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SXSWi 2011: Nonprofits & Social Media Glossary

The language used in some of the nonprofit-centered panels at SXSWi requires a little decoding. These are some key ideas from this year’s festival that are mentioned in the video, translated for the rest of us:

1.    Causes:

This Facebook application allows nonprofit organizations to raise money on their Facebook pages. “Causes empowers anyone with a good idea or passion for change to impact the world. Using our platform, individuals mobilize their network of friends to grow lasting social and political movements.” (Causes Facebook page)

2.    Networked Governance:

Beth Kanter suggests that Networked Governance will close the gap between an nonprofit’s governing board and the organization itself. Governing boards are traditionally “closed societies,” but Kanter offers ideas to make them more open, operating like a social network, so they can gain ideas from the communities they serve as well as organization employees who are not on the board. Here are a few ideas she lists in her book The Networked Nonprofit:

• Create a private social network: This would be used for board members to communicate instead of always waiting for meetings or communicating through the chair.
• Join a public online social network: More casual conversations between board members, organization employees, and the public would take place here.
• Create an open invitation to board meetings: Allow your meetings to be enriched with more voices. Conference call those with a stake in your discussions and allow participation from attendees.
• Post draft agendas online: Open your agendas to suggestions and constructive criticism from the community.
• Train board members in social media and network weaving: Every board member should be equipped to discuss the organization’s work in an online setting.
• Meet somewhere new: Maybe the public library, school, or community center to make the meeting more accessible to the public.
• Share information and data: Don’t withhold information from the public. Be as open as possible with outsiders so they can provide assistance.

3.    Free Agent:

These are “individuals working outside of organizations to organize, mobilize, raise funds, and communicate with constituents for a cause. They are generally comfortable with and adept at using social media” (The Networked Nonprofit). Free agents are allies to organizations large or small – influencers who can attract people to a cause and organize fundraisers or awareness-building activities, often through social networks.

4.    Transparency:

Beth Kanter describes this as “honest and authentic information, communication, and actions. Transparency is a core tenet of social media engagement, requiring disclosure of affiliations and biases that – if omitted – could diminish credibility” (The Networked Nonprofit).

5.    Alternative Currency:

Randal Moss pioneered this new way of donating to nonprofit organizations online. He suggests that nonprofit organizations should allow donors to give online using not only traditional methods such as credit cards, but also  “PayPal, Google Checkout, Amazon.com, Rapid Reward points, Social Gaming Currency, Frequent Flier miles, and more” (The Future of Nonprofits).

He uses the example of World of Warcraft gold coins – currency that is purchased and used in the game World of Warcraft. His idea is that players would be able to donate the gold coins, which translate into actual dollars, allowing players to give with ease. The goal of nonprofit organizations’ acceptance of alternative currency is to eliminate telling donors how to give.

6.    Individual Fundraiser:

Randal C. Moss describes the individual fundraiser as one of the five major changes we will see over the next five years. An individual fundraiser occurs when an organization “cedes control of their ideas to their own ideas and trusts them to come up with their own ideas and execute them outside the structure of the organization” (The Future of Nonprofits)

 An example he names is Movember campaign, a grassroots movement that began in 2009 to support the Movember Foundation, an organization dedicated to fighting prostate cancer. In the campaign, male volunteers grew mustaches and beards (females found other ways to participate) and individually raised funds from their family and friends throughout the entire month of November while growing the facial hair. Volunteers are rewarded at the end of the month with a costume party in which the costume must match the volunteer’s customized mustache or beard.  

Could there be a mass protest / wide scale collective action around the issues Stiglitz identifies in his “Of the 1%, By the 1%, For the 1%” article? 

I don’t pretend to know the future, especially when economic changes in our country seem to occur on a daily basis, but here are my two cents on the possibility of a mass protest in the U.S. Joseph Stiglitz’s article focuses on the growing economic divide in America - an issue on the minds of democrats, republicans, independents - everyone, really. But is everyone affected enough by the divide to come together and conduct a mass protest? That’s what it would take in America for any changes to come about. 

