Category Archive: Social responsibility
Emma goes to TEDxNashville
Kelley and Christy share their TEDxNashville experience
Emma’s feeling the love for TEDx this month. Gina Nykerk and Annie Parsons attended TEDxMileHigh on April 7, and two days later, a group of folks from our Nashville office went to TEDxNashville (take a look at our pictures from the event on Facebook).
Kelley Kirker and Christy Montoya, two of Emma’s design coordinators, share their TEDx experience here.
by Kelley Kirker
New to the world of TED, I didn’t know what to expect from a day of “ideas worth sharing.” I was curious enough to invest a Saturday, and I’m so glad I did. I left inspired and utterly motivated.
Nashville’s theme was “A Sense of Wonder,” and as I listened to each speaker, it wasn’t long before I started to ponder how I could play a role in changing the world. I may not be a philanthropic photographer or children’s songwriter, and I probably don’t have a future in rocket technology, but my mind was alive with wonder.
The final two presenters of the day, Ashley Judd and Jimmy Wayne, went beyond wonder and absolutely moved me. Ashley shared experiences from her travels and introduced us to the lives of people this world has forgotten: women and children who live in some of the worst conditions imaginable. She shared her commitment to honor and remember them.
Then, Jimmy took the stage. Since he’s a musician, it didn’t seem strange for him to step up to the microphone with a guitar strapped on. But I was in no way prepared for the weight of his message and the poignant song he shared. Jimmy spoke quietly as he told his personal experience with abandonment, incarceration, foster home survival and hope. Ultimately, Jimmy’s story took something previously global (read: a world away) and made it local. It’s not a heartache nine time zones away — there are children right here in Nashville who need to experience safety and love. It is surprising and wonderful to connect so profoundly with a story.
Now I know TED. It’s about knowledge and inspiration that resonates and spreads. Thanks to the folks at TED, the local planners and the speakers for a life-changing Saturday.
by Christy Montoya
Months before TEDxNashville arrived, I was invited to join the marketing committee coordinating the exposure and communication of the 2011 event. I had become intrigued by TED over the previous year and was quick to join the team for Nashville’s 2nd annual conference focused on Technology, Entertainment and Design. Taking a step behind the scenes allowed me to see the creativity and determination of those in my community, all committed to facilitating a space and time for ideas to be shared, for energizing dialogue to take place and for inspiration to jumpstart a thousand more fantastic dreams and goals.
The conference flew by with each speaker approaching the stage for a few minutes to share his or her story. I was struck by the simple idea that a portrait could allow someone to see his or her value, that a poetic anthem might preserve the dignity of otherwise forgotten sisters, that the plight of homeless children would cause a man to walk 1,700 miles across the country in order to spread awareness about their experiences.
I’m proud that Emma supported this event, that so many of my colleagues attended and that I had a behind-the-scenes look at the people who make TED successful. (Check out TED’s initiatives if you’re interested in getting involved.)
Even now, I find myself reflecting on the stories and ideas shared a few weekends ago, and I sense a renewed passion for the causes I care about. What idea are you putting motion to? How might your passions make the world a better place?
A leafy infographic for Earth Day
Plus, help us plant 100 more trees
Design by Jennifer Kasdorf. Inspiration by Terry in Hoboken. Click to view the full infographic.
In anticipation of Earth Day on April 22, we sat down to do a little trees-by-the-numbers infographic recently here in the Emma office. Designer Jennifer Kasdorf and writer Molly Niendorf — with some help from Jesse Worstel and Jamie Bradley — came up with all kinds of nice things to say about our tree friends.
And just as soon as 100 of our non-tree friends share this post or this month’s Emma email roundup on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, we’re going to plant 100 extra trees (in addition to the five we already plant for each customer, of course). We’re pretty sure the forest creatures would help with this social networking effort, but — let’s face it — squirrels and rabbits are ridiculously inept when it comes to computers. So it’s probably up to you.
You can take a look at the full version of the infographic handiwork above and share it with your followers using the icons below. And thanks! We’ll let you know right here on the blog and right over there on Twitter what happens.
You say TEDx, I say amazing
Denver does the first TEDxMileHigh
Just when we thought Denver couldn’t get any better, Annie Parsons and I had the privilege of attending TEDxMileHigh, the first public TEDx event in Denver.
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to ideas worth spreading that started as a four-day conference 26 years ago. TEDx is one of its many initiatives: a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. (Read more on their website.)
