Danika Kmetz, a great PR intern from Illinois State University (and President of her PRSSA chapter), has created two very fun videos with the best kind of testimonials possible. The first is from Hope, a camper at ASCCA’s Teen Week taking place this week on Lake Martin. The second is a mashup of clips from last week’s Adult Mentally Disabled camp.

There are many ideas at work behind these sites. The most important is to provide a look inside camp that will reach out to our campers, their parents and anyone that has yet to consider a therapeutic recreation opportunity.

You might be surprised that engaging people in comments and conversations isn’t as important here. Our clientele isn’t as ‘into’ the social media scene as those that read my blog, for instance. But, with the launch of our social network, ASCCA Friends, we’ve begun to see interaction that never took place in our blogs. ASCCA Friends is built upon the Ning platform.

Now, we are seeing parents and campers engaging in conversations. Just today, for instance, this comment was left by the mother of a camper:

Even though I don’t get to stay at camp with you guys, it’s my favorite place to visit. The 3 and 1/2 hour drive is totally worth it just to be greeted by all of the smiling faces of the staff and campers. Camp ASCCA must be the happiest place on earth. – Denise Brock, Fort Payne, AL

And then there is this one from today, by parent Terri Shaw:

My child is attending Camp ASCCA for the first time this week , July 14th thru July 18th. I have encouraged the camp because he needs time away from parents to make new friendships and to see other children with disabilities.

Now, I ask you. Can you beat this for engaging with your stakeholders?

You may notice, we do not take the ‘poor pitiful crippled child’ approach that so many nonprofits choose to follow. We have fun. We try to show you the reality of working with these children and adults. Again, we have fun. This is real life, folks.

I dare to say, the overall presentation on the sites is something that has not been done before, regarding people with disabilities. If you can show me some site that has done it, please point me to it. The only other ‘real life’ approach I know of is the BBC’s Ouch! Podcast. And, we were online before them. Realistically, in our environment, we couldn’t get away with their ‘very real’ approach, either.

Hey, if these two videos don’t make you smile … I fear there’s no hope for ya’.

Hope is one excited camper

Find more videos like this on ASCCA Friends

Why We Love Camp ASCCA!

Find more videos like this on ASCCA Friends

Yes, I am an unashamed advocate for Camp ASCCA. I was a counselor there well before any of my students were born. The camp changed my life. It changes the lives of campers, and the students that work there, each and every day of each and every year.

I still remember my first campers. Robin & Vincent were about twelve years old. Their disabilities? Profound mental retardation, epilepsy with grand mal (Tonic-clonic) seizures and rigid (Dystonic) cerebral palsy. Some might suggest that such campers couldn’t really benefit from a camp experience. Hey, I was one of them, upon meeting Robin & Vincent that first day. But, that quickly changed.

We did just about every activity camp offered. I noticed positive physical (and perhaps even emotional) responses from both campers at every activity. We had the benefit of meeting the nurses from the hospital (yes, hospital) where Robin and Vincent lived. I asked them later if they saw any benefit in their visit. I hoped they could share any observations that would help me realize that all we did was beneficial to both of my severely disabled campers.

Their response? Yes, there was in fact a dramatic change in the camper’s behavior after returning from camp. Whether it was a more excited state, or a worn out (I want to sleep!) state, the campers were gaining a ‘quality of life’ experience that certainly made their life better.

To be sure, we serve a wide variety of people with disabilities. Not all campers are as severely disabled as Robin and Vincent. All of them, regardless of their disability, are likely receiving a therapeutic recreation experience that is rarely (if at all) available in their local communities. So, that alone is reason enough for me to support Camp ASCCA.

So, if you are willing, please take this ChipIn widget and share it in your blog. Link to this post. Help me find people willing to support what I consider to be a most worthy cause. Let’s also test the ability to actually use one of these widgets to raise funds. I know it works for others. Will it work for me in my attempt to help Camp ASCCA?

Watch this latest video from ASCCA. Each year, we have counselors come visit and work from overseas. Some return many years. The counselors are the foundation of Camp ASCCA’s success. You can see more videos at the Camp ASCCA Journal (blog) and also at camp’s social network, ASCCA Friends.

