The Humane Society of the United States is no stranger to cutting edge advocacy campaigns and they’ve got another winner on their hands right now. HSUS has just launched “Seriously, Canada?”, a campaign to call on the Canadian government to end the seal hunt. If you’re not familiar with the seal hunt, each year Canada allows the hunting of baby seals to reduce the population. This year, the thinning sea ice is already causing a reduced seal population but the government is still allowing the seal slaughter.

This is where our friends as HSUS have created a compelling campaign worthy of the viral traffic it’s getting. While taking the pledge for Seriously, Canada?, commit what action you’ll take if Canada ends the hunt – such as buy a lifetime supply of maple syrup, book a romantic getaway to Niagara Falls, eat Candian seafood , or if you’re really committed shave a maple leaf into your head.

The finish page of the campaign shows a scrolling list of campaign participants and the actions they’ve chosen to take.  You’ll also receive a thank you note that allows you to update your Facebook status or Tweet your specific pledge. Also, there’s a link to the HSUS store where you can purchase a tshirt or mug sporting the specific action you chose to take. If you’re not into any of those options, you can type up one of your own.  The only drawback to the campaign is that I had to take off my maple leaf Olympic mittens to participate!

Being a father of high school and college age daughters, I say "I just don't get it" quite often. I admit that I also question some of the things my parents say and do – I thought I raised them better. :-) The generations are different...

Today, Jordan Viator, our super communications manager for all things interactive, fun and digital was featured in The New York Times about using Foursquare to broadcast to her friends where she is during SXSW Interactive. I personally don’t get it. Why would you do that? I know she says that about a lot of things I do, as her generation has many questions for us "older folks" and they are not afraid to ask. Of course, I probably wondered why anyone would use Facebook and Twitter at some point and now I use them regularly.

The reality is there are generational differences in the way we engage and the way we live our lives. (I’ve put a lot of "duh moments" into these posts lately.) To efficiently and effectively manage my life – family, work and beyond,  I need to understand the generational differences of the people I interact with.

It’s no different with fundraising.
 
Anecdotally and intuitively nonprofit professionals know that changing demographics and technology are driving a shift in charitable engagement. Questions abound:

• How do donors of different generations learn about nonprofit organizations?
• What are their preferred channels for engagement?
• What are the most appropriate channels for fundraising?
• Who and what influences their giving decisions?
• What will the on-going value of direct mail be versus online and emerging fundraising channels such as social media and mobile?

While much has been written about the differences between the generations, there has yet to be an in-depth study on the charitable giving habits, preferences and differences for Gen Y, Gen X, Boomers and Matures. Until now.

Working with our friends at Sea Change Strategies and Edge Research announced the results of a first-of-its-kind national research study into the charitable giving behaviors and attitudes across Gen Y, Gen X, Boomers and Matures. This is the same team that brought you the "Wired Wealthy." Some of the key findings will change the way nonprofit’s approach the art and science of fundraising.

The full report is available at: www.convio.com/nextgen

In the coming weeks we’ll be posting more information and hosting webinars, but for now, I wanted to introduce the research to you. In this economy we can’t afford to say "I just don’t get it" when it comes to engagement with donors and prospects. We can't let the shifting demographics and ways in which people use technology get too far ahead of us - leaving our mission behind. Like the "Wired Wealthy," this is a must read for the modern fundraising professional. We already pulled some of the data for a feature research package on mobile giving, particularly related to the response to the earthquake in Haiti. There is more to come.

(I have to admit the irony of seeing Jordan, the digital-force for our social media, blog and online efforts in print today, made me smile.)

I'm admittedly not a hardcore "gamer", so I was a little bit nervous when my good friend Joel Bartlett—Director of Marketing for PETA, winner of the 2009 Convio Innovator Award for Advocacy—asked me to moderate a session here at South by Southwest Interactive on "Games for Good". (Don't get me wrong – I played my fair share of Starcraft and Command and Conquer back in the day, but still.) Thankfully, the panel was made up of some great experts on the topic, so I pretty much just had to sit back and watch.

The metrics for PETA's online Nintendo parody Super Chick Sisters really are impressive. Since it launched 4 months ago, the game, which uses humor and "ground stomps" to draw attention to PETA's campaign to convince McDonald's to adopt more humane slaughter methods, has been played more than 6 million times.

If you're asking yourself, "but, how engaged were all of those people?", consider this: PETA has seen users spending on average more than 10 minutes playing the game. I think Super Chick Sisters really is a great example of how nonprofits can integrate games into their online marketing efforts, and I'd love to see more organizations get into this space.

Asi Burak of Impact Games/Games for Change also shared some really inspiring examples of games that give users an outlet to contemplate serious issues, combating some of the negative stereotypes about games in the process. (I'm with Asi – we need a new phrase for video games, like graphic novel for comic books.) Asi's PeaceMaker game offers players the ability to step into the role of either the Israeli Prime Minister or the Palestinian President, with the formidable task of bringing peace to the Middle East. The game has gotten attention from both sides of the conflict. Asi says Impact Games does not hide its intentions behind the game – there is one way to "win", and that involves following the plan to peace that has the most support among the UN, Israel, and Palestine alike.