The United States is so decentralized, and there are stark contrasts between our political parties, religious groups, and ethnic groups, despite the fact that we all identify as Americans. Different geographical areas have different values, which is why certain people prefer to live in New York City or in small town, Indiana. At this point, it seems that unless people from across the country can identify with the exact same issues to the point that they are motivated to take their grievances to the street, that the cycle of complaining and band-aid tactics will continue. 

Americans like to turn on CNN or FOX and see experts arguing about issues instead of getting up and doing something about them. Why? Their lives are still comfortable enough for them to be able to sit on the couch and spectate, perhaps.

But when their favorite news outlets frame economic and other systemic issues as “dire,” they may be more motivated to become involved in some sort of collective action. When a news organization puts a leader on a pedestal, it’s possible that more people in our decentralized, spread-out country will see view this person as a last hope - but it would take a lot more effort and far worse conditions for the people affected (middle class) to put in the effort it takes to be a disciple of such a leader.

Until the middle class becomes something lower altogether, and everyone is affected emotionally and financially, I don’t foresee any mass protests or collective actions in this country. The majority of the people necessary to make it happen, even if provoked by strategically-framed media coverage, are simply too complacent, too diverse, and too uninformed. Blogs will continue to blow up, middle Americans will tune in to their nightly news coverage, and we’ll continue hoping for the American dream that will come as soon as this wave of economic crisis passes - if it ever does. 

We caught this show right after our final SXSWi panels. Michael Cera is one of my favorite actors, so I was pumped to see the supergroup Mr. Heavenly. Their tunes were good, too! What a great way to end my time in Texas!

Blake Mycoskie delivered the keynote speech on the last day of SXSW. It wasn’t especially relevant in the way of technology, but he did address business leaders and anyone with a desire to serve (hand raised). He told the story of the evolution of TOMS, which began on a short-term trip to Argentina. TOMS ended up exploding overnight, and because of that, over one million kids around the world have received brand new pairs of shoes. 

IUSXSW: The untold story. 

I have tons of photos that didn’t make it here to my tumblr, many of which were taken by my classmates. Here are just a few. 

Well, this Midwesterner has finally had the South by Southwest experience - MWXSXSW? After a long day of traveling (back through the Detroit “Disco Tunnel”), I’m at my parents’ house in Indy, reunited with my doggy and relaxing. On one hand, I feel like the trip ended too soon, but on the other, I don’t think I would have had the energy to keep going for the music portion of the festival. 

But I hereby solemnly swear to attend the entire SXSW festival next time I go - Interactive, Film, and Music. There. 

Now it’s time for me to take all of the things I learned at SXSW and compile them into some sort of comprehensible video presentation. With over 160 video clips and over 350 photos, I’m sure I can come up with something good. But I’m going to try not to think too much about school for the next few days. SPRING BREAK! 

I miss my Austin group already. We really had a great time together, and it’s hard to believe it’s all over. At least we have the rest of the semester together to reminisce on our Texas adventures and all the invaluable experiences we had at SXSWi.

I think I am still in denial that we are leaving Austin tomorrow. It seems like things were just getting started, and now it’s all over. Today was the last day of SXSWi sessions, which was evident by the influx of mega-hipster “music festival people.” There’s a difference, I promise. 

I attended two panels today that revolved around a shared focus: GETTING HIRED. I’m not graduating until December, but I am very open to any expertise I can gather regarding how to land a sweet job. In Landing Your Next Job Through Unique Personal Branding two professionals gave us their take on resumes, personal web sites, professional meet-ups, social media communications, and more. I have so many new ideas about how to redo my web site, Twitter, and create business cards with a similar theme. They threw out so many names of web sites and to use in the process of “branding yourself,” and I can’t wait to try them all out. 

