Tech for Good

Lessons Learned: Using Instagram Video in Your Nonprofit Campaign

Posted on by Case Foundation

To celebrate the start of the Back to School season, the Case Foundation teamed up with the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) to honor fearless role models through a community engagement campaign built around Instagram video. We approached this campaign as an experiment in online community engagement and chose the Instagram video platform because of the relatively new integration of the video tool in 2013, its large membership base of more than 150 million users, and popularity among our target audiences. While researching this campaign however, we found relatively little in terms of past examples with a report out of outcomes—especially in the nonprofit sector.

We learned a tremendous amount about the campaign integration during our program review and aim to share those tips and tricks with our community. This post is intended to provide a top line overview of the campaign and general recommendations based on our own experience. Details such as staff time, budget, and other factors unique to the execution of any program certainly impacted the outcome and should be taken into consideration when designing your own program.

Campaign Components

From August 16 to September 13, 2013, the Foundation invited individuals to honor inspirational figures by using Instagram video to share their own stories that answered our prompt: “Who taught you what it means to Be Fearless?” Did your best friend inspire you to take risks; your high school principal encourage you to be bold; or your basketball coach help you to bounce back from failure?

To participate, users simply completed the brief entry form on the Case Foundation’s custom Facebook tab, and then used Instagram video to share their story with the hashtags #BeFearless and/or #NSHSS. The platform included a special video gallery where select submissions were housed for public viewing.

Measuring Our Results

Ultimately, the campaign proved to be an informative experiment in community engagement with the achievement of significant reach, impressions and learnings. In addition, the high quality content of the videos we received also showcased positive engagement and provided tremendous value to the overall campaign. Despite these highlights, the actual number of entries (255 sweepstakes entries) and (37 unique) video submissions fell far short of our target (500) based on our earlier research of other campaigns.

Tips for Using Instagram Video in Your Next Campaign

After crunching the numbers and talking with stakeholders involved with the campaign, we surfaced a number of learnings – from the platform design to the promotional aspects of the campaign. We hope you find these tips useful as your nonprofits works to design your Instagram campaigns in the future.

Do Your Homework: Two other campaign we looked at during our evaluation for comparison purposes included Daily Candy’s “Fashion in Film” contest and Swarovski’s #InstaSparkle contest.
Seek Critical Mass: Critical mass on the organizer’s Instagram profile may be a necessary factor in success when it comes to leveraging that platform for a sweepstakes.
Consider Subject Matter: In reviewing previous current campaigns, we realized that almost none of the video entries for those contests featured the entrant or a person. Rather the prompt only required the recording of something, not someone as our campaign required. We speculate that asking participants to feature themselves in a video may have been a significant barrier to entry.
Find the People: We chose to build our own sweepstakes page to host the content, but found that several other successful campaigns employed a third party host or website with a built in audience primed for sweepstakes.
Note Privacy Issues: The vast majority of video submissions came from high school aged individuals—as was to be expected given our target audience, context and partner. What we did not anticipate though, was that many of the participants would have their Instagram settings turned to “Private” (we do not know definitively, but assume this was due to parental restrictions or permissions). While we prepared for this possibility by troubleshooting from the beginning and encouraging entrants to check their settings, the outcome was that we could not see or find many of the entrants’ videos.

Would we do it again? Of course! Our passion at the Case Foundation is to experiment with online tools to promote social good—no matter what the outcome. Have you tried Instagram video or any other platforms in your social good campaign? If so, we invite you to share your learnings with us and the community as well in the comments section or via Twitter @CaseFoundation!

Changing the World – One Code at a Time

Posted on by Case Foundation

Identifying organizations that make big bets and tackle pressing social issues is an important part of our Be Fearless mantra here at the Case Foundation. Our work across the United States has helped lift up and fund extraordinary changemakers and their programs. This year the Case Foundation hosted the first-ever Aspen Scholars pitch competition at the Aspen Ideas Festival at which we awarded more than $25,000 in grant money to competing Aspen Scholars. The grand prize winner was Kristen Titus of Girls Who Code. We are thrilled to work with this new organization as a grantee and a partner.

