This past Sunday Jeremy Cowart was working his magic for the next chapter of Help Portrait in 2011. In keeping with the tradition of Help Portrait from previous years they’ll be respecting the privacy of any and all who would like to have their portrait taken but this year they are asking those who are being photographed to share their story. Jeremy just posted an update with the vision for this years event – Check it here

My favorite picture is above of Sephora and her baby.

“I’ve grown and I’m happy with me and my family it’s made us so strong and we still have a lot of work to do.” -Sephora

Joining Jeremy for Sundays shoot was a bunch of great people. They shared their talents and loved on people for several hours at the Union Rescue Mission.

Big thanks to:
Jen May
Shannon Cowart
Marshall Bang
Jenna Stauffer
Lindsey Rivera
Rachel Burney
Gerald Gonzalez
Adot White
Noah Lamberth
Rick Schirmer
Christine Saleh (Go Idea Campers!)
Brandon Piety
Steven McMorran
Danielle McMorran

December 10th is around the corner and if you’re photographer or just want to volunteer for this years event (like me!) here’s a list of needed pieces for each event in each city.

What are the typical responsibilities of a Help-Portrait Volunteer?:

1. Welcome/Greeters
2. Hair stylists (local beauty college, local stylists)
3. Make-up artists (same as #2)
4. Event coordinators – someone to pull all the other things together!
5. Printers or people to handle printing/CD burning/emailing .jpgs, etc
6. Music – someone to set-up and keep music going throughout the day
7. Serving of FOOD! For volunteers AND participants
9. Teens – plan activities, entertain young children while waiting or while others in their families are photographed, etc
10. Florist – someone to spruce up the locale, whether making it holiday-ish or just generally lovely
12. Runners – for all the things that get forgotten
13. Marketing – Need flyers? Recruiting sponsors? Writing thank you’s after the event? Need signs so people know where to find you?
14. Admin – need appointments? Need copies made? What else?

Join the community here or join the LA group and see you December 10th

This is the entire chapter taken from the book “The Non-Profit Narrative”. Sign up for my email list and get 2 chapters of the book before it releases – plus an inside scoop on how to get the book for free!

What if you could double your online fundraising this next year? Would that much funding change your programming? How about your attitude? Would you be excited to go to work every day?

Iʼm here to tell you that it is possible.

Your nonprofit organization was started to change the world. (Read that again.) You are involved in a mission to change the world and that is a story we all can get behind!

This book is designed to get you to think like the screenwriter of your organization’s story. And the best part is: you ALREADY know more than you think.

Where Do We Find Story?

When you start looking for it, you’ll find story everywhere. It is innate in our human DNA. Stories help us see patterns in our own lives. They help us explain the unexplainable.

The Greeks and the Romans didn’t just say, “It’s sunny out….and…now it’s dark outside.” They had elaborate, passionate stories of gods and goddesses of action. Their stories told why things happened: Why the sun went up; why it went down; and what was the impetus behind such seemingly mundane things. Even though these myths weren’t necessarily “correct” in a modern worldview, to the listener, they made life that much easier to comprehend. These stories also communicated more than causality: they communicated the behavior and the ideals of a culture.

In this book, I will teach you how to do the same. Your nonprofit’s narrative will help explain some of the unexplainable patterns in our culture and in the lives of your constituents.

Where Do We (Often) Find Story Absent?

Think for a moment and answer these two questions for your own organization:

• Where is Story absent from the culture of our organization?
• What kind of story are we telling?

For some insight, look at the behavior of your team. Is there evidence of a scarcity mentality? Or hushed conversations at the water cooler and horribly dry meetings?

I think about this question in my own company and clients and started asking people in my workshops for their own answers. I recently posed this question at a workshop and received, what I think is, the best answer: “Story is most absent from corporate Powerpoint slide presentations.” 

Boring Your Audience is a Terrible Thing

Organizations with decent internal communication will have great external communication because it’s wrapped in the sheen of marketing. Boring your audience is a terrible thing, and (believe it or not), this begins with how your organization communicates internally.