“Inspired Citizenship” was the theme of the TEDxMileHigh evening, and I am truly inspired by the citizens and natives of this state. Annie and I live in the company of big thinkers and even bigger doers. Doers like Casey Sheahan, the CEO & President of Patagonia (be still, my outdoor enthusiast heart). Casey spoke about Patagonia’s incredibly successful 1% For The Planet initiative, and their new mission to create every product out of recyclable materials and also make every product recyclable.
Big thinker and doer (and recently elected Colorado Governor), John Hickenlooper, spoke about his gubernatorial campaign and how he was able to win on a positive platform. He also challenged us to volunteer in our schools. He believes that the change needed in our education system — especially given the budget crisis — is going to have to come one resident at a time. Listening to his call-to-action made me proud of Emma’s Donors Choose efforts, but it also made me want to find a way to volunteer at the elementary school two blocks from my house.
From Robyn O’Brien, author of The Unhealthy Truth, to Bernard Amadei, founder of Engineers Without Borders, to Libby Birky, co-founder of SAME Café, the list of people who inspired me goes on and on. Among all the inspiration, the one idea that I walked away with, hope not to forget, and believe will inspire me to action is: ”People forget that what’s in it for us is that we’re all in this together.”
Indeed, we are. How can we make a difference in our communities? I’d love to hear how you’re giving back and if you have any inspiring stories to share.
Helping the city of Portland turn it up to 11
At Emma, we work hard, play hard and passionately support causes that change our communities for the better. Company-wide, we give 5% of our annual revenue to fund things we believe in, like Kiva, Donor’s Choose, our annual Emma 25 and various causes that our staffers support.
Sometimes, though, we can make more impact with a time investment than a financial one. Out here in Portland, that means stepping outside of the proverbial work week and lending time and energy to projects that focus on creating the community we live in.
A compelling movement is brewing in Portland right now called PDX11 that hits all the right notes for us — so, naturally, we got involved. Fueled by Mayor Adam’s office and the Portland Development Commission (PDC), PDX11 aims to put Portland on the map as the go-to place for software talent and investment opportunities. To accomplish this, a community of software industry professionals, local government leaders and interested citizens emerged to make this a reality.
Emma has been supporting PDX11 since the inaugural meeting in December 2010, and we’re currently in the final planning stages for the PDX11 Unconference and Hackathon slated for April 1-2. It’s a two-day opportunity to bring everyone together to share the progress we’ve made, craft strategy for the future and celebrate the diverse and vibrant contributions of everyone involved.
In conjunction with the Unconference, we’re also hosting a Hackathon for assembled developers to work on some key software that supports PDX11, like Calagator, ePDX.org, CivicApps inspired projects like PDXAPI, and open source Trimet data processing applications. Another group of developers will pair up and hack code like Ruby, Python, PHP and Javascript.
All and all, it’s going to be a great weekend. If you’re in Portland, consider this an invitation to join the revolution. After all, who doesn’t want to turn it up to 11?
Painting (and singing) in the rain
Selena, Michelle, Kris and Jenny from Emma's Portland office were on hand to brighten the day.
On Saturday, January 15th, a few folks from Emma’s Portland office teamed up with the extraordinary Hands On Greater Portland to participate in the MLK Day of Service. We’ve long been fans of the Hands On Network, which connects volunteers all across the country with opportunities to create and sustain positive change through local service. For our project, we headed over to the Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare facility to put a fresh coat of paint on their ground floor.
Cascadia supports people in the Portland community struggling with mental illnesses, addiction and homelessness. Through services ranging from mental health counseling, crisis intervention and addictions treatment to transitional, residential, and permanent housing, they empower individuals to find recovery, hope and opportunity.
Our day began in typical Portland fashion with soft pattering rain — the perfect kind of weather to hunker down with an awesome group of volunteers and brighten up the facility. We painted and rolled while listening to a hilarious soft rock station, occasionally pausing for spontaneous sing-a-longs to classics like “Eternal Flame” and “Right Here Waiting for You.”
When we finally peeled off the tape and cleared the dropcloths, it was a brand new room, bright and cheerful, reflecting the vision of Cascadia’s mission of hope. We rounded up the day at Alameda Brewhouse. Over pints of beer, we toasted Hands On, Cascadia and all the people who work to improve the quality of life in this incredible town we are proud to call home. Hats off to you all.
