Amber Wobschall

I’m a huge NPR fan and not afraid to admit it. What I am often afraid to admit is when I am wrong - just ask my friends and family. Perhaps you are like me and are wondering if the Paul the oracle octopus  will be right on his prediction for Spain to win the World Cup. He’s been right on so far. But he could be wrong.

So when I read this interview with Ira Glass yesterday – which has a lot about being wrong, this piece really stuck out for me:

“One of the reasons I was interested in doing this interview is because I feel like being wrong is really important to doing decent work. To do any kind of creative work well, you have to run at stuff knowing that it's usually going to fail. You have to take that into account and you have to make peace with it.”

It got me thinking about our work online. You can’t really learn about what is tried and true without trying different things and being wrong from time to time. There are a lot of great innovators online and it’s likely what we don’t hear about is all the things they tried that failed, in order to get them where they are today.

A few thoughts about being wrong online:
• Monitor your statistics. Your intuitions may be right on. But sometimes they are not. It’s ok. Use the data to help you learn.
• Remember, you don’t have to test new things on everyone. Pick specific smaller segments of your file to test new messages, ideas, programs, etc.
• Technology changes, housefiles change, hot button issues change. Just because it’s tried and true, doesn’t mean it can’t change. Retest those assumptions from time to time. What was once right might now be wrong.
• Be honest about when you were wrong. Don’t hide it, share with your colleagues, learn and move on.

I know, it’s easier said than done.  There’s a great example here where the Humane Society of the United States tried something new and failed, but found a silver lining in an unexpected donations boost. Let’s all keep trying new things, being wrong, examining our data and learning.

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!

Many non-profits struggle with website redesign projects because they are such a huge undertaking. They can be both time and labor intensive – involving numerous stakeholders (board members, department directors, and key staff) and often you don’t see results for more than a year.

Convio’s proven methodology, ensures that clients take a more iterative, quick hit approach that allows them to see results faster while tackling the larger web presence redesign in parallel. 

Project HOPE is a Convio client I work with who recently re-launched their site after only working with our interactive agency practice for 4 months. The new site has immediately improved the user experience and increased donations.  The client worked with us on a quick turnaround redesign project which we started by conducting several interviews with key HOPE stakeholders. Armed with increased knowledge of the organizational goals and priorities, we developed a new information architecture and wireframes for the site. Then, since any successful web site redesign (even a quick one) should incorporate feedback from real users, we tested out the wireframes with some of HOPE’s target constituents. Once finalized, we designed a sharp new look and feel, which is live on the site today.

Katya Andresen gave kudos to Project HOPE for the effort thus far, but what people may not realize is that the team is working on a bigger launch in another few months where we will infuse even more user research and data with the stakeholder input driving the larger initiative.

Keep your eyes open for the next launch and thanks to the Project HOPE team for their great work in the Haiti Earthquake response.

I am struck this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday by this quote of his:

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."

I feel inspired by the outpouring of support for Haiti we've seen this past week. Not only are there so many groups working to help, but at a time when many Americans face unemployment layoffs, reduced hours and pay cuts - people are taking a moment to give what they can. Often just $10.

As we know, you can donate $10 to the Red Cross for Haiti relief by texting “Haiti” to 90999.  Small gifts via text - this is where grassroots giving, meets today’s technology. You don't need to give much, but collectively these small gifts can have a major impact.

As of Friday, the American Red Cross had raised $9 million in mobile giving through this program. Just the day before, their blog showcased state by state mobile giving numbers. It’s inspiring to see that even people in states facing tremendous job loss are also willing to give at this time.