Think about the last time you were in a grueling meeting filled with buzz words. Did this help or hurt your experience in the meeting? Did that emotion spill over onto your opinion of the person running the meeting or her department?

A boring corporate slide show, when analyzed, actually says a few things. It’s not that corporate slide shows aren’t telling a story…they are just telling a bad one. It’s such a bad story that it’s probably killing morale. When was the last time you got excited about sitting through a stakeholders meeting with each department sounding off on their recent work? We’re missing an opportunity to engage our workplace and create evangelists for our cause.

Storytelling is crucial to survival. You’re going to learn how to not only survive as a nonprofit organization, but how to change the world with your story.

Are you ready?

Your Organization is On a Hero’s Journey

It’s been argued that the Hero’s Journey is the most common plot ever told. Joseph Campbell first explained this idea in his book, “The Hero of a Thousand Faces”, and demonstrated that this plot pervades narratives all throughout history.

The Hero’s Journey is a call to adventure and trials. It is a call to transformation and perseverance. It is a call to change the world.

Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth

Fairytales all have a Hero’s Journey. They are all about a central character on a quest.

If I were to tell the story of your life, I’d bet that it could be classified a Hero’s Journey. Your organization is on a Hero’s Journey, too. You were made to change the world. It’s time to push forward into the brilliance of your narrative.

“Like sands through the hourglass…”

Story resonates with us. Storytelling is a ritual we all participate in, because we long to be known.

Since the beginning of time we’ve related stories to one another. Every ancient text from Hammurabi to Gilgamesh and even the Lescaux cave paintings show that every village had some ideas to express.

In the recent upheaval throughout the Middle East you’ll find story. You’ll find that story is so central to our human experience, such a raw part of who we are, that people are willing to sacrifice their lives to make sure that it ends well. They already know the outcome of the story if there is no action. And that’s not acceptable. Thousands of miles away, we watched as the masses marched, demonstrated, shouted and rioted at the aristocracy. Their collective voice could not be ignored and we were moved by the stories of individuals who would no longer stand by.

Story drives revolution.

Story communicates a huge amount of ideas – both obvious and some hidden (subtext).

Story weaves all of humanity together.

You have a Story. So does your organization. It’s time to Unearth that Story.

Story is really about more than just the words and the actions. Story is the muscle and sinew that ties together the skeletal facts we learn context and unearth hidden meanings. Story is a current so strong that when we hear a great story, we can’t compartmentalize it.

You are telling a story every day with your life.

”An unexamined life isnʼt worth living.”

-Socrates (c.470 BC – 399 BC)

Telling stories is a away of examining our lives. It’s a means to human survival.

If your organization is barely surviving, I would argue that you’ve likely lost the ability to unearth or communicate your true story. You’ve lost the vulnerability needed to take a hard look in the mirror and see the guts of your organization for what it really is.

You are not alone and please understand, I’m not condemning you. There is hope for you and your organization, but you’ll have to enter this story to see it.

All fiction stories are metaphors for truth. In what’s contained here, I’m going to ask you to walk with me not as a development officer, marketing professional or fundraising coordinator, but as if you are the screenwriter of your organization’s story. You know your organization better than I do. It will be your job to translate this allegory into your organization. I’ll also share some principles that I’ve found to be most helpful with the nonprofits I’ve worked with.

The Bare Essentials of Story: Just the Facts, Ma’am?

At its bare essentials, a story is made up of a string of simple facts.

Let’s take the facts from an anti-trafficking organization: Someone has lived a rough life. They were once being trafficked and now they are not.

That is a terrible story. Those are just facts.

However, if you find out that this “Someone” has a name, and you learn the scenario in which they grew up, and the town in which it was set, and what happened that fateful day when they were first trapped into trafficking…and if you learn the horrible details of what their life was like for many years: whether they labored daily in a ninety-eight degree brick kiln, or perhaps in a grimy brothel…

Then… a glimmer of hope, a rescue!  What was that like? What was the stream of emotions, the spiritual implications, what were the things they smelled and tasted in their freedom?