We all have memories from our college days. This trip is one of my favorite memories. Taking a busload of kids and adults to Disney World is unbelievable fun.

I went up to ASCCA the night before the trip and again the next morning for their departure. We have about five video interviews that I’ll post over at the the Camp ASCCA Journal in the coming days with those on the trip.

Barclay Bentley is also on the trip and he will be bringing back videos from their adventures. So, be on the lookout for those coming soon.

I know, if you’re like me, you wish you could have been on the trip. It is always fun.

We’re trying to create a simpler, cleaner navigation layout that helps you find what you’re looking for on the site.

Check out the new look.

What we want to provide is a simple way for anyone to quickly update the front page with the latest information. The new tools we’re using – widgets – should allow this to work. And, the people adding the information don’t have to know much / any HTML coding to add the information to the page.

The ASCCA site is now a collection of WordPress blog installments. This allows the staff to use the rather simple (to use, at least) software to update the site. And widgets allow them to place new information ‘almost’ anywhere they want it in the blog’s template.

The Oscar Dunn Environmental Center now has their own site, separate from the ASCCA site. This was done to differentiate the Dunn Center from ASCCA as we continue to bring in non-disabled groups to use that facility. Now the Dunn Center staff can put up their own videos and audio. We haven’t yet fully shown all the center has to offer. This new site will help them illustrate the beauty and diverse offerings in ASCCA’s new multi-million dollar facility.

It really is quite amazing. People are always stunned when they first drive into ASCCA. Then, to see this amazing wildlife, nature and conference facility right on the Lake Martin shoreline .. well, it gets their attention. God bless Rotary International. They made the Dunn Center a reality.

Give us your feed back. Check out the new front page and critique away. Thanks.

I am writing about both the Trauma Treatment for Children blog by Patricia Wilcox and the Nonprofit Consultant blog of Ken Goldstein.

I did these posts for Camp ASCCA, but thought it might be good to share the sites over here. These are two good examples of how blogs can work in the nonprofit sector. Also, visit the Nonprofit Blog Exchange for many other nonprofit uses of social media.

For our second blog in this round of the Nonprofit Blog Exchange, we visit Patricia Wilcox’s Trauma Treatment for Children blog.

This blog is an emotional reading experience. Patricia discusses all manner of issues addressed at a facility dealing with traumatized children. Recently, Patricia wrote, “More and more I see a lot of our kids’ behaviors as desperate attempts to avoid being vulnerable.”

Throughout the blog, Patricia:

Explores the theory and practice of trauma informed and relationship based treatment for children and adolescents, using the Restorative Approach.

Patricia’s posts range from children acting out on a wide array of issues from boyfriend problems to foster parent dislikes.

Honestly, this one of the most fascinatingly open blogs I’ve ever read. Seriously, Patricia is unbelievable open about the issues they face daily in their facility. Further, she goes beyond sharing the incidents and delves into the causes of the children’s behaviours. There is teaching and learning going on in this blog.

Patricia’s blog is actually one of the best blog’s I’ve ever read. If this site cannot serve to inform and educate her key audiences and stakeholders, then no blog can. Yes, it can be difficult to read since you’re in effect living through the pain of these children. But, for a facility that is trying to tell their story, the blog works.

Nonprofit blogs from around the world are joining together for a networking project sponsored by the Nonprofit Blog Exchange.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Ken Goldstein.

Ken has been “working in nonprofits and local government agencies since 1989. His many years of senior management experience includes executive director and regional director positions, as well as consulting an serving on nonprofit boards. Mr. Goldstein has a Master of Public Policy and Administration from CSU Sacramento and a BA in Politics from UC Santa Cruz.”

Ken kindly wrote about ASCCA’s use of video to enhance your nonprofit’s Web site back in October.

