Kyle Klatt, Groupon: Groupon for Good

Editor's Notes

1. Hello!Thank you so much for that introduction NAME OF PERSON HERE.  It is a pleasure to be here with everyone at the Social Media For Non-Profits.  Thank you to all for taking the time to come and listen to me chat with you about what we are doing at Groupon.  It is always a delight to be with fellow do-gooders.  Today I will talk about what we are doing at Groupon to help build communities and how non-profits can utilize the Groupon platform.  I will talk about what is and isn’t a fit for our space along with the lessons we have learned at this point.  And finally how best to setup a deal with Groupon for a non-profit. (NEXT SLIDE)
2. Groupon before we were Groupon, we were a collective action and fundraising platform called The Point. The Point did campaigns from the insane to the serious.  (NEXT SLIDE)
3. Tired of the cold winters in Chicago?  Join The Point campaign to build a dome over the city of Chicago. (NEXT SLIDE)
4. This collective action mind-set is what Groupon was born out of.  Groupon’s DNA is the outcome of “do-gooder” website. (NEXT SLIDE)
5. Three years ago Groupon had its first deal here in Chicago and today daily deals are sent to 115.7 million subscribers in 45 countries around the world. (NEXT SLIDE)
6. So what do you do with a platform like this?  Our thought was this was the perfect opportunity to leverage our subscriber base while going back to our roots.  And thus G-Team, our Groupon for Good, was born.While Groupon helps build local businesses in a city, G-Team helps build the communities where these businesses flourish.  (NEXT SLIDE)
7. G-Team started in July 2010 with a campaign in Chicago (NEXT SLIDE) to send a local theater trope to New York for their big break at the Fringe Festival. (NEXT SLIDE)And in typical Groupon style we have been growing (NEXT SLIDE) and growing (NEXT SLIDE)Today, I am excited to announce we are live in over 64 communities in the US and Canada.  The campaigns that are running today alone (NEXT SLIDE)
8. Range from partnering with First Book in San Diego where your $6 donation will buy 3 books for  local San Diego children in need. (CLICK)  
9. Or in the Philadelphia area where the campaign there is helping to raise funds so the homeless street newspaper vendors have reflective safety vest.  These types of campaigns are the roots of what the G-Team is - project specific ideas that would not be possible had the Groupon subscribers not come together to make it happen.We are helping people learn about organizations down the street from there house, without Groupon I would not have learned about Jaiyden serving the best dragon rolls in my neighborhood and without G-Team I would not have learned about the Lakeview Pantry doing amazing work everyday. I want every subscriber to have this same experience. (NEXT SLIDE)
10. So who is using the G-Team platform?This are the organization that are running today on the G-Team platform, they are an example of just a few of the 315 local organizations that have been featured on the platform to date.By the end of 2012 wewould have highlighted over 2,000 organization getting the word out to the local Groupon subscribers about the work these organizations do and the need for it in the community, all at no-cost.So you may be asking yourself,what kind of nonprofits make a good fit for something like this?We are looking to feature any type of organization that is bettering the local community. Just like you do not see a Mexican food deal everyday we are not going to feature the same type of organization every week. We like to offer a variety up to the subscribers. (NEXT SLIDE)
11. Something's that are not a good fit for our platform are; (CLICK) Organization or projects that are not in a G-Team city(CLICK)Request for general operating funds, at this time the platform doesn’t raise $1M but it does help fund individual projects(CLICK) Request to promote anevent that would happen with or without G-Team;such as a charity 5K, gala fundraisers or any annual fundraising event.(CLICK) The project can not directly benefits a religious or political group – talk about how soup kitchens are OKThe project or organization promotes ideas or practices that excludes individuals from participation(CLICK) The project MUST benefit the local communityRequest for funds for individual needs (such as paying medical bills, utility bills, food, etc.) We aren’t a social service agency and can not vet the claims of individuals. It is OK to support organizations that provide these types of services. (CLICK) Any project that’s scope is too large for one G-Team campaign is not a fit. (CLICK) Large national organizations that do not have local community projects such as medical research foundations, mega-hospitals, international aid organizations, or any other larger organization with needs and expectations that are out of scope for G-Team (NEXT SLIDE)
12. Here's what doesn't work: (CLICK)Campaigns that aren't compelling, e.g. painting the fence around the community garden vs. ioby building a chicken cope(CLICK) Campaigns that don't have a strong NEED and IMPACT(CLICK) When nonprofits expect miraculous returns without any effort on their partBasically, our subscribers want to help organize do something new, unique, or over and above what they traditionally do (NEXT SLIDE)
13. Now here's what works:(CLICK)Campaigns that are priced at the cost of lunch, e.g. $5-15. Especially if your “BUY” button can make a direct difference. In the San Diego campaign running the $6 “BUY” button will buy 3 books. Our subscribers are young, mobile professionals who can afford to help at this level. Plus we have to remember that subscribers are not coming to the Groupon site specific to donate so we need to keep the entry level low.(CLICK)It is that compelling campaign and story. Talk about CPS campaign (15K raised, over 1,200 units bought) They got a ton of free press due to the fact that it was compelling and timed right.(CLICK)Our nonprofit partners have access to a complete pre-planning campaign toolkit to help them leverage their Groupon Initiative. This information includes best practices and step by step how to’s. We promote to our subscribers, and you promote to the people who know and love you. Please are more likely to donate when asked by someone they know.Enthusiasm at all levels. It's important that everyone from the Executive Director on down is on board(CLICK)And if you have photos featuring babies and animals usually get a higher click through rate
14. The pre-planning campaign toolkit include best practices, suggestion for before, during and after the campaign. We also include a PR prep packet, our PR is available to help the organization but the local press always loves a story when it comes directly from the non-profit. And who better to speak to the work and programming of the organization than someone in it.As you can imagine social media is a large and key factor in the toolkit that we give out. (CLICK) Here is an example of an organization that did an amazing job using social media for the campaign. A-SPAN out of Arlington, VA. $500 = 1 “Welcome Home Kit”, a mattress and other accessories, to a person transitioning out of homelessness.A-SPAN did everything a person should do to get the word out, (CLICK) **talk through each tweet**talk about donate $’s or donate tweet/FB, we don’t want current donors we want 5 new engaged people per donor!
15. G-Teamuses social media as another outlet to reach our customers and charitable organizations for feedback and upcoming campaigns. We try to be as transparent as possible and welcome any open dialogue. We use facebook
16. Twitter
17. And our own Groublogpon
18. So what have we learned over the past year, how does all this work today?The campaigns are all 3 days, regular deal 1 day, gives more time to tip, some tip at 8am on the first day, others need until midnight on the third daySince we only run one organization per week per city, the best campaigns are the campaigns with compelling stories. Little Feet Foundation, LA, 155 soccer balls to LAUSDWhile Groupon does not match financially, since we are offering the Groupon platform for free, we have found that campaigns always do better when there is a matching donor. **Highlight donor in copy, hyperlink, call-out.**We can’t give out email, talk about Groupon voucher and website to collect information. Donors more likely to do this even for a sticker – Greenpeace.