See What’s Out There

Often we can take principles from business and apply them to nonprofits. Whether it is marketing or operational efficiency, successful companies can often teach nonprofits how to do better. Sometimes, however, the difference in priorities and resources between for-profits and nonprofits is stark.

I just got back from a board meeting for AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps, an organization on which I serve as a national board member. DONATION BREAK. The meetings are held three times per year in Manhattan, all day Sunday.  We used to have our meetings in the Empire State Building, in the office of a New York nonprofit support organization. We were grateful for the space, and the view was terrific, but the Empire State Building is in desperate need of a billion dollar renovation. Not so, 7 Times Square.  This year’s meeting was held in new law offices on the 40th floor of 7 Times Square.

The first thing you notice going in is the super high-tech security. You give the guard your photo ID and he places it on a little silver pedestal that sits on the counter. You stand in front and inside is a camera that first swivels to take your picture, then swivels again to take a picture of your ID. The sticky badge they print out has your picture on it.  You enter the security gates and half-dozen metal bars separate in a whoosh. Next, at the elevator, you punch in the floor number on the outside – there are no buttons in the elevator – and it takes you where you want to go.  Yes, they have that TV in the elevator thing – but this one was a 50-inch plasma! (just kidding)

Once inside the conference room the high-tech set up of the law firm was impressive as well. On every conference room door is an electronic sign that says who has reserved the space, and of course the place is wired with the latest in video and audio conferencing technology. I mention all of this only because those in the room working in nonprofits, and even a Board member who now works in the US Senate, remarked at the contrast from what we are used to.

What made this meeting interesting and productive, and what makes me want to serve on this board isn’t any of this. What makes the meetings are the people in the room. They are really smart, dedicated people from a wide range of backgrounds, ages and experiences. And we are all there with unity of purpose, to support one of the most innovative and important organizations in the Jewish community.

Speaking of the power of video… these days we are swamped by political TV ads in the run-up to the election on November 7. By now you have probably heard about the Michael J. Fox ads on behalf of some Democrats on the issue of stem cell research. Fox has Parkinson’s disease and has been a big supporter of stem cell research. In the ads he made you can see the involuntary movements that are familiar to anyone who knows someone with Parkinson’s. It’s powerful to see it, especially after knowing Fox as an actor.

Rush Limbaugh attacked Fox on his radio show. Limbaugh says Fox was faking it or he didn’t take his medication. Now we have the video of Limbaugh saying these things. It was aired on the Keith Olbermann show on MSNBC and it certainly adds to our understanding of Limbaugh as a human being. My favorite line from Olbermann: “Should we not be deferring to Rush Limbaugh on this because he knows so much more about prescription drugs than the rest of the nation combined? In fact this maybe his only area of genuine expertise.”

Here’s the Windows Media Version and here’s the QuickTime Version.

I was writing recently about mobile phones and whether we will every see really good and compelling rich media content on them – other than things like maps. Today, CNET has a report about Adobe bringing Flash to the mobile phone. What they are talking about is a kind of Flash integrated into mobile applications. But this is a step in the direction of Flash as something mobile website developers could use to push video to the phone.

Again, I am not rushing to tell clients that they need mobile video, but when the infrastructure is in place there will surely be worthwhile applications for this that we haven’t thought of yet.

We have just been awarded a project from the American Jewish World Service to help them document their work. They are a great organization and you can take this opportunity, right now, and donate online.

They have been leaders on the issue of genocide in Darfur. For many of us, this is a Jewish issue. If “never again” is to mean anything, then we have to act. We can’t say we didn’t know, we didn’t see. We know.

We believe in the power of visual storytelling and there was a photo on this subject in the New York Times today that is striking. It is not showing murdered families or burnt villages, but rather the rich and the unconcerned in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, hanging out in their fancy clothes and cars, a mere 600 miles from the death and destruction of Darfur. They can do this because they have oil. And they can do this because our government has made a deal with the devil.

The International Herald Tribune has a story about how mobile operators are thinking about all this user-generated content, and actually getting some traction with it.

I recently purchased an MDA from T-Mobile, my first smart phone email thingy. And I can see how, if connected to a fast connection, I could use some of the web features of the device. But I am just not sure how much content people will really want to view on the small screen. My gut says the small screen will be used for search, maps, 411, etc. In other words, all the things you need when mobile. Do you need Pretzel Girl?

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My friend and former business partner, Jacob Ner-David, just launched his blog called VCinJerusalem. Jacob runs a VC fund called Jerusalem Capital, investing in early-stage Internet start-ups with a focus on “technology enabled services.” His blog combines thoughts on technology and religion and how it all comes together in Jerusalem.

I have been writing a lot and thinking a lot about video and why it is so important as a way to engage audiences around issues. It is an expressive medium and so has power that you don’t always get in print. But let’s not forget there is power elsewhere.

When I was in high school I was a raging Reagan hater. I followed the Iran-Contra hearings, and still can’t forgive Elliot Abrams – not for his crimes – but rather for his disdain for Congressional authority. (I grew up in a VERY political family.)

At the time, Doonesbury was a real inspiration for me. I still have the cutouts from the paper of the long list of Reagan administration officials who were indicted or resigned under a cloud. It went on for days. Garry Trudeau was my hero and I, like everyone else, knew very little about him – other than he married Jane Pauley.

The Washington Post Magazine did a story today on Trudeau that is a must-read for any Doonesbury fan. As he has been chronicling B.D.’s story of being wounded in Iraq and his recovery, he has connected with real wounded vets and, through B.D., is telling their stories. These episodes have been just released in a book.

This reminds me that while video is HUGE and important and changing how we communicate, lets not abandon the writing and the art and, yes, the cartoons, that have their own deep source of power and, in the case of Trudeau, genius.

At Slate there is a great video history of YouTube which is a nice intro for the less initiated — if there are any left.

There is a new magazine called GOOD, from the son of the founder of Inc. Magazine. The idea behind GOOD is to speak to the instinct toward active philanthropy that characterizes those under 40 today. It’s not just about giving money. It’s about participating in a culture of Good, buying products that (seem to) make a difference, supporting smaller, grassroots activities, volunteering, doing good in your work. The magazine should be in major stores (Barnes and Noble, etc…) and you can subscribe online here and your subscription fee will get donated to charity.

They seem to get that video has power. Here’s a video they did about a project I assume they are supporting.

When I talk about YouTube as a social networking site, people often don’t know what I mean by that. What I mean is that YouTube is a video site, but its power comes from people being able to comment and participate in a community – to link videos and comments to each other, to build channels around themes and content creators, etc. Friends telling friends is what makes social networking work and it is the same dynamic that built YouTube into what it is.

Over the weekend MySpace – what you think of as a social networking site – made a move to make their site more like YouTube. They put video in a more prominent place. The problem MySpace has is that a good part of the video on their site is actually hosted on YouTube.

Read more at TechCrunch.