Philanthropy 831 Blog

Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter Endowment Supports Compassionate Change

Tue, 20 Mar 2018 20:40:31 GMT

In this guest blog post, Teresa Ruiz Decker takes a deeper look at what sparked Joanie DeNeffe (above, right) to create a new endowment for Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter's community education programs.

There’s a quick flash of fire in Joanie DeNeffe’s eyes whenever she talks about protecting animals in our community. As a dog trainer and decades-long supporter of the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter, Joanie (pictured above right) has become intimately familiar with the challenges and powerful community impact of the county’s only open-admission animal shelter.

“The shelter isn't just here to help animals,” said Joanie. “It's also here to help people who love animals and create programs to support those people with the resources and knowledge they need to be better animal caretakers.”

The steadfast shelter volunteer saw the positive impacts of community programs but also understood how challenging it is to sustain programs. So after years of hands-on involvement and watching the shelter bloom with its current leadership, Joanie decided to start an endowed fund for the shelter. She partnered with Community Foundation Santa Cruz County to create a fund focused on educational programs that target animal homelessness and abuse. Joanie sees education as an opportunity to change human behavior and in turn create more compassion, kindness, and empathy for animals and our community as a whole.

“Animals allow us to see our softer side without asking anything in return, and they give us so much love,” said Joanie. “We need to be able to get in touch with that softer side, especially in these times. For me, that means we need to step it up in a bigger way.”

Joanie also gave other animal lovers a way to contribute to the future of animals in our community. Any community member may now add to the endowed fund through current contributions or as gifts from a will or living trust.

“That flash in Joanie’s eyes is a symbol of the passion I’ve seen in so many people I meet and speak with around Santa Cruz County. Seemingly every day, people are feeding a passion to make our community an even better place,” said Community Foundation Santa Cruz County CEO Susan True. “I feel Joanie is part of a larger movement of people in the county finding meaningful ways to contribute their resources of time, money and expertise. I’m moved by their generosity each and every day.”

The shelter plays a unique role in animal welfare by taking in any animal in need including cats, dogs, horses, rabbits and more. The shelter also responds to emergency calls related to animals, provides medical aid, takes in all lost pets and pets surrendered by owners, provides fostering and adoption services, the county’s only comprehensive free/low-cost spay and neuter program, and community education programs.

In 2017 alone the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter took in nearly 5,000 animals. These are staggering numbers that reflect a larger problem locally and nationally. That’s exactly why Joanie and Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter General Manager Melanie Sobel say education and proactive programs play such a pivotal role in animal welfare at the shelter and in the community.

“This is about changing people's behavior. You have to do that through proactive programs and services that offer prevention, training, humane education and community outreach. Otherwise, you are spinning your wheels,” said Sobel. “You can’t adopt your way out of this problem.”

While many of shelter’s services are supported by county funds, education typically falls outside of county financial support. Private gifts from donors like Joanie become critical sources of income not only for education, but also for staff like Carla Braden, the shelter’s animal behavior, and training coordinator.

Carla focuses on behavior modification for undersocialized dogs that come to the shelter. She uses her background as a certified professional dog trainer and behavioral consultant to address special behavioral challenges – from never being on a leash or being confined to a backyard, for example. With her expertise and border collie Wren at her side, Carla helps dogs overcome fear or aggression, putting them on a path for adoption and happier, healthier lives overall.

“An important part of this is also assessing the animals for safety in the community and for matchmaking. We want the animals to be happy in their future lives, and we also want the adopters to be happy with their animals,” said Carla. “We can do a lot more behavior modification here than I could by doing one-on-one sessions with potential owners. Resource wise, I wouldn’t be able to go to 60 different people’s homes and make the kind of progress that we can make here at the shelter.”

While it’s clear Carla’s work plays a pivotal role in healing animals and the eventual match-up with appropriate adopters, her position is still considered a luxury in the animal shelter world. Carla said her job and educational programs just wouldn’t be possible without private donations.

“That's why the endowment is really special. It enables people to have a greater commitment to and understanding of the animals in our community,” said Sobel. “It's our hope the endowment will grow and support programs like Humane Education, Planned Pethood (offers free and low-cost spay and neuter, microchips, and rabies vaccinations) and Door to Door (provides education and resources for pets and families in need), which help us reach different communities, too.”

Perhaps the animal shelter’s tagline “Open Door Open Heart” perfectly sums up what makes the shelter so different from other animal agencies and so worthy of our community’s support. By providing an open door to help animals in our community, the shelter teaches us all to have greater compassion for animals and each other.

Three Ideas to Make Your Social Media Inclusive

Thu, 25 May 2017 18:15:23 GMT

[We asked our community foundation colleague and friend Eva Penar, from The Chicago Community Trust, if we could repost and share with you what she wrote about making your social media #accessible. We invite your feedback below.]

Social media is something that I never really thought of as being exclusive, but it is. A tweet or post is not experienced in the same manner by everyone.

About 11% of Illinois’ population has a disability, according to the Disability Statistics Compendium. But social media and technology have not advanced to make complete accessibility for people with disabilities automatic.

After attending a great panel discussion on access and social media at the Nonprofit Technology Network's 2015 Conference in San Jose, I came back to the Trust ready to re-evaluate our practices.

Presented by BJ Wishinsky from Benetech and Chad Leaman from the Neil Squire Society, the session was titled “Accessibility Rocks.” With Mark Fisher from the American Heart Association sitting next to me in the audience, we both found ourselves inspired to rethink our social media habits. Fisher, a change agent working with AHA’s social channels, was a patient guide in answering all my questions and offering sound advice.

Here are three ideas I took away that everyone can do right now to be more inclusive:

1. Include closed captions on all your videos

All videos you share should be closed-captioned. If you post a video without captions to Facebook, it’s difficult to go back and embed them—so do it before you post. YouTube can automatically generate captions, which you can review and improve before you publish.

There are also companies like rev.com that can transcribe for you. You upload your video file, or provide them a link to your video, and they create a caption file for you to add to the video before you share it.

Update: Facebook USA is now generating automatic captions for videos. As a page admin, when you upload a video, you’ll see a button in the video editor labeled “generate” to instantly create captions. Facebook allows you to review and approve their suggested captioning before publishing to your page.

However, something will inevitably come up on social media that isn’t completely accessible—for example, at the time of writing, Facebook Live cannot produce captions in real time.

In these cases, you should acknowledge the limitation and provide a second option that is accessible. In the example of Facebook Live, plan to post a captioned version of the video as soon as possible after the live broadcast, and be sure to mention that it’s coming during the live video and in your description.

2. Use CamelCase for hashtags

In order for a screen reader to read your hashtag out loud correctly, you must use camel caps: capitalizing the first letter of each word you string together. #WeLearnedThisTheHardWay. All our printed material promoting the On The Table initiative included the hashtag #onthetable—and then we found out how it sounded when a screen reader tried to pronounce it as a single word. We had to stop and update all our collateral just before printing with the corrected hashtag, #OnTheTable.