Since then, Ken has kept a flow of interesting posts coming. One post discusses the difficulties nonprofits – aside from hospitals and colleges – are experiencing in fund raising. According to Ken, a recent study shows that “the growth of the nonprofit sector has outpaced the growth of the economy over the past decade.” The problem is, hospitals and colleges are accounting for 70.3 percent of the nonprofit sector’s revenue. Yet, they account for only about 13 percent of public reporting charities. This leaves all the other sectors – like disability service programs like ASCCA – battling for that remaining 30 percent. And, remember, we’re talking about 30 percent nationwide. Check out the post and give us your thoughts.

Ken also has his business Web site – Ken Goldstein, MPPA – Goldstein Consulting – where he explains the services he offers in the areas of “Facilitation, Training, Grant Writing, and Management & Program Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations.”

Google Video will also play host to our videos. The idea is to expose our camp activities to a larger audience via these online video sharing communities.

And below you may watch the “Day at Camp ASCCA” video. Click the screen capture of the lil’ camper climbing into the treehouse, to your right (pop-up window). The video runs 10:00 and, my apologies, is only available as a highspeed / broadband download right now. The video is currently a huge MPG file. Look for a smaller download version of this one down the road.

Using available online social media video sharing sites and our own blog/site, Camp ASCCA should be able to present the most comprehensive record of all the activities available. Now this is one truly positive aspect of social media, blogs and vlogs (video blogs).

Like no time before, we are now able to provide an almost real time presentation of Camp ASCCA’s programming. Parents and caregivers, campers and counselors (present and past) may follow along and experience camp’s activities each day. Summer camps start in less than two weeks, so please make sure you come back often.

Cross-posted in the blog over at Easter Seals Camp ASCCA.

I honestly believe that this will be the largest nonprofit use of social media (blogs, podcasts, video, forums and more) that has ever been attempted (aside from political sites and some national / international NPO sites). But, I can’t say that for certain until I do some more research. You can help, if you like. Do you know of any site for a nonprofit organization that has posted this much, this often and using online communication?

Below you will see an outline of what our plans are and how we seek to accomplish these tasks. I have abbreviated the plan as it is actually written out and is 12 pages – single-spaced – in a Word document. I’m still working on it, too.

Here, in a nutshell, is what we’re going to try. I’d love to receive your feedback, suggestions and criticisms.

ASCCA is a nonprofit organization and resources are limited. They have devoted two internships (paid) to the process. The students will receive free housing, meals and $1,000 per month (the same salary camp program staff receive). That, I believe, is a remarkable commitment.

Beyond that, ASCCA has invested in two multimedia computers, digital audio recorders, video recorders (straight to MPEG) and software. I am donating the use of a digital video camera, digital photo camera and a digital audio recorder, too. This should enable the interns to easily capture, and quickly edit, the content they capture. More on that below.

• Two interns will run the operation. Their work hours are quite different from other jobs. They will follow, essentially, the same day that all of the campers and staff do – 7:00 AM until 10:00 PM each day. The camps traditionally run from Sunday at Noon until Friday at Noon.
• In an attempt to be realistic, I am seting an initial “minimum” number of blog postings at four per day. Actually, I believe it could be 8 or more per day.
• Posts will be a combination of audio, video, photos and text.
1. VIDEO: Our initial goal is to do short video pieces and they will be loaded up to our Google Video site and YouTube. These will highlight the program areas from lakefront and the pool to horseback riding and high adventure. We have over a dozen activity areas, so content will be widely avaialable.
2. AUDIO: These will be short interviews with campers, parents, counselors and visitors. The length will not, I pray, go beyond 10 minutes each. These will be hosted on our servers and delivered through the WordPress Podpress plugin and iTunes.
3. PHOTOS: Digital cameras will be used to capture dozens of photos each day. They will highlight four main areas: programs, camper/counselor relationships, barrier-free architecture incorporated into activities and cabin life. These will be hosted on our servers and in our Flickr Pro account.
4. WRITING: These will be observations by the interns about Camp ASCCA and the experiences of the campers and staff. Visitors (fund raising) will also be highlighted. We want honest observations. ASCCA has always been about the reality of abilities – not focusing on the disabilities. We want to offer answers/solutions which allow people with disabilities to participate. We don’t want any “poor pitiful crippled children” stories. Those always irk me.

