Welcome to GMT's monthly e-newsletter for July 2008.
Word Count: 1,375
Read Time: 5 minutes
In this issue you will find:
1. Member Connections
2. Be in the Know – How GMT Tools Can Help Your Group
3. Buzz from the Beat
4. Link(s) of the Month
5. Community Coverage
6. Support: Database Do’s and Don’ts
7. Opt out instructions
I just read a simple but very helpful post from the Network for Good which advises groups what elements your home page should have so that a site visitor can what you do and who you are withing 4 seconds. Katya Andersen suggests that every nonprofit home page should have these 8 elements:
1. A guessable URL
2. Your postal address (so you look legit and so people can send you a check if they want)
3. Your phone number (shows you're real, makes you accessible)
4. Email sign-up (so you can cultivate people after they visit)
5. Keyword density (so people will find you via search) - this is so important!
6. Donate Now buttons (on the main part of the page and in the navigation)
7. A pathway for learning more about the organization (a case for why you should donate)
8. Images - strong, emotional ones that are clickable (people expect images to be clickable - send them to your case for giving or your donate form)
I'd like to add a few other elements to this list.
9. An online press room (so general visitors but also reporters can easily get background information and recent news. This link can be called press room, media center, news room, etc.)
10. A staff list with biographies and additional contact information (even if you keep your info@ email address for general inquiries, it's nice to let site visitors know who does what and how staff members got to your group. If your website supports it, add individual photos or a group shot.)
11. A link to help (some folks may not be ready to give money but they may be willing to show up as a volunteer)
12. Financial scoop (let visitors know how you're supported whether it's through grants, memberships, and/or other donations.
Grab Katya's full list and link out to a presentation about online fundraising.
Happy Holidays,
-- Bobbi Russell
MEDIA VOLUNTEER WEBSITE NAMED AS HONOREE
FOR THE 11TH ANNUAL WEBBY AWARDS
Prototype Site Earns Honors in Three Categories
May 8, 2007 – Last month, the Webby Awards, the leading international honor for the Web, honored the MediaVolunteer.org website in three categories: Activism, Best Practices, and Professional Services.
Hailed as the "Oscars of the Internet" by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, Interactive Advertising, Online Film & Video, and Mobile Websites. The awards are judged by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, a global organization that includes David Bowie, Harvey Weinstein, Arianna Huffington, Matt Groening, Jamie Oliver, Internet inventor Vinton Cerf, and RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser.
“The Webby Awards are known for recognizing outstanding work that also sets Internet standards,” said Martin Kearns, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Green Media Toolshed. “We are proud that the Media Volunteer website is in the company of past honorees such as YouTube, MoveOn, Google, Yahoo and del.icio.us. The MediaVolunteer.org site takes a network-centric approach toward coordinating thousands of volunteers to synchronize around tasks that create change. Mediavolunteer.org is pioneering new territory by creating an online opportunity for contributors to donate their skill and intelligence to the causes they care about. Media Volunteer offers an easy way for people to ‘do something useful’ without joining lists or being a part of a petition. It is unique because volunteers can contribute time anonymously. It is easy because visitors help with just 12 minutes of their time while at their desk or home. Mediavolunteer.org supports more volunteering and better media exposure for good causes and important issues. Media Volunteer is a new way to engage volunteers and we look forward to exploring it further.”
The 11th Annual Webby Awards received a record 8,000 entries from over 60 countries and all 50 states. Fewer than 15% were distinguished as an Official Honoree. This honor signifies an outstanding caliber of work.
Visit the honoree website at
http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current_honorees.php?season=11.
About Media Volunteer:
The Media Volunteer Project is creating and maintaining a high quality media contact database that can be used by the progressive movement as they work to bring about the change that is so important to our society. Media Volunteer is a project of Green Media Toolshed. Visit www.mediavolunteer.org.