Girls Who Code was launched in 2012 in an effort to close the gender gap in the computing and online fields. Its programs have earned the support from top Fortune 500 companies and have delivered more than 3,000 hours of intensive instruction to young women and high school girls. Each participant is equipped with the skills and resources they need to pursue careers and opportunities in the computing field. From mobilizing top executives, educators and engineers, to developing a new model for computer science education and launching eight immersion programs spanning five cities – Kristen and the Girls Who Code staff have worked to catapult young female minds into the tech sector.

The Case Foundation sat down with Kristen to chat about Girls Who Code and their work on the heels of her Elle Magazine debut naming her one of the “11 Women Who Just Might Change the world” and Business Insider’s 2013 nod for one of the “30 Most Important Women Under 30 In Tech.” We could not agree more, Kristen and her girls who code are on their way to big things in the tech world.

Our Interview with Girls Who Code

CF: What goals are you working towards at Girls Who Code? How will the Case Foundation’s funds help you achieve that goal?

KT: Girls Who code has set out to tackle what we believe to be one of the most pressing problems facing our generation: the gender gap in technology. We’re starting on the ground by inspiring, educating and equipping high school girls to pursue technology through our Summer Immersion and after-school Club programs. The Case Foundation is supporting the scaling of these programs, and helping us bring computer science education to girls across the country. Each girl who goes through our programs represents one step closer towards gender parity in technology.

CF: Tell us about a moment when you failed in life and how you used that as an opportunity to fail forward?

KT: Last spring, Girls Who Code launched our first ever after-school program pilots. We had a very successful model for an intensive summer program, and we were eager to find out how to replicate the program in a format designed to scale. One model we tested involved having our graduates organize clubs and teach their peers. This model just did not work, and it was disappointing because it held much potential. We were, however, able to incorporate successful components of the model into what we have ultimately found to be the best format, and are now in the second phase of testing of this program. We can’t wait to see how the program grows.

CF: How have reached outside of your bubble or your sector to raise awareness or perhaps funding for your organization?

KT: Increasingly, computer science skills are relevant to industries outside of what we typically think of as the tech sector. From fashion to medicine to banking, companies rely on technologists to do business, and we absolutely look to these corporations as partners. What’s more, we incorporate the experiences of engineers at companies that, traditionally, would not be considered to be technology companies in order to expose our students to the incredible variety of opportunities available to those with a CS background. 

This is the first in a series of four articles featuring new grantees of the Case Foundation who have won awards in our 2013 pitch competitions. Check back for our next feature on the Rid-All Green Partnership, an urban farm in Cleveland, OH.

How Your Nonprofit Can Get More Out of LinkedIn

Posted on by Case Foundation

Chances are your LinkedIn profile is focused on your resume and headshot, but if you’re reading this and love social good as much as we do, then you may want to check out LinkedIn’s new social good capabilities. The site has become a gathering place for influencers to discuss, learn and connect with old friends, trusted colleagues and new business connections. In the past year, LinkedIn has rolled out a number of new features that make the site a useful platform for nonprofits to engage their current supporters and identify new ones.

The first new feature is a “Volunteers & Causes” section of a member’s profile. This allows users to showcase what causes they have volunteered for and the ways that they would be interested in getting more involved (i.e. offering pro bono work and serving on boards). Not only does this allow your connections to see what you are passionate about, it shows future employers that you are an engaged citizen and well-rounded candidate – setting you apart from others. In fact, one out of five hiring managers has hired a candidate because of their volunteer experiences. The graphic below (provided by LinkedIn) shows how easy it is to add this information to your profile.
VC Field One pager

As we near the end of Pro Bono Week 2013, take the opportunity to update your LinkedIn profile with your recent service, just like over a million members have already done.

In addition, nonprofits can capitalize on the opportunity to set up a LinkedIn Board Member Connect profile (BMC) – a method to help you find talented people that are passionate about your cause and want to take their involvement to the next level. BMC exists to seamlessly bring nonprofits and individuals together not only to find potential board members, but to share best practices in governance, and ideas for running effective nonprofit boards.
Board Member Connect overview

So if you haven’t already, be sure to take a fresh look at LinkedIn for these new opportunities to connect with potential supporters and engage in new ways.

