-
Budujemy Europę
Po Genewie los wysłał mnie do Brukseli. Ciekawy wyjazd. Jako studentka bardzo chciałam pracować w Komisji Europejskiej ale po jakimś czasie los rzucił mnie z dala od polityki, raczej w kierunku technologii. W tym miesiącu jednak spotkałam się z kilkoma osobami, które oddychają Komisją dniem i nocą i cieszę się, że nie jetem jedną z nich. Przede wszystkim wszyscy noszą marynarki, co bardzo mnie stresuje! Już nawet moja czarna bluzeczka z ostrym dekoltem wydawała się obrazą, więc musiałam w biurze nosić szal. To jeszcze szczęście, że ich team social media jest wyluzowany i ubiera się jak ludzie. Miałam wrażenie, że nagle los rzucił mnie na praktyki w fabryce. Spotkałam przyjaciół ze studiów i poznałam uniwersyteckie grono mojego partnera, więc czułam się dziwnie. Spotkałam bardzo dobrego fotografa (który też chodzi do pracy w marynarce;)) i zrobiło mi się żal – jakoś kiedyś lepiej zauważałam historię w fotografiach, miałam więcej czasu na spacery i robienie fotek a potem ich obrabianie. Dzielenie się nimi. Pod tym względem to ja jestem ubrana w cholernie ciasną marynarkę. Wróciłam i cieszę się, że mogę pracować w kapciach, z nogami na biurku lub w ogrodzie pełnym wiosny. -
The good, the bad and the ugly – viral videos
I came back from Brussels (training EU Commission’s social media team) with quite a few really strong case studies. I am sure you have seen the “Clash of Civilisations” video and reactions to it, but today I would like to mention a different production by the same organisation simply because I really like the idea!
I would like to to see more and more attempts to create a funny twist on otherwise rather boring topics. I know that sometimes ideas can go wrong if we do not consider the overall context of the message, but let’s keep on trying! It’s really interesting to see these two case studies.
What do you think makes a good video (I will not use the term “viral” because we all know the popularity of a video cannot be predicted in advance)? What is a good idea? What defines good execution of it?
-
Blogger interview – Lucy Gower
It has been a while since I posted an interview here. Tonight I would like you to meet a lady who inspires me a lot. Meet Lucy Gower!
Sylwia: How did your adventure with innovation start?
Lucy: In 2007 when Childline joined the NSPCC there was a restructure in fundraising and an Innovation Team was introduced. I was appointed Innovation Manager and this was the start of my adventure in innovation. My remit was to help fundraisers be more creative in their thinking to deliver better fundraising. I developed a strategy and process for innovation, which included delivery of innovation training for all fundraisers to help embed a culture of innovation. It is a topic that I find fascinating. I love helping others to think differently and apply that thinking to their fundraising to get better results.
Sylwia: Where do you blog?
Lucy: I have my own blog at www.lucyinnovation.wordpress.com and I also blog for www.sofii.org www.101fundraising.org and have guest blogged for www.spring-giving.org.uk.
Sylwia: Are you using other social media tools to promote your ideas and work?
Lucy: I’m a big fan of Twitter, when I first started using it I was a bit sceptical, but my advice to anyone would be to decide your objective for using Twitter (or any social media tool) and just give it a try. I learn so much from others on Twitter and use it to collect my thoughts and inspiration. In the olden days (the 00s!) I would write my thoughts and ideas in a notebook. Now I tweet and collate. I’ve also met some great friends and colleagues through Twitter. I use LinkedIn a lot too. It’s a great tool for making new connections and keeping in touch. I’m starting to use other sites like Storify, Stumbleupon and Google + but my first social media love is Twitter.
Sylwia: What do you think it the main challenge for nonprofits in embracing innovation?
Lucy: Nonprofits are very risk adverse and this is a big barrier for developing innovation. We are afraid of failing, which often means that we fail to try. Innovation does involve risk, if something is new, it might not work, but there is also risk in just doing what you have always done. The world is changing and charities, like any other business, have to seek to better understand both their customers and the changing market environment and be able to spot and act on opportunities. There is a perception that innovation is for big charities with big budgets seeking to develop the ‘next big thing’. This is a barrier. Innovation is part of every fundraiser’s job, it’s about finding improved ways to work more effectively and raise more money. Many charities feel innovation is a ‘nice to have’ as they prioritise short-term income at the expense of investing in longer-term funding strategies. It is important to have the basics in place, however planning for the future and being in a position to respond to a changing marketplace is crucial for long term success.
Sylwia: What do you think will be the man trends in innovation in the UK nonprofit sector in 2012?
