Friday, December 23, 2005

What's In it for a NPO or Charity?

How the In Business For Good Model Helps a
NPO or Good Cause
V 1.0 December 23, 2005, 9:02 AM


During the investigation phase of the development of the In Business 4 Good Campaign, during the early part of 2005, our research indicated that an unusual amount of the resources for a charity or Non-profit, are consumed in the incessant need to identify, and nurture, the sources of supply necessary to continue operations. In the business environment, these would be in the form of marketing research, channel development, and sales development. The key personnel of most good causes, with rare exception, are drawn from the ‘feeling’ industries, or are not as well suited to the intentional work that’s needed to continuously develop revenue streams to support their good work. Conversely, their activities and intentions would serve the larger community, when a consistent source of supply is identified, and focused towards the good cause work, alleviating the need to continuously search and seek for resources.

Hence, we endeavored to create a model for consistent revenue enhancement, which would draw on existing market behaviors, and supplement those grants, foundation trust, stock and dividend holdings, and provide an upside potential that would add value to the mix of resources for a good cause. The IB4G model, is thereby, evolving along one of the strongest sources of convertible revenue, namely, the household consumption retail purchasing sector. This area, which according to most estimates, supplies nearly 2/3 of the economic activity of the #1 economy in the world (the USA), has the potential, when diverted through a stream of development campaigns, to supply an additional 5 to 25% higher contributions globally. In estimated numbers, that would mean that the estimated 250 Billion USD that goes to good, would be enhanced by from 12 to 50 Billion, and worldwide, could approximate 200 to 400 Billion. To cast this in practical terms, the household retail consumption globally, though difficult to characterize, is estimated to be in the neighborhood of 20 to 30 Trillion dollars US. Now, that’s a nice neighborhood. Conversely, the estimated global giving pool is in the area of 1 to 2 Trillion. So, with that in mind, we begin our process of systematically, through advanced digital marketing research, community focused campaigning, and selection of Artists for Good, aligned by purposeful expression, to support those good efforts in a practical campaign business model.

Your Humble Servant,

Patrick Michaels
Chief Encouragement Officer
HarmonyNet Media Group
Oneohanapublishing@hotmail.com

The Process of Engagement

The process for engaging with a good cause is as follows:

The Good Cause will be engaged from one of these following activities:
Nominated through our network of IB4G associated entities
Identified as a supporter of a “Current Events” focused News Item
Self Nominated to be included in one of our Artists 4 Good Campaigns

The process is identical, regardless of how our campaign project is introduced to the Good Cause. Steps that will be processed:

A. The Good Cause will be introduced, via email to the board/exec director, to one of the existing, in development, or planned campaign sites. This will include a review session at the blogs, where the journal activities of the teams will be evident.
B. The Good Cause will then be encouraged to provide a vision of what aspect of their work would benefit most from our efforts.
C. A mock up of the campaign plan, will be prepared by the IB4G campaign associated teams, and then presented, for review, to the Good Cause decision matrix.
D. Once the alignment is complete, the Artists 4 Good Community will be engaged, and the appropriate, supportive mix of artistic expressionists, will be identified. This will be in the form of a ‘casting call’ for good, sent out to a myriad of artists we’ve identified in this process. Local artists, familiar to the good cause, will also be encouraged to participate.
E. The Good Cause will then be presented with a listing of the candidate artists who have expressed their interests. Selections will be encouraged along the lines of the artists alignment with the Good Cause values.
F. The IB4G campaign will then be tailored to include the accepted artists, and the campaign schedule will be solidified.
G. Accessory digital modalities, such as a media campaign center (in association with GoodNewsBroadcast.com) will be started and maintained.
H. The pattern of roll out will be as follows:
1. Merchandising support center in association with Cafepress.com will be established.
2. The media/music mix will be implemented in a music catalog/film/video festival approach.
3. The Giving Works schedule will be implemented, and planned for the online auction of Artists for Good.






I. The campaign facilitator, chosen from among the team, will then be responsible for communication with the development team, the cause du jour, and the media, and handle the campaign success. Each CF will have the license to extend the campaign, beyond the 100 day agreement, based on market response factors, additional Artists 4 Good contributions, or media/current events stimulus which might extend and enhance the contributions of the campaign.
J. Typical goals for the campaigns will run in the 88,000 USD support level, as a standard goal, and will involve three sources of support.
1. Direct Donations through Paypal.com
2. % of conversion sales of Merchandise
3. % of proceeds from Online Giving Works Auction
K. In all cases, the merchandising support center, will be accessible and supporting the good cause, in perpetuity, based on mutual agreement of the good cause, the artists, and IB4G.
L. Upon completion of the campaign calendar, summaries of activities, assessment of campaign aspects for improvement, auditing of campaign proceeds, and distribution of activated resources, will be completed by the CF.
M. We encourage a continuing resource mode, especially in the merchandising support center, which carries a dual responsibility to supply revenues for distribution, yet also is the secondary promotional focus. Each merchandising expression, carries ‘look back’ information, in the form of an electronic link identifier, so that the merchandise carries the message continuously.