 

Case Foundation CEO at Techonomy Detroit

Posted on by Case Foundation

Techonomy returned to Detroit on September 17th bringing innovators, investors and philanthropists together for a day-long conversation on the role of technology and innovation in boosting American economic growth, job creation, and urban revival.

Our CEO, Jean Case, took the stage in a live interview with Jeff Green, Detroit Bureau Chief for Bloomberg News to explore how prizes and open competitions are being used not only to honor and recognize landmark achievements, but also to incentivize learning and motivate organizations and individuals to invent creative solutions for social change. Together, Jean and Jeff shared how prizes and challenges ignite and connect communities, spur innovation and democratize philanthropy. Watch the video online here.

Don’t miss Jean and Steve Case’s article for Techonomy celebrating the efforts of business and public sector leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists, who are stepping in to spur social innovation and investments in the Motor City.

How a new type of social graph could change philanthropy

Posted on by Case Foundation

This post was written by Will Grana on behalf of the Case Foundation:

Before you clicked to this blog post, you probably checked your email, liked a page on Facebook, followed your favorite musician on Twitter, shared a video, searched for a restaurant on Google, and let your online friends know about the good deal you just got on shoes. Well, maybe you didn’t do that all today, but if you’re online you’ve likely done all of this within the past couple days. And if you have, then you are being mapped in a graph that is capturing your preferences and practices so that an even more tailored, relevant experience can be presented to you the next time you’re online or open an application.

There’s so much data online that it might be hard to understand how it’s all connected, and how we’re all connected. But that’s where the social and interest graphs come in – they help us to visualize our connections to each other and the information we’re sharing. In the last few years, graphs have had a deep impact on how billions of people around the world interact with each other, both online and offline.

Retailers, marketers, and agencies use social graphs on websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon to gather data about their users and connect them with people they know, all while discovering new products, learning new things, and finding new interests. The companies get a better understanding of consumer behavior, which leads to a higher return-on-investment (ROI), and the users get a better experience over time.

But at the Case Foundation, we think the time just might be right to take things to the next level! What if there was a tool that could help the social sector connect people to causes they are passionate about in a seamless way that is just part of our everyday actions and exploration online? The data is out there, but there’s no easy way for nonprofits or other organizations trying to catalyze good to leverage it in a frictionless, natural way.

And so, the idea of the Giving Graph was born. And we want to know what you think about the idea.

No, we don’t want to create a new social network. And we’re not trying to create another Network for Good or Causes. We don’t want to force yet another login and password upon users. Rather, we see an opportunity to layer the Giving Graph into a user’s experiences into platforms and networks they’re already using, like Spotify or Facebook. The connections made through the Giving Graph could give organizations that are working to create good the same edge as companies trying to sell you more stuff!

The Giving Graph concept ties to our core belief that philanthropy must be more democratized, socialized, and crowdsourced. As community needs increase and traditional sources of nonprofit funding decrease, we must disrupt current systems and ensure that everyday folks are inspired to step up and have easy to use, easy to access tools to make giving and giving back a seamless part of everyday life. The Giving Graph could integrate giving, volunteering, and advocating for your causes a seamless part of your “social” life and make it possible for nonprofits to reach people through as many social media channels as possible in a logical, targeted manner.

For example:

Bob loves everything about Africa. In the past few days, he liked Victoria Falls on Facebook, bought a LivingSocial adventure trip to Zimbabwe, and has shared Spotify tracks from Ladysmith Black Mambazo and South African soprano Miriam Makeba. In today’s world, Bob’s actions would prompt him to see more ads for vacation services, hotels, and similar music reccomendations. But in the world of the Giving Graph he is shown African volunteer vacations from MercyCorps, nonprofits near Victoria Falls featured on GlobalGiving, and a petition from Change.org encouraging more clean vehicles on safaris. He also sees that his friends Mike and Kristen will be running in the upcoming Malaria No More marathon and are seeking supporters.