Lucy: More charities are being more strategic about innovation and thinking about what innovation means for them and how it can help them deliver better results, for example developing an innovation team, or training staff in innovation and creativity skills. In tough economic times, the ability for organisations to develop imaginative solutions to both differentiate themselves from the competition and improve their fundraising is vital. In terms of trends, I think there are big opportunities to raise funds from gaming, and from location based applications to link donors to specific projects and provide real time updates on how their donation makes a difference. But for a lot of charities innovation isn’t necessarily about new sexy products or services it’s about getting basics right, for example, a database that’s fit for purpose, a regular giving programme, a major gifts strategy, exceptional stewardship and flexibility to respond to opportunities.
Sylwia: Where can we meet you off-line?
Lucy: I’m based in London and can travel! I’m currently in Australia having just finished presenting at the Fundraising Institute Australia conference on the Gold Coast. You can get in touch on lucy@lucyinnovation.co.uk or 07919 173 042 or Skype lucy.gower3.
Sylwia: What advice would you give to anyone interested in driving innovation within their organisation?
Lucy: Innovation must be driven and modelled by leadership. Consider what your organization needs to achieve through its innovation strategy. It could be raising more income or awareness, developing new products or services, or developing a collaborative working culture that increases staff retention and results, often it is a combination of all of the above. Each organization will have it’s own unique needs; innovation is not a one size fits all strategy. That’s what makes it such an exciting area to work in. If you would like any help – get in touch!
Lucy Gower is an independent fundraising trainer and consultant specialising in innovation. Twitter @lucyinnovation. She is back in the UK for a few weeks now, so feel free to get in touch!
-
Pinterest for fundraising – case study
We have talked about collaboration during February Social Media Week in London so here is a great case study how a new social media tool combined with a little bit of it can support fundraising activities. I say “support” because I personally think that it’s good to have a good mix of various fundraising methods and not to rely on just one method and one social media avenue.
As Pinterest becomes more and more popular we start to see nonprofits on it but now also quite good case studies of particular fundraising activities. 10 Minute Teabreak is basically a collaborative board of pins (bookmarked visuals) related to the topic of the tea party:
Friday 2 March 2012 is 10 Minute Teabreak day. Have a cuppa with friends, family or colleagues and get them to pay for their tea, coffee and cake for Quarriers! Feel free to add your pins of cake, tea and coffee related photos! Don’t have time for a Teabreak? Text ‘BREW10 £1’ to 70070 – you’ll be helping some of the most vulnerable people in society.
I found myself in it simply added by a friend and as a coffee blogger, I obviously had a bit of material to add. Call it a classic example of clicktivism yet by adding my personal photos to the board according to the current Pinterest copyrights I am allowing the charity to use them for fundraising activities.
Simple, well executed and actually quite fun! As a contributor, I get to connect with people dedicated to the cause and to the topic – which is, of course, a bonus! I really like this one!
-
Trudny tydzień
Wyjazd do Genewy bardzo mnie zmienił. Odkrywam Anglię zupełnie innymi oczami. Spotkałam się z Krzysiem, ko-edytorem GV Polska, pochodziliśmy po Oksfordzie jak po zupełnie obcym mi świecie. Zrozumiałam, kim jestem – jestem Europejką w Anglii. I chcę aby tak pozostało. Nie chcę stać się stworzeniem wyspiarskim, bo to kombinacja zalet i wad, która bardzo mi nie odpowiada. To pewnego rodzaju uczucie małego światka…brak szacunku do samego siebie i wiele obszarów życia, w których brak jest konsekwentnego myślenia. Przepraszam, jestem dość ostra w ocenie i generalizuję, jednak na Węgrzech tak się nie czułam, nie czułam się tak w Meskyku…w żadnym innym kraju i nie chcę się zaklimatyzować.