3. Provide image descriptions

If you add a photo to your Facebook post, include a narrative caption of what is going on so someone who can’t see the photo can experience it. Yes, Facebook has automatic image description, but the technology is not very accurate. It can’t get as specific as “A mother and two kids kayaking on Lake Michigan,” for example, and might instead write “Three people by water.” On Twitter, the newest app update allows you to turn on an image description feature. Every time you tweet a photo, you’ll be prompted to provide a description, which has a separate character count.

Becoming more fully accessible is definitely a work in progress for us at the Trust, but there are easy ways that every organization can create a more inclusive social media community.

More Ideas

Find more ideas for making your organization’s communications fully accessible in Chapter 6 of Renewing the Commitment: An ADA Compliance Guide for Nonprofits.

Eva Penar is director for marketing and communications for The Chicago Community Trust. During her tenure, she developed the branding, messaging and marketing for the “We Are Chicago” $1 billion campaign for the Trust’s endowment. In 2009, Time Out Chicago recognized her as a “Super Connector” who goes above and beyond in networking. Eva is a member of NTEN and co-founder of the NTEN Nonprofit Tech Club Chicago Chapter.

Podcasts The Sweet Spot Where Storytelling Meets Reporting

Sun, 23 Apr 2017 22:37:33 GMT

[We're exploring the possibilities of podcasts, as a way for us to get and share audio stories. So, when we saw our friend Crystal Birns' April 7 post on her Facebook page about podcasts, we asked her to expand on it through this guest blog post.]

What's a podcast?

A podcast is a series of online recordings you can subscribe and listen to, whenever.

First mentioned by Ben Mammersley in a 2004 Guardian news article the name is morphed from (Apple’s) iPod, plus radio broadcast, giving us podcast.

There are two ways you can listen. Go to the podcast’s website, press "Play" and listen online (this is called streaming). Or, download and play on your phone, tablet or computer.

Some of the most successful podcasters work with small budgets, producing shows from their garage. Other podcasts come from large media entities like NPR, CNN, or the BBC.

Podcasters typically post shows on varying schedules (i.e., daily, weekly, monthly or occasionally). Many are also radio shows (like NPR’s Fresh Air), available in multiple formats.

I listen to podcasts everyday!

For me, long form interviews are the sweet spot, where storytelling meets reporting.

These longer broadcasts capture my imagination or make me curious about something I otherwise knew nothing about.

Here are three of my recent favorites:

The Axe Files (David Axelrod) - I started listening to this podcast after the 2016 presidential election. I appreciate David's interview style and ability to speak with folks who hold a a variety of viewpoints and positions. Two recent ones I liked were interviews with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Iran Peace Treaty negotiator Wendy Sherman.

WTF (with Marc Marcon) - My recent faves are his interviews with Sam Quinones, who just wrote a book about opiates in America and Raoul Peck, director of "I Am Not Your Negro."

Fresh Air (with Terry Gross) - A few great shows I've recently listened to were an interview with graphic novelist Emil Ferris and an interview with T.R. Reid, who just wrote a book analyzing our tax code compared to other countries, concluding ours is a mess that could be fixed with a few simple steps.

I also sometimes pop into shows that crack me up, like Wait Wait Don't Tell Me and Welcome to Night Vale, which is lovely and very weird. I’ve also been told that S-Town is amazing. Do you listen?

If any of this captures your imagination and you're new to podcasts, here’s some basics:

Cost?

Downloading a podcast is free!

Depending on your device you may want to purchase a specialty podcast app, which cost around $5 or less.

How to get and listen?

For iPhones and iPads, use the Podcasts app. Get it from the App Store (it actually comes installed on newer models). If you have a Mac computer, the Podcasts app syncs to iTunes. Find a podcast you want to try, and click "Subscribe." You can always “Unsubscribe” at any time.

I also found for you this Ultimate Guide to Podcasts on iMore, a step-by-step guide with pictures.

For Android phones and tablets, there are a number of apps that play podcasts. Two that I’ve heard good things about the free Stitcher app from Google Play and Pocket Casts (costs about $4).

How do you find a good podcast?

A good resource I just came across is Eliana Dockterman recent post on TIME, The 50 Best Podcasts Right Now. It's a good list on what's currently popular online.

You can also search within your podcast app. Here's how on an iPhone or iPad:

Launch the Podcasts app from your Home screen.
Tap "Featured" or "Top Charts" at the bottom of the screen to see popular or promoted podcasts.
Tap "Search" to find podcasts by name.

I listen to podcasts mostly for personal enjoyment. But, there are a lot of podcasts out there for professional development as well. Here’s a list from Capterra of 15 nonprofit podcasts.

Do you have a favorite podcast you’d be willing to share with us, that you listen to for work or fun?

Crystal Birns is the grants and technical assistance manager at Arts Council Santa Cruz County. She's also a board member with Coastal Watershed Council and a professional photographer. You can follow her on Instagram @birnsy.

Want To Go For The Gold Train Like A Champion

Tue, 01 Mar 2016 01:04:32 GMT

[We asked Keisha Frost, director of community giving & marketing for United Way of Santa Cruz County, to share the motivational pitch she made at the kick-off breakfast for the 2016 Human Race.]

Going for the gold requires bold goals, commitment in action and celebrating at the finish line . . . Not so different from the way Olympians plan when they go for gold!

The Olympic theme for this year's Human Race, organized by the Santa Cruz Volunteer Center, made me think back to my days as an Olympic hurdler, competing in track and field at the University of Washington.

Like me, I know you want to be a winner. So, here's my 5 step formula for athletic training success.

I apply this same formula to my current work in fund development. I hope it helps you get ready for the Human Race.

Stretch – Stretch your goals! If you haven’t laughed at your goal, you haven’t stretched your goal!
Get In The Zone – Visualize your success. What will our community look like after you’ve accomplished your goal?
Sprint to the First Hurdle – It’s full-power ahead as you go for your goals. Is your “hurdle” your fear of asking for funding? Well, change the way you “ask.” Ask people to join you in creating a thriving Santa Cruz County for all.
Build Momentum Between Each Hurdle – The more you ask others to join you in creating a thriving community, the more comfortable you become in enrolling partners!
Finish Strong – Now that you’ve enrolled partners and raised your support the last thing is to finish the race with boldness and a sense of accomplishment. Your hard work deserves a powerful finish. So show up on May 7th knowing that your work will forever change Santa Cruz County.

Stretch. Visualize. Be Bold. Execute Your Plan.

That's It!

I look forward to seeing the Olympic-size changes that take place throughout Santa Cruz County now that we're training for the Human Race like champions.

Let's Go For Gold!

Keisha Frost is director of community giving & marketing for United Way of Santa Cruz County. She was NCAA champion in the 40-meter hurdles while at the University of Washington in Seattle, and a member of the 1996 Olympic track and field team in Atlanta.

Helping People Plan Their Financial Future and Give Back to Our Community

Tue, 23 Feb 2016 22:51:24 GMT

[We asked Emily Buchbinder, a professional advisor and one of our board members to share a bit of her story with you about herself and why she loves her work.]

I Love to Learn

I calculated that I have 28 years of education, starting from kindergarten, so I guess you could say that I love to learn.

