by Michael Fagans | Mar 4, 2014 | Blog
24th Annual Professional Development Conference for Nonprofits | United Way of Kern County
Resources
PostSecret: Fifty People One Question
Orchestra made out of trash – Upworthy
Food Insecurity in Kern County.
An anatomy of a movement
1. A narrative that tells a story about who we are and the future we are trying to build.
2. A connection between and among the leader and the group.
3. Something to do – the fewer the limits the better.
– Senator Bill Bradley
Old model of marketing
idea > develop > launch > market
New model of marketing
truth > people > idea > launch
– Bernadette Jiwa
The Golden Circle
why > how > what
– Simon Sinek
Making ideas stick
simple unexpected concrete
credible emotional stories
– Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Seth Godin on marketing.
Dan Pallotta on rethinking nonprofits.
‘Tribes’ – Seth Godin
‘Poke The Box’ – Seth Godin
‘We Are All Weird‘ – Seth Godin
‘ReWork’ – Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson
‘Rules of Thumb’ – Alan M. Weber
‘Subject to Change’ – Peter Merholz, Brandon Schauer
by Michael Fagans | Jan 30, 2014 | Blog
So, why pay a good visual person what their time and craft is worth?
Perhaps because you can’t afford not to.
At the end of the day, I spend a great deal of time looking at things, watching, seeing the world and light and how they interact and play off of each other. There are ways to tell your story visually without using any words, in ways that will resonate with, delight and surprise your customers and audience. That is the kind of visual storytelling that I enjoy.
It all comes down to seeing. Really, truly seeing.
It is also about the software between my ears too.
It all starts with a conversation for me. What are you trying to say? Who is your audience? Who is your potential audience? What do you want to do after you have reached them?
So what does this mean to you?
It is up to you and our combined imagination. Is it a video piece for your web site that ‘interprets’ what you do? (Hopefully you already have a web site.) Is it a photo essay in print for the walls of your office or year end report? Is it connecting you with a non-profit doing work that resonates with you and your company? Is it underwriting an after-school enrichment program? Is it an hashtagged Instagram feed on your web site? (Do you need that last sentenced translated in to English from Tech?) Do you want to bring an improv group in to work with your staff? The list grows the more we talk.
The companies, the non-profits, the organizations that are daring to be different, do things that stand out, that take a stand or stand for something; those are the folks I would like to collaborate with. Are you one of those people?
by Michael Fagans | Dec 16, 2013 | Blog
The short observation regarding this post is that we need to start rethinking how we as a society and country think about nonprofits.
Dan really changes the status quo train of thought and the emphasis on bean counting over results. All too often we measure overhead or dollars spent on projects as opposed to how effective things are or how much is getting accomplished.
We also need to think about attracting the energy, talent and resources to get quality people to work and stay in the nonprofit sector.
by Michael Fagans | Dec 7, 2013 | Blog
I plan on using this blog to discuss thoughts on the visual world, business, non-profit work and how to think about communicating in the 21st century.
Oddly enough, Seth Godin has a great post today to kick things off:
‘The winning strategy for the local business or freelancer, then, is:
a. provide a product or service that truly works better when it’s local, and
b. do it in a way that works better when it’s small, custom, connected and not in search of economies of scale.’
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2013/12/winner-take-all-vs-local.htm
That is exactly what I am trying to do in Bakersfield; help businesses and non-profits share what they are doing so that they can build their customer base, inform their clients or potential clients about what they do an interpret for the rest of the community what people are doing.
But what Seth Godin is also highlighting is that if work is not customized and not more effective when it is local, than the business will move to the web.
Much of what I and my co-founders at Rising Tide Productions are trying to do in Bakersfield is provide customized and unique content and services in Kern County.