I realize that is a lot of uploading. Now the sad news. One of the limitations we have at a camp is our location. We have satellite web access. That means that uploading is essentially dial-up. Camp is 10 miles from the nearest highway. A squirrel on the phone line can cause havoc. We may actually drive into town for the uploading of the video, audio and photo files. The only alternative is to keep the phone lines running all night.

With few exceptions, opensource software will be used for all of these projects. We have a wiki (PmWiki), CRM (SugarCRM), calendars (30boxes and Google Calendar), forums and/or alumni database (phpBB), eLearning (Moodle), photo albums (Flickr and Gallery 2), video (Google Video and YouTube) along with WordPress blogs and plugins.

The students have already used much of the software and they have seen the rest of it in action.

New releases will be delivered via a blog newsroom setup to the state and southeastern publications serving our campers hometowns. Most of these are mid-sized to small publications and usually appreciate the content. High resolution photos will accompany the stories created by the interns. Where possible, audio actualities will be included and sent to their local radio stations. Small town radio still does radio news, you know.

I am not sure what, if any, value online press release delivery services could offer us, but we may try them. We’ll likely only use the free services, unless someone wants to spot us for free access to a paid service. That would be a blessing.

Contacts will be made to these local news organizations and offer them email notification of stories or RSS feeds. They’ll likely prefer the emails, as most of the releases will be specifically targeted by locality.

Side projects include populating the Moodle eLearning site to help expand ASCCA’s appeal to school teachers in the areas of environmental education.

Among our many goals are: considerable search engine placement and optimization, increased visibility in online social media communities, a rebirth of ASCCA’s regional media releases, active involvement with our primary audiences (people with disabilities, parents, caregivers, teachers, therapists/medical, other nonprofits and our alumni – campers, staff and volunteers).

Yes, we will be pitching – news outlets and bloggers. We will be commenting in other blogs and developing relationships with sites/blogs addressing disability issues.

We are also interested in online fundraising, but that will come down the road. We want to develop a strong respectable presence online, first.

OK, that is a brief (believe it or not) synopsis of what we’ll be doing this summer. What do you think? I’m reserving some comments I have until I hear from you.

Blogidarity‘s Mission and Mantra are pretty straight forward:

Mission: We are committed to raise funds for non profits working in the third world from bloggers all around the world.

Mantra: 1$ can save a life.

Further, they promise “In our activity we will respect a ZERO CONFUSSION principle. This means that every dollar we get will be donated to the Non profit we are working for in that month. This we believe is an indispensible rule of clarity and honesty for all parts.”

So, I have one question. How do we know you will honor that promise?

I don’t know much about Clear Path International, Blogidarity‘s first beneficiary of funds. They do have a video endorsement from U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy. They have a blog, too. But, what does that tell me about Blogidarity? I know even less about them. Why not just give to Clear Path?

The site (well, one of them) for Clear Path International has an interesting history. cpi.org was the home page of the Competition Policy Institute for several years. Sometime between January 28, 2003 and September 19, 2004 the site became Clear Path International. That’s not too strange. People abandon domains and others pick them up. CPI has another domain – their original home, I believe – clearpathinternational.org. The first discoverable sign of CPI life there was March 02, 2001. A post at Blogidarity seeks to provide some history and clarity regarding their use of online activities and social media / WOM (blogs):

Our first blogs started in late 2001…. I think… or early 2002 with the Clear Path News page.

So thanks to Jason and Scott, we blog… in addition to our “archival blogs” of news and case studies, we also started a “conversational” blog last year. Although, it is mostly a one way conversation as we do not get many comments… unless you count comment spam.

However, the post isn’t signed. We have no idea who is attempting to represent CPI through Blogidarity. There is more irony here. The author of the post, whoever it is, attempts to explain how they know what has to happen first, when establishing ethos, with the statement that “…one must first RAISE AWARENESS of the cause and then GAIN TRUST in a potential donor.” But, the post doesn’t accomplish that. Their own site does a better job.The author of that post also offers this postscript: “…the next and last blog post from me for blogidarity will outline our future plans… and I’ll have some great news to share!” Here’s a thought. Write your name in there, too.