I grew up in the Boston area and came to California to attend college. I started at UC Santa Cruz and graduated from UC Berkeley. My most recent degree is a Master of Laws in Taxation. I've lived in Aptos since 1988.

I'm Passionate About My Work

As an estate planning attorney, I specialize in helping all of my clients avoid mistakes that can result in more taxes, or go to unintended beneficiaries.

Many of my clients come to see me when they have lost a spouse or a parent.

It’s a devastating event and people feel especially vulnerable. I get a tremendous sense of satisfaction being a trusted advisor to my clients during that time.

For those who have done no planning for their own estate, I help them with the process creating all the necessary documents. I think my clients sleep better at night knowing they have a plan in place that will avoid the need for a conservatorship during their lives, avoid probate at death and provide for a smooth transfer of their assets to the people and, in some cases, charities they've selected.

Community Foundations Good for My Clients Good for the Community

What I would say to other advisors about working with a community foundation is that they are a valuable resource for clients. I found out about how my clients can work with the Community Foundation to create a memorandum of charitable intent, or MOCI, by attending a presentation at the Community Foundation.

My community foundation (and I'm now on the board!) is a wonderful resource for advisors working with clients who want to leave some money to charities, but are concerned about the cost of making changes in the future.

I found that my clients were able to be guided in selecting charities and exploring charitable giving options, by working with the Community Foundation's staff.

For my clients, knowing they can change their MOCI at any time, and at no cost, is appealing. I always tell charitably inclined clients about this option. It’s good for them and good for the community.

Emily J. Buchbinder, Esq. is an attorney and principal of the Law Offices of Emily J. Buchbinder. Her areas of practice include estate planning, trusts, wills and tax law. She is a member of the Santa Cruz Women Lawyers Association and the Santa Cruz County Estate Planning Council. She holds degrees from Golden Gate University, Monterey College of Law, Brown University and UC Berkeley. She joined our board, beginning in 2016.

HACK UCSC 2016 Brings Tech and Philanthropy Together Again!

Mon, 11 Jan 2016 22:04:34 GMT

[This post written for us by Jonathan Partridge first appeared in Santa Cruz Tech Beat.]

Participation in UC Santa Cruz’s annual hackathon grows by leaps and bounds each year, due to networking opportunities for young techies, $80,000 worth of prize money and a fun, challenging atmosphere.

But there’s another reason for social entrepreneurs to compete. For the second year in a row, contestants in the Hack UCSC 2016 Tech Cares category have the opportunity to use their products to promote social good.

Competitors in the Tech Cares division during the Jan. 29-31 event will create products with a focus on solving social, agricultural or environmental concerns. Winners can donate to the charity of their choice through $4,000 in grant money provided by the Community Foundation.

“Tech Cares shows there is significant interest in doing something for social good,” Hack UCSC co-founder Mark Adams said. “It’s kind of like it’s flipping the script on how people view the tech world.”

Some 30 to 40 percent of last year’s 400 entrants competed in Tech Cares after the category was first introduced. Organizers realized during UCSC’s first hackathon in 2014 not everyone was interested in building a business, Adams explained. As a result, they came up with the Tech Cares and Ag Tech categories.

The anticipated 500 to 600 competitors in 2016 will be able to compete in Tech Cares, along with the categories of Innovation and Labor Tech.

In 2015, Tech Cares entrants came up with a range of innovative ideas, including products and apps that helped with medical and environmental concerns.

RECYCLOPS took first place with an app that allows users to scan the bar code of a product to determine if it contained recyclable parts. The team split its grant between the Watsonville Environmental Science Workshop and Watsonville Tecnología-Educación-Comunidad.

Team Jeanne took second place with “Pebble Watch,” an app that monitors and manages medicine and activity regimens online. Its grant went to the patients’ rights advocate program Advocacy, Inc.

Eron Lake took third place and the Hack-a-Thon’s People’s Choice Award with an educational biology game that teaches students about the function of cells.

Tech Cares participants said their involvement was valuable, even if most of their ideas will never make it to market. Derek Donahue, a 2015 UC Santa Cruz graduate, who works for Novato-based 2K Games, said being with RECYCLOPS last year encouraged him to think about the challenge of getting people to think about sustainability when purchasing products.

“I think events like this can help put technically focused people together to think about problems that aren’t always on the forefront of our minds,” Donahue said.

Similarly, Team Jeanne member and 2015 UCSC graduate Alex Rowe, said his work on the Pebble Watch app had a personal motivation. Team Jeanne was named after his group’s mentor’s elderly aunt, who died after suffering from neglect while staying at a care center. Rowe said he had a similar experience with his grandfather a couple of years earlier, so he saw the value of the Pebble Watch app. “I could relate to that,” Rowe said.

Hack UCSC’s addition of the Tech Cares category comes as more hackathons nationwide are including elements that promote social good. This includes the ATX Hack for Change at the annual SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas and the CloudCamp Social Good Hackathon in San Francisco.

Janneke Lang, a 2011 UCSC graduate, served as a catalyst for starting the social good category at Hack UCSC. She helped the Community Foundation by setting the judging criteria for Tech Cares and working with the nonprofits that received foundation grants from the event.

“The level of interest in the Tech Cares category surprised many,” Lang said. “It showed that UCSC students are not just interested in creating apps that move a robot’s arms, but also help young students develop their math skills or prevent the elderly from hurting themselves with a wristwatch that can tell if the wearer has fallen.”

Lang is now the president of The Inspiring Enterprise, a newly established Santa Cruz-based nonprofit that accelerates social venture startups. She said, she was already thinking of starting the nonprofit incubator when she became involved with the hackathon, so her involvement with Tech Cares seemed like the perfect fit.

Hack UCSC serves another purpose as well, said Lance Linares, CEO of the Community Foundation. “It builds bridges between nonprofits and the tech community.”

“I don’t have to tell you that our world is rapidly changing,” Linares said. “Today, no one entity can do it alone, whether it’s business, technology, education, government or philanthropy. It’s only by joining forces and being willing to disrupt the traditional ways of working will we be successful,” he added. “Hack UCSC and Tech Cares is a real way to bring new minds and new ideas together for social good,” Linares said.

Jonathan Partridge is a prospect research specialist at UC Santa Cruz and past participant in BoardMatch. He’s “a researcher and writer who loves to connect people to the organizations I represent and to the community at large” and has worked as a reporter and editor.

Tips on Getting Your Story to the Media

Mon, 24 Aug 2015 04:00:00 GMT

[In advance of her free session on August 31, we asked Jondi Gumz, a reporter at the Santa Cruz Sentinel, to answer some basic questions about best practices for nonprofits in sharing their news with the media.]

Q. Our organization sends press releases by email. We put "press release" in the subject line. That works, right?

Imagine your inbox with dozens of subject lines saying "press release." Here's a better strategy: To promote an event, put the date of the event first in the subject line, followed by the name of the event. For example: Nov. 20 Dominican Hospital Foundation benefit. Whether you plan a fundraiser, networking or a press conference, this helps your email stand out in the deluge.