Pushing Beyond the Facts is a Basic Human Need

We find the story when we connect the facts. Why? Because we want to understand humanity. It’s a basic human desire that we want to understand our world.

How can you push beyond the facts? Tell me this: What’s one small truth of your organization?

Are you fighting cancer or building a better life for those affected by this condition? Are you providing clean water to a village that has never had it, or are you giving vision to multiple generations to strive for something they’ve never achieved before? Is your organization providing a night of shelter for a recently evicted family or are you providing the tools for life transformation?

This truth needs to be explored. Grab your senior team and start brainstorming ideas. I bet there are no less than 15-20 truths about your organization from which you could build a worthwhile campaign.

Prepare for Impact

The best part about the ritual of story is the impact that can happen from the process of telling and listening.

The telling and listening happens every day of every week. Think about it in your own life. You’re catching up with people. What’s happening? What’s going on? Are you okay? You want to hear the story and in turn, you want to tell yours.

Think about your family gatherings: they are always laced with story. There’s something familiar about hearing certain stories. They remind us that we are connected. They tell us who we are.

“Grannie, tell us that story again about how you and Pop met and fell in love.” 

Stories give us hope that things can change. They breathe fresh perspective into our lungs and they help us understand the people who are telling it.

This is why it is so important that organizations must ensure that they are effectively communicating THEIR stories.

You Know Far More About Storytelling Than You Think.

You know more about telling stories than you realize. For example: As I write, it’s currently summertime where I live, in Los Angeles. This is a city built on story. Right now the whole area is buzzing with the next big movie. Theaters across America are packed. Millions and billions of dollars are spread worldwide because we want to hear a story. If you’ve ever enjoyed a film, you know more than you think about storytelling.

Even more, you interact with stories constantly throughout your day.

Think about it. What was the best story you heard this week? Did you overhear a good story at the office Monday morning? Your favorite novels? Your favorite non-fiction books? What captures your attention? This tells me about you, it gives me a window into your preferences. What do you prefer: gritty crime drama or psychological thriller? This helps me know more about you and if I frame a story in the way that you like to hear it, you’ll respond.

Let’s think about the difference between good stories and amazing stories. What are the stories that we all love? The ones we don’t mind hearing more than once? Campbell would argue that we love hearing the same story over and over throughout our whole lives.

Case in point: When “Avatar” came out, it was a blockbuster success. Yet some of us kept noticing that we had seen this story before. We’d seen it when it was “Dances with Wolves.” And we’d seen it when it was “The Last Samurai.” And we’d seen it when it was called, “Fern Gully.” But that didn’t stop “Avatar” from making a billion dollars. And why is that? Because that story is the story that we love to see over and over and over again. This is Campbell’s “monomyth”. In the hands of a master storyteller, they don’t have to work hard to open our wallets for an experience.

That’s the ritual of story.

The Sad Reality: If You’re Telling a Terrible Story, No One Cares

There’s a phenomenal difference between good stories and great stories. Let’s think about your organization. The story you’re communicating is probably self-described as “okay”. There are some donations coming in and you’re probably surviving.

If your organization has a website and no one is interacting or engaging with you…I can tell you (with some certainty) that this is because your story is not very good, or at the very least – the story you’re telling on the web is not compelling

Nonprofit organizations weren’t started to consistently ask for money and talk about the troubles of keeping the lights on. Remember, they were started to change the world. This is the story you need to be telling. Tell me about what is catalytic. Tell me about what brings people together. Rattle the saber.

Right now, think about organizations that you like, the ones that are compelling. Which ones are telling great stories? Not just good ones, but great ones. That organization that consistently can do no wrong. The one that puts information out about what it is doing, who it is about, and who it is helping. The response is consistently off the charts. Whether its website is getting lots of traffic, or its Facebook fan page is overflowing with comments, or its YouTube views are rocketing to the atmosphere, it is set up to literally change the world.