Giving back and looking forward
We’re looking forward to finding new ways to give back in 2011, and we’re taking a look back at our favorite moments from 2010, too. We had fun finding new ways to push our efforts even further this year and to add in a little creativity wherever possible. I’m so proud of the work Emma does to give back. As you reminisce with us about our 2010 highlights, feel free to give us a shout with any community initiatives that are important to you and your company.
Jessica and Christy with Sam, a favorite on our Meals on Wheels route.
Mobile Meals at St. Luke’s
Every Wednesday, two Emma staffers buddy up and deliver meals around the community for St. Luke’s. The route lasts about an hour and is a perfect break from the regular workday. Not only do we get to chat with a colleague and maybe even discuss another new project we’re working on, but we also get to meet some folks around Nashville and be a part of their lives. Sam seems to be a favorite — he loves the Emma crew, always keeps his yard pristine and is often at the door with a perfectly knotted tie.
Another good friend is Sergy, who’s originally from Russia and has a to-die-for smile and peppy attitude. Sadly, his pup passed away a few weeks ago. We all knew and loved that dog, so we found the perfect card for Sergy — no words, just photos, so that he would know we were thinking of him despite the language barrier.
Kiva
Our involvement with Kiva warms us up like hot cocoa. It’s a fantastic organization that helps empower small businesses around the world with entrepreneurial loans. Throughout this year, we’ve lent money to 25 different people trying to start businesses in countries ranging from Benin to Lebanon, Kenya to Costa Rica, Nicaragua to Iraq. We can’t wait to get this year’s loans started; already on the 2011 giving list are start-ups in Uganda and the Kyrgyz Republic.
DonorsChoose
Did you hear about the lady who covered all of the DonorsChoose California requests? That was Emma. Just kidding — but we *were* inspired by that incredible example of generosity. We’ve been working with DonorsChoose for quite a while now, and the California story has been a great motivator for us to push ourselves further. In 2010, we covered costs for 35 classrooms in need. Many teachers go to work every day without adequate supplies to teach their students, and DonorsChoose allows teachers to post their needs online and request help from anyone who wants to give. As with Kiva, our staffers volunteer and select the classrooms online. Then the best part, of course, is seeing all the sweet thank you notes from the cute kids.
Kelli, Elizabeth and Mary Claire enjoying the Jack and Back ride.
“Bike to Jack and Back” Bike MS
Every year, Jack Daniel’s sponsors a two-day bike ride from Nashville to their legendary distillery in Lynchburg, TN, and then back to Nashville. When a staffer forwarded an email about the event to the rest of the company, we quickly realized how many Emma friends and family have been affected by multiple sclerosis. For the first time this year, we had a whole team of riders and volunteers involved in the event, and we began our planning and training in April.
The best part was our not-so-silent auction. We created a sort of online marketplace where anyone from Emma could bid on goods and services offered up by other staffers, and all the money went toward Bike MS. Items staffers offered for auction included eating tapas with our CEO Clint Smith while listening to ’80s rock music and one-day-only rights to have Community staffer Kelli Liszka do backbends on command. We had a blast and raised more than $5,000.
Some other organizations we supported this year:
- Hands On Nashville
- Feeding America’s Backpack Program
- Halloween at St. Luke’s
- Blood:Water:Mission
- Clips of Faith Beer and Film Tour
Does your company also love to give back? Let us know what kind of groups inspire you … we want to hear your ideas.
Announcing this year’s Emma 25 honorees
Folks at Pawsitive Works and Mother Hubbard's Cupboard, two of this year's Emma 25 honorees.
These small non-profits are doing big things.
We’re so pleased to unveil this year’s Emma 25 honorees today. All of the 300-plus groups that participated in our seventh-annual event are deserving, and we were inspired by the innovation and dedication we glimpsed while reading through the applications.
As with previous years, each of our honorees will receive an Emma account, custom stationery design and a lifetime of email and survey service, all at no cost.
These 25 groups on this year’s list contribute a whole lot of goodness to the world:
- An Indiana food pantry branching out into gardening and cooking classes.
- Artists in New York encouraging inner-city teens to express themselves.
- A group in Idaho bringing shelter dogs and at-risk kids together.
- An Arkansas non-profit installing solar energy panels in low-income communities.
- Counselors in Oregon teaching parenting classes for as little as $1.
- An Austin group suiting up disadvantaged women for their careers.
We could go on. Actually, we do go on over here, where you can see the full list.
Oh, and we really appreciate the way so many of you helped us spread the word through your blog posts, tweets, email campaigns and conversations. Thanks for supporting this program – we couldn’t do it without you.
Meet the 2010 Emma 25 honorees.
