It sounds strange, but sometimes I forget that I’m a photographer. A photographer who is published, sells images and truly loves making pictures.

Giving strategic marketing advice, crafting news releases and coaching clients is different than being the one capturing images, but it’s how I usually position myself and my Chicago area strategic marketing and public relations company.

Yesterday afternoon I sent an email RSVP to a fund-raising event manager with this line:

“Let me know if you’d like me to take pictures. I’m happy to donate my time and a CD with images.”

Today I got email asking me to get there early and to watch for a list of shots they’d like to have.

Will I be the official event photographer? I don’t know, but I might be. If you’re a photographer who is looking for work, think about donating your time. Here’s what’s in it for you. If you represent a charity that needs an event photographer, feel free to use this list when you contact photographers about shooting your event.

• credit: when your images get published
• recognition: at the event and in charity communications
• promotion: run a live slide show at the event with as they’re being taken images
• portfolio pieces: food, architecture, portraiture – all possible subjects, get permission to reuse
• income: let Photrade take orders and sell images for you
• reach: post images with event/charity tags on site like flickr, facebook
• gratitude: so many people will thank you
• legacy: you’re the one that people will remember as the event image-maker

Your Turn

How do use photography to promote your charity – or business?

Image Credit: Barbara Rozgonyi, copyright 2005-2008

Here in the U.S. It’s Labor Day weekend, a time to celebrate the last few sweet bits of summer.

Last night while I sat in a friend’s driveway watching The Blues Brothers on a 16′ x 14′ screen, I got inspired to take a new look at the movie. This time, from a fundraising perspective. In the movie, two brothers – Jake, John Belushi and Elwood, Dan Aykroyd – go on a charity-driven mission to raise the back taxes needed to save the orphanage where they grew up. Roger Ebert described the movie in his review of The Blues Brothers  as the Sherman tank of musicals. See for yourself . . .

Charity PR: Fundraising Lessons from The Blues Brothers

1. Come up with a unifying and motivating tagline – “We’re on a mission from God” [movie's taglines]
2. See the light – look for guidance around you, what do you need to illuminate?
3. Appeal to alums – who’s benefited from your organization and how can you get them involved?
4. Set a target goal – in the movie, it’s $5,000 in 11 days
5. Have a worthy cause – take up a piece at a time
6. Get a band together – choose talented people who play/work well together
7. Host an event – people love to get out and be together
8. Pack the house – decide to fill the venue to the rafters
9. Lead the chase – accelerate efforts to be visible and the first
10. Ignore all obstacles – stay focused on what’s ahead, don’t look in the rear view mirror
11. Mount a huge loudspeaker – blare your message out so everyone can hear it
12. Don’t be afraid to mix with the high society crowd – drop in and fit in where they are
13. Attract attention – entice people to follow you
14. Be flexible – keep back-up plans ready to go
15. Leave the stage with the show going on – let the crowd keep rocking your message for you
16. Take advantage of opportunities – look for uncharacteristic places to reach out and connect
17. Be a crossover artist – seek out people and places that might be part of your community
18. Drive a cop car – supercharge your efforts to vault over obstacles and lead the pack
19. Wear sunglasses – shade the glare so you can see the bright side
20. YOUR TAKEAWAY HERE

Your Turn

What’s your top Blues Brothers takeaway? What have you tried that works consistently?

Update 10.17.07 Final Results are in from Blog Action Day

20,603 Blogs Participated

23,327 Blog Posts (Google Blog Search)

14,631,038 RSS Readers

Today is Blog Action Day – as of this moment 15,861 blogs with a combined RSS reach of 12, 697,713 readers display posts about the environment. In researching BlogWorld & New Media Expo speaker blogs, I found Copyblogger Brian Clark’s Blog Action Day post, “The Butterfly Effect and the Environment: How Small Actions Can Change the World.” Because Brian writes about butterflies, I’m adding one of my images here to show how social butterflies can be – like bloggers?

Read the Blog Action Day Press Release

Why You Need Environmental PR

After watching Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth” for the first time over the weekend, I’m still in a mild state of shock. Last Friday, Forbes.com ran a story called “The Inconvenient Truth About China”- the story continues.