We Prefer Paypal

Due to our arrangement with Giving Works through Ebay, we're hosting all of our online transactions through PayPal, and Ebay company.


Additional Options

How this works

Now that there is a little breathing room, perhaps I can provide some perpective on how the IB4G campaign has manifested itself.


In Business for Good
A New Beginning for Economics
And Business Development
V 1.02 Wednesday, August 10, 2005

“In Business for Good” is an economic business development model, designed for the explicit purpose of redirecting a substantial percentage of existing buying behavior to the coffers of local and international community support organizations. Focused on the primary focus market of women from 25 to 70, each participating entity in this evolvement campaign will be challenged to provide a ‘top of the line’ contribution, vice a bottom line, pre-tax donation, to a charitable institution, non-profit entity, community organization, at a level from 10 to 25% of the gross retail value of the product or service.

The premise of this campaign was inspired in a remote place on the Earth, where many episodes of rawthentic and original thinking take place. Perhaps this is due to the ‘clear air’ environment that pervades this remote location, or perhaps it’s the absence of intrusive distractions or obstacles. Whichever is your understanding, this particular incident (which is the core word of co-incidence, by the way), was percolated within the crucible of Kauai, the most western of the main islands of Hawaii. On a particular February week, this author, along with my family, were supporting one of the many community based events, namely the building of the Friends of Kamalani pavilion (see http://www.kamalani.org for more information on that group’s admirable efforts.)



The project leader, along with the lead architect, namely one Bob Leathers, an esteemed developer of over 30 years duration of children’s’ recreational facilities around the world, were instrumental in the formation of the core idea for this campaign.

At that time, surrounded by some of the local community organizations’ leaders, from the United Way, to the local Arts council, to the radio show personality that supports these efforts, a question was posed to me.

“What can you do with the Internet to raise needed funds for our groups?”

As the resonance of that question rang in my ears, and cascaded through the formidable rafters of my mind, a glimmer of an idea, merely a passing notion, perhaps, formed. What would ‘it’ look like ‘when’ the entire idea of running an online funding development company (the seed of ‘In Business for Good’), which could radically alter the landscape of community support. Surely this would be a worthy effort for a recently transported technically adroit marketing philanthropreneur.
Mulling on this idea, and letting it resonate within the echoing chambers of my prior experiences, the light flickered, and then glowed. After a series of research projects, here are the initial conclusions that were drawn, and hence form the essence of the causation of this campaign.

A. In round figures, approximately $ 1 Trillion dollars is donated, granted, or given annually around the world. This may be within 20% either way, yet suffices for this example.
B. According to a long list of credible sources of information, the projected retail economy of the US/Canada/Europe is approximately 30 to 45 Trillion dollars.
C. The major market segment, by gender/population, that supports more than ¾ of all retail activity, is women between 25 and 60. This varies among market areas, of course, yet on average, this example will suffice for our review.
D. Interestingly, and perhaps, this is the major issue here, is that the same group of women, represents nearly 80% of the support pool that contributes the valuable < $100.00 that many of the charities depend on for a growing amount of their annual budgets.

So, with this in mind, we begin. To align with a ‘validation’ marketing approach, where cooperation, support, encouragement, sharing of information and with the activated participation of locally based, independent musical and creative artists, we stand at the edge of opportunity. Are you ready to join us? Do you feel the ‘chicken skin’(Hawaiian expression for goose bumps) as you consider that drawing a percentage of more than 30 Trillion dollars, that’s already being spent, and redirecting up to 25% of that good to the needs of a local organization. And this would represent a supplement to the donation pool, and IN FACT, represents a “MORE ACCESSIBLE” source of funding than merely reorganizing the tentatively shrinking donation pool.

So, with that pre-amble, let us begin. The journey of a thousand steps commences with one intentional decision. To become a Philanthropreneur, and engage your energies, creativity, and inspiration, to an “In Business for Good” model. Welcome to the opening of a chapter in economic history, that may represent the most significant shift of emphasis since the rise of mercantilism.