The possibilities are endless. Listening to a new artist on Spotify recommended by your friend could turn you into a donor for the artist’s favorite cause, and buying a documentary on your mom’s Amazon Wishlist might inspire you to watch films in your town that support issues you care about. The Giving Graph would be the gateway that highlights opportunities to give, online and offline, to millions of users, in a way like never before. After all, the data tells us more than four in 10 Americans still get their information about causes from family and friends. We also know that 45 percent of our daily activities are habitual, and that we’re more likely to take action when we’re doing the behaviors we’ve already formed, rather than adding another item for the to-do list. The Giving Graph could accelerate numerous efforts to make giving back something that’s easy, intuitive, fun, and second nature – for everyone. Imagine what could happen next.

This is just an idea – one we’ve thought quite a bit about. But before we go any further or encourage others to do so, we want to know what you think. So, what questions and ideas do you have? If you think we’re on to something or should rethink this concept, join the conversation about the Giving Graph at SXSW Interactive this Saturday–when our very own Will Grana, VP of Interactive Technologies will present on the concept. It’s also your opportunity to be a part of the #givinggraph conversation on Twitter, just look for updates on how to get involved.

Into Fearless, Uncharted Territory: The Brain Cancer Expedition

Posted on by Case Foundation

This post was written by Max Wallace on behalf of the Case Foundation: 

We often say that Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure’s role is like that of Lewis and Clark — we go out into the wilderness, create new trails, and send back maps for others to follow. In our case, the wilderness is brain cancer. This year, our small expeditionary and experimental team will build the first model system that will enable a large number of patients to have their brain tumor fully profiled and then use that information to help them get the most state-of-the-art treatment for their exact tumors. We’re calling it the “Precision Medicine” project and we believe it’s a disruptive innovation that can revolutionize the field.

Today, 41 people in the U.S. will die from the most common form of brain cancer called glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). This happened yesterday and, unless something changes, it will happen again tomorrow. Sadly, we are still using the same basic treatment tools and techniques that we have used for decades and, in spite of our best efforts over that time, the average life expectancy for a GBM patient is still about a year.

However, brain cancer research is about to change dramatically thanks to advances in technology, and it’s our moment to let urgency conquer fear. Genetic information and robotic and nano processes are intermingling and leading us into a new era of genomically-informed “precision” medicine. Our understanding of the genomic basis of cancer is increasing at an exponential rate. We now know that not all cancers are the same, even those which arise in the same organ. More and more people are being treated with new therapies targeted at changes specific to their individual tumor.

We are also beginning to understand that one type of cancer may use the same types of biochemical pathways as another type of cancer. This raises the possibility that a drug that works for one (e.g., melanoma) can be selected and quickly adapted for use against another with a similar molecular profile (e.g., GBM).

Not long ago, it cost tens of thousands of dollars to have a tumor profiled and you could only do it in a handful of academic laboratories. These technologies are being standardized and the cost of doing a tumor profile has now dropped to around $5,000 (and will continue to fall). Even at current levels, we can begin to integrate tumor profiling into regular brain cancer care.

Our “Precision Medicine” project will bring together researchers, clinicians and, most importantly, patients to take advantage of these new opportunities and help develop the most state-of-the- art personalized treatments. If the system works, we believe that we can transform research approaches and clinical practice. If we can do that, 12 months of survival might become two years, and two years might become four, and so on and so on. At that point, brain cancer will no longer seem like such an impenetrable wilderness.

Max Wallace is the CEO of Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure, an initiative co-founded by Jean and Steve Case.

#GoodSpotting Returns!

Posted on by Case Foundation

This time of the year it’s easy for us all to get swept up in the swirl of holiday shopping, parties, and gifts. But as we saw most recently with the incredible success of #GivingTuesday – it truly is the “most wonderful time of the year,” when the spirit of generosity surrounds us. Every holiday season (and year round) at the Case Foundation, we celebrate the incredible acts of good, large and small, that take place every day in cities and towns all over the world, thanks to amazing individuals and organizations. This holiday season, we hope you’ll join us in sharing the spirit of generosity, community, and service as we go #GoodSpotting! All you have to do is remember these three simple instructions: Spot Good. Share Good. Do Good!