About Green Media Toolshed:
Green Media Toolshed (GMT) is a nonprofit organization that provides the environmental community with access to high quality communications tools for an affordable price. These tools give GMT members the ability to improve interaction with reporters and build their online presence through a number of customizable web tools. Visit www.greenmediatoolshed.org.
About The Webby Awards:
Hailed as the "Oscars of the Internet" by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, Interactive Advertising, Online Film & Video, and Mobile Websites. Established in 1996, the 11th Annual Webby Awards received a record 8,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include Adobe, The Creative Group, Verizon, AOL Video, dotMobi, Level3, Adweek, Fortune, Reuters, Variety, Wired, IDG: Brightcove, PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2advanced.Net, KobeMail, and Museum of the Moving Image.
About the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS):
The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences is dedicated to the creative, technical, and professional progress of the Internet and interactive media. The Academy is an intellectually diverse organization that includes over 500 members consisting of leading experts in a diverse range of fields, such as musician David Bowie, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, Internet inventor and Google Chief Internet Evangelist Vinton Cerf, "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening, Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser, and fashion designer Max Azria. For more information, visit www.iadas.net.
Job Announcement:
National Youth Climate Summit Coordinator
Position: National Youth Climate Summit Coordinator
Organization: Energy Action Coalition (www.climatechallenge.org)
Salary: dependent upon experience
Location: Washington, D.C.
Time of Employment: May 2007 - March 2008
Deadline: Candidates are encouraged to apply immediately - we will be interviewing on a rolling basis.
**Please send a cover letter and resume to jobs@energyaction.net**
About the National Summit :
To strengthen the movement for real climate solutions in an effective and coordinated way, The Energy Action Coalition is holding the first ever large national summit with 3,000 - 5,000 young people to share best practices, build community, learn skills and solutions, set clear and ambitious plans for action, and impel federal action to make it happen. Leveraging the momentum we've built through the Campus Climate Challenge, the 41 partner organizations of the coalition will take this momentum beyond our campuses to a key place where this crisis must be addressed: Washington, DC. The summit will be in mid-February, 2008 at George Washington University.
Experience:
Ideal candidates should have working knowledge of/experience with the following:
*Large-scale event planning and logistics
*Youth climate organizing and/or youth empowerment
*Large-scale recruitment
*Experience working with diverse stakeholders in coalition
Responsibilities:
*Coordinate the National Summit Planning Committee of 50 students
*Oversee a comprehensive recruitment strategy designed to get a diverse attendance of 3,000 - 5,000 student and youth leaders
*Coordinate agenda development and recruit trainers for break-out sessions and workshops
*Confirm all auditoriums and break-out rooms for the Summit
*Work with George Washington University Students, Administrators, Faculty, and Staff to ensure maximum local buy-in and support
*Work with local colleges, universities, churches, and civic groups to obtain maximum free housing and discounted hotel rooms for students
*Coordinate National Mall rally and concert
*Set up congressional meetings and hearing participation
*Coordinate with summit sponsors to ensure smooth receipt and utilization of funds
*Oversee and develop travel and housing scholarship process
*Coordinate development and printing of national conference materials
About the Energy Action Coalition
Energy Action Coalition, founded on June 6th, 2004, is a project of 41 major environmental and social justice organizations in the U.S. and Canada working to unify the growing student and youth movement for clean energy. For a full list of partners go to: www.energyaction.net
Diversity
The Energy Action Coalition highly values diversity and encourages applicants from traditionally marginalized groups to apply for positions within the coalition. Energy Action has adopted the Principles of Environmental Justice, the Principles of Climate Justice, and the Principles of Working Together as operating principles for the Coalition. We seek to reflect this through our hiring and operations.
In their Nov. 3, 2006 e-newsletter, Evolve Strategies reports the following Trends From the Trenches:
What You Need to Know About Mobile Campaigns
Is there anything to text messaging besides voting for the next American Idol winner? In a word: Yes. Here's what you need to know.
