philanthropy : Innovation + Job News

A local boutique marketing firm is doing well by focusing on good.

Marketing That Matters is a three-year-old company started by Lori Schaefer, who has a background in corporate communications, public affairs, and progressive politics.

The emphasis is on clients Schaefer believes are making a difference in the world, including nonprofits, public sector agencies. and social entrepreneurs.

"I really wanted to see if you could take what works from the for-profit marketing world and brand/strategy world and bring some of that expertise to the nonprofit sector," says Schaefer.

The recent growth in her client list suggests you can.

Schaefer has done work for major foundations, as well as the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative (a sponsor of The Line). After working on her own or with a small group of independent contractors for the past few years, she's now preparing to hire her first one or two formal employees.

"One of the best pieces of advice I've received," she says, "is you can't be afraid to take the leap when you see the growth starting to happen."

Schaefer credits the growth to her team's hard work, as well as the company's clearly focused niche, which seems to be timely. More for-profits appear to be recognizing the importance of social responsibility and their role in the community , she says. Meanwhile, President Obama's campaign seems to have started to change the way nonprofits and public agencies think about branding and marketing issues.

Source: Lori Schaefer, Marketing That Matters
Writer: Dan Haugen

Could mobile phones help the homeless find permanent shelter?

A St. Paul nonprofit started distributing cell phones last month to homeless residents. It's part of a small pilot program to show how cell phones can help people in transition find jobs and permanent housing, as well as stay better connected with family, friends and agencies.

"There's just no way to survive in this world without a phone. It really puts people further out of the mainstream than they are already," says Marcy Shapiro, executive director of Twin Cities Community Voice Mail.

The cell phone pilot is a first step toward updating the group's model for the wireless era. Twin Cities Community Voice Mail has offered free phone numbers and voice-mail accounts to low-income Minnesotans since 1994. Today, finding pay phones to retrieve and respond to voice-mails is increasingly difficult. Meanwhile, many employers and landlords expect people to be reachable on demand. Missed phone calls can mean missed opportunities.

The phones are being distributed by three partner agencies, the Dorothy Day Center, the St. Paul YWCA and Face to Face Safe Zone, which are offering the phones to participants in a federally funded Rapid Re-housing program. The cell phone plans are covered for six months, after which participants can keep the phone and number.

Similar experiments have been tried in Fort Worth, Tex., and Washington, D.C., but Shapiro believes the program is the first of its kind in Minnesota and among the first in the nation.

The trial is being funded through a $12,000 grant from the St. Paul Foundation that will cover the cost of 30 phones. Long-term funding is the major challenge. Voice mail accounts cost the organization about $10 per month per client, but cell phones cost three times that amount. After much research, the nonprofit settled on a $30 monthly plan from Virgin Mobile that includes 300 daytime and 1,000 night/weekend minutes.

"The money is what's really kept people from doing it," she says. "The need is there. It's really just about figuring out how to pay for it."

Source: Marcy Shapiro, Twin Cities Community Voice Mail
Writer: Dan Haugen