No matter where you stand politically – and let’s be clear this is not a political blog – the environment’s health affects our water, our economy, our lives, our weather, our quality of life, and our future.

Can the environment really be in that much danger? How could Manhattan, San Francisco and Amsterdam float away? Will millions of people be without water? To get the answers, you’ll have to watch the movie. But, hopefully, you’ll do more than that. Taking action to protect the environment is our collective responsibility. But, how can you integrate protecting the environment into your marketing and PR strategy?

Test out one of these suggestions . . .

Churches and Non-Profits

Form an environmental justice group – our church sells green bags for groceries and recently presented a program on “Our Precious Water” to help us all conserve resources and gauge the purity of our local resources. One of our biggest takeaways: a small amount of motor oil dumped in a storm sewer can contaminate millions of gallons of water.

Businesses

Investigate the availability of renewable resources in your vendor lines. For example, one of our clients offers products made from high yield renewable hardwood taken from trees that mature two to three times faster than hardwood trees grown in colder climates.

Ask your employees to reuse water containers made specifically for reuse, like glassware or sports bottles. Drinking out of a plastic water bottle sold in stores is contaminated after the first use and is often of no better quality than tap water.

Print your business communications on unbleached recyclable paper with soy inks.

Publicize your efforts and encourage your industry or company to be a leader in environmental awareness.

Partner with an environmental awareness group as an information or a fund-raising sponsor.

Marketing and Public Relations Practitioners

Refer to this comprehensive environmental public relations guide by our European colleagues at Confédération Européenne des Relations Publique

Watch “Inconvenient Truth” for ideas on how to:

- make a complex issue simple and actionable

- present concepts in a variety of media: charts, animation, video

- personalize the story by explaining the motivation for action

- weave in your history to the issue

Entrepreneurs

I personally like Brian’s suggestion – quit your job and work from home.

How do you help save the earth? Join in our conversation or . . .

Donate to Blog Action Day’s environmental charities.

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Update 10.17.07 – See the list of 670 sites going Pink for October 

Every Friday, Wired PR Works features a charity with a complimentary Public Service Announcement post. Because October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I’m joining in with Pink for October , an online grassroots cooperative dedicated to spreading knowledge and awareness.

While I’m still attempting to blush up my blog, if you’d like to glow pink, check out these top 10 Pink For October redesigns.

Have to admit I’m a little late in the game on this one. It is, after all October 12. But, I’m no latecomer to breast cancer awareness. When I was four, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and given not long to live. She said she made a pact with God to let her live long enough see me go to college. And, she did. Fighting the disease for 14 years made her case unlikely enough to make it into the university hospital’s record books.

In searching for a site to share with you, I found these three:

Read personal stories: MyBreastCancerNetwork

Give and learn: National Breast Cancer Foundation

Donate and share: Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization

This Friday’s PSA is on behalf of Bridge Communities, an organization that serves the working poor, the fastest growing population, in one of Illinois’ wealthiest counties. Know someone who needs help? Call Bridge Communities at 630.545.0610. Have a charity you’d like to see featured as a Friday PSA? Leave a suggestion in the comment box with the URL.

Organization Stats:
- average age of a homeless person is 8 years old
- clients: homeless families in need of housing, career counseling, education and mentoring
- partners: 41 churches and community groups in DuPage County
- provided 69,000 shelter nights in 2006
- transitioned 1600 people from homeless to self-sufficiency since 1988
- $25 donation provides 24 hours of shelter/housing for one person

About Bridge Communities From the sponsorship of one family in 1988, Bridge Communities’ network includes program partnerships with over 40 churches and community groups in locations throughout DuPage County.  

Program partners assist in supporting nearly 70 homeless families annually in the Bridge Transitional Housing Program. With a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, Bridge Communities is one of the top-ranked organizations to serve homeless families in the Midwest. One gift to Bridge Communities goes to work on six levels providing housing, mentoring, tutoring, employment counseling, career and financial planning assistance.

Bridge Communities’ mission is to: inspire and effect change by advocating for homeless families; provide services and opportunities that connect families to a better future; collaborate with faith-based partners, community groups and businesses to leverage resources and create long-term solutions; and lead by example through our innovative programs and grassroots involvement.

Donate now to help homeless families find a better future