Q. Our nonprofit attaches a copy of the event flier.That's good, right?

Actually, attachments slow down your news. First, the information is not immediately visible to the recipient. Depending on whether the program in your office is compatible with what the reporters use, the attachment may not open. Here's a better strategy: Put the key information, who, what, where, when and cost, if any, to attend in the body of the email where the words are visible to the eye. Include the street address for the event location (so readers can look it up on a smartphone) and a website address (which makes an online link possible for readers).

Q. We're not sure who to email our press release to. Should we email everyone we have email addresses for?

Imagine if someone seeking help sent the very same request to five or six employees at your nonprofit. If each one took time to read and respond, would that be a good use of resources? Here's a better strategy: Most publications have a "contact us" page. Visit www.santacruzsentinel.com and click "Tools" for the "Contact us" list. Still not sure? Call.The Sentinel newsroom is 831-423-4242. Once you know, you can target your message.

Q. When should I email my press release?

For a daily publication, a good rule of thumb is 7 to 10 days in advance. Technology speeds up everything but emailing the day before your event is problematic. So is sending information too far in advance. So much happens in Santa Cruz County—events and fundraisers weekly—so activities a month away are likely to get lower priority than those in the week ahead. Does that make sense?

Jondi Gumz is an award-winning reporter at the Santa Cruz Sentinel, who has seen more press releases during her career than she can count. She hopes these tips will benefit local nonprofits as they do their good work. Follow her on Twitter at @jondigumz or email jgumz@santacruzsentinel.com.

Can Business Profitability and Social Responsibility Coexist?

Wed, 13 May 2015 04:00:00 GMT

The argument that success or profitability is diminished by a focus on social good is nonsense.

Unfortunately, this thesis is a common one among many entrepreneurs.

The viewpoint that "the only goal of a for-profit company should be to make as much money as possible," I found articulated again in a blog post by Mark Mitchell, a judge for the recent Cruz Cares, a program supported by the Community Foundation on whose board of directors I sit.

True, many social enterprises make their values primary and the pursuit of profit secondary. But, it is not a requirement.

Sustainable investing means companies not only need to deliver on their social mission, but on an economic mission as well. If you are not a financially successful organization you will not be able to deliver on your social mission for very long.

The competing belief followed by those sharing Mitchell's view asserts that people should reorder their personal value system in the domain of business or finance and elevate the pursuit of profit to the highest value. Any resulting social good is a side effect of a good business strategy.

I would argue this approach has not worked out so well for the 99% of us, but wonderfully well for the 1% at the top.

That business model denies that organizations are human systems or that we have an intrinsic connection and responsibility to each other and the planet.

You Cannot Separate People, the Planet and Profits

I see a new era dawning in business and finance that acknowledges our interconnectedness and holds a systems view of the world.

An example is the young CEO who chose to lower his $1 million salary to provide all employees with a minimum annual compensation of $70k annually.

The old school notion that profits are primary denies the truth that we operate within an interconnected system and shows in action the Newtonian WorldView versus Einstein's Quantum WorldView.

Laurie Z. Hyland writes, "In the Newtonian Worldview, money connotes scarcity (there's never enough for everyone), [and it] enables isolation and separation . . ."

In the Quantum Worldview, Hyland writes, "Money becomes expansive . . . [It] connotes enough for all, enables constant connection, provides equality, pronounces us worthy (no matter our financial status), makes us feel empowered (no matter the amount of money we have) . . ."

We are all a part of an interconnected system and the sooner we embrace this in the culture of money and finance the better off we'll be.

Mike Meara is a board member of Community Foundation Santa Cruz County and serves as treasurer and chair of the finance committee. He is the chief investment officer/financial advisor at Nexus Wealth Advisors. Mike is a successful entrepreneur, small business advocate and community leader. With over 30 years investment management experience he is committed to improving the economic vitality of the region. His additional volunteer community service includes a term as board president of the Santa Cruz County Community Credit Union.

Why Nina Simon is My #WCW (Women Crush Wednesday)

Wed, 25 Mar 2015 04:00:00 GMT

I can’t recall where I was the first time I heard Nina Simon speak.

Could be any combination of the Nexties, Event Santa Cruz, TEDxSantaCruz, Leadership Santa Cruz County or countless other conferences and workshops . . . the first time date and location fades as soon as she has the microphone.

Nina, the executive director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, is grounded in her passion for moving our communities forward.

Nina Simon talks to audience during "Third Friday: Lightening Talk on 'Dreams.'" Credit: MAH's Facebook page.

Whether she's talking about the importance of place in a community, or her desire to change museums into active participation grounds, or the transformation of museum artifacts into the starting points for conversations about race and poverty . . . Nina speaks with a galvanizing tone that makes your heart skip a beat.

Instantly, I want to see her dreams realized, because her dreams about a strengthened and more collaborative community resonate with me, like they may with you.

So, when she agreed to speak at YNPN Central Coast's first professional development brown bag lunch (the first of what we plan will be many more), I became giddy with excitement.

I know her presentation “Creating a Rockstar Nonprofit Career on the Central Coast," will not only inspire more of my peers to carve their own sustainable nonprofit career . . . but they’ll also be tagging Nina as their #WCW.

Kelly Mercer is the director of community engagement at the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County and on the leadership team of YNPN Central Coast. Previously, she served as the outreach and volunteer coordinator at the Homeless Garden Project. Kelly is currently also a graduate student in the Masters of Public Administration Program at San Jose State University. She's "committed to building a strong and supportive community for all." And says, "Lets do it together."

How We're Helping Tech and Philanthropy MeetUp

Tue, 03 Mar 2015 05:00:00 GMT

Tech Comes Home!

When it comes to technology, I feel like Santa Cruz County is a bit like the forgotten middle child when compared to Silicon Valley.

For years local residents have commuted over the hill for jobs with the newest, most exciting tech ventures.

Now the tide is turning.

New startups are sprouting up on a daily basis giving rise to a growing tech community by the bay, with incredible opportunities created everyday.

That’s why I, along with other board members and staff at the Community Foundation were pleased jump in to partner with Santa Cruz New Tech MeetUp during January's Hack UCSC 2015.

The event brought together hoards of programmers, designers and tech enthusiasts for a 48 hour marathon, during which teams were formed to develop new apps.

Being part of the action, I was inspired by the creativity and variety of apps focused on solving social and environmental issues, as well as the number of young women involved.

A team of young women at Hack UCSC 2015.

Nonprofits Get Apps

I believe our involvement also moved the idea of social entrepreneurship to a whole new level, one that involves our local nonprofits.

In 2014, Hack UCSC had fewer than 100 participants, with all projects judged in the same category.

This year, there were nearly 400 in the Hack’s three categories: Innovation, Ag Tech and Tech Cares. And, of the approximately 70 teams, over a third chose to compete in Tech Cares for three awards for apps for social good. Amazing!

The first place Tech Cares winner, Team Recyclops, received $2,000 for an app to determine how much waste was generated based on product choices in a store. They also received $2,000 from the Community Foundation to grant to a nonprofit of their choice.

Second place and $1,000 went to Team Jeanne, for an app to help caregivers get reminders about activities related to senior care.