Why is that? Because its staff is telling a great story.

Think about it: as you watch the media that they’ve created, and you read their copy, you get caught up in the emotion of what they’re doing. You want to be part of it, and so do I. Why? Because it does something to us, it gives us vision and connects us.

These are the kind of story tenants that we need to replicate.

And that’s what this book is about.

Let’s take a look at some examples of businesses that effectively built their stories through the web.

 

 

Exhibit A: Domino’s Pizza. This is a great story. Domino’s decided to launch a new ad campaign because it caught on that customers were complaining about quality. Customers were basically saying, “We don’t like this pizza much, it’s kind of cruddy cardboard and the sauce is bad.”

So what did Domino’s start to do?

It said, “We can use this, because this is really our key issue.” And it was spot on.

It put together a campaign based on the fact that it was changing things, investing in its produce and customers, and its CEO was sad that the company had disappointed its customers!

In those commercials and in that ad campaign we saw the truth about Domino’s – the truth that it was getting a lot of negative feedback (something we knew) and that the corporation was not happy about it (something we didn’t know). What if Domino’s has said it was going to make all of these changes and then didn’t make it happen? We would have written Domino’s off. Because the story got our attention, but it was a lie.

Principle #1: Build a Story That is True

During the Superbowl every year we watch “the Superbowl of commercials.” You may not have noticed, but the best Superbowl commercials build on a truth. Amazingly, sometimes the best truths aren’t necessarily even related to the product.

 

Exhibit B: In 2011, the clear winner in the Superbowl commercials was the 30 second Volkswagen commercial with the 8 year old dressed as Darth Vader.

The truth in this story was this: Kids have great imaginations. Kids are running around the house in the midst of their grand imaginations, living within their own stories. We’ve all either done it, seen it, or experienced it. This was a truth of humanity that Volkswagen tapped into.

The actual product benefit that they showed was through the dad coming home and activating the remote start with his new 2011 Passat.

The product wasn’t the story! Instead, the story said, “Volkswagen knows that you get curveballs everyday and the Passat will help create special times. ”

Principle #2: Build a Story that Resonates

When Volkswagen released the commercial it went viral. Why? Because it was really well done and we connected with its truth. Simply put, their narrative resonated with us.

When we’re building our story, we have to build on truth and it must resonate with our audience.

The first thing I like to tell organizations is that if they’re going to build a story, this story has to reflect their organization.

Principle #3: Keep the Cookies on the Bottom Shelf

Think through your organization’s story with broad strokes for a moment. What are the points in your story where people can get involved? What resonates easily with your audience? This is the “cookies on the bottom shelf” approach. What are the things that allow for an easy “entry way”?

 

[Side Note]

Of course, we all know that as a nonprofit organization, you can easily build on “slacktivism.” Slacktivism is what happens when someone clicks “Like” on your Facebook page. That “Like” click doesn’t mean that they are getting active in your cause. It just means that they clicked the mouse a couple of times. “Slacktivism” can deliver an opportunity, if the story is great.

Next up, we’re going to go beyond the “broad strokes” and take a look at the fine details of your story. Every story has a structure that is much like its skeleton. Let’s help you build on that skeleton.

 

Takeaways

• Think of your communication in terms of telling a larger story.
• You know more about storytelling than you think.

 

Next Steps

• How is story present in your world?

• How well are you communicating your story?

• Look at the Hero’s Journey diagram – how does this compare to your organization?

• What truth can you build a campaign around?

• Think about 2-5 nonprofits that are communicating well. Do a quick audit to find out where they are active online and sign up for their email lists.

• How are you communicating story through your website?

• Ask your team how well you are communicating internally.

• Are your communications filled only with facts?

A great piece of advice from Derek Sivers

Remember this as you’re telling your organizations story this week and this fall. If you need help, give us a shout.

