to view the interactive version of this infographic, click here.

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from The New Necessities: What Products and Services Can Consumers Not Live Without?

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listen to a replay of 'Ladies Let's Talk w/ Coach Jeanna' as i discuss friendraising, work life balance, and being a female entrepreneur.

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nonprofits listen up! sometimes it's okay to take a cue from big business and this time macy's does qr codes right!

this fall, macy's upgraded their 'backstage pass' marketing initiative to include the use of qr codes in stores. coupling their current list of designers with exclusive video content, macy's aims to take to the shopping experience to a new level.

what i adore about their campaign is that it does qr codes so right.  in the past, i've seen qr codes pointing to static websites that aren't mobile enabled or to facebook pages or twitter streams.  but all of these places are readily discovered through google and offer nothing in the way of exclusive content.

with macy's use of their own exclusive content - their designers - they mastered the intended use of qr codes.

if your nonprofit dares to venture into this communication channel, remember that there are some unwritten rules and best practices:

• create dynamic, high quality content
• exclusive works best - it doesn't exclude your majority audience, but offers that incentive to participate
• test on all mobile devices
• measure, measure, measure

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via The Growth of Social Media: An Infographic

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think of it as brainstorming on acid. mind mapping isn'€™t new to Fortune 500 but it may be new a new concept to nonprofits.

according to Wikipedia, a mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea. Mind maps are used togenerate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as an aid to studying and organizing information, solving problems, making decisions, and writing.

illustrated below, mind mapping allows every member of the team to participate in the strategic planning process together, allowing you to capture important information in one place that looks somewhat like organized chaos.

done in a freehand version with markers and paper or more sophisticated in a mind mapping program compatible with most major firmware, mind mapping can open up a world you never knew existed.

go ahead, try it out at your next planning or strategy session and marvel at your results.

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seems like you can't avoid them. they are everywhere nowadays. but what do they mean and what do they do? and the question that every nonprofit is asking themselves is "do we need some?"

well, that's a simple answer -- yes and no.

a qr code, by definition:

is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) that is readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera telephones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded may be text, URL, or other data. - wikipedia

their origins trace back to 1994 as a creation by Japanese company Denso-Wave. now you are asking 'what took them so long to get to America and how can i jump on the bandwagon?'. whoa nelly.

today's use of qr code requires much thought and effort. they aren't a strategy to employ because 'everyone else is doing it'. they are a tool (much like social media) that should be executed only if the strategy calls for it.

so here are some quick do's and don't for usage of qr codes, especially for nonprofits:

1. don't create a qr code that points to your website. why? you could have just provided the link. why do i need to pull out my smartphone, open up my barcode reader, snap and pic and wait when i could have simply typed in your address? it's a waste of space and your friend's time and energy.

2. do create a qr code that points to a youtube/vimeo/ustream video. why? because you couldn't put a video on a poster or business card right? correct. your qr code should feature dynamic visuals, not a static web address. (see example below)

3. don't create qr codes to point to facebook or twitter sites. why? see #1.

4. do create a qr code that points to your flickr, shutterfly, or picasa photobooks. why? because picutres are visuals and nonprofits don't have a lot of money to produce bout photo albums - but you do have enough time and resources to create a visual masterpiece online that one could easily view on their mobile phone.

and finally

5. don't do it because everyone else is doing it. perhaps your integrated marketing plan isn't sophisticated enough yet. perhaps your organization doesn't have a full time communications staffer. maybe you still haven't mastered yesterday's social media tools like facebook fan pages yet. if any of these are the case -- you don't need a qr code!

qr codes need to be created and maintained, if you don't have the resources to commit to them, don't commit. it's perfectly okay.

for more information and examples of uses of qr codes, visit my delicious bookmarks today.

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as you may know, my first love is service - whether it is in teaching at CPCC, working exclusively for noprofits, or taking my show on the road at conferences throughout America - i love to share knowledge and information.

a few months back i decided to pitch an idea for a all black, all female panel for the upcoming Netroots Nation conference.  i'd been the two previous years, one as a scholar, the other as a trainer, but this year i felt we needed something different; we needed the voice of one of the most key voting blocs of the Democratic party.

and here it is -- Ask a Sista: Black Women Muse on Politics, Policy, Pop Culture and Scholarship

African-American women make up a two-thirds of the black Democratic voting bloc. Their vote is consistent but their programs are underfunded and voices routinely unheard. How can progressives expect the party to flourish without understanding this key voting block, much-needed voice in mainstream media and major influence in American culture? This panel session will shed light on African-American progressive women and their views on policy, politics, race, popular culture, media and feminism.

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as you may know, my first love is service - whether it is in teaching at CPCC, working exclusively for noprofits, or taking my show on the road at conferences throughout America - i love to share knowledge and information.

a few months back i decided to pitch an idea for a all black, all female panel for the upcoming Netroots Nation conference.  i'd been the two previous years, one as a scholar, the other as a trainer, but this year i felt we needed something different; we needed the voice of one of the most key voting blocs of the Democratic party.

and here it is -- Ask a Sista: Black Women Muse on Politics, Policy, Pop Culture and Scholarship

African-American women make up a two-thirds of the black Democratic voting bloc. Their vote is consistent but their programs are underfunded and voices routinely unheard. How can progressives expect the party to flourish without understanding this key voting block, much-needed voice in mainstream media and major influence in American culture? This panel session will shed light on African-American progressive women and their views on policy, politics, race, popular culture, media and feminism.

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as you may know, my first love is service - whether it is in teaching at CPCC, working exclusively for noprofits, or takign my show on the road at conference countrywide - i love to share knowledge and information.  a few months back i decided to pitch an idea for a all black, all female panel for the upcoming Netroots Nation conference.  i'd been the two previous years, one as a scholar, the other as a trainer, but this year i felt we needed something different.; we needed the voice of one of the most key voting blocs of the Democratic party.

and here it is -- Ask a Sista: Black Women Muse on Politics, Policy, Pop Culture and Scholarship

African-American women make up a two-thirds of the black Democratic voting bloc. Their vote is consistent but their programs are underfunded and voices routinely unheard. How can progressives expect the party to flourish without understanding this key voting block, much-needed voice in mainstream media and major influence in American culture? This panel session will shed light on African-American progressive women and their views on policy, politics, race, popular culture, media and feminism.

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as you may know, my first love is service - whether it is in teaching at CPCC, working exclusively for noprofits, or takign my show on the road at conference countrywide - i love to share knowledge and information.  a few months back i decided to pitch an idea for a all black, all female panel for the upcoming Netroots Nation conference.  i'd been the two previous years, one as a scholar, the other as a trainer, but this year i felt we needed something different.; we needed the voice of one of the most key voting blocs of the Democratic party.

and here it is -- Ask a Sista: Black Women Muse on Politics, Policy, Pop Culture and Scholarship

African-American women make up a two-thirds of the black Democratic voting bloc. Their vote is consistent but their programs are underfunded and voices routinely unheard. How can progressives expect the party to flourish without understanding this key voting block, much-needed voice in mainstream media and major influence in American culture? This panel session will shed light on African-American progressive women and their views on policy, politics, race, popular culture, media and feminism.

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some groundbreaking research from Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide is turning the table on the way communicators understand social media and its users; specifically when it comes to the causes they support.

the takeaway: this report opens the doors for even more dissection. reading, understanding, and valuing the information found here will help communicators communicate better to many of their publics; offering a view into what they value and deem important when it comes to causes. read it today.

to view these findings and more, click here.

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