Third place winner Eron Lake also received $1000, for developing an app to make learning basic biology concepts fun through a video game-like format.

Not only were these winners awarded seed money to market their apps, they had an equal amount from the Community Foundation to offer as a grant to a nonprofit of their choice.

Team Recyclops split their nonprofit grant between the Watsonville Environmental Science Workshop and Watsonville Tecnología-Educación-Comunidad.

Team Jeanne chose Advocacy Inc. as the recipient of its grant. Eron Lake’s decision is still in the works.

Overall it was a win-win for the hack teams, the nonprofits that were awarded grants and for all of us in Santa Cruz County!

Our involvement in Hack UCSC 2015 is just one way to help our local tech community give back. I look forward to many more opportunities like this, like the one March 4 at the Del Mar: Cruz Cares: Pitching for Social Good.

Freny Cooper is a board member and donor at the Community Foundation. She is a marketing consultant at Summit Communications. She has worked with high tech companies for many years, and developed a variety of strategic and marketing plans. She's had experience with both enterprise and start-ups.

It's Happening! YNPN Central Coast!

Fri, 19 Dec 2014 05:00:00 GMT

[We asked Kelly Mercer, a member of the steering committee launching YNPN Central Coast to share an update and how you can help.]

It’s Happening!

I'm one of those people who want to be five steps ahead of where I'm at at all times.

I'm the type of person who is singing all the wrong lyrics in the shower while imagining receiving a Grammy on stage and thanking all the people who helped me get there. (For the record, I wouldn’t wish my singing on the ears of my worst enemies.)

So, when I was invited to join the steering committee to launch a local chapter of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (or YNPN), I instantly imagined connecting with droves of young, energetic, passionate peers like you. People like me committed to the convictions that drive us to do the work we are called upon to do.

I imagined engaging in the professional development workshops that would provide relevant and important tools for how we can strengthen our community . . . together.

And, I imagined looking around the room and making eye contact with future movers and shakers.

Maybe you're already movin’ and shakin,’ but with a little choreography.

Maybe YNPN Central Coast could help make each step a bit more intentional and meaningful.

But, before that can happen, we need to know what you want.

Kalyne Foster (r.) and me on the phone with Lauren Grattan of YNPN San Diego to get tips on how that got started.

Help Us!

We want to hear from you young local nonprofit workers about what you'd like to see from YNPN Central Coast, whether for your own personal career goals or for developing the next generation of nonprofit leaders, which just might be you.

Complete our online survey by January 11, 2015, and help us shape some of the initial events and activities to launch in early 2015.

Don't Make Me Sing!

If we don’t hear from you, I’ll be forced to sing in public.

Please, please, please don’t wait to fill out the survey. Seriously.

Kelly Mercer interned with the British Broadcasting Corporation and working for a variety of congressional and presidential campaigns and a number of California propositions. She also served two years with AmeriCorps to build infrastructure for local nonprofits in Santa Cruz County. Kelly is now the Director of Community Engagement at Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County, where she directs the annual Human Race Walkathon & Fun Run that raises around $250,000 each year for local nonprofits, schools and churches.

We're Killing It!

Mon, 10 Nov 2014 05:00:00 GMT

[We asked Teresa-Ruiz Decker, one of the young leaders working to launch a local chapter of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network to share an update after their second meeting.]

We're Killing It!

When you hear young nonprofit professional who comes to mind?

A young woman in her 20s, who just took a position at a local arts organization?

How about a man, mid-career, who is one of the few under 50 years old on staff at a human service agency?

Tough to imagine that young nonprofit professional? Or, is it you?

We're Staying Open to People and Ideas

The Young Nonprofit Professional Network is geared to those 22 to 35, though its an "inclusive organization and invites individuals of all ages to participate."

The idea of inclusiveness is an underlying theme within our small group of founding members for a local chapter of YNPN. We are:

Kelly Mercer, Director of Community Engagement, Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County
Kalyne Foster, Director of Fund Development, Monarch Services
Kevin Heuer, Director of Institutional Giving, Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County
Alex Urbick, Controller, Community Foundation
Owen David, Program Associate, Community Foundation
And, me, Teresa Ruiz-Decker.

Last Friday was our second meeting to work on getting our chapter off the ground, with support from Community Foundation Santa Cruz County.

After an overview call with Caroline Bolas from the YNPN headquarters (or the mothership as we jokingly refer to it) we dove in to our agenda.

That’s me moving round the flip chart, stirring the pot and creating conversation.

As I walked our group through thoughts, questions and hopes for how our new chapter can support our young nonprofit and community leaders, it became clear to me I was in good company.

We're Eager to Start and Willing to Do the Work

What impressed me most was a commitment to ensuring we create something our community will embrace and want to sustain.

For us that means lots of good research asking young professionals what they want at the beginning—and plenty of collaboration.

Here’s a brief summary of outcomes from our meeting:

YNPN Central Coast will be our chapter name and open to all young nonprofit professionals in Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito Counties.
Relationship building, plus a social component and professional development will be central to this group.
We’re going to ask you, our nonprofit community what kinds of services, activities or events you want.
We plan to launch in early 2015.

Your Ideas and Input are Key

We want to hear from you and will be soliciting your input via:

An online survey (coming soon).
By attending our planned kick-off event in early 2015. (Imagine hanging with your peers, lots of ideas and a brewery.)
By asking you to email us your ideas (now or later). You can even ask to set up a call with one of us if you want—Or, post your comments (ideas or questions) below.

I walked away Friday afternoon feeling good . . . No, scratch that—feeling great about what we're about to embark on.

As I said to my colleagues Friday, We’re killing it!

Translation, for the not young at heart—we’re doing very well.

Teresa Ruiz-Decker is the social media and marketing manager at UC Santa Cruz. She holds a Master of Communications Management, Marketing from the Annenberg School for Communications and Management, University of Southern California. She lives with her husband, eight month old daughter and dog Gwen. You can find her online and follow her on Twitter.

A Journey of Risks and Rewards on the San Lorenzo River

Wed, 13 Aug 2014 04:00:00 GMT

[We asked Greg Pepping, executive director of the Coastal Watershed Council, to share his thoughts on how and why the group took on its new journey on the San Lorenzo River.]

It's All About Risks and Rewards

Business folklore is steeped in tales of heroic success against all odds, especially in California where we encourage a culture that rewards innovators and entrepreneurs.

But, what about the nonprofit world? Do we view our nonprofits as innovative, risk-taking game-changers?

I hope so, if we aspire to transform our communities.

When the Coastal Watershed Council neared the end of its last strategic plan, we faced a common risk and reward dilemma.

We could update our strategic plan, refresh and polish the goals with new target dates and play it safe.

Or, we could try something bolder, something with benefits for the entire community. But, were we up for the risk involved and the challenges ahead?

The San Lorenzo River has always played an integral role in the life of this part of the county.

When the Spanish arrived and settled in the 1700s, the river offered a means of transporting timber and other goods, driving the local economy. It also provided fresh drinking water and a habitat for an ample food supply.

But, the river has been threatening over the decades. Major floods have destroyed property and even taken lives.

