I had an interesting meeting with a potential partner company last week. I don’t want to talk about who they are yet, because our relationship is still forming. But the meeting, and another one I will tell you about had me thinking about the relationship between video and print materials.

The company I met with does very high-end case statements and other written material for nonprofit organizations. They also work on websites, but they are known for their golden touch with words. The materials I have seen are quite stunning, beautiful photography combined with powerful words that always make me think, “I wish I could write like that!”

One thing they mentioned in the meeting was that their words are deep, and video, by focusing in on one story or another might not provide the gravitas of the bigger picture they present. In other words, they don’t want to lose the big picture focus or cheapen their words with images that won’t convey as much information. My initial response was that video does not need to stand alone and we often produce materials with companion print pieces. Also, by providing real life stories of people who are working in the trenches or experiencing the services of the institution, video brings what was abstract to life. I thought this was a valid concern on their part and one that could be solved by real collaboration. By working together from the start we can make the sum of a program better than the parts.

I had another conversation this week that also focuses around print material. This potential client/partner believes that too many fundraising pitches are emotionally centered and lack the hard facts about whether the program makes sense as an investment. There are many business people who think like investors. The nonprofits they support don’t treat them that way. This firm wants to teach organizations how they can create a prospectus for fundraising. This document will talk about return on investment and measuring results – the language of business.

I think it’s a great idea and I see it as part of the trend of “venture philanthropy,” which came out of the dot-com boom. There are lots of (often younger) philanthropists who want to make change and look to how they run their businesses as models. They are less concerned with ego – a big driver of big gifts – and more concerned with results. This firm is talking to us about a video tutorial that would explain this approach, its importance and give practical advice for moving a development program in this direction.

But it begs the question for us of whether, within this approach, there is a use for the kinds of emotionally powerful video stories we are so good at telling. I think there is. In fact, I think the two approaches together are very powerful. On the one hand I will tell you in cold hard facts why this is the best investment you can make to make real change. And on the other hand I will show you the lives we are changing and you will meet the real people for whom your investment will provide direct benefits.

If you have any question about the power of media messaging, the story of tobacco advertising is a good lesson. I just ran across this old add for Winston cigarettes that aired as part of the Flintstones. Click on the read more link below to see Fred and Barney lighting up.

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So I wrote a while back about how I don’t like MySpace all that much. One reason is that it’s ugly. Maybe you don’t know what I am talking about? Take a look.

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I heard an NPR story last week about Disney cutting back. Basically, the story said that making movies is really expensive. And Disney knows they have more success with these big family films like Pirates. So, they have decided to cut back the number of films they make per year (from 18 to 8 ), betting on the ones more likely to do well at the box office. They are gong to layoff a whole bunch of folks and save a lot of money. Sounds good, unless they make a few stinkers, at which point the strategy will look pretty dumb.

This news got me thinking about the paradox between movies being so expensive and our experience with nonprofits – production costs have gone down and our clients can do a lot more for a lot less than they could before.

I think Superman Returns cost, what, $215 million? And it was shot with HD video and not film. The big expense on that one was animation and graphics – the guy needed to fly and it needs to look real. But at the same time, movies don’t have to be so expensive. Look at Spy Kids, where Robert Rodriguez made a film with a DV camera and went under budget. What’s expensive? Big stars are expensive. Johnny Depp got $20 million for Pirates plus a piece of the gross. Wow.

Not all feature films cost so much. Sure, I love the big movie with all the effects once in a while. But I just saw the Jim Sheridan movie, In America, and I will take a small film like that over a big one like Superman any day. And its this kind of movie that brings me back to what we do.

We want the nonprofits we work with to create the small films – the simple stories about what they do every day. We know the museums that have real stars on their staff. We know the social service agencies that have real heroes on theirs. Our goal is to capture those stories of the real people on the ground, in the trenches, working their butts off. These films aren’t the ones that cost so much to make, but they are the ones you don’t forget.

I just got back from meeting the new Executive Director of NTEN, Katrin Verclas. If you don’t know about NTEN, they are the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network. They are best known for a great annual conference about the use of technology in nonprofits. Katrin was here in Chicago today as part of her meet and greet tour of some major cities. Bottom line, she’s a good hire. Energetic, engaged, and ambitious. She has a vision for the place, that – reading between the lines – will make it a more professional and more useful source of information and networking for the nonprofit community.  And, she bought my beer.

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal today about new advertising formats. Basically, the article said that the traditional 30-second spot was created when there was much less competition for the minds of the viewer. Today, with marketing messages everywhere, and massive amounts of content (from 500 channels of TV, to the web, video games, etc.) marketers are looking for a new approach.

One trend mentioned in this piece is that ads need to be more like content to get people’s attention. Some big companies are running sets of ads that tell a story throughout the commercial breaks. Some advertisers are developing their own shows altogether.

Nonprofits needs to pay attention and experiment with their own new approaches. The big trends of too much content and too much advertising also keeps people from focusing on nonprofit messages. Nonprofits also have to find what will stick. One thing is for sure, that printed annual report and brochure won’t cut it.

What we think works is powerful storytelling. Whether a piece about prisoners of conscience or about literacy, we know that people respond to stories about people. At See3 we are encouraging our clients to do some experimenting of their own, by re-using and re-purposing video in ways they have never tried. For example, we hope to soon see some direct response video integrated onto online donation pages.

Nonprofits have to engage in this new world and not think that business as usual will continue to get those donations in the door.

read more | digg story

I am not spending a lot of time on the Bar Mitzvah circuit these days but as my oldest daughter gets to be of that age I expect to be at more of these events. One nice trend I have noticed here in the last year has been a blossoming of multi-colored kippot (yarmulkes) put out for guests. These woven head coverings are often put out on a table for guest who haven’t brought their own and I always make sure to grab a couple. These kippot are part courtesy and part mitzvah. Inside they usually say the name of the Bar Mitzvah boy or Bat Mitzvah girl and the name of the organization that supplied them, MayaWorks.

As it turns out, MayaWorks is a neighbor of ours in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. I had the pleasure of visiting them recently and their little warehouse/showroom. They are an example of a great, low overhead nonprofit that directly makes a difference in the lives of hundreds if not thousands of people.

What they do is organize groups of artisans in Guatemala into cooperatives that make traditional Guatemalan needlework products for sale in the US. This is an organization about women’s empowerment. It’s about products that are created outside the big corporate production machine that makes most of what we buy.

Most of MayaWorks sales are made through a network of 150 volunteers who host parties, usually once a year and often around the holidays. One of the things they are doing is bringing some of these artisans to Chicago for an event. Many of these women have never been to Guatemala City, not to mention being on an airplane. It should be a powerful experience for all those involved. I hope we will have a chance at some point to make a video for them showing the connection between these great products and the individuals who make them. In the meantime, buy something from them and you won’t be disappointed.