-
Kawa o trzeciej nad ranem
…na lotnisku, w drodze do Genewy. Wczoraj w nocy zupełnie nie mogłam spać, więc musiałam nadrobić to rano, co za tym idzie jest mi łatwiej przeżyć nocną podróż do Genewy. Nie mogę się doczekać spotkania z przyjaciółką jeszcze z pracy z Budapesztu. Tak bardzo rzadko spotykam się z bliskimi mi osobami! Takie to zycie cholernie ostatnio zabiegane i coś nie zwalnia. W marcu postanowiłam sama je przystopować. Nie pisać wiele. Nie czytać. Nic nie oglądać. Spać dużo. Siedzieć wieczorem w ciszy i gapić się na ściany, w ogrodową ciemność a porankiem popijać kawę i udawać, że widzę jak rosną nasze tulipany (te na zdjęciu to nie nasze, tylko Walentynkowe;)). Zupełnie się wypaliłam a co najgorsze nie mam już nawet siły się uśmiechać! A to już tragedia. I tak tylko tulę się do moich chłopców, kopię (ok, w pracy nie jest tak źle;)) i marzę o ciszy. Czas na wiosenne porządki w duszy. Tymczasem na lotnisku popijam kawę i gapię się na ludzi, też w drodze… -
Barcamp Nonprofits London write up
I am really sad to see the Barcamp Nonprofits London finished. It was a bit of a hectic process to organise it but I think it went really well – due to the great support of Amy, Laila, Nick and other organisers on the way; thanks to great support of my bosses – Euan and David from @nfpvoice but also because of the great response from all our attendees. And big thank you to our sponsors:
The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community, Voice and The Phone Room, UK Fundraising, JustGiving, Moo, Rapidata Services, Eventbrite, Blackbaud and The Browser.
When I said to my boyfriend that I am a bit worried about this event he wondered why – as a geek why would you worry about a barcamp? There is nothing that can go wrong during a crowd-sourced conference. However running an event for an audience new to the format is not something that one can predict or assume as a success. I was trying to stress that the success of this one depends on each and every person but really – you have to attend a barcamp to understand its rules. So today I need to sum up my feelings and initial thoughts about the day somehow. Luckily I am not the first one to do it. We have Laila, Louise and James posting about it already, so I can base my point on their words too. My take is obviously more focused on the organising and goal of the event than sessions themselves though I have promised myself that during the next barcamp I will attend more sessions and stay in those longer.What I did like this time content-wise was:1. The session on how kids use Internet run by @phazoneverload – we will follow it up with collaboration, maybe on our Barcamp Kids in Tech in Oxford this fall. The fact that we had a 14-year-old attendee standing up in front of us making the point on young people currently being on-line and really not respected for it speaks for itself. I have been recently highly disappointed in my work with primary schools on safe Internet practice so this session was the answer to my prayers. This feeling when you start giving up and you see the spar of inspirations. Additionally, I would like to point out that the idea of naming the session in a way which raised everyone’s interest was brilliant!:)2. The session on on-line privacy run by Shaun over Skype from Washington D.C. – I still cannot believe how he managed to run through all major areas of on-line privacy with a special focus on the not-for-profit sector within 30 minutes answering our questions in the meantime!3. The session on Global Voices Online – I was really happy to see the questions and relevance of this topic to the event – I was not sure if citizen journalism will find its audience, yet it did!4. Google+ Hangout (recording here) – I know it generated various responses (some people felt that the excitement of speakers and strong love for G+ was a bit overwhelming and not always relevant) but I am really happy to see that those who wanted to benefit from the session actually did. We see a hangout planned already and I hope that many charities will at least start experimenting with it. I also hope that some of the attendees will make the most of the fact that they were connected with the format’s specialists for future support – they are really nice and will help if needed! 🙂5. Panel discussion for Social Media Week – raised some really important issues and for me personally was an eye opener. People whom I usually see confident on topics related to social media for the sector seemed a bit inconsistent on the day, people who usually do not speak up much and get on with the work suddenly really made a huge impression on me – I am really inspired by their points. For few of us there it was also a bonding experience, which is a treasure!Sessions I missed out on AudioBoo, video content creation, fundraising on-line and much more – I so wish I was there! In terms of the event itself, I think we will need to wait for more feedback but I do agree with all the points made already and I am starting to work with the organisers of the next event – bigger, longer and louder one! So if you want to get involved, please let me know! -
Barcamp Nonprofits London in just one week!
Barcamp Nonprofits is in just one week and it looks like we are ready to provide our 100 attendees with space and tools to collaborate, network and brainstorm. I would like to say big, big thank you to Euan Semple and David Dixon for support, Steve Bridger and Howard Lake for ideas and all the support as well. A big hug goes to Amy, Anna, Laila, Lesley, Nick and Krzysztof for helping me in organising of this event. I will also mention sponsors quite a few times on the way!;)
So, what do you need to know before next Friday? Here it is:
Plans for the day:
We will be meeting with the organisers really early in the morning to finalise the goodie bags, plan for the day and to set up the venue. At 9.30 we will open the registration.
Around 10 AM we will open the event. We will explain how the day looks like and start planning the sessions. You will be offered small post-it’s and pens to write down your topics, ideas for the session and asked to place them on the schedule. We will place the schedule in a central location so you can refer to it during the day or make changes and additions if you wish to do so.