Meet Blood: Water Mission
How a Nashville nonprofit makes the most of a free Emma 25 account and helps save lives in Africa.
One of Blood: Water Mission's beautiful email campaigns.
Although it started as a small passion project in 2005, Blood: Water Mission has since become an extraordinary organization with multiple operations and international reach. But they aren’t just bringing clean water and better sanitation to all different parts of Africa — they’re also using thoughtful, effective marketing strategies to get the most out of their fundraising efforts.
Two years ago, Emma was thrilled to recognize their work through Emma 25, our annual program that awards free email marketing service to deserving nonprofits. (And this year’s Emma 25 is now in full swing — you can apply now through November 15.) We’ve been proud to play a part in the incredible story of their project, and they impress us to this day with their smart marriage of mission and branding. Their email campaigns consistently see great open and click-through rates, largely because their supporters are actually getting the right message — and seeing things beautifully.
How do they do it?
They keep it simple and honest. In this campaign, for example, they highlight their matching initiative and follow it up with a simple thanks to their Give Health Blogivation supporters. Compelling, relevant imagery enhances each point, and the textual content doesn’t force the eye to process too many colors and font styles — again, lovely and personal.
Blood: Water Mission could not function without its volunteers, so they reach out to share their gratitude after every event. They also use the survey feature to collect and track feedback, which is helpful internally and also demonstrates to the community that the organization listens to its supporters.
Why we like it.
Besides the amazing work they do saving lives, their brand image is incredibly thoughtful. The bold design stands out, and the logo itself conveys a strong message of action, simplicity, humility and intensity. The photos are treated with rustic appeal, and the entire newsletters carry the same earth tones and weathered sophistication. The buttons have clear calls to action and feel immediate and touchable.
Want to see more newsletter examples?
- A few simple buttons in this campaign tie into the brand, and it makes a huge difference.
- The photo of a young woman in this email draws attention and creates warmth.
- This example features one of the group’s beautiful, brand-consistent posters.
If you’d like to know more about Blood: Water Mission, check out their site and see all the awesome work they are doing in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia and Rwanda.
More about Emma 25
Do you know of a non-profit who could use some Emma love? Encourage them to apply for the 2010 Emma 25 by sending them this link: http://www.myemma.com/emma25. We’re accepting applications through Friday, November 12th, and we’ll announce the honorees the first week of December. Click here to read about more past Emma 25 honorees and how email marketing has helped them grow.
Giving back through backpacks
How one of our favorite causes helps feed hungry kids … and gives us elementary-school flashbacks.
Some backpacks pack more punch than others.
We recently participated in a Giving Back initiative involving backpacks, which made me remember my all-time favorite: the hot pink thread, the pseudo-embroidery and that sparkling, bodacious red puff paint spelling out my name. Oh, yes — that was just the beginning of my life as a designer, and I couldn’t wait to get to school and strut the halls.
Here at Emma, of course, we appreciate function as much as style, and our friends at Feeding America have taught us how a backpack can truly transform a child’s life, and not just with puff paint or even books. They’re using backpacks to feed hungry kids.
Formerly known as America’s Second Harvest, Feeding America is a hunger-relief nonprofit that supplies more than two billion pounds of food and grocery products to hungry families each year. In 1995, they launched a backpack program that sends deserving kids home with non-perishable food items to help them stay nourished throughout the weekend. Most children who qualify for reduced or free lunches often struggle through those two days without sufficient supplements, and a backpack full of food is a discreet way to help.
When we heard about the initiative, we knew we wanted to get involved. We had an upcoming sponsorship at the annual SXSW Interactive conference, and we wanted to give those conference-goers a way to get to know us and also to support a worthy cause. So we proposed a plan to fill 1,000 backpacks with the help of the attendees — to be specific, it was a plan to super-awesomify the backpacks — and then we let the rest of the world in on the plan as well.
Anyone and everyone could super-awesomify a backpack with flames, mustaches and more. And once we reached 1,000 super-awesomifications, we started the process of funding several Feeding America backpack programs. We picked the food banks closest to our Emma offices, so that means we got in touch with the organizations in Denver, CO; Nashville, TN; Victoria, TX; Spokane, WA; and Minola, NY (those last three are the ones closest to our offices in Austin, Portland and New York City).
We think this backpack program takes an innovative approach to a difficult problem, and we’re so pleased to be involved. If you’d like to learn more, click here to find a backpack program near you. And if you’d like to see some of those super-awesomified backpacks, you can view them online at myemma.com/backpack, hot pink embroidery and all.