STORY is about principals, not rules.

STORY is about eternal, universal forms, not formulas.

STORY is about archetypes, not stereotypes.

STORY is about thoroughness, not shortcuts.

STORY is about the realities, not the mysteries – of writing.

STORY is about mastering the art, not second guessing the marketplace.

STORY is about respect, not disdain for the audience.

STORY is about originality, not duplication.

- Robert McKee

This great animation from David Shiyang Liu is based on one of the greatest storytellers of our time, Ira Glass. Check out his work here.

I found it inspiring and encouraging to keep moving, create good work and close the gap from taste to creative narrative.

Be encouraged and build your story – keep going, your organization will be better for it!

I’m super thrilled to announce that we’re launching my first book – The Non-profit Narrative

My goal for the book is to end up in the center of three topics.

This book shows how non-profits can thrive by telling great stories.

• Learn what it takes to communicate a narrative in the digital space that gets results.
• Acquire and cultivate your audience at the same time.
• Further your organizations communication with engagement, connection and more donors.

I’m really excited to share this information and study with you very soon.

Sign up for our email list to be the first to be sent a chapter from the book before anyone else!

And check out the book page – The Non-profit Narrative

This is how to ask for money – give vision to your tribe!

This concept is simple (Tell your Story) but it’s not easy. Every September, I look forward to hearing Scott Harrison tell me all the really incredible things that friends of charity:water have been doing over the last year. Seeing peers, families and kids get exited about making an impact in a community half way around the world is incredible – plus it doesn’t hurt when cute kids are putting on a lemonade stand for water projects either.

Conventional (or entrenched) wisdom would say that we need to make sure there’s a regular appeal letter, a response device and we need to wait 3 weeks to see how it does. Get some data returned and then look how else we can “engage” our print audience.

Can you imagine if charity:water did that?

I can’t – it would be against their DNA. They’ve never been a conventional charity, YAY!

Check out their website (it changes during this campaign- because it’s how they got started, they’re using every piece of communication to reinforce their position)

This design is so simple and extremely intentional. It’s pretty but the primary function of the webpage is quick connection and helping site visitors become participants in water projects.

But that’s them…. and you work at a more conventional charity and to mix it up too much could be disastrous.. What can we learn? Here’s a couple of tips.

Tell your story
Don’t just tell the stories of those your impacting make sure your organization doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. It’s crucial to share your impact but make sure you’re consistently sharing with your audiences about why you’re active and why you’ve chosen this work versus others.

Film, Film, Film
Hire/partner with a filmmaker – and I don’t mean the guy down the street with a camera. I mean a professional that works withclients all the time. I’ve found that the best filmmakers to collaborate with have big dreams and don’t feel that client work is their endgame. They are pushing themselves and their company to be bigger, as a result, they are always learning and a position of learning means that they’ll have a careful eye on how to make your next film project. (PS if you’re nervous about it, I’ve got a great list of companies that I enjoy working with – just email me dan@portnoymediagroup.com)

A Clear Ask
One of the new trends is to kind of ask or soft ask. (Have a response device in a mailer but don’t draw attention to it.) It’s confusing. Ask your tribe or don’t. Give them information and thank them, tell them a story or an update but when it’s time to ask don’t “shuffle your feet”. “Do or do not. There is no try?”- Yoda Don’t apologize for raising money to save someones life! When you pause or don’t ask with confidence it can communicate a lot of extra negatives. Either you’re being a good steward with your funds and you can ask with confidence for the ability to carry on this work or you’ve abused this relationship and you’re unsure if this should continue.

Adjust Across Platforms
The web needs to reflect your campaigns. This sounds simple, and it is, but too many times the website is taking a backseat to the agency running a print campaign. remember, you can get more data in 30 minutes from a facebook post (with a vibrant community) than you will on how a mailer responded. (it’s easier for charity:water – to my knowledge they don’t have a regular mailing list, just email)

Community
How are you building it around your project. You have to show the peer to peer influence – don’t just give me some stats – that’s lame. Show me how a human was impacted and made an adjustment in their life for your cause. That will help your community know that this is the kind of action you’re looking for. Read Dan and Chip Heath’s book “Switch” they call it: Highlighting the bright spots.