When we launched the first #GoodSpotting campaign last year, we knew we were on to something by asking people to join us in celebrating the spirit of the holiday season and share their pictures of the acts of good happening around them. But frankly, we weren’t quite sure what to expect…  so we were thrilled when within hours our gallery was filled with photos capturing acts of good from all around the world! Our favorite submissions included photos of people buying goods to support their favorite causes, images of families and friends volunteering together at food kitchens to help others in their community and local businesses supporting great causes. We saw thousands of tweets and Facebook posts tagged with #GoodSpotting well past the holidays, the end of the campaign, and into this year – you shared your acts of #GoodSpotting for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Make a Difference Day, 9/11 Day of Service, #GivingTuesday, and more. So of course, we knew we had to bring it back this year for the holiday season!

So what’s new in the 2012 edition of #GoodSpotting (or #GoodSpotting 2.0 as we’re affectionately calling it)? This year, in addition to sharing your photos, we are asking you to to share videos, articles, and your stories (in 140 characters) about moments of good that you’re spotting. We’ve also expanded our platform so now you can submit content on our Facebook app, online at GoodSpotting.org, or straight through your smartphone (in addition to your Tweets and other photo uploads tagged with #Goodspotting).

And, just like last year, there’s something in it for everyone…  this year, $25,000 in grants and prizes are at stake, so after you’ve gone #GoodSpotting, be sure to enter our sweepstakes – on January 2, 2013, we’ll randomly select four people to win $500 for yourself, and a $5,000 Network for Good card that you can use to donate to your favorite charity. And we’ll have lots of other fun prizes from the Case Foundation and our partners, so make sure you get in on all of the #GoodSpotting fun.

We can’t wait to see what you submit this year – we know the #GoodSpotting gallery will be full of inspiring and fun photos, videos, and articles about people, organizations, and businesses doing good this holiday season.

While you’re spotting and sharing acts of good, be sure to check out our official #GoodSpotting partners – A Billion + Change, Born This Way Foundation, City Year-DC, FotoWeek DC, HandsOn Network, Huffington Post Impact, Mobilize.org, MTV Act, NTEN, TOMS, The Washington Examiner, and Water for People – who are getting into the holiday spirit with their own acts of good.

Please be sure to check out the holiday greeting from the Case Foundation team below. We hope that after you watch our #GoodSpotting greeting, you’re encouraged to join us this year – whether you’re new to spotting and sharing good, or a seasoned expert. Let’s Go #GoodSpotting!

 

Let’s go #GoodSpotting this Holiday Season!

Posted on by Case Foundation

This week the holiday season really kicks into high gear. While we’re gathering with friends and family around the Thanksgiving feast, we’ll soon be thinking about Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, watching holiday decorations go up in our neighborhoods, and listening to classic seasonal tunes on the radio.

But if you take a closer look, you’ll see that the true spirit of the holidays is right in front of you: your neighbor shoveling his neighbor’s driveway, your daughter’s school hosting a canned food drive, or a friend running in a local 5K to raise money for charity. These are all acts of good. We’re sure you’ve done some good things lately, too.

And that’s why starting today, we’d like to invite you to go #GoodSpotting with us. To celebrate all of the good going on around us, we’re creating a huge, global image gallery of people, organizations and businesses doing good this holiday on our Facebook page – because we believe that #GoodSpotting is everywhere, and something everyone can do.

Here’s how you can get involved: snap a picture on your phone or camera and upload it to the Case Foundation Facebook page, or through another online photo-sharing service (Instagram, TwitPic, yFrog), and share on Twitter with the hashtag #GoodSpotting. If you need some inspiration, head on over to the gallery and check out some of the great photos we’ve got already.

And as an extra reward for getting involved in sharing the good this holiday season, you can enter our #Goodspotting sweepstakes for a chance to win up to $500 in holiday spending cash for yourself, and up to a $5,000 donation to the nonprofit of your choice.

To kick off the#GoodSpotting adventures, and to thank all of our partners and supporters that we’ve spotted doing quite a bit of good this year, we’d like to share a short holiday greeting with you – and hope that you’ll see how easy it is to do good and spot good. Happy holidays from all of us at the Case Foundation!

 

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