Today, the San Lorenzo is regarded by some as uninviting and unsafe, far from a place to take the kids, have a picnic or enjoy nature.

So we asked ourselves—and you—don’t we deserve a riverfront similar to what other urban communities enjoy?

Don’t we want a place we’re proud of, a destination for our visitors to enjoy? Can't we have this in Santa Cruz, along the largest watershed entirely within our county?

I think we can and I'm grateful many others agree.

So, in December 2013, we led the formation of the San Lorenzo River Alliance, a coalition of groups that had been working on river issues for decades.

The alliance is focused on revitalizing the health of the San Lorenzo River and transforming this critical natural resource into a safe and welcoming community destination.

Along with our partners, the City of Santa Cruz, County of Santa Cruz, the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History and the Valley Women’s Club of the San Lorenzo Valley, we’re working together on this common goal.

The alliance is also co-led by some unlikely partners like the Arts Council Santa Cruz County and the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce, making the team all the richer.

Working with so many at the table offers many rewards, and a hefty amount of risk. Our early progress toward success is impressive, though not without its challenges.

The Coastal Watershed Council, as a co-leader of the alliance, wants to transform the community's relationship with San Lorenzo River—and in so doing, transform Santa Cruz County.

Pretty risky indeed.

But, just imagine the rewards. Perhaps in the not too distant future when you have a visitor, you might ask, Should we take ‘em to West Cliff, or down to the Riverwalk?

Maybe a crazy thought today, but for many, the conversation has already shifted from negativity and frustration to a conversation of hope, solutions and opportunity.

So, here’s to the new dialogue! Here's to risk and reward!

Greg Pepping is executive director of the Coastal Watershed Council, which is co-leading the San Lorenzo River Alliance. In 2014, he was recognized by Santa Cruz Next as a Nextie, someone who creates, builds and inspires.

Third Myth and Mantra about Nonprofit Video Production

Thu, 29 May 2014 04:00:00 GMT

[In this third and final guest blog post Ian Slattery wraps up his exploration into myths (and his mantras) about nonprofit videomaking.]

In my first blog post I explored the myth that because online video is everywhere, you must start cranking them out now. My mantra, identify your target audiences and goals before touching the camera.

In my second post, I took up the myth about too expensive or the flip side, it's a no brainer. My mantras for these are there's no substitute for clear goals, plus a good story, and manage your costs based on your goals.

Myth #3: If People Only knew This Info They'd become Dedicated Supporters

At a recent Community Foundation workshop, I asked the participants to describe the kinds of online videos that grabbed their attention. They said,

a good story
authentic emotion (whether heartbreaking or hilarious)
cats

Not facts or figures. Not mission statements. Not information.

Just, a good story. Emotion. And, cats.

This may seem obvious to you. But, a quick glance at YouTube shows it's easy to forget.

Many nonprofits forget to tell a story and instead rely on facts and figures, mission statements and talking heads telling (as opposed to showing) why their work is important.

So, as you plan your next video project, consider this . . .

Mantra #3: Share a Story • Connect with Emotion • Film some Cats

Share a story. We humans are hard-wired for stories. They form the cognitive scaffolding for our memory, emotion and identity.

In order to create a powerful video, start thinking about characters, motivations and narratives. Like the unbeatable odds that get beaten, the simple reward of quiet generosity or the hope of each new day.

I also say share your story, because good storytelling is collaborative.

Invite your viewer to share your organization's story, to link their identity to yours and to find purpose and fulfillment in a common struggle.

Connect with emotion. Emotion connects people's values to your mission.

Just as we're hard-wired for story, we also have a great ability for empathy. So, you need to know your audience, what breaks their heart, what cracks them up, what makes them feel they belong.

I often refer to the words of Audre Lorde: "There are no new ideas. There are only new ways of making them felt."

Film some cats. Ok, I don't actually mean make a cat video (unless your organization is an animal shelter!).

Here's what I do mean.

Spend some time thinking about the most captivating moments in your organization's universe. What are your cats? They might be hilarious poems read by 2nd graders or images of the forest you're fighting to save.

It's about showing instead of telling. It's about sharing the sights and sounds that help viewers feel the spirit of your organization and its impact in the world.

Sure, it's impossible to plan for spontaneity. But, you can pay attention to the small everyday miracles in your work and to learn to share them with video.

You'll never catch lightning in a bottle if you aren't looking for the spark.

Ian Slattery is a documentary filmmaker and storyteller. He has produced, directed or edited over 70 short videos for Teaching Channel and directed a four-year community engagement campaign for the Emmy-nominated PBS documentary Soldiers of Conscience.

What Homeless Garden Project Learned About Crowdfunding

Tue, 20 May 2014 04:00:00 GMT

[After reading "Santa Cruz Homeless Fundraiser Goes Social" by Jessica York, we asked Naomi Brauner to share their experience with crowdfunding. This guest blog post was written before the end of the campaign, which reached its online goal May 18.]

When I first joined the Homeless Garden Project just over a month ago, I learned there was a crowdfunding campaign in progress.

OK! I thought. Let’s do this!

Using crowdfunding site Indiegogo, the campaign included super-cool videos, Facebook and Twitter shares, a thermometer to measure progress, perks for different levels of giving and periodic updates.

As of this writing, the campaign isn't yet over. But, I can see already the money isn’t coming in the way you might expect.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

We need more than an email - We promoted the crowdfunding campaign via our email list, Facebook, and website. But, more than just digital resources, we sent out a postal mail appeal letter as well. Interestingly, it was the snail mail remit envelope which generated the most donations. Through the Indiegogo site we’ve received just 27 out of 103 total donations, accounting for 30% of funds raised.
A reason to give - When we kicked off the crowdfunding campaign, we held an event at our Homeless Garden Project store in downtown Santa Cruz. One of our board members agreed to make a large kick-off donation to inspire the crowd. And it did! We had half a dozen guests waiting in line at our laptop station to make their donation that night, three of which turned out to be major gifts. It felt like one of those classic fundraising moments when you realize people want to give, they just need to be asked in the right way.

Is Crowdfunding Worth It?

I’ll answer a provisional “yes,” if you combine it with other forms of reaching potential donors (e.g., mail, events, face-to-face asks) and (here’s a big one) if you can dedicate the staff time to keeping it alive and updated with fresh content.

That's what I learned.

I’d love to hear what your experiences with crowdfunding have been.

Naomi Brauner is the development consultant at the Homeless Garden Project. She holds a Master in Public Administration and has worked in fundraising, grants and public relations for the past 20 years, including posts with Community Bridges, First 5 Santa Cruz County and Congressman Sam Farr.

5 Easy Steps to Find Out What Your Website Is Doing for You!

Wed, 26 Feb 2014 05:00:00 GMT

[Embolden, our Web designers helped us and other community foundation use Google Analytics. We asked Ann-Marie Harrington to share some of what she's taught us, with you, in this guest blog post.]

How Do You Measure Website Success?

In the early days of the Internet, a beautiful website was the goal.

That's changed, with emphasis now on learning what readers want from your site and providing it.

Yet, the fundamental question remains, Is your website working for you?

