Comments on: Goats, goatees and goals…

By: John

John — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:12:28 +0000

Bravo Colin! I think you nailed it. There is no success without failure, especially in regards to new technologies and tools. The worse thing that can be done is not doing anything at all. Thanks for your comment – especially on this older post!

By: Colin

Colin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:09:10 +0000

I was at a presentation the other night, and it reminded me of this article.

It was on social media, and using that to promote your business or even AS a business. Good presentation, some strong take homes, and I think we all appreciated it. The group was 30 people, with 5 folks living on their online ventures – and furthering their own goals for society. It seems the one tie between all of us was that we had all tried, and failed, a lot. But we kept our time and funds low for these trials. Now all found things that worked for us. And worked very, very well.

Of course there were people in the room that wanted all the ideas laid out, with ROI curves etc. I think they are missing the point. Try on a small scale, take metrics, and learn. Expect to fail a lot, but don’t invest significant resources – including the image of the organisation. That’s how you can do great work for your clients (or yourself) and have a lot of fun at the same time.

By: Marie

Marie — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:55:40 +0000

Love this! So inspiring and simple. Great job and thank you so much for sharing this story.

By: Laura Roeder

Laura Roeder — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:41:58 +0000

Yes! Great post, I love this story!

This is exactly what Seth Godin talks about in tribes, you truly have a tribe when they start furthering your shared goals without your direct guidance. You all share in the vision and all make it happen in your own way. Very powerful stuff.

By: John

John — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:13:12 +0000

Thanks Colin. I’m quite sure that a possible answer would be resources… My best guess is that charities want solutions that have been tried and tested by someone else and know that they work… I’m not saying of course that is a good model for fundraising or finding new donors but I do “get it”. Thanks for your comment.

By: Colin Ferguson

Colin Ferguson — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:49:05 +0000

Smart. I find it strange that fundraisers don’t try a half dozen ideas along these lines; each one has a CHANCE to catch on. One does and you’ve figured out a new fundraising model during a time when the old channels are drying up.

By: John

John — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:43:56 +0000

Well said Raymond. Good luck with your other challenge… hehe… John

By: Dr. Raymond Peacock

Dr. Raymond Peacock — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:06:50 +0000

John: Great article. Honestly, if you don’t understand what motivates the donor, you just don’t understand. Glad you do. On another topic – I’m struggling to think of a campaign for the Colorado Avalanche:>) Ray Peacock

By: John

John — Wed, 27 May 2009 01:24:02 +0000

Now that is Fundraising 2.0! Thanks Martha! Great work…

By: Martha Mihaly

Martha Mihaly — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:52:22 +0000

Being on the end of raising money for a specific charity I appreciate your article very much. We’ve circumvented asking for permission from the charities by creating our own logo and website. We raise money that we directly donate to the charity. That way we do what we want, without the need for the permission of a group of people whose fundraising methods/messages may not align with ours.

The important thing to remember is that the charities all represent the cause of a specific group. It’s the cause that should benefit, not the egos of the go betweens.

Thanks for a great article.