Category: Non Profit

How do you Sell Something When it's Free? (4 Common Messaging Traps)

8/15/2015

If you've ever tried to recruit volunteers, get feedback from the general public, have people apply for a great opportunity, or any number of actions that are totally free to the person you're targeting, you know that this can actually be pretty hard!

Nonprofits and local governments in particular offer many free services you would think are a win-win. After all, who wouldn't want free rebate money, or provide feedback on adding more bike lanes on their local streets, or to attend a great community event?

As a "free" institution, it's very easy for organizations that don't charge for their services to get caught in these 4 common traps with their messaging:

Thinking that "because I'm passionate about this topic, everyone else must be too!" This is a common problem with environmental messaging, as it'll often have a value statement centered around the environment as opposed to the other, higher priorities their target audience has. This often resonates poorly with businesses and the general public in particular as the environment is not typically their highest priority value. For example, if you're trying to get the public to support alternative transportation, maybe a better emphasis is "enjoy a shorter commute" as opposed to "it's good for the environment."
Forgetting that time= money for most people. If you're making the action/commitment difficult, or time-consuming, your service or benefit isn't really "free," and will need the assistance of some incentives. This brings us to our next trap which is...
Not identifying WIIFM ("What's in it for me?"). Even if you have the greatest service, event, etc. in the world, your target audience will still need to think it's relevant to them personally if you want them to respond. Make sure to articulate those benefits in a way that people can apply it personally. For example, a student may be somewhat interested in helping at your beach clean-up event (i.e. "help the environment"), but is more likely to actually sign up if it's also presented as an opportunity to satisfy community service hours.
Not having a clear call to action. Many junk e-mails lead with vague requests for support, help, time, etc. without a clear definition of what that looks like. You want someone's feedback, not necessarily their time. You want people to donate, not just their "support." Making that request as specific and clear as possible at the outset will make it easier for your target audience to participate and continue "supporting" your mission.

Want more advice on how to get better community or employee engagement for your sustainability initiatives? E-mail us at info@sundownersustainability.com to schedule your free initial one-hour consultation today!

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Are Sustainability Consultants Useful? You Bet!

12/29/2014

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The end of a fiscal or calendar year is often the best time to re-invest in the tools and resources that will benefit your organization in the upcoming year. However, between holidays, staff outages, and the general crunch that comes from closing out a busy year, there's usually limited bandwidth for acting on these initiatives. Hiring a consultant can be a major win-win in this situation, as a California-based non profit that trains college students to conduct campus energy efficiency projects recently discovered.

This month, Sundowner was able to use its emphasis on affordable, project-based deliverables to create training materials that will serve the organization for years to come. The first product was an energy efficiency training module designed to encourage youth from low-income and disadvantaged communities to consider and pursue green career opportunities. Packed with interactive questions and activities, this module will continue to provide youth in California and beyond with valuable workforce skills whenever it's presented. The second product was a custom, visually appealing, and informative guide for students pursuing energy efficiency rebate opportunities on college campuses. Best of all, both projects were delivered within a two-week timeline in order to arrive before the end of the calendar/fiscal year: a feat that would otherwise be near impossible for an already busy team occupied with keeping their program running.

As a busy professional, your most valuable resource is time. Sustainability consultants can help you save more of it while getting you the results you want. What could be more useful?

Interested in getting custom sustainability signage, reports, or guides for your organization or business? Contact Sundowner for a free consultation on how we can help.

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Why are my Fluorescent Lights Flickering?!

10/23/2014

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If you have overhead fluorescent lights that won't stop flickering, it could be the unpleasant result of old-meets-new technology. Newer fluorescent bulbs (or lamps as techies prefer to call them) are designed to work with electronic ballasts. If the fixture is using an older magnetic ballast, it could result in a constant flicker. Ballasts control the electric current to the lamp, and are usually hidden inside the fixture. Upgrading to the newer electronic ballasts will not only eliminate that pesky flicker, but save you energy as well.

Replacing the ballast requires some electrical wiring work, but should be a quick fix for any electricians or maintenance staff you have on hand.

Not sure if you have a magnetic or electronic ballast? Contact your local utility for a free energy audit, or ask Sundowner for a general sustainability assessment to get your facility tuned-up. We check for ballast types during any standard audit and on-site rebate application service assessments.

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Behind the Scenes: 2014 Community Clean Up Event

7/31/2014

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As anyone who has planned an event can tell you, it's a lot of work! For government agencies and non profits, limited staff bandwidth combined with large public events means they can use all the help they can get. Looking Good Santa Barbara's 11th annual Community Clean Up event, which brought together approximately 400 community members in support of beautification projects throughout the East and Westside neighborhoods of Santa Barbara was no exception. To make a great event even better, Sundowner Sustainability offered pro-bono consulting services to pay attention to the green event features so organizers could keep their focus on the big picture.

One of the most useful features Sundowner focused on was creating a paperless online registration system. Creating a publicly available survey that captured critical information allowed Sundowner and City staff to track how many volunteers planned to attend, what kind of projects they wanted to participate in, and ensure sufficient project materials for everyone. There was also an online survey that allowed businesses to pledge participation and supplies virtually instead of snail mailing paper forms. Together, the systems made registration paperless and ensured a successful event.

Event planners also wanted to make sure catering vendors, participants, and organizers were all on board with the City's efforts to make this a zero-waste event. Historically, participants would have a hard time knowing how to sort effectively, or vendors would bring supplies that were non-compostable, reducing the effectiveness of the zero-waste bins. Sundowner took the lead on communicating with food vendors to make sure they understood that compostable utensils and plateware would be available on-site, and double check on potential sources of waste. When it comes to waste sorting, Sundowner strongly believes in the concept of creating waste signage that is customized to what's being served at the event. As a result, Sundowner came prepared with interactive signage templates and physically attached examples of the appropriate waste to the signs. Case and point: it's a lot easier to look down at your plate, see the exact same plate posted on the waste sign, and know where to put it as opposed to having to read through a long list of potential materials to figure it out... wouldn't you agree?

To bring the waste sorting message home, we also had an interactive waste sorting game for volunteers at the end of the event. In exchange for prizes, participants could sort through a pile of sample waste items ranging from plastic bottles to batteries and place them in the appropriate "bins" (labeled sections of our sorting box). The more items they placed correctly, the more points they earned. It was a great way to educate people about waste streams in Santa Barbara, and how to appropriately dispose of unique items like CDs/DVDs and foodscraps.

If you want help implementing green features like this at an upcoming event, don't forget to contact Sundowner for a free consultation (info@sundownersustainability.com). For a news article containing more information on the event, click here.

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Sundowner offers a full range of sustainability ("green") consulting services to help organizations improve their environmental performance while saving time and money in the process. Read on for more tips and case studies on how to make our mission part of your mission!

How do you Sell Something When it's Free? (4 Common Messaging Traps)

Are Sustainability Consultants Useful? You Bet!

Why are my Fluorescent Lights Flickering?!

Behind the Scenes: 2014 Community Clean Up Event

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How do you Sell Something When it's Free?﻿ (4 Common Messaging Traps)

Are Sustainability Consultants Useful? You Bet!

Why are my Fluorescent Lights Flickering?!

Behind the Scenes: 2014 Community Clean Up Event

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How do you Sell Something When it's Free? (4 Common Messaging Traps)