Ideahaus : Creative + Communications

This is a copy of the keynote address given by me at the 58th Annual Meeting of UCP/CLASS in Pittsburgh, PA. – kp

Today, we have embraced – as a mission – the concepts of “Empowering People” and “Creating Communities.”

In preparing for this evening, I’ve read quite a bit about both, especially about how we thought we were going to accomplish both. Together.

One of the ways I thought we could get an equal understanding of this would be by watching a short video about the statistics of the world we live in today. I think you’ll be quite surprised (which is something I have come to be known for ;-)

One of the more memorable pieces I read was written by Al Condelucci, Executive Director, UCP / CLASS, in one of his articles on Social Capital, or simply, “how to put a value on the worth of personal and group relationships”, where he states…

“We are convinced that the route to success in community, no matter the group or agenda, rests in understanding the concept of social capital, and then developing strategies and supports that will facilitate disadvantaged groups in building, maintaining, or sustaining social capital. When we move in this direction we are convinced that we will finally make progress in helping people find value and relevance in community.”

The term “social capital” is new to a lot of us, but the concept isn’t.

We’ve grown up with friends that we could call up in a pinch and ask to watch your kids, or cut your grass, or borrow $20 until payday. And they do it. Why? Because you have history, a relationship, and you’ve earned the right to ask your friend to do what friends do.

At work you can ask certain co-workers to cover for you, to help out with a project, to lend a hand when they didn’t have to – and they do. Why? Because they know what it’s like, and you’d do it for them.

Sociologists call this “social reciprocity”. We’ve called this “friendship”, or “camaraderie”, or just simply “doing the right thing”, and most of us have been taught or have learned the value of it.

I, myself, attribute my success and longevity, in large part, to my friends and family that have been there for me when I needed a hand.

Sometimes you have to remind some people that they have a balance due, but people usually don’t put a price tag on it, or think of it like money in the bank.

So, I think what Al is telling us is that there are more forms of currency than the paper the government prints.

And it includes the personal and professional relationships we each have in our overlapping worlds.

And today, Social Media web site and services like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, and the like are helping people maintain these relationships they already have in between the “traditional” contact, like a phone call, or a meeting, or a holiday card with an “untraditional” or “social media” contact like text message, a status update or a “tweet”.

Social Media sites are even better at helping develop new relationships, and opportunities and our individual accounts of Social Capital.

And this is where I see the opportunities for “empowering our people” and “growing our communities”; Using Social Media to Increase Social Capital.

Although this is not the forum for the specifics, it is for the big picture. And this is what I see for us in the future.

(Empowering) The People We Serve.

•    A social identity, just like everyone else.
•    An equal presence on Facebook and LinkedIn and other social networks amongst other people of different backgrounds and similar interests.
•    Developing your profiles to present you, each as individuals, with a common cause on Facebook.
•    Connecting with the personal and professional relationships you already have for support.
•    Meeting new people, and joining group of your individual interest and common goals.

For their families…

•    To understand that online, we are sometimes more equal than the real world. Words sometimes difficult to understand are clearly heard as a status update on Facebook, or a post on a blog.
•    To join them, help them, facilitate as necessary, to participate in the networks and communities, on a daily basis, like everyone, else.
•    To share the good times and the bad with the friends, family and professional support in between the real-world interactions that are sometimes too far apart.
•    There’s always someone there to listen when there’s a couple hundred in your network and it will tell you who’s online.

(Empowering) Our staff.

•    There is strength in numbers with social media and empowering the staff starts with the organization – leading by example.
•    LinkedIn profiles for the company and every leadership position.
•    Profiles connecting with other professional assets they have,
•    Develop discussions, sharing news articles, targeting relations in front of the thousands of people that can make a difference in the lives of our consumers.
•    Sharing their success stories with words, pictures and video to help others understand what we do, who we help, and how others have overcome their challenges.

(Empowering) Our Board.

•    Bringing attention to our agency and our cause is one of the simplest contributions each Board member, like myself, can offer.
•    Adding our Board positions to our LinkedIn profiles creates a brief mention to our network in a daily update.
•    Joining the newly created group adds the UCP/CLASS group icon to our profile gaining more exposure to everyone in our network every day.
•    Sharing agency news in our LinkedIn and Facebook status updates increases our awareness.
•    Joining our Facebook Cause, becoming a fan of our Fan page, commenting and “liking” our events shares UCP with every friend you have.
•    Adding an article, a PowerPoint presentation related to the agency, or just a well-written thought about your role at the agency and what you see are different types of content that can be shared with others, and used to help more people find us on the internet.

(Empowering) Other Human Service Agencies, like ourselves. And Representatives from the Bureaus, Associations and Organizations.

•    First, we can lead by example.
•    Second, we can share what we’ve learned and our online resources, including friends, connections, event information, links, resources.
•    Add a post to our web site, we’ll add one to yours.
•    None of us knows as much as all of us.

(Empowering) Political Support and Community Dignitaries.

•    We can help you help us – lets call it our “Social Capital Stimulus Campaign”
•    You need support in numbers and we need strong voices.
•    Share our news and information, our solutions, our success stories, our leader in all levels, etc.
•    Visit us online, make friends with us, connect with our leadership and recommend our key people. Help us show the rest of the business community how much our people contribute.
•    Sharing your social capital makes a big impact when you have very little.
•    Those of us, like myself, that have been fortunate in our social investments are able to make an impact – and I challenge each of you to do so in your unique and personal way.

Creating Communities.

With these tasks completed we will be more than just friends on Facebook, Connections on LinkedIn or Followers on Twitter. We will be a force of hundreds, sharing the same information, the same offer of help, united – even further – for a common good.

We will be an online community with great reach and impression than the brick and mortar community we share here tonight. We can meet more often, at the same time or when its suits us best. We won’t have to wait for the van to pick us up to get to where we want to be as we have a new kind of mobility – even independence.

And each in our community will realize the return of our investments of learning something new and trying something we may not tonight fully understand. Each of us will realize how our good work has positively impacted our social capital accounts.

•    More people to connect means new conversations.
•    More conversations about information, services, treatments, facilities – about jobs and opportunities.
•    More resources for dealing with challenges.
•    More people knowing you, helping you and understanding what you do.
•    All of this can start today – if you’ll do your part.

Call to Action.

My Doctoral studies in the School of Education has taught me that we must set our students up for success. And my role this evening, I believe, is part educator. To that end, I have offered to help with your formal education in my area of expertise, Satellite Marketing. Specifically, using social media for communications.

This Wednesday we are offering a workshop titled, “Satellite Marketing: Using Social Media to Sell”. Half of the registration fees will be donated to UCP/CLASS and members of the staff selected by Al Condelucci will be attending at no charge.

If you cannot attend I’ll suggest you can still support us by sending one or more representatives of your company, including your VP of Marketing, Creative Director, or Sales Manager.

I look forward to empowerment of all of the people of the UCP family, and to growing our communities to where all belong equally. Thank you.

To watch this meeting online please visit;

• http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1697669

References: The following articles were referenced for this post;

• “Community and Social Capital” by Al Condelucci, Executive Director, UCP / CLASS
• “The Critical Nature of Social Capital” by Al Condelucci, Executive Director, UCP / CLASS
• “UCP Social Capital Story” by Al Condelucci, Executive Director, UCP / CLASS