At 10.30 we have a small G+ hangout with our friends from all around the world. Of course, this is only initial plan, we will see how the day goes. It all depends on our attendees of course. For lunch we will be going out to come back for afternoon sessions, virtual chat on online privacy at 3ish and Social Media Week panel at 4 PM. We are hoping to wrap it all up by 5.30PM and finish the day with a drink in one of the local pubs.
How to prepare for the event?
It really depends on what you want to get out of it yourself:
1. Bring your current projects and interests, start a discussion about those, run a session to share experiences with other barcampers.
2. Blog, tweet, take photos and record videos – the more you help us document the event, the better chance we have to follow this barcamp up with an even larger one next year! (yes, we are already planning the next one;))
3. Say thank you to our sponsors. For us, organisers, the event itself is going to be a great reward, but there were quite a few people on the way who trusted us entirely and we would love you to join us in mentioning them at least once on-line to say thanks.
4. Be open to contribute to all aspects of the event – we might ask you to help us with a snack or making coffee, we might need help with cleaning up, we might need you to moderate a session if one group of people is stuck with their discussion. You do not need to prepare for this, just come with an open mind and willingness to take active part in our event.
Sounds simple but trust me – if you are used to conferences and have never been to a barcamp before it will be a new experience. I have talked to few attendees already and it looks like the idea of not having to prepare and move away from listening to active participation might be a new thing. If it is, let us know and we will guide you through the process.
The main idea is trust and responsibility for your own attendance – Barcamp Nonprofits is yours and you will have to figure out on the day how to make the most of it.
Practical Information:
1. We will only have wifi for our event bloggers due to the local network restrictions so please bring your own wifi, mifi, 3G on your mobile etc. The venue is fairly central and we have tested few major 3G providers – you should be ok to tweet and blog from your mobile devices and mifi connections. If for any reason you do not want to be featured in photos and other online materials you will need to tell us at the registration.
2. Food – we are providing you with coffee, tea and snacks. We do not have a sponsor for lunch this time so the organisers will suggest few local venues and lunch time sessions where you can join them, have a chat and grab some food yourself. This is our first event in London and we hope that is we have enough word of mouth and recommendations we will be able to find a sponsor for lunch for you during our next event. We have heard the gossip that Prince’s Charities are preparing a cake bake-off for us, so who knows maybe we will have an excuse to have sweets for lunch!
3. Dress code is casual, we want you to relax and feel comfortable. Barcamps were originally coding events running for few days, not conferences requiring a suit;)
4. Representing your organisation – I have posted about it already, but I would like to remind all attendees (and I will do so on the day too) not to use this event as purely opportunity to drive more business or recruit free resources to your projects. Unlike conferences, social innovation camps or hacking events dedicated to specific solutions barcamp is a series of collaborative sessions around particular problems and topics, not a place for a pitch. If you want to promote your company or organisation you have the option to contribute to our goodie bags (100 of them;)). I am going to be very careful about this because I want to ensure good atmosphere at the event, so please respect that. This point will affect the way we run future events too.
5. Suggesting your ideas – we are open to all suggestions. Do you want to run a workshop or a networking activity? One of our co-organizers had a great idea to engage attendees in games and team building exercises – which might be good for some of you, others might want to skip it. It’s fine! Maybe you have done something similar in your organisation and would like to share it with us? Bring those ideas with you!
6. Connect – we have created a Facebook Group , Twitter list, LinkedIn event and Layrd event for you. Connect with others through those spaces and through the event hashtag #barcampnfp.
7 days to go! I cannot wait to see you all there!:) Have a great weekend!
-
Znów sypie!