Your Humble Servant,

Patrick Michaels
From the Middle of Somewhere



August 8, 2005 Update

In the proof of concept stage of any business model, there is the apparent requirement for a demonstration of the viability of the premise on which the model is based. Such as this is a combination of various proven models, and in light of the scale and proportion of the vision of the CEO, its incumbent on us to effect just such a public demonstration. Like Jonas Salk did with his initial polo vaccine, by injecting himself with the first formula, we will ‘inoculate’ our business by launching a dynamic campaign to prove the concept in situ. So, with no further preliminary understandings, we commence the “In Business for Good” campaign with the Major Development Peace & Non-Violence Music/Media events:

A Peace & Non-Violence Auction from Paradise
November 2005

This electronically accessible event will feature the accumulated artistic expressions of various members of the community of the island of Kauai, the westernmost of the main Hawaiian Islands. Each of the artists will be encouraged to contribute one of their most ambitious expressions that support Good Causes and Community Organizations around the world.




Peace & Non-Violence Album Reviews/Listings (Top 88)

The declaration of Kauai as the Peace & Non-Violence Entertainment capital of the world, in August of 2005, we are preparing an online music review guide that will feature samplers of the top 88 songs from around the world. These top tunes, will be rated on the merits of the number of freely shared downloads, the number of benefit gig CD’s that carry them, and also with the number of units purchased as gifts of Peace for another person.

Peace & Non-Violence Icons/Awards

As each community group, online discussion group, or media outlet adopts the P & NV music support method, we will ‘award’ them a “Heartbeat” award, in one of five categories. Each of them will be provided with a kiosk/support center link, which duplicates the current merchandising/marketing arrangements, in a Community Commons approach to distribution.

The Heartbeat Award Nomination Campaign

We will open this ‘people’s choice’ award to the larger P & NV community, asking that there be a progressive and continuing process of nominations for this ‘award’ which is a celebration of the commitment of certain artists to the Ahimsa nature of the Peace & Non-Violence themes.


Peace & Non-Violence Support Centers aligned with Churches and Communities



Peace & Non-Violence Uploading sites

Much like the re-fueling stations that permeate the traditional world’s distribution systems (warehouses, depots, etc), these sites will carry the most important aspects of uploading or downloading facilities. Some candidates for this are Yahoo.com, Real Networks, EBay, Google, etc.

Peace & Non-Violence Media Centers

Oriented to propagate and communicate the essence of what’s working in the world of Peace & Non-Violence, these existing electronically enabled communications companies will be packaged in a ‘media’ gift, sponsored through merchandising and support payments (subscriptions) from the P & NV communities.

Peace & Non-Violence Musician Profiles

A veritable who’s who of the Peace & Non-Violence community, these artists will be honored for their continued commitment to non-violent non-cooperative shift by the expression of their creative potentials.

The Peace & Non-Violence Music Newsletter

The Peace & Non-Violence Celebrants’ Personal Playlists

Cafe Press In Business For Good Gifting Certificat

We have a campaign hq support center developing here.

http://www.cafepress.com/sliceofparadise/

Here's a gift certificate from our publishing company, HarmonyNet Media Group, that's good at any of these stores.





Welcome to In Business for Good

The basis for the In Business 4 Good Business Model

The objective of the IB4G Model of operations is focused on a systematic redirection of existing consumer spending, in the primary areas of music, entertainment, videos, art and collectibles. A flat percentage conversion, usually 25%, and drawn from the expenses typically allocated to marketing, public relations, packaging, promotion, and legal departments, will be allocated, in advance, as a top of the line “Community Investment” item.

Key components of this campaign are:

Community focused word of mouth market velocity generation

Digital based market research, promotion, and distribution

The Gifting phenomenon associated with the ‘hard to buy for’ consumer, specifically, the Cultural Creatives.

Refocusing and extending the ‘helping’ nature of the primary core consumer group, women between 25 and 60, who account for nearly 75% of all retail household purchasing, and nearly 80% of all charitable contributions under 100.00 US.

Leveraging of the intergenerational matrix of communications, among women, and providing means of accessing that matrix through digital community technologies.

Structure of the enterprise: This is a for profit association of media, music, development, and distribution/marketing enterprises, entering into project focused campaign to raise money for Good Causes around the world. Utilizing a Marketing Activism template, we will focus our efforts in responding to the current world situations, and providing a continuing, and evolving organic means of support centers, available through digital and electronic communities.

All funds will be made available, at the conclusion of the campaigns, which usually will run for 100 days, in the form of a grant. In some cases, such as the Ebay Giving Works campaign auctions, will be diverted upon conversion(sale) to the registered good cause of note.

The ground breaking approach to funding will ensure a continuous stream of revenues, drawn from the retail sector activity, and allocated in a Pay Forward mode, to eligible good causes.

For further information on this campaign, connect with this online journal(blog) where our progress will be updated as we continue to develop this new economic and business model.

YouTube Sponsored Videos Help with Our Campaign