For the answer, outline your criteria for success.

What are you trying to accomplish with your website?
What tools do you use?
How do you measure success?

Exploring these questions helps define your goals and gives you something to work with in measuring your progress.

You can then set benchmarks, with metrics, to get invaluable insight to improve and enhance your online communications to meet (or exceed) those goals.

Why Your Nonprofit Should Use Google Analytics

There’s no better way to measure your goals than Google Analytics. And, it’s free!

Let’s say one of your website goals is to engage donors and raise funds. Google Analytics tells you how visitors are using your site, what’s engaging them and which communication channels are working best to get them there and to click the donate button or to take some other action.

Google for Nonprofits, Beth's Blog and Nancy Schwart's Getting Attention! blog are some online resources that can help you get started, learn more and stay engaged.

Hey, if you already have a Google Analytics account, login and follow along as we go!

Five Things You Can Do Right Now

1. Benchmark

In order for you to know how far the needle is moving you have to start with some baseline data. Figure out where you stand with these ten metrics:

As shown in the screenshot above of a Audience Overview Report, you get a quick assessment of several key metrics.

To show your key metrics, you can create a custom Dashboard for a quick view.

After you begin to track these over time, ask yourself, Are these results what we expected?

A key misunderstanding about Google Analytics is that the numbers will tell you how you are doing. Actually, you look at the numbers and determine if they are reaching or exceeding your expectations.

For example, Nonprofit A might have 2,000 visits in a quarter and Nonprofit B might have 12,000. Nonprofit A, however, was more successful in that quarter because it reached out to 3,500 people and got a large number of returning visitors to the site. Whereas, Nonprofit B reached out to 50,000 and got a much smaller return to the site than anticipated.

The data is the data. You make the meaning.

2. Annotate!

See the little note icons circled in red above? Those are annotations.

Picture this: After a month of work on your online communications (website, e-newsletters, social media, etc.) you log into Google Analytics and see a big spike in visits on the line graph, like above.

You have no idea what generated so many visits. You spend an hour wracking your brain before remembering the email newsletter you sent out a couple of weeks ago.

That kind of sleuthing for every bump or dip in traffic takes time. Lucky for you, you don’t have to do it like that!

Annotations gives you a simple and efficient way to note on a regular basis any of your online and offline activities (e.g., events, newsletters, Facebook or Twitter posts, media mentions, etc.).

Use this guide to using annotations and do one right now!

3. Understand Your Engagement Indicators

Nonprofits often determine success only by the number of Visits, yet fail to consider the engagement metrics behind the number that tell you if you're moving someone to action.

Here are three engagement metrics to track (and, in parentheses, minimum industry standards to aim for):

Pages/Visit – the average number of pages users view during a visit on your site. (2½ - 4 pages/visit);
Average Visit Duration – the average time users spend on your site. (2½ - 3 minutes); and
Bounce Rate – % of visitors who visit only one page on your site during their visit. (below 50% for the whole site).

Engagement is a result of great design, usability and a content strategy. Knowing where you stand with these indicators can help you make improvements in all those areas.

Now, look at your own Audience Overview report. How did you do last month compared to the previous month?

4. Set Goals

The chart above is a Goal completion report of a nonprofit that raised $55,772 from nearly 200 donations through its website.

Wouldn't it be great to be able to do this for your nonprofit?

Google Analytics let's you do that and here are some goals you can track:

Number of donations
Number of event registrations
Total dollars raised
Number of downloads of a whitepaper or presentation
Number of comments or ratings on a piece of content
Length of time one spends on the site
Bounce Rate
Conversions from AdWords

Setting up Goals takes time and testing, but the payoff is worth it!

5. Use Campaigns

Are you the kind of nonprofit that uses all the online marketing channels available to you? Do you try to update your website, send enewsletters, tweet, update Facebook and LinkedIn on a regular schedule? Are you, like many, now using Vine, Instagram and Pinterest?

Yet, do you know which of those are most effective for achieving your organizational goals?

The screenshot above is the report on the nonprofit that raised $55,572 through its website. It shows the majority of the money was raised through traffic arriving via organic search results. This nonprofit's email campaigns were moderately successful in comparison to their search traffic.

Using specially coded URLs, you can create Campaigns to monitor which methods or channels are most or least effective.

This requires you to put a little piece of tracking code on the links you publish on your other channels. Google offers a free tool, Campaign URL Builder, to create them.

After the Campaign, you can see your results in your Acquisitions Report. A good naming convention [PDF 137 KB] will make all the difference to help you differentiate your efforts.

Ready to Dive In?

I hope this helps you get started or improve your use of Google Analytics. If you're a nonprofit using (or thinking about using) it, I'm eager to hear how you're doing, along with any questions or comments you can post below.

Ann-Marie Harrington is president and founder of Embolden, a digital communications group, providing online strategy, web development, web design and content management for community foundations and nonprofit organizations.

Wherever There's a Fight

Tue, 07 Jan 2014 05:00:00 GMT

[We asked our friend Stan Yogi to share his story in this guest blog post following a visit to Santa Cruz and a presentation at the Downtown Branch of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries.]

The Hard Won Victories of Courageous Individuals

Nearly 72 years ago, my parents and grandparents were incarcerated solely because of their ethnicity.

America was at war with Japan. Japanese Americans on the West Coast, including those around Santa Cruz County, were forced into desolate camps.

That historic upheaval inspired my lifelong passion for justice and inspired me to co-write Wherever There’s a Fight, a history of civil liberties in California, published by Heyday Books.

Researching the book, my co-author Elaine Elinson, and I repeatedly saw that civil liberties are not bestowed to us by politicians. Rather, they are the hard won victories of courageous people who withstand political hostility, social ostracism, economic reprisals, and sometimes violence to fight for their rights.

Many of these individuals had supportive communities: Chinese laundrymen in 19^th century San Francisco funded the defense of fellow immigrant Lee Yick, arrested for violating a law banning them from operating their business. In 1930s Watsonville, Filipino farm laborers organized in self-defense against racist mobs. Writers rallied around Allen Ginsberg whose celebrated poem “Howl” was the target of censorship in 1957.

Nonprofits Can Speak Out

During World War II, the American Friends Service Committee and the ACLU of Northern California fought virtually alone for the rights of the reviled Japanese Americans.

Today, an array of civil rights organizations defends vulnerable populations. But, it’s not just the responsibility of these watchdogs to safeguard our freedoms.

All of us working with nonprofits need to speak out against civil liberties violations.

After all, our right to provide services to people in need, our liberty to express ourselves artistically, and our freedom to advocate for social and environmental change are vital to the success of our sector and to the well-being of our communities.

We may not always recognize it. But, civil liberties are foundational to our work.

Stan Yogi is a senior consultant at Klein & Roth Consulting. He has more than 20 years’ experience with nonprofit organizations in fundraising and grantmaking. His past work experience includes director of planned giving at the ACLU of Northern California and a program officer for Cal Humanities.

Second Myth and Mantra about Nonprofit Video Production

Mon, 16 Dec 2013 05:00:00 GMT

[In this second guest blog post Ian Slattery continues his exploration into myths about nonprofit videomaking.]