Finally on the panel was Raphael Colantonio, Creative Director at Arkane Studios (who you may know from the work they've done on games like Arx Fatalis, Call of Duty 5, and Bioshock 2). I'm glad Raphael was able to join us, and as the gaming industry expert, keep all of us on the panel honest. Raphael points out that it is often more impactful to allow the player to learn lessons on right and wrong through game play, rather than something more overt. Also, for anyone considering developing games for good, Raphael notes that its important to remember that your game must be fun to be effective, after all, your game will be competing for attention against multi-million dollar games like Rock Band.

If you weren't able to make it to SXSWi this year, or you were tied up in another panel this afternoon, follow the #gamesforgood hashtag where the conversation is continuing. You can also feel free to find me at Convio's nonprofit technology bash at B.D. Riley's tomorrow night!

I missed one of my favorite local non-profit’s fundraising events while traveling last week.

So Others Might Eat hosts an empty bowls fundraiser every year. Perhaps you have been to one in your community – check here for a list of many empty bowls events across the country.

What is empty bowls? Local artists donate hand-made bowls, restaurants provide the soup and (if you are lucky) another business provides freshly made breads and desserts. Thank goodness my boyfriend was there to donate and pick up two nice bowls (sage green and grey with blue spots) perfect for pasta to add to our collection.

What I love about this event (aside from the bowls of course) is the sense of community it creates around the organization.  Here are the key points that help me connect throughout the night.

1. Reading about the community businesses and artists that come together to donate to the event. They end up in sponsor lists like this and make me think how I can support the businesses that support SOME.

2. Talking about the most popular soup options with the volunteers – helping me think about SOME’s work feeding those in need.
3. Debating with friends about which bowl would be best to add to your collection – making me think about returning year after year and those like me who do as well.

4. Chatting with the stranger next to you in line and finding out about what brought them to the event – SOME’s mission, a friend’s invitation, or maybe they made the bowl I am eating from.

5. Having someone rinse your bowl before the ride home, so you don’t get soup all over. It’s just a nice gesture that shows the organization has really thought this event through.

6. After the event they continue to foster that community online with an image gallery.

Building community is one of the greatest strengths that non-profits bring to the table. And grassroots events like this highlight that asset.  I can’t wait for next year!

"Opening the kimono" and seeing the ins and outs of wireframing for web information architecture is something many of us never actually get to see. Seeing the "behind-the-scenes" work that goes into sketching, laying out and setting up the foundation for a web site is not well shared in the industry, but in the session "The Right Way to Wireframe" at this year's SXSWi, Todd Zaki Warfel and Russ Unger worked to change that.

For the layman web user or designer, you might be asking - why is wireframing important? Well, wireframing is the foundation of your web site, and thus one of the most important aspects any web site should focus on in the beginning stages of formation or redesign. Having worked on full-scale web designs, I was intrigued to see what some of the leaders in the industry had to say about wireframing and user research for web design -- an imperative aspect for nonprofits I might add as every organization should have a web site designed for optimal user experience and effectiveness.

The great part about the workshop was that the speakers worked with Lend4Health, a nonprofit focused on micro-loans for health issues and children, run by one woman (Tori Tuncan) out of her home to use as the focus for their work. Tori is currently using a BlogSpot, one page website. Tori knew she needed a more effective website and got paired up with a set of Information Architects/User Experience experts to help come up with ideas and wireframes of a new site for her nonprofit organization.  Oh, and they were concurrently competing with each other on how the others would approach the project and the tools they would use, not sharing an information with each other along the way.

The Goal: turn her website into multi-page, effective web site that would allow her to handle the volume of work that was coming her way.

This video shows one of the processes from start to end, looking at sketching to actual technical design (sans the first 10 seconds of the video).

All in all, the main elements the speakers harped on included:

• Any process always begins with RESEARCH! -->interviews, remote observation
• Research should be put into all aspects of your design and structure
• Sketching before using creating any final design or wireframe is crucial (dump all your ideas out on paper before embarking on any actual draft)
• Use persona- based roles when thinking about how people will interact with your web site
• You'll still begin to uncover new/different "stuff" as you begin to wireframe
• After you hand sketch out, then you can introduce the technology to help with the technical design (true wireframe)
• Pitch and Critique the work in front of a group of peers (iterate based on feedback)
• The technology you use for this work, the actual software for wireframing, isn't important. It's the communication of the elements you want to portray that's important.

And, one of my personal favorite quotes from the panel that I thought worthwhile to share"If you're not considering mobile on your site in 2010, what's wrong with you?"

The session was chock full of great information for anyone interested in gaining perspective on what goes into a user experience research and information architecture on the web. The presenters were able to show how they're working to "change the world through design" one day at a time.

So what about you? Are there any great tips you have for information architchture work? Or any questions you have about the work for the experts out there?