I znów będzie, właściwie już jest biało! Od momentu jak pojawiły się na Facebooku teskty i fotki śniegu poprzez rozmowę z Magdą na ten temat do momentu odejścia od komuptera nasz ogród pokrył się bielą! Cieszę się bardzo bo udało mi się podróżować bez śniegu a teraz na pięć dni zostaję z domu – a w przyszłym tygodniu dzieci nie idą do szkoły!:) Od czasu rozjazdów czułam się podle – jakoś po przygodzie w hostelu dostałam notorycznej migreny, więc ostatnie dwa dni przeżyłam jak we śnie. Dodatkowo uczenie dzieci w podstawówce bezpiecznego korzystania z sieci było dość mieszanym uczuciem. Cały czas słyszę w mediach, na ulicy, na sieci wypowiedzi rodziców o braku zabezpieczenia sieci ale nikt nie bierze na SIEBIE odpowiedzialności rozsądnego wychowania dzieci na sieci. Usłyszałam więc, że dzieci nie powinny być na Facebooku – od rodziców, a to że jedna trzecia tych dzieciaków już tam jest – od dzieci. Z moim podejsciem otwartej dyskusji i brania maluchów na poważnie nie mogłam wyjść z salek, a jeden chłopiec po prostu się do mnie przytulił! (wyobraźcie sobie szok nauczycielki!). Jestem zachwycona maluchami i bardzo mi smutno, że ich rodzice zostawiają je same na sieci zupełnie negując jej potencjał, oczywiste istnienie. A jak pojawia się problem związany z Internetem, to są tam same, gdyż mama nie chcę być na Facebooku a dziecku daje YouTube do oglądania w sypialni aby mieć spokój podczas gotowania…Paranoja. I utknęłam – w poniedziałek odnosiłam wrażenie, że mogę zmienić świat, dziś sama już nic nie wiem. Muszę się przespać parę razy aby jakoś widzieć przez ten śnieg w głowie…. -
Londyn po królewsku
Ten mój tydzień był jakiś cichy. Miałam dużo pracy, ale raczej związanej z planowaniem, kreatywnością i innymi działaniami firmy niezwiązanymi z rozmowami z ludźmi. W piątek pojechałam do stolicy na kolejne spotkanie z jedną z organizacji pozarządowych sponsorowanych przez rodzinę królewską, więc dostałam pokój w Clarence House – pałacu książecym. Trochę trudno mi się odnaleźć w tym królewsich klimatach! W okolicach Bożego Narodzenia zaproszono mnie na małe zakupy (też dla wsparcia ich działalności charytatwnej) w samym mieszkaniu rodziny księcia i jakoś czułam się jakbym się nagle obudziła w średniowieczu. Arrasy na ścianach, piękne meble i sztuka w każdym wolnym kącie budynku, wszystko ciemne, ciężkie, ciepłe….i tylko zdjęcie rodziny, chłopców i oczywiście ślubu przypominały mi, że to “tu i teraz”. Jedyne odniesienie jakie ja jako Polka mogłam wtedy mieć to spacer po zamku w Łańcucie, gdyz w jego okolicy dorastałam…Więc wpiątek powiedziano mi, iż książe jest w budynku, więc są zaostrzone zasady bezpieczeństwa (choć ja mogłam już przejść się po całej okolicy sama). To ciekawe jak takie rozmowy o jego obecności są pewnego rodzaju wydarzeniem – tak jak my rozmawiamy dziś o śniegu, tak pracownicy Clarence House rozmawiają o rodzinie królewskiej. Po raz kolejny poczułam się…niezręcznie. No nie wiem jak się do tego ustosunkować. Jakoś cholernie czuję się jak w książce Jane Austin, Woolf i innych tutejszych klasyków razem wziętych. A sam wystrój kompleksu królewskiego nie pomaga pozbyć się tych skojarzeń. Właściwie część Londynu – kilka małych uliczek – ograniczona jest bramami ochronnymi, więc idąc do Clarence House człowiek wchodzi przez brame do bardziej cichego, czystego (nie ma tak ani jednego kosza na recyling, roweru, czy innych oznak “życia codziennego”) i bardzo wiktoriańskiego mini-Londynu. To dość magiczne, a co za tym idzie trochę nierealne przeżycie. Rozmowa o mediach społecznościowych, Facebooku i blogach jakoś zupełnie do tego nie pasuje.I jak już doszłam do wyznaczonego pokoju okazało się, iż był on kiedyś prywatną sypialnią, więc jest bardzo ciepły, domowy – zupełnie nie przypomina miejsca spotkań firmowych! Zrobiłam fotke z okna zastanawiając się, jaki widok mają członkowie rodziny królewskiej, kto też kiedyś wyglądał z tego okna i jak się powinnam do tego odnieść?Zdecydowałam jednak skupić się na teraźniejszości i normalności całej tej sytuacji. Domyślam się, iż życie księcia jest bardzo ciekawe, ale też pełne obowiązków i ostro zaplanowanej rutyny – nie wiem, czy sama pisałabym się na taki zawód! A co gorsza oni nie za bardzo mają wybór! OK, może jestem idealistką, ale jakoś wolę myśleć o moim synku, który ma piękny widok z okna na ogród, może usmiechać się do kogo chce, może ubierać się w koszulkę z Angry Birds, a przed wszystkim ma mamę, która wywalczyła mu odrobinę rodzinnego szczęścia a nie wspomnienie przepięknej księżniczki, która zginęła w niewyjasnionych (a przynajmniej podejrzanych okolicznościach) i wszyscy wiedzą, że nie, nie była szczęśliwa w swej królewskiej roli.Jakie to życie jest dziwne…
