I also committed to taking more photos for pleasure. No clients in mind. No purpose in mind other than making photos that I like. That’s been fun, too. The other day I went into center city Philadelphia and shot some statues after an overnight snowfall. It was the most fun I’ve had with a camera in a long time.

While I’m drawing and photographing statues, all kinds of information is passing me by forever.

But I can’t imagine that anything at all is lost by stilling all those voices and listening to the single, quiet voice that leads me into creativity and art.

Ever feel overwhelmed with all of it yourself? What do you to do replenish your creative tank?

If you want to know your options, keep reading!

What follows are some tips for getting the most bang for your buck when buying a point-and-shoot camera for your organization. These are condensed and summarized from this great CNET article by Joshua Goldman.

Feel free to add your comments, suggestions, and experiences below.

• Eliminate Features. You really don’t need anything with more than 10 megapixels unless you will be making tons of 16×20 prints. You also might not need something that’s ultra-compact — just compact. And if you can zoom with your feet (by getting closer to your subject), you might not need that 10x optical zoom.
• Sometimes older is better. Marketing hype can sometimes make it seem like the technology is improving faster than it is. Last year’s model will be waaay cheaper. And you probably won’t sacrifice picture quality by going with it.
• Rechargeable Batteries. Probly don’t need to explain this. Rechargeable batteries are more expensive up front, but can save you lots of money down the line. Especially since Lithium ion and NiMH batteries last much longer than the standard AA.

While reading Mr. Goldman’s article, I clicked over to this digital camera buying guide, and found it VERY helpful. It splits out the digital camera buyers into categories like “Snapshooter,” “Business User,” “Serious Amateur,” etc. Did I mention that I found this article to be very thorough, easy to use, and helpful?

More helpful articles on CNET:

• Best 5 Digital Cameras by Lori Grunin
• Best Budget Digital Cameras by Lori Grunin
• Best Entry-Level Digital DSLR Cameras by Lori Grunin

The Background

David Berkowitz killed six people and wounded more. He walked up to them and shot them at close range with a .44 caliber pistol. His actions terrorized New York City in 1976 and 1977. He left spooky notes for the police, taunting them and threatening more violence. Thousands of dark-haired people who thought he was targeting brunettes dyed their hair blonde. Thousands of others stayed indoors after dark. The neighborhood streets were eerily silent that year.

David had fallen in with a satanic cult. He believed that he was a soldier in Satan’s army, charged with terrifying the entire city. He was a stocky, wire-haired young man with flat gray eyes and a pleasant smile.

Reporters latched onto a satanic reference in one of his letters and began calling him Son of Sam.

Now he is an older man living in a maximum security prison wedged deep in the forests of upstate New York. No hair to speak of, but still stocky and still sporting a pleasant smile.

David stopped hearing from Satan when he went to prison. Ten years later he heard from God. He became a Christian in 1987, and that changed everything for him. Well, not everything. He was still in prison. But he felt a whole new sense of purpose and significance. And eventually he felt something he never expected to feel. Forgiveness.

The Interview

I was invited by American Bible Society to photograph him in conjunction with a video interview that they were conducting. The first ten minutes of the interview were a strange mix of congenial pleasantries and awkward silences. He was nervous. We were nervous. But eventually the ice broke and melted and we were talking about real stuff. He told us what life was like for him in 1976, and he told us what life has been like for him since.

Throughout the two hour interview, he walked us through the full spectrum of emotions. From dark remorse and endless, persistent grief, to the overwhelming joy of faith, forgiveness, and acceptance.

The Bible is full of stories about God bringing new life and purpose to people like me and you and even people like David Berkowitz. Everyday folks who fish and hang out at the water cooler, but also more sinister folks like cheaters and liars and even murderers.

David says that, through prayer and Bible study and relationships with others, God has found him. Changed him forever. Given him a purpose and a mission and even a new name: Son of Hope. Now David is an active part of a vibrant, global prison ministry, and he works with inmates who have mental health problems.

His murders have not been erased. They have not been deleted. They have not been forgotten. Not by him. Not by others. But they have been forgiven. He believes – and for what it’s worth, I believe with him – that God has forgiven him. We can whine and spit and doubt that all we want and it won’t make a difference.

The Photography

Ultimately I was not brought into that shoot as a judge, but as a photographer. And most people who read this blog enjoy thinking about photography, art, and communications. So the question I leave you with is, “How do you photograph a man sitting in a chair for two hours?”

