Teaching Moments

The fundamental challenge to promoting a cause is trying to educate about the need for action.

One of the first philanthropy enthusiasts I met when I came to Dallas had started by raising both funds and awareness for neurofibramatosis. I confess I still don’t have a clear understanding of neurofibramatosis, but I remember he was ready with an explanation at the time, which I understood.

Unfortunately, this man could not be mass produced and made available to all of the potential audiences for the Neurofibramatosis Foundation. And this is where other strategic marketing tools come in handy.

Take Philanthropegie, which I understand best because I’ve had the pleasure of sitting across from Ric as he’s explained it to me while navigating the site on his iPad. But, most of you will never have that opportunity. Causes like Philanthropegie and Neurofibramatosis need something that can be made available as efficiently as possible. A video.

I’ve long had a love affair with explanatory videos like the one now available at philanthropegie.com. The first ones I saw in 2008 were by Common Craft. These products address the “so what” for a cause in a simple and straightforward manner without potentially distracting talking heads or B-roll.

Think Schoolhouse Rock for non-profits. Think quick, think clear, think a visual conveyance of your elevator speech without the jargon and in a way even a fifth grader could understand.

Presenting your initial lesson during those teaching moments in an explanatory video can make the first step towards converting others to your mission that much easier on a broad level.

Still not convinced? Watch ours at www.philanthropegie.com.