Texting is Not Just for Kids
Internationally, 52% of mobile phone owners have sent or received a text message on a mobile phone.
Americans may be mobile phone laggards compared to the rest of the world, but 35% of U.S. cell owners already use text messaging on their phones — and 118 million of us send text messages at least once a week.
Organizers Are Texting
In 2001 a million Philippinos used text messages to organize street demonstrations and topple President Estrada. Supporters of Roh Moo-hyun used text messages to turn the tide of South Korea's 2002 presidential election in its final hours. Texting increased the youth turnout in Spain's 2004 presidential elections.
With open rates of 95-98% and response rates of up to 97%, it was only a matter of time before American organizers realized what international organizers have long understood: mobile phone texting is a powerful organizing tool.
Already, American organizations like the NRDC, the ACLU, and People for the American Way are testing the waters of texting campaigns, as are John Edwards and Rick Santorum. Earlier this year organizers used mobile text messaging to organize the huge immigration protests. And the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has partnered with the U.S. Department of Justice, the Ad Council, and the wireless industry to deliver free wireless AMBER Alerts.
How it Works
This month the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund encouraged people attending Lollapalooza to use their cell phones to send the text message "MABO" — for Move America Beyond Oil — to a special number, or short code.
Specialized software then compiled the text-messagers' phone numbers. Later, the NRDC Action Fund will call those numbers to enlist support for its MABO petition, which lobbies for specific policies aimed at reducing American oil dependence. Later still, the NRDC Action Fund could send campaign progress reports to those numbers as well.
Where it Gets Tricky
Texting is easiest using the Latin alphabet, but it's a little more difficult with Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Thai scripts. "One way of circumventing this problem," one researcher suggests, "is to choose readymade messages from menus presented on web sites: once romantic messages, jokes, or short poems have been downloaded to a mobile, it is then easy to pass them on."
For more information, visit the Evolve Strategies website.
Director of Regional Operations
The Marine Fish Conservation Network (Network), a national coalition of over 190 national, regional, and local environmental organizations, recreational and commercial fishing groups, aquariums, and marine science groups dedicated to marine fish conservation and committed to long-term reform of U.S. ocean fisheries laws, is seeking a Director of Regional Operations in its Washington, DC office. Please visit our website: www.conservefish.org, to learn more about the Network.
Responsibilities: The Director of Regional Operations’ responsibilities include:
• Overseeing the Network’s regional and contract organizers;
• Developing and coordinating grassroots campaigns to be carried out by the Network’s staff;
• Coordinating all Network grassroots activities and working with Network member groups to promote the Network’s fish conservation agenda; and
• Developing national and regional campaign opportunities and materials.
Qualifications: a minimum of three years organizing and campaign experience are required, management and media relations experience desirable. Candidates must be organized, able to manage multiple projects, a team player, and comfortable in a fast-paced work environment. Candidates must have at least a BA/BS in environmental science, political science, journalism, or a related field, knowledge of federal fisheries management polices a plus.
Compensation: The Network offers paid vacation and sick time, health benefits, and a competitive salary.
To apply: Please send cover letter, resume, the names of three references, and a short (1-2 pages) writing sample to:
Lee R. Crockett
Executive Director
Marine Fish Conservation Network
600 Pennsylvania Ave, SE, Suite 210
Washington, DC 20003
(202) 543-5509 (phone)
(202) 543-5774 (fax)
network@conservefish.org
Position Available at Community Media Workshop:
New Media Manager (Apply by: Friday, Oct. 20)
About the position:
We’re looking for a tech visionary/people person. The New Media
Manager plays several key roles in our small office: managing and
innovating our online presence and building an online community of
nonprofit communicators, leading production of our annual media
guide, and overseeing our database and office technology. The ideal
candidate will have experience in and familiarity with both
nonprofits and the news business.