Ditch the Text
How much text on the charity:water homepage is above the fold? Not that much. Bold statements and a video. This short film will do more than 3 pages of text could ever do to communicate a story. Now look at your website. I run into a lot of NPO’s trying to communicate everything that they do all at the same time. That’s not story telling, it’s asking people to drink from a fire hose and how long would you hang around if that’s all you could do. It’s not connection – it’s offensive. Don’t be offensive.. but you know that already.

Congratulations to Scott Harrison and the team at charity:water for hitting another homerun. I admire your work and you’re all top shelf in my book.

Breaking this information down and getting it working for your organization is what Portnoy Media does best. So if this is feeling like a lot and you’re interested in telling your story better and developing community around your brand – give us a shout. Nonprofits, over 40% of your annual revenue is less than 120 days away!!

Office Number 626.487.9823

This past weekend was a big weekend for movie theaters and for Warner Brothers with the triumphant return of “Harry Potter” to theaters for its final installment. The lobby was packed with costumed patrons all saying goodbye in their own way to characters that they’ve come to know and love over the last 14 years. (“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” was published on June 30, 1997.)

I’ve read the books and seen the movies and enjoyed them all thoroughly.

As I sat in the dark theater this weekend, surrounded by a myriad of ages and ethnicities, I started to think about the series, the business, the franchise and what made it work. Next I thought about my clients. What principles could we glean from this success? How could these principles be used to cultivate community?

Here’s a few takeaways:

The Content is Remarkable
Bottom Line – It’s a good story. It’s THE story; the hero’s journey is the foundation of every story and what draws us in. J.K. Rowling created a rich, dynamic world for readers to enter. There’s a spinoff series around every corner; she can tell you the story of characters going back 100 years. She looks to connect us to the humanity in the story. We wrestle with the unknown, we feel uneasy when our characters do and we shed a tear in a Starbucks when Dobby dies (maybe that last one was just me). Point is, it’s worth talking about. It’s a great experience and it’s rewarding. There’s intrinsic value to it. Now how many nonprofits are creating remarkable content? Nonprofits that have great value and with great stories to tell – true stories! Stories of the hero’s journey, of life change and of impact. Takeaway: Make the best content you can.

Rabid Fans Spread Rabidly
The engagement and the worldwide spread of Harry Potter is a phenomeon. It’s part art and part science. We know that to tell a good story that it must have certain pieces (science) and it must weave eloquently (art). Rowling’s blending of the two is nothing short of genius. She gives us the story we want but not in the way that we want it. This is the mark of a great storyteller. Spending a few hours with Harry Potter, using our imaginations and joining his friends on an adventure is a great experience. When I was handed the books I was told, “Hurry to the 3rd book, it gets amazing!” and when I finished it, I was having a great time reading. I was having a great time reading?!?!?! It’s not all that often, I read a lot and most of it is to stay informed about issues or a new strategy, but this was pure pleasure and glorious. I wanted to share this experience with others and tell my sphere about this positive experience. Takeaway: Make sure your donor experience is positive!

J.K. Rowling Has a Formula
As each story starts, Harry is introduced to a new concept and sees that the world is bigger than he thought – just like growing up. She starts each story in August just days before Harry’s birthday (a big event in any kid’s life) and every year she introduces a new mode of transportation, a new creature and fills in the gaps on the evil in the world. The truth is: for every similarity she also breaks her rules but always to further the story. This formula gives us tracks to run on, we can get comfortable and then she uses that comfort against us when she’s breaking the rule. Yet we’re not upset. It’s entertaining and it’s great storytelling. Takeaway: Be informative about how your community works but don’t be afraid to push the envelope.

