I saw a few Facebook friends change their statuses on Wednesday. They linked to Give10Now.org. I made a mental note of it that drifted from my mind as soon as CSI:NY came on.
Then, yesterday, I got an email from United Way of Metropolitan Nashville telling me I should watch a video. That's all their email said. That's easy enough to do, so I clicked on it. I'm on their email list and they do good work, so why not throw them a bone? Imagine my delight when I saw this:
Sure, it could be about 30 seconds shorter and it is reminiscent of the Starbucks spots that played close to the election, but all in all I like it. Here's why:
It's just on YouTube
They didn't come up to a huge ad campaign that would run on local TV, falling on the same aging ears that most of those commercials do. They made something slick, different and engaging, and they posted where people who gravitate to videos like that could easily find it.
They got a separate url
Good for them that Give10Now.org was available. And good for them for not putting a bunch on info about United Way on it. And best of all, they didn't direct anyone to their home page to find this. This is a great example of how one page can (and should) do one thing.
The action is clearly defined
I only needed to watch the video once and I know what I’m being asked to do. I'm asked to give $10 and then tell 10 friends. Done (I did give $10 and this is my way of telling 10 friends).
It's easy to take action
Click on the donate button if you want. It takes you right to the giving page. A few clicks and 90 seconds later, I'm done. And that they promised in the video will happen (warm beds, full stomachs, etc.).
Let me also say – this is far better than the national "Live United" campaign that’s been running at United Way affiliates. White T-shirts doesn't quite cut it for me – sorry. I hope to see more innovation coming soon from United Way of Metropolitan Nashville.
As I told emailed a friend (okay, I guess I emailed one person about it), "This is the best example of a large, old-school Nashville nonprofit doing something viral, low cost, low commitment and high impact."