Last night’s event, graciously hosted by 501 Tech NYC (of NTEN) at the Planned Parenthood offices, was about the “it” app – Foursquare – and how nonprofits might potentially leverage it in all its trendy glory.
I’m not opposed to Foursquare. On the contrary, I’m probably even more sold on it than I was before last night. Listening to Naveen (Foursquare co-founder) talk about the concept and theory behind it – examining how people interact with place, and testing the ability to shift human behavior with technology – certainly piqued my interest.
Naveen’s nonprofit counterpart, Shelly, from the Brooklyn Museum, delivered and equally interesting presentation about how her organization has been successful in using Foursquare. You must take into consideration the size, budget and capacity of the Brooklyn Museum as you examine the success they’ve had with Foursquare to date, but it is success, nonetheless. In fact, one of the core concepts of Foursquare (creating and bringing together communities) is a cornerstone of the museum’s mission. Perfect alignment. Increased chances for synergy.
The museum is very interested in the community within which they operate. They are all about raising awareness and promoting activity throughout their neighborhood. They’ve leveraged Foursquare to build a massive network (starting, of course, from an already healthy group of socially networked stakeholders) and have deepened the engagement their visitors experience. There are perks for the Mayors (like meeting the director of the museum) and even casual visitors (their very own Brooklyn Museum Badge). If the museum’s objective was creating a more networked network, and giving their visitors more sticky points of entry to experiencing the museum and surrounding neighborhood, they have succeed. And, in large part, they’ve succeeded thanks to Foursquare.
Now, we all know that not all nonprofits have the clout (and resources) that the Brooklyn Museum enjoys. So, is there a way for them to find use in Foursquare? Maybe. But “maybe” is the answer I’ve heard so many times (and to be honest, I was hoping that last night’s event would offer something a bit more definitive.)
I know about the limitations (especially for smaller nonprofits) that relate to time/energy/resources spent on social media. I know about (generally) the minimal outcomes these efforts produce (fine, you might have a lot of people “Like”-ing what you do, but is a single one of them donating?) I also understand the value of building a community, and focusing on awareness/advocacy – not necessarily being concerned about monetary outcomes. But, realistically, how many nonprofits do you know these days that aren’t concerned with increasing donations?
Talking about financial benefits, and the opportunities that Foursquare creates, I’d like to make two points: 1. The economic incentive for companies (particularly retail operations) are quite obvious and seem to be quite fruitful. 2. Why can’t nonprofits use this app in the same way, and enjoy the same benefits? I know the answer: The nonprofit sector and the for-profit sector are inherently (and fatally) unaligned in all ways possible (I won’t start on my Uncharitable-inspired rant). But I’d like to put it out there to people to start thinking about, and testing, ways that nonprofits can monetize Foursquare – and then send your findings over! I’ll even heed my own advice and promise that Empax will be spending significant time thinking about the same thing over the coming weeks and months.
One example that was shared at the event last night was that of nonprofit environmental-legal organization in San Francisco. They rolled out a campaign of billboards that said, “Check in to this sign and we’ll donate $10 to fighting big oil companies”. (I’m paraphrasing, but it was something to this effect). There was no data or metrics on how successful this campaign was, or how many people checked-in, or how much money was eventually donated. But, for the sake of optimism, let’s say it worked, and made a dent. Now, off to your idea labs to think up more applications!
Image credit: Foursquare press kit