Third (3rd) Sector Inspire Gamifying Engagement: from Mission to Message to Playing Laura Wittcoff, MSW, LICSW, Doctoral Candidate Jennifer Goldstein, MSW Dr. Lauren Brown, MPP., PhD., Evaluator Thursday, June 14, 2018

Mission..Narrative..Message.. AGENDA Introduction Ice-breaker Our work Let’s Play Mission..Narrative..Message.. GAMIFY

What games did/do you play? What did you like about them? Why did you play them?

STAYING ENGAGED/INTERESTED Think of 1 type of technology-engagement that keeps you coming back/interested Jot it down on the Index card Find a partner and share your selection

WHY WE GAMIFY The What: Use of game-like elements Tells a story Rules or guidelines Competition Teaming-collaboration Scoring Fun Challenge In-put/strategy Decision-making The How: Digital game-based application Mechanics and design Use of social media The Benefit Serve psychological purpose Builds empathy Impacts behavior Inspires action Donate/Volunteer

RESEARCH QUESTION Does the combination of digital storytelling and gamification increase donor and volunteer activity as measured by a 10% increase in new email subscriptions for publicly-funded under-resourced (< $2 million in revenue) nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles post four months of their media launch?

OUR DEFINITIONS Digital Storytelling Gamification Sharing an aspect of an organization’s mission through a narrative construct using technology as the platform/mechanism (website, FB, Twitter, Instagram) Gamification Any engagement strategy that uses game elements (competition, scoring, asking questions, rules, team collaboration) with technology as the platform (website, FB, Twitter, Instagram)

OUR PILOT PROJECT: 3 Nonprofits Data Collection Workshop #1 Mission Narrative Message Coaching Workshop #2 Message Gamification Increase Under-Resourced Nonprofits’ VISIBILITY

DATA COLLECTION QUESTIONS (qualitative) What is your role in the agency? What is your story that led you to get involved in the organization? What was the process of getting involved? What steps did you have to take? How would you describe the mission of the organization, in your own words? Share a story related to a client, service, or donor/volunteer involvement that expresses the importance of the agency. How do you think donors/volunteers learn about the agency? How does the agency currently market to the public for the purpose of funding or volunteer involvement? What other ways do you think the agency could get people to learn about it, volunteer for it, or donate to it? Numbers, Connections, and Ideas

DATA COLLECTION QUESTIONS (quantitative) Organizational Capacity budget staff board members clients Financial Sustainability volunteers donors funding ratio fundraising events Marketing visibility social media usage challenges retention Tracking contact list CRM tracking outreach Numbers, Connections, and Ideas

MILESTONES the process and what’s left to tackle (2018) Results Codified Meet with nonprofit organizations; Data collection Coaching…………. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Results Workshop #1 The Narrative Workshop #2 Gamifying Documenting results Begin to collect control group data

FIRST-THOUGHT BRANDING: THE 5 ALPHA METHOD © DOES YOUR MESSAGE FIT? ARTiCuLATE APpeAL AMpLiFY APprECiaTE ALLianCE

TEST IT OUT! PDSA CYCLE* Plan Act Study Do Objective Questions and predictions (why) Plan to carry out the cycle (who, what, what, when, where) What changes are to be made? Next cycle? Study Do Complete the analysis of the data Compare data to predictions Summarize what was learned Carry out the plan Document problems and unexpected observations Begin analysis of the data *Institute for Health Initiative

FIRST-THOUGHT BRANDING: THE 5 ALPHA METHOD © & GAMIFICATION ALLianCE APprECiaTE every stakeholder including members/clients students/staff volunteers/donors with your & others’ networks AMpLiFY your message through gamification/ gamified elements in spreadable media ARTiCuLATE the message into the gamified element APpeAL to your networks and ask them to share or to engage in some way

LET’S PLAY: GAMIFY YOUR MESSAGE…. Imagine what your message looks like Draw the picture of this message Draft all of the game elements that reflect the message Brainstorm possible engaging gamified ideas and list them on newsprint Does it meet the First-Thought Branding: 5 Alpha Method?

Crafting a single message that reflects the narrative THE MISSION TO MESSAGE CHALLENGE: Crafting a single message that reflects the narrative Charter school serving geographic area from DTLA to South LA Offers wellness program for families facing homelessness and housing instability Years in operation: almost 1 Revenue: $1.9 million Agency C Mission: provides a rigorous, college preparatory education to historically underserved (at risk or homeless) Transitional K-6th grade students. Message: We see the hero inside you

Crafting a single message that reflects the narrative THE MISSION TO MESSAGE CHALLENGE: Crafting a single message that reflects the narrative Service location for youth facing homelessness Offers programming, schooling, clothing, food, and community Years in operation: 8 Revenue: $1.5 million Agency S Mission: to inspire, nurture and empower the resilient human spirit of homeless youth by providing immediate and lasting solutions, one young person at a time Message: Ignite the resilient human spirit

Crafting a single message that reflects the narrative THE MISSION TO MESSAGE CHALLENGE: Crafting a single message that reflects the narrative Interim housing for homeless families at three locations throughout Los Angeles County Housing includes rapid rehousing, bridge sheltering, and emergency shelter Years in operation: 27 Revenue: $4.5 million (65% government funding) Agency U Mission: to eliminate homelessness among families with children in Los Angeles by providing housing, supportive services, and advocacy Message: All children and families deserve a home

MESSAGE TO ENGAGING GAMIFICATION (EXAMPLE) You have three items: bread cheese milk Gamification ideas: Share your favorite recipe using these three items, staples in our pantry Tips on nutrition What’s your favorite memory about any of these 3 items? # recipe...or a nutrition tip Agency: Food Pantry Message: Great Meals are Made From Love

INSPIRATION

MOBILE PERSUASION: Criteria to consider in your gamified effort and dissemination Triggers What are the reminders to do/act on this ‘game’ element? Consider consistency and frequency Ability How easy is it to access and to do what is being asked? Motivation What motivates people to keep engaging? Adapted from the Fogg Behavioral Model

RESULTS TO DATE... Workshop Feedback Enjoyed content and energy of group interaction Gave us an opportunity to work with other agencies Enthusiastic about applying knowledge right away Gave us a chance to revisit our mission Concern that message will not capture the mission enough Coaching time very useful Had fun practicing the PDSA with internal team, staff, board Excited to work on this and add these ideas to their donor/volunteer outreach efforts

RESULTS TO DATE... Increased email contact list by 40 subscriptions, representing 9% within the month Increased use of spreadable media (includes Twitter, Instagram, FB) with similar messaging; added Twitter and is posting at least 3x weekly Using their gala theme, ‘HOME’ as their current message to gamify; seen increase in ticket sales and web visits (final count TBD) Did not get the intended result from a single posting on FB; recognized that they need to post regularly, consistently and diversify their media choice Internal organizational changes has delayed their progress

Final Shared Wisdom: Storytelling builds empathy Gamification offers engagement ... Thank you Laura Wittcoff lwittcof@usc.edu Jennifer Goldstein goldstej@usc.edu Lauren Brown brownlau@usc.edu