A colleague sent me an article today that I wanted to expand on a bit and share with you.  The post was for the “Diary of a Social Venture Start-up” over at Good.is. The point of the article is pretty straight forward and something I’m sure  most of us would agree with perception is important, and what you need to do to change the perception of  your organization.

Your Packaging Needs to Pop.

Hire a professional designer or web designer to build a brand that is representative of your mission. It should be consistent across all channels and help be part of why the donor picks you off the shelf.

The way it looks matters more than you think. How much does it matter? 60 to 65 percent of the population are visual thinkers, meaning they prefer images to words. Your mission critical messages have zero impact if you can’t get people to stop and see them. If your development teams are spending their time developing materials, then who is building and maintaining the relationships your going to need going forward.

In-store Display

Listening and interacting with your donors and constituents is essential. Its not enough anymore to put an ad in a magazine or newspaper (if you can still find one in business to put an ad in ). You must be engaged in social networks.  I mean on there really listening, talking to the people who can help your cause, and adding value to their efforts as well.

In 2009 Americans have almost tripled the amount of time they spend on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. In August of this year 17%  of all time spent on the internet was on social media sites, up from 6% in August of 2008. (via Nielson Co.)

So what do these numbers mean to you. They mean your donor base is there, interacting with their friends, posting pictures of events they were recently at, and talking about your organization. They are talking about how they wish they could contact you there because they have questions. They are talking about how you screwed up their donation, and how they will just give to a different organization next time. The point is that they are there, and they are talking, and the best part is that they would love for you to be part of that conversation.  Social Media has unlocked something extraordinary for non-profits, an opportunity to talk one on one with donors, participants, constituents, and sponsors. The kind of access your development staff has dreamed about since the day they first stepped through your door.

As much as we all wish the mission was enough, its not. You are competing for a withering attention span, against nearly 1,010,400 other charitable organizations in the US alone. Does your product have what it takes to catch the consumers eye?

John Fuller is the President of Phoenixfire Solutions and a professional with more than ten years experience in IT, seven years in non-profit, and four years in design.  Taking his love for all things technological and all things artistic,Phoenixfire Solutions came into being.  John’s expertise offers a unique perspective from someone who has been both the client and the vendor.  After experiencing years both the good and bad of outsourcing solutions, John has made it his mission to bridge that gap for companies and non-profits that have fallen prey too many times. Connect with John on Twitter: @phoenixfire8383 & LinkedIn.

We asked a few friends (49) what social media information they wanted to know more about. While some of the answers are not surprising at all, especially given our subset of polled. (Social Media Concepts, Online Marketing , and Community Engagement rounding out the top 3). I was a bit shocked that listening fell so low. Listening is at the core of so many of the other concepts, and is arguably one of the most important.

If companies listened to their customers/clients more we would have missed some of the biggest SM mistakes of the year (so far). If Domino’s was listening online they would have know the net was aflutter after a video of their employees making tainted food (more info) and while damage had been done, they could have help stop some of the bleeding. Then there is United Airlines, if they had listened to Dave Carroll when they broke his guitar they probably wouldn’t have ended up with with this catchy video about how bad they suck (video) (more info).  The other answers are important, don’t get me wrong. Companies need to engage online communities, and market the newest, greatest product ever developed, but if you are not listening, you’re not responding. If your not responding who is?

Check out the results below, and let us know your take on it.

John Fuller is the President of Phoenixfire Solutions and a professional with more than ten years experience in IT, seven years in non-profit, and four years in design.  Taking his love for all things technological and all things artistic,Phoenixfire Solutions came into being.  John’s expertise offers a unique perspective from someone who has been both the client and the vendor.  After experiencing years both the good and bad of outsourcing solutions, John has made it his mission to bridge that gap for companies and non-profits that have fallen prey too many times. Connect with John on Twitter: @phoenixfire8383 & LinkedIn.