July 2009

INTRODUCTION FEATURE: The Mobile Present, the Mobile Future: Health Information FEATURE: If We Can Do It, So Can You: Mobile Evaluations at the 09NTC FEATURE: The State of Mobile Advocacy FEATURE: Mobile Innovations for Social Good HOW TO: Put Technology To Use THINGS WE LIKE

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THE MOBILE PRESENT, THE MOBILE FUTURE: HEALTH INFORMATION

Corinne Ramey, MobileActive.org

Although nonprofits in the United States have been slower to embrace mobile phones for some purposes than the rest of the world, mobiles are catching on as a way to reach diverse populations across the U.S.

Nonprofits and government agencies are using mobiles for purposes including monitoring, education, and instant alerts and communication.

Lack of knowledge is a bigger problem preventing adoption than cost. Nonprofits interested in mobile need to think outside the box in terms of creative message content and new ways of reaching their audiences.

IF WE CAN DO IT, SO CAN YOU: MOBILE EVALUATIONS AT THE 09NTC

Karl Hedstrom, NTEN

Every year at NTEN's annual Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC), one of our major goals is to collect enough feedback from you, the attendees, to make our future conferences even better.

Historically, we've accomplished this through the tried and true method of paper evaluations. At the 2009 NTC, we decided to give this system a major tech overhaul by implementing a mobile text messaging version of this: the Mobile Evaluation.

We're fairly certain that if an organization with 5 full-time employees can pull off a full-scale mobile program in just one month, you can, too. Here's the skinny:

ON THE STATE OF MOBILE ADVOCACY

Matt Wilson, Mobile Commons

With all the communications sent to the Hill today, adding a voice advocacy program, backed up with mobile, can lead to increased visibility for your organization's grassroots lobbying efforts.

Organizations are also using mobile advocacy to build their lists and add a new communications channel to drive response rates to other types of advocacy and online fundraising.

MOBILE INNOVATIONS FOR SOCIAL GOOD

Amy Sample Ward, NetSquared

Recently, over 300 innovators and changemakers interested in the intersection of technology and social benefit work converged for a few days of idea-sharing, learning, and collaboration at NetSquared's annual conference. The 2009 N2Y4 Conference showcased the Featured Projects from NetSquared's Global Challenge focused on mobile technology.

There were 14 great teams pitching their Projects at the Conference, but only 3 voted as prize winners. Who are they and what are they working on? Find out!

HOW TO: PUT TECHNOLOGY TO USE

Your guide to the resources that will help you put technology to work for your cause.

Market to Mobiles

As Holly said, smart phone usage grew 80% between June 2007 and June 2008. The monetary figures are even more impressive: $1.9 billion dollars will be spent on mobile marketing in 2009. That's a lot of cheddar! And if folks are spending that much money on something, there's probably something to it. (Okay, there are exceptions.)

We're certainly not going to ditch our mobiles, so how can nonprofits get in on the mobile marketing action? First, you need to understand what it is and what it isn't. Then you need to build your list. (Just remember, you NEED people to opt-in before you text them.)

Not to be snarky -- well, okay, maybe a little -- but that's pretty much it. You can glean some tips on how to craft your mobile message from the restaurant professionals, who've been in the game for awhile now. You can also find some great information and resources at MobileActive.org and Mobile Commons. Oh, and we'd be pretty poor e-mail marketers if we didn't mention our upcoming webinar, "Mobile Giving Works, Learn How".

Steal Ideas (for a Better World)

If you've been wondering how your tiny little budget can compete with the $1.9 billion spent on mobile marketing, we've got the answer for you: steal some ideas. No, really. We do it all the time. Remember the web ads we ran for the 09NTC? We borrowed the concept from the NBA. And while Holly put a heck of a lot of effort into remaking Beyonce's "Single Ladies" video, she wasn't the first to do it.

Here's a hypothetical example. Consider this particularly hilarious YouTube remix video. Now, let's say you work for an organization concerned with privacy. All you need to make a similar remix that -- oh, we don't know -- matches the words of a certain former VP with "Every Breath You Take", you just need some video footage. Did you know that CSPAN has a free video archive? That could prove useful. Then, grab some free audio mixing software, some free video editing software, a free clone of Auto-Tune (to make speech sound like song). Oh, and a staffer with a creative bent. Who wouldn't want to work on something like that? As Holly's video proved, a little (modified) imagination will get you some attention.

Need some mobile marketing inspiration? Well, Fanta made an app featuring sounds inaudible to anyone over the age of 20. Vodaphone's running a social media drama this summer. Heck, BMW got a 30% response rate selling winter tires.

What we're saying is: Don't just watch what other nonprofits are doing, watch what everyone's doing. Get outside your circle. Then steal their ideas.

Prepare for the 10NTC

We interrupt this newsletter for a self-serving commercial interruption.

We're still nine months away, but not a day goes by that somebody at NTEN HQ doesn't mention the 10NTC. Since we don't want to seem like obsessive hermits, we'd like to bring you in on the action.

The new Sponsor Guide is already available, so reserve your spots before we sell out (again). If you want to help plan the agenda, read about the process, then join us on our next Community Planning call on August 7th.

To help you relive the 09NTC, we've got a few "Best of" webinars coming up:

1. Best of NTC: Mobile Giving Works, Learn How
2. Best of NTC: Going Remote: What You Need To Know
3. Best of NTC: Advancing Your Career and Earning What You Deserve
4. Best of NTC: Confessions of a Social Media Campaigner
5. Best of NTC: Integrated Fundraising Case Studies

And if 9 months is just too far away, join us in September for the Online Nonprofit Technology Conference.

THINGS WE LIKE

A monthly roundup of our favorite nonprofit tech resources. Read more posts on our blog.

1. replyforall lets you donate your e-mail signature to a good cause. Speaking of good causes...
2. Not enough hours in the day? Hack your brain! But good luck convincing your boss you need that cot in the office to work more efficiently.
3. Robot societies. Best line: "Transistorized traitors emerged which wrongly identified poison zone as food, luring their trusting brethren to their doom before scooting off to silently charge in a food zone - presumably while using a mechanical claw to twirl a silicon carving of a handlebar moustache."
4. Crowdsourcing. It can work.
5. It's hard to beat $Free.99. Pontifix just released a white paper, "Strategies for Nonprofit Marketing in a Recession", which has good some good tips and only a little self-promotion. Over at Full Circle Associates, you can grab their Digital Identity Workbook and adapt it to your own needs.
6. Somebody put a lot of work into the Wookiepedia. It's a one-joke site, but a pretty funny one.
7. The 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Awards are only open until July 31st. Surely your org can write a better tagline than a Hollywood marketer: "4 Girls. 2 Canoes. 1 Body."? Please. Division by 2 != cleverness.
8. Remember that evening reception at the NTC when you had a beer in one hand, a plate of food in the other, and no place to sit? Enter the Go Plate. Genius!
9. Science. The U.S. Forest Service's "Climate Change Primer" starts out with a discussion of cyclical climate change over the last 400,000 years. Then it hits you with Figure 6. Ouch! But not to worry: we can always engineer our way out of this, right?
10. There may be no cooler 9-second video on YouTube than this shot of a volcanic eruption, taken from the International Space Station.
11. Passwords.
12. It seems like we're forgetting something. Oh, right: cat with bag on head. Be warned: you could burn most of a day watching Maru do, well, weird cat things.

ONLINE NTC: SEPT 2009

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