Up the Ante
Building on the formula, the stakes get bigger every time. We see characters die in the “The Sorcerers’ Stone” but they were villains so we don’t feel too terrible. It’s what good does, it triumphs over evil and the minions are left holding the bag. By the time the fourth book gets started and we’re introduced to even more characters, we think we’ve got it figured out but then tragedy. A character dies. Not a distant relative or a story from years past. Cedric Diggory is murdered right in front of Harry Potter. When I read this part is was so abrupt that that I was looking for more exposition on the circumstance. The death of characters continues throughout the books. Characters we’ve come to care about, characters with influence. But this is how life is, no certainty and when conveying your story it’s important to up the tension. It’s crucial to show that the act of donating or volunteering will make a difference but you must ACT – and do it now! It’s also important here to note that the story of “Boy who Cried Wolf” is a very important fundraising lesson. Donor fatigue is all too real in today’s world and we need to be mindful and thank our donors as often as possible.. besides, I’ve never heard someone complain because they just keep getting thanks for their work with a nonprofit. Takeaway: Use tension to create urgency in your story. What time of year is this most appropriate? Remember to say “Thanks”, often.

It Takes Time
It’s easy for us to look at the Harry Potter franchise and say, “It’s obvious this would be a hit.” I don’t think the editor of the first book was thinking that this series would bring in over $21 Billion, spawn a theme park and become a household name. After the fourth installment – some would say the second – it was obvious that this series was going to be big. The big lesson here is that consistency will pay your bills in the tough months as long as the tyranny of the urgent doesn’t distract. So publish on Facebook, update your Twitter profile. Do it often and don’t miss your email updates. You’re making deposits into an emotional bank account for your brand. Takeaway: Winning on the web is a splash for some but most involves daily farming. Be consistent!

Helping organizations be creative in the telling of their story is our specialty. (It’s also one of my more favorite things to do!) We love getting to the heart of what your organization is about and then giving you, and your team, the tools to make a major impact. If your organization needs a boost in how you’re communicating online – Give us a shout on our contact page!

It’s very obvious to me that I’m getting old. The annual trek to Austin is something that I’m beginning to have a love/hate relationship with.

Great people and great info make the time there really worth attending and it would seem that each year the brands are getting smarter and smarter to court the influence of the tastemakers by bringing out the big guns.

This year went above and beyond. CNN, Pepsi, AOL and Samsung all went to the wall with big offerings. Overall the actual panels and speaking was great – however I thought the panels this year were lacking. During the conference I asked around to see if it was just me or a greater problem. Turns out it wasn’t me, I asked around and we all had the same feeling – many panel speakers seemed unprepared or out of sync with each other, like there was zero prep time.

Highlights and Tips:

Apps, Apps, Apps
I don’t know what the square footage of the Austin Convention Center Exhibition area was but 90% of the booths were hocking an app. It makes sense because Apple has paid out over $2 Billion to developers but none of them really stood out to me. App Developers – How are you standing out?? The secret is not by offering a drawing for an iPad2 (everyone’s doing it!)

Print is not dead
The irony that the largest techie conference uses as much paper as they do is disturbing. Big kudos to the crew at Square Space for their brilliant food truck and use of GREAT print. It was effective and drew me in. Loved it!

Print is still white noise
Making a flyer about your website, new app or product is just silly. Mediocre print is sadly not going anywhere but covered any square inch of space available around the convention center. Interestingly the only people I saw paying attention to the massive flyer covered areas were the people covering them.

Ze Frank blew my doors off!
It’s great find out that the word is bigger than I thought and I’ve got a long way to go. I find it challenging and exciting. Ze walked through several recent projects including Young Me, Now Me and The Chillout Story. I was entranced by his humanity crossed with technology storytelling. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been a fan of Ze since “The Show” but to hear how these emotion laden one-offs are impacting masses and showing true connection are exquisitely beautiful.