The team of volunteers putting together Blogidarity are Felix, Trevor, Rocky, Steve, Troy, Rosa and Phil. Guess we’ll just have to get to know these people and see if their ethos is significant and justifies a donation.

OK, I imagine you think I’m being snarky. I’m actually not. What? You don’t think that people surfing up on Blogidarity won’t be skeptical when asked to fork over money? Even a dollar. The project doesn’t even have their own domain and site. It is a sub-directory of the blog run by Felix. Does it need one? I don’t know. Just a question. There are lots of questions here.

Please understand, I’m not questioning their veracity, but wonder how casual observers will judge the program. I want legitimate programs like this one to succeed. But, there are none of the usual indicators of affiliation at Blogidarity to give donors any indication that the group is on the up and up. They need that. People will do this kind of researching – and a lot more, too. So, any online practice like this one needs to be well thought out. I realize that 3rd party endorsements by bloggers can help. But, why not help them by giving all the credibility boosting information you have at your disposal.

For example, the Network for Good was established to answer these concerns.

Network for Good is the Internet’s leading charitable resource—an e-philanthropy site where individuals can donate, volunteer and get involved with the issues they care about. The organization’s goal is to connect people to charities via the Internet—using the virtual world to deliver real resources to nonprofits and communities.

Founded in 2001 by the Time Warner Foundation and AOL, Inc.; the Cisco Foundation and Cisco Systems, Inc.; and Yahoo! Inc., Network for Good is an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Bethesda, MD.

Hey, this project may blossom and grow into a very successful venture for third world nonprofits. I hope it does. Blogidarity is a good idea. It just needs work.

Best of luck to Felix Gerena’s project – Blogidarity.

Hat tip to Eric Eggerston for his email and blog post about the project. I agree with Eric’s statement, “Before setting up a donation, I’ll want to do a bit more checking up on the people behind Blogidarity.” I think we both respect the effort and the idea. But, the group needs to provide more information, in my opinion, if they wish to gain a financial following. Links are one thing. Dollars? Euros? Well, people are tighter with those. Show me the credo before asking me to show you the money.

This will be an interesting project to watch. I do wish them luck.

This is a wonderful opportunity to revisit a project that I think has promise and virtue for everyone that chooses to participate.

Let us revisit Operation Link Love – PR Bloggers “Pay It Forward” and Give Back. Read that post and the associated links to see what the project is all about. Or, go straight to The NewPR/Wiki page for all the details.

This is a project all about links that can serve a positive purpose. I hope you will get involved. Write about the viability of social media for nonprofits. Find a nonprofit blog that you can add to the wiki list. Link to them, and I bet they will link back. So, everyone wins.

I’m working on a fix for the image code. For now, feel free to hotlink to the image above.

For being shrewd about doing good, for rewiring politics and re-engineering justice, for making mercy smarter and hope strategic and then daring the rest of us to follow, Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono are TIME’s Persons of the Year.

Bill & Melinda Gates: From Riches to Rags
Bono: The Constant Charmer
Interview with the Trio: “We Just Go Off”

I was expecting natural disasters to be chosen. After all, the year started and ended with them devastating the world – from the Tsunami to Katrina (and other hurricanes) to the Pakistan earthquake. Let us not forget the tornadoes and floods, as well.

But, this at least shines the light on those that do good deeds. How much better would it have been to make “The Good Samaritans” the recipient? I think it would give people more realistic role models to imitate. Honestly, how many Bonos and Gates are there? And, collectively, individual “Good Samaritans” have already done more for others than Bono and the Gates’.

Volunteerism would have been a better choice. Individual contributions of time, money and resources reached a record level for individuals as well as corporations in 2005. The collective “Good Samaritans” are more deserving of the praise as it is more difficult – requires more sacrifice – than it does for the Bonos and Gates of the world. Oh, I don’t mean to diminish their good deeds. They are certainly excellent role models, if only by their volunteer and giving practices alone.