Here are some of the things I tried to do to achieve variety and emotional impact:

• Listen. Photography is as much about listening as it is watching. When people tell stories, they usually build towards some sort of emotional summit. That’s when I click away.
• Wait. We are hideous creatures when we talk. Wait for a pause, a breath or at least a long vowel sound before you click. A good photographer has a musician’s sense of timing.
• Revolve. During that shoot, I circled David Berkowitz like a planet. Sometimes stooping low, sometimes on my tiptoes. Sometimes zoomed in close, sometimes taking in the whole room with a wide angle lens.

Here are a handful of the photos from that shoot. Feel free to comment below about the David Berkowitz photos or this post in general.

"By God's grace I am living proof that anyone can be forgiven if they want to be. Who would have ever thought that such a wasted life like mine could be redeemed and salvaged? And by absolutely no goodness within myself?"

I had a great conversation last night with my friend Adam Jeske. We were wondering how a non-profit organization achieves the right voice for its social media presence.

Before we get to the meat of the conversation, let’s define what we’re talking about. “Voice” is the unique impression that your words make on the reader. It’s the way that you “speak” in writing. You might have a formal voice, or informal, or folksy, or elitist, or compassionate, distant, humorous, sombre, thoughtful, angry, or you might even have a silent voice.

One non-profit organization posts occasional knock-knock jokes on its Facebook page while another posts daily, un-captioned pictures of homeless people in its city. Each organization has chosen the voice (or lack thereof) that will most engage its participants.

Here are some random takeaways from that conversation:

• The voice an organization uses on its Facebook and Twitter pages can shape the perceived “personality” of the organization.
• If voice isn’t intentionally and carefully developed, the wrong voice could emerge.
• Voice can be used to create an interesting cognitive dissonance. For example, an organization that deals with tragedy might want to create the occasional lighthearted tweet or Facebook post.
• Voice can be individual or corporate. For example, an organization could post as “The Org” or as individuals within that org. The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society blog is a good example. They don’t post as PCMS, but as individuals within PCMS, which creates a certain personality and approachability.
• Authenticity is the key to developing the right voice. If you try too hard to copy or create a false persona, people will stay away in droves.

Have you seen organizations that “get” this concept, and have created an interesting or well-crafted voice?

This is a three-part series about camera equipment for non-profits. Part one will deal with using what you have. Parts two and three will suggest kits of varying budgets in case you’re planning on purchasing equipment.

If you can’t quite afford to replace that old point-and-shoot, here are some tips to get the most out of what you have:

• Get close. Most people stand too far back and forget to use the zoom. Use your feet and your zoom to get as close to your subject as possible. This way, when the picture appears the size of a Jolly Rancher on your website or e-newsletter, people will still get the point.
• Get light. Cameras need light like we need air. If you can take the photo outside, do it. Ask people to come outside for a group shot. If there are large windows, use them. Find the most powerful light source and stand in front of it so that your subject is facing it.
• Get portable. The primary benefit of having the point-and-shoot is portability. Take it everywhere. You never know when you will stumble upon that perfect moment that tells the story of your non-profit.
• Get minimal. More photos means more time spent organizing, resizing, downloading, uploading, sorting, deleting, etc. In other words: Don’t over-shoot! Look at each shot as you take it, and when you have the one you want, put the camera down and enjoy the event.
• Get organized. Create an organization system that works for you. When you’re writing the last-minute annual report, you want to be able to go right to a photo without having to search through thousands. Create a folder system based on months or events. Find a system that works for you and stick to it!

If you have questions about getting the most from your point-and-shoot, post them below or email me!

Video is magnetic.

I recently read this blog entry by Chris Brogan that explores the power of video to motivate website visitors to action. He writes about his tendency to skim past all the text on a web page and go straight to the video. I’m the same way. When I see a “play” button, I click it.

Video is personal.

I believe video is best used to personalize an organization. Video lets us hear directly from the leaders, the clients, the artists, the recipients, or whomever can best tell the story. Good text can tell us what an organization is all about, but a good video can tell us who is involved — who is being helped, who is leading the charge, who are the people behind all the plans and goals and stats.

Video is creative.

One of my favorite aspects of shooting videos for organizations is the creative element. Video is a playground that gives our creative impulses room to play! Obviously, videos should be meaningful and purposeful and clear. But when making decisions about location, b-roll, music, and script, don’t be afraid to let your creativity loose!