The Mentoring Sessions in Film should be adopted by Interactive
It was invaluable to bounce ideas off of leading filmmakers and executives. I wish this was also done by the interactive side of things. Please SXSW make that happen for next year!

Ditch the Parties and hang out at the lobby bar.
This is the best piece of advice I can give you and I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one thinking it. Most nights I was trying to catch up with a fair amount of people and it was great to just hang out in one place and not have to yell over the thumping bass. The bonus was one night finding Guy Kawasaki and Pam Slim at the next table – I knew it was a good idea!

Talking to 3 different continents during Beth Kanters’ session!
A packed house for Beth’s session on engaging free agents and the best part was talking in real time with new friends in Lebanon and Egypt at the same time. It’s so important for free agents and nonprofits to team up and Beth does an amazing job of making that point. Don’t be a fortress nonprofit and get her book!

Experience SXSW as a team!
I was very fortunate to be with 3 great guys from Out:think Group. I work with these guys everyday and it was great to spend some time with these extremely talented guys without due dates hanging over our heads.

Get some Coulhaus!
I can’t talk enough about this food truck! Just ask Tiffany, we talk about them at least once a week. They’ve got the BEST ice cream sandwiches and Firefox showed how smart they were by bringing them to launch their Firefox Mobile Party. Thanks Firefox!!

Breakfast Tacos and Thunderbird Coffee
Part of my annual trip of SXSW is to see my friend Carrie Graham and hear about all the cool work she’s doing with Mosaic church. This year she took me out for some breakfast tacos and Thunderbird Coffee. The next time you’re in Austin check them out – thank me later.

That’s SXSW for 2011 for me! See you next year!

In a few hours I’m sharing the stage with Mark Horvath (@Hardlynormal) to talk with homeless service agencies in attendance about how new/social media tools are at their disposal for greater connectivity, greater awareness and greater fundraising.

Mark has had HUGE success in rallying support to his cause of InvisiblePeople.tv It’s raw, real and unedited. His mode of using social media with shock and awe is well suited to his personality and you can’t argue the results he gets with over 50,000 views a month on his YouTube channel.

As Mark and I started talking about what to share with our group this morning it was interesting to hear him talk about entry points into social media for these agencies. Because Mark understands the principles of communication in this new mode, he knows that how he uses the medium and interacts with so many on a daily basis won’t work with the same kind of success for a 100 year old shelter in Kansas City, MO.

For Example: One of my favorite videos from Mark

This video is as raw as it gets. Barry talks frankly about what he’s living in, what his life is about and his hope for the future. His life hits me like a truck. Living in tunnels under Las Vegas, Barry’s struggles are so much more urgent than anything I have happening in my life.

This video is a small part in the narrative that InvisiblePeople.tv and Mark are telling. Mark’s a crusader and gives glimpses into the vast spectrum of lives that are intersecting with homelessness. Families in cheap hotels, women couch surfing, a man living in Central Park. Their stories make up the multiple faces of homelessness and Mark is campaigning for change. His tactics blitzkreig our lives, slap us around and ask if we’re going to let it continue. The drum that he’s been banging has attracted the attention of Google, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times and dozens of news outlets.

He’s had success but if you did the exact same thing, there would be some ripples and in the end you’d be referred to as, “Oh, you’re doing things just like InvisiblePeople.tv!”

What can we learn?

• Mark’s style fits his organization and personality – find yours and tell your story.
• There was a need and Mark got started helping – he “shipped it“. There have been adjustments and refinements along the way to make sure that he’s connecting. Even to the point of starting WeAreVisible.com because his tribe told him that was needed.
• This didn’t exist 3 years ago – a new market/community around an idea.
• A great example of acquisition – he can go to this community for help/resources. The housing of @LostAwareness by @Skip1 is a great move from the community – Check out the video

In the next post (Part II) I’ll sum up what we talked about in our session at The National Alliance to End Family Homelessness Conference and profile an organization that’s in the digital space that uses the same principles but it looks different. Here’s a hint.