Post-Recession Recruitment was geard more toward recruiters and employers, but it was interesting to hear their take on employment issues. What it really all boils down to is putting in the groundwork to meet people, showcase your talents, and know that you are a good fit for a company or organization. That involves professionalism, personalization, and practicality, all three of which should be combined to convey your image to potential employers and recruiters. Such helpful panels! 

I sat in on a session titled Hamlet’s Blackberry which featured William Powers, who authored a book by the same title. He talked quite sensibly about the evolution of technology, technology addiction, and balancing your life. It didn’t come off as a crotchety rant about “those newfangled gadgets!” His sentiments were sound and sincere:“I want quality. I want connectedness that is taking me to a better place. Oversharing isn’t going to take us to a better digital world.” 

Today’s keynote speaker was Blake Mycoskie, owner & “chief shoe-giver” of TOMS shoes. I bought my TOMS soon after they first hit the scene, and it has been really cool to see the brand take off. If you’re not familiar with the TOMS business model - for every pair of shoes that is purchased, a pair is donated to a child in need in a third-world country. Blake, aside from being extremely attractive and charming (swoon!) was well spoken and a truly inspiring speaker. He urged the professionals in the audience to integrate giving into their business models in some way, shape, or form. The entire story of the evolution of TOMS is pretty special, and I urge you to check it out if you never have before. 

Later in the afternoon, I got word of an early-evening show featuring Mr. Heavenly, a supergroup with members from Man Man, Modest Mouse, and actor Michael Cera. Stop. You had me at Michael Cera (Arrested Development, Juno, Youth in Revolt, Paper Heart). We made our way to the parking lot at 3rd & Congress, and shortly after our arrival, we were treated to a sweet doowop-meets-punk-meets-indie rock show. Michael Cera was awkward, as was to be expected. He made a couple funny remarks into the microphone, but for the most part stayed quiet and shy. What a cutie pie! I took five thousand paparazzi photos of him. No regrets. I also momentarily spotted Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney and more recently of Portlandia fame) at the show and paparazzi’d her, too. 

After the show, we headed to Iron Works for our last taste of Texas BBQ. If there’s a line out the door, you know it’s good food, and that was the case when we arrived. But in no time at all, we were all chowing down on some of Austin’s tastiest BBQ without a care in the world. 

Since it’s our last night here, some of us wanted to visit the shops we haven’t had a chance to peruse yet. Casey, Rachel, and I ventured out to a local handmade shop Parts & Labour and also a vintage shop where I bought an adorable calico floral jumper (koolotz, anyone?). We also made a stop at the Hey, Cupcake! truck and ate some Sweetberry cupcakes, which were sort of magical. When I took a bite, I think a unicorn jumped over the streetlight and burped a rainbow. Literally. 

Now, here I am, in my hotel room on my last night in Austin. I debated whether I wanted to go out or not, and I honestly have to say that my feet are spent. I was told to come with comfortable shoes, but I thought I could get by with my normal, everyday shoes. WRONG. My poor little feeties are throbbing, and it’s all my fault. I’m pretty exhausted, too, from another long day. It’s been nonstop since we got here, and I don’t think I would be any fun on a late-night adventure. 

Tomorrow we’re leaving, and that’s a pretty big bummer. My first trip to Austin has been jam-packed full of unforgettable experiences, inspiring takeaways, and sincere gratitude that I was able to enjoy this opportunity. I feel really blessed to have been on this little journey, and I will never forget it. 

This won’t be my last post here forever! Just for tonight. Goodnight from Austin. 

(Our night @ Speakeasy for Local Natives)

After standing in (a non-moving) line for Yeasayer for a while, I heard from some other members of our group who were nearby, waiting to see Local Natives. I ditched Yeasayer and went to meet them because I really love Local Natives, and their album was one of my favorites of 2010. They played a few nights ago at a different venue, so this show was a surprise to me! Their live set was so great - honestly one of the best live shows I’ve seen. I even snagged a drumstick after the show. #superfan?