MyArtsCoummunity.org, and its sister blog, were started as a six-week web-based pilot fund-raising campaign based on the concept
that many small donations add up to big dollars. It launched on May 1 to raise
money for the Valley’s 16 largest arts and cultural organizations.
According to an article in Sunday's Arizona Republic, the venture started with a capitol investment of $100,000, but has only returned a "scant" $22,000 in community donations.
So, what went wrong?
The article speaks of timing, the economy, and presents a good deal of head scratching, and bewilderment. The article also mentions that "the social-networking component failed to live up to its billing."
Before I put forth my thoughts in the matter, please allow me to make one thing perfectly clear. I am not here to throw stones, point fingers, or hold myself out to be "all that", as it pertains to this situation.
I do, however, have 20 successful years under my belt as small business owner, and a few things immediately jumped out at me. I simply desire to share them with our community, and the founders of this organization, in case they determine to make another run at this.
Also, please note that my style of communication is fairly direct, but again, with a heart toward being helpful, and not condescending.
Fair enough? Then let get started...
Social Networking 101
You started this whole thing with a flawed understanding of social networks. A blog is not a social network. Twitter is not a social network. Facebook is not a social network. These are all tools to help you build a social network.
You can't build a social network in six weeks, starting out with mediums (billboards, etc) that have nothing to do with social networks. Social networks are groups of people built around a common bond. In this case, you had the potential to build a strong social network, but you went about it wrong from the start.
Here's what you might have done:
- put your money to work in the social network, instead of at it.
- These 16 organizations represent thousands of artisans who pour their hearts, and souls, into bringing the arts into our lives. You should have gone to each of these organizations, and made a social contract with them. "You all", every single artist, "get on your current social networks and make it known what we plan to do." "We are going to start a revolution!" If you had accomplished buy in from the artists, you would have started with an army of thousands. THAT is a social network.
- You then tell each of the organization's artists that you are here with $6,250 to give to the organization. All they have to do is agree (make a social contract) to go to their individual social networks, and drive the 150 people, in their networks, to your myartscommunity site. Ask them to be passionate, tell of the dire need for support in their own words, and ask them to ask their friends for $10. Let's say you had 3,000 artists, each asking 150 people for ten bucks. That's 4.5 million smackeroo's! The passion, and heart of the artists, are what would have driven this. Even if you only accomplished 20% of that number, its still a big number. Your original dream was sound, just wrongly positioned.
- Now, to make this even more juicey, each of these organizations have large databases of contributors. You make the same appeal to them. Ask them for ten bucks, and ask them to go to their network of 150 people each, and ask for ten bucks. That is a grass roots organization. You never had a grass roots organization. Without the passion, and heart, of the grass, you will have no roots!
- Next, your blog should have been filled with videos, from a $150 flip video, sharing stories of the artists, and their fears for the future of their organizations. In all that time, your blog only had 16 posts, and not a one of them pulled at my heart strings. Your most recent post talked about how California Pizza was going to give funds. That is all well and good. Good for them! But that is not grass roots. That is not social networking. That is doing things that way it has always been done. Without the heart of the artists, sharing their stories, sharing their craft, and sincerely asking the community for help, you were doomed from the beginning.
You mentioned Obama's social networking campaign. Obama's social networking campaign was built with millions of young, passionate indidviduals who wanted to change the world. Millions, upon millions, joined the cause, and just look what happened; a junior Senator from Illinois becomes President of the United States.
Dear friends, if you decide to do this again, you go grab the hearts of those artists, and you elicit their help. If you get them committed to starting the wild fire, you won't be able to put it out, and the winds of flying $10 bills will bring tears to your eyes, and joy to many hearts of this valley.
Well, there you go...my two cents!
I hope it helps, and was taken in the spirit it was intended.