Another Myth and Mantra About Nonprofit Video Production

In my first post, I explored the myth that because online video is everywhere, you must start cranking them out this very second.

I suggested that nonprofits ought to start by identifying their target audiences and goals before the camera rolls.

Today, here's another myth I want to examine and it has to do with cost.

There are actually two versions of this myth: the overly cautious and the overly optimistic.

Myth #2 (First Part): The Overly Cautious Nonprofit: Video? It Costs Too Much and Takes Too Much Time!

It's true.

If not managed properly, video projects can devour your scarce resources.

But today it’s easier than ever to edit, upload, and share video content with local and global audiences.

Smartphones capture and share high definition video in seconds.

Retail video cameras connect and transfer footage easily to your computer, and basic video editing software comes standard on most operating systems.

But, before we get carried away, here’s the other extreme.

Myth #2 (Second Part): The Overly Optimistic Nonprofit: Video? No Problem!

At your organization you’re an expert at stretching every dollar to achieve incredible results.

But, when it comes to video production unintelligible audio can't be stretched into clear, crisp dialogue.

Shaky, poorly-lit video can't be stretched into eye-catching cinematography.

And, awkwardly forced interviews can’t be stretched into engaging stories.

True, smartphone cameras are great, but they have substantial limitations and require their own learning curves.

There's No Substitute for a Clear Goal and a Compelling Story

Access to video production equipment, whether a smartphone or a fancy video camera, is no replacement for a clear goal and a compelling story.

So, the question is not whether video production is cheap or expensive.

The questions you should be asking are, What kind of video will help us meet our goals?

And, how can we pull together the resources to produce that video?

Mantra #2: The Amount You Spend Depends on the Goal

Be realistic.

Videos will require staff and financial resources.

But if you have a clear end goal in mind (Mantra #1), then you can allocate your resources to reach your end goal (Mantra #2).

Questions for You and Your Team to Consider

Which types of videos will make the biggest impact on your audience?
Can you create effective videos with the resources you already have in-house?
What additional capacity should you develop—or fundraise for— to produce the videos you need?

These are not questions about the best filmmaking approach.

These are questions about the best approach for engaging your audiences and achieving your organizational goals.

My Advice

Stretch every dollar.
Call in favors and tap friends with know-how.
Make the most of the equipment and expertise you have or can borrow.
Be ready to raise money and dedicate staff time when you need to create that top-notch video for a major event, achievement or campaign.

Ian Slattery is a documentary storyteller and filmmaker. He has produced, directed or edited over 70 short videos for Teaching Channel and directed a four-year community engagement campaign for the Emmy-nominated PBS documentary Soldiers of Conscience.

Do You Speak Up and Lean In?

Wed, 13 Nov 2013 05:00:00 GMT

[Laura Marcus joins Teresa Ruiz Decker and shares her thoughts in this guest blog post about women and leadership and the book, Lean In.]

Do You Speak Up?

Or, does the risk of being labeled not very nice stop you from chiming in when you’re in disagreement?

Last Friday, I was part of the conversation, with about twenty local women, discussing Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Lean In, when we addressed that and other questions.

Sheryl has a much different background and lifestyle than most of us in the room.

Consequently, we could empathize with some of the criticism the press and pundits have voiced.

Our group agreed her position of privilege creates a chasm between her and the experience of 99% of working women.

Despite this, many of us appreciated the points she made and saw commonalities with the Facebook COO’s experiences.

Because All Women Face Challenges Being In A Leadership Role

Our opinions often come second or third to our male peers. And, when we finally do get a seat at the table we're often uncomfortable claiming success.
Many of us made difficult compromises (like some of you may be facing right now) when it came to work/life balance—delaying relationships, childbirth or certain career goals to lean in or lean out because we couldn't have it all, at least not all at once.

We recognize the importance of being supported by other strong professional women, yet few of us actually took advantage of that mentorship.
We agree that having partners (or family or friends) willing and able to carry half the burden at home is one of the secrets to success. (Like my daughter Charlotte and husband Joop Rubens, pictured above.)

We Have to Keep Talking

Most of Sheryl’s points were nothing new.

Still, Lean In and the Community Foundation's book club format created an inspiring space to discuss the challenges we face as working women.

After so many years fighting for equality, women still struggle to break through the glass ceiling.

The choices we have in our personal lives make it even more complicated.

We agreed that continuing the discussion with you on how to be successful as your career and personal life progress, including being a parent, spouse or mate and business leader, will result in a better community for all of us.

Laura Marcus is executive director of Dientes Community Dental Care. A graduate of Leadership Santa Cruz County and FocusAg, she earned a bachelor’s degree from San Jose State University and is a fellow of Stanford University’s Leadership Institute for Nonprofit Executives. She has a passion for social justice and loves being part of the local solution in Santa Cruz County.

My Secret To Having It All!

Mon, 11 Nov 2013 05:00:00 GMT

[In this guest blog post, we asked Teresa Ruiz Decker, to share what she took away from our book discussion last week about Lean In.]

Women and Leadership

Last Friday, I stepped into a circle of successful female business owners and nonprofit leaders, curious to know what they had to say on women and leadership.

I hoped to hear honest opinions about Sheryl Sandberg and her book Lean In and these women didn’t disappoint!

Everything from likeability and leadership to tough conversations at work to the almost awkward privileged perspective we saw from Sandberg were up for discussion.

And so at six months pregnant, I felt compelled to ask my own burning question.

Can Women Really Have It All?

If you’re a successful woman who enjoys work and decides to have children you can be sure there are a million questions running through your head.

But here’s a secret I learned from the women that day and from Sandberg’s book.

Create Your Own Definition of What Having It All Means

Here are four more lessons from the discussion I’m taking with me into my journey of motherhood:

Be creative with your definition - Life is full of uncertainty, change and opportunity. Take what life gives you and create your own unique vision of a full and happy life. Be open to rewriting that definition over time and be willing to make it happen one day, one hour, one moment at a time.
Be true to yourself - If you want to work and have children, do it. If you want to stay home, do that instead. Be true to what makes you happy and resist the urge to please or compare yourself to others.
Build yourself up - Feeling overwhelmed by the incredible amount of things to do at work and home everyday is natural. Don’t beat yourself up when things aren’t perfect. Build yourself up by focusing on wins. Progress over perfection will keep you moving in life. Remember and repeat daily.
Lean back, let your partner(s) lean in - Having it all doesn’t mean doing it all. If you have support at home from a partner, family or friends let the ones you love lean in to help. You are one person, and no one person (man or woman) can do everything. Let people around you help in their own way, even if it’s not your way. Your sanity will thank you later!

What Do You Think About Having It All?

Leave us a comment so we can hear more thoughts and wisdom around parenthood and work.

You can also share in the open group created by the Community Foundation for us on Facebook.

Teresa Decker is a freelance consultant who loves to use her communications and marketing skills for causes like education, community, animal welfare, the environment and technology. She's waiting for her next adventure (parenthood) to begin and can’t wait to see what the world will look like when her daughter is old enough to “have it all.” You can follow her on Twitter.