About the Workshop
At Community Media Workshop, journalists and communications experts
connect the community with the media to promote news that matters. We
offer media and public relations coaching to nonprofit communicators
and serve as a matchmaker between those who have stories to tell
about making communities stronger or better places and journalists
looking for sources off the beaten track. We do this through training
and consulting nonprofits and by providing background on nonprofit
groups to news media, and through a Making Media Connections event
that brings together nonprofit communicators and journalists. Started
in 1989, the Workshop is based at Columbia College Chicago in the
South Loop.
Responsibilities:
1. Build community online:
• Strengthen existing and develop new relationships with nonprofit
communicators and journalists in Chicago and the Midwest,
• Lead initiatives to communicate via diverse new-media platforms
with appropriateness, accuracy, and clarity—both traditional (eg Web
site, CMS, Listserv) and Web 2.0 (eg RSS, audio/video, mobile);
• Produce and edit content and supervise web site’s back end
including some e-commerce functions, and
• Manage IT consultants as needed.
2. Lead production of our annual media guide, Getting On Air & Into
Print:
• Oversee all aspects of production, from setting annual schedule to
research to data entry to formatting, page layout, and printing,
including supervising staff and consultants’ contributions;
• Ensure guide accuracy, timeliness, and usability in CD-ROM plus
print editions, and
• Contribute to marketing efforts.
3. Manage office IT:
• Manage office technology including server, regular back ups, and
oversee purchases of all software/hardware.
• Maintain healthy database (FileMaker 6.0v4 currently, upgrade to
FileMaker 10 planned) including supervising staff members’ input and
use of data, and
• Oversee technology consultants as needed.
4. Other:
• Train nonprofit communicators on new media; represent organization
locally/nationally as needed, and
• Other projects as appropriate.
Qualifications:
• Demonstrated expertise with Web publishing technologies (social
networking tools, content management systems, image optimization,
message boards and forums, etc.);
• Demonstrated expertise with online style guidelines and online
community standards;
• Ability to actively participate in problem resolution, reacting
positively and quickly to changing dynamics;
• Ability to work independently or collaboratively within strict
deadlines;
• Self-motivated creative mind who values collaboration and working
with a diverse team;
• Exceptional organization skills, high attention to detail and
excellent communication;
• Comfortable in a Mac environment; experience with graphic design a
plus;
• Familiar with both nonprofits and journalism ideal; Good sense of
humor.
• Bachelor’s degree required
Compensation/Application information:
Depends on experience; with benefits. This is a full-time position.
Email resume and cover letter to: Gordon Mayer, Vice President/Senior
Trainer, Community Media Workshop at Columbia College, 600 South
Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60605, 312-344-6404 fax,
gordon@newstips.org. Email preferred; no calls, please. Women and
people of color are strongly encouraged to apply.
American Rivers
Outreach & Communications Intern
Fall 2006
Overview
Chevy recently launched a contest where people can visit their site and create commercials for their newest Chevy Tahoe. Well, progressives got word of this and began creating their own ads on the site, taunting the negatives of SUVs - including global warming and Americans' dependence on oil. Some of the ads are really great and very creative. You can check them out on Marty Kearns' blog. Create your own and post it to his blog or send it into yvonne@greenmediatoolshed.org, so we can keep a record of all these funny and impressive ads if the Chevy site goes down.
Nightline aired a segment on the ads and the stir they are causing last night. You can view the segment on YouTube. Nightline briefly interviewed Eric Gunderson of Development Seed. You can read about the interview on his blog. One interesting thing to note is that the ABC/Nightline studios in DC where Eric was interviewed had several Chevy Tahoes and Suburbans in their parking garage.
This is worth digging around if you work with EPA. New nominees for top spots at EPA worry enviros | By Amanda Griscom Little | Grist Magazine | Muckraker | 29 Jul 2005.
A changing of the guard under way at the U.S. EPA is sliding by virtually unnoticed.