Resources
Feeding America’s backpack program
More about Emma’s Giving Back program
Emma 25 is here! Meet some past honorees
Every year, we give away a lifetime of free email marketing service to 25 deserving non-profits from all around the world. It’s called Emma 25, and it’s one of our favorite company initiatives. We’re kicking off our seventh year of Emma 25 by looking back at three past honorees and how they’re using Emma to strengthen and share their organization’s message.
Pearl Alliance
Pearl Alliance, located in Palmer Lake, Colorado, is an outreach program of Messenger International, which was created to fight against human trafficking.
They were awarded an account in 2009 and use Emma’s signup forms to capture new subscribers. Hannah Cusack works in Pearl Alliance’s online marketing department and says, “We’ve seen our list steadily grow, in part thanks to the painless sign-up process.”
Sending regularly and providing timely content — including video clips, goal-tracking visuals and personal stories — results in consistently higher-than-average opens and click-through rates. Their June/July update, for example, saw a 32% open rate and 35% click-through rate. Their Aug/Sept update drew a 25% open rate and another 35% click-through rate. (For some context, average click-through rate is about 5% across all industries, according to the Email Stat Center. For non-profits, average click-throughs vary by organization size but hover around 3% to 5%).
One of the most rewarding parts of Hannah’s work is forging connections between Pearl Alliance’s subscribers and the girls the organization serves. Hannah shares one of her favorite Emma moments: “In May 2009, we sent out an email asking our email friends to submit video messages full of hope for girls who were rescued out of trafficking and were now being sheltered in a safe house in Cambodia. It was an amazing moment to use our Emma updates to connect the rescued girls with the allies who help to fight for them.”
At Emma, we can’t think of a better way to make the email experience personal, meaningful and memorable.
Find out more about Pearl Alliance:
High Hopes, Inc.
High Hopes, Inc., is an innovative preschool and pediatric therapy clinic based in Brentwood, Tennessee. The group helps kids with special needs by combining speech, occupational and physical therapy in their preschool classroom. They also offer outpatient therapy to patients up to 21 years old, and they teach kids without special needs as well, creating an inclusive, supportive environment for everyone.
And they rely on Emma for their email marketing. Holly Beth Roach, High Hopes’ Fund Development Coordinator, says, “I love that we have an idea of how many individuals are opening the emails, which helps us know when another form of communication may need to be sent and to know what may be of interest. Through Emma, we can now reach more people because of the forwarding features to email a campaign or post it to social networking sites, developing new friends for our organization.”
High Hopes’ fans are certainly involved. The summer newsletter to 751 folks had an impressive 37% open rate and an incredible amount of traffic from Social Sharing: Just eight people shared on social networks, but the traffic from these shares reached 136 visits, fairly remarkable for a mailing of this size. The announcement of their new website launch in September elicited a 34% open rate and 40% click-through rate. (Check out the new website here.)
Holly Beth says, “Previously to Emma, our primary form of communication was paper. We still use paper but have reduced it significantly because of Emma. This transition has saved [us] both money and time. The immediacy of it allows a parent to get an email and respond right away instead of getting a flyer at the end of the day and having to remember to go back and address it. We have a more informed parent population, and have increased the number of parent volunteers through using Emma.”
Find out more about High Hopes:
Children’s Trust Foundation
Children’s Trust Foundation works to prevent child abuse and neglect in Washington state by providing support and child development resources to families. Located in Seattle, they send out monthly newsletters, event announcements and invitations. (Check out their lovely 25th anniversary celebration announcement.)
Johanna Wender, Marketing and Development Coordinator, says, “Emma is so user-friendly and simple to use. We’ve had an easy and enjoyable time managing our numerous email campaigns.”
And they’re doing it in a smart way, by sending consistent monthly newsletters and unique email campaigns during holidays or events. For example, take a look at the Mother’s Day campaign they sent in May, created on a custom stationery by Emma’s Jennifer Kasdorf. This mailing saw a 20% open rate and whopping 50% click-through rate.
As a nonprofit, they depend on the support and donations of their subscribers and fans, and in each newsletter, they have fun with their donation buttons. Check out the clean, blue button in June’s newsletter and the cheery flower in September’s.
Find out more about Children’s Trust Foundation:
Feeling inspired yet?
Head over to our seventh-annual Emma 25 page to learn more.
Emma is a member of the Email Sender & Provider Coalition and the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group.
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