Two Dogs Barking

Striving to Serve: Giving without expectations

THE POINT IS...

We all have mortgages to pay.  We are all trying to make a living.  Small businesses are difficult to keep afloat.  In our case, we are a service business so we are also working daily to educate the world on the value of what we have to offer.  Still, for us, there is no greater joy than to take the skills we have and use that to support organizations whose goal is really the greater good.

"Find a non-profit you believe in and offer to help them in any way you can.  Non-profits always need support from small businesses.  But do it because, in your heart, it is the right thing to do, not because you have any expectations for what your partnership will do for your company."

This advice was given to me when we decided to open our office in Tacoma.  It has guided Two Dogs Barking Productions every day for over six years.

THE PROCESS WAS...

We wanted to get entrenched in our community after working in the Seattle TV market for many, many years.  We are residents of Tacoma and we love this town!  I read about the Dugan Foundation in the Tacoma News Tribune not long after I was given this advice.  And I am very proud to say Two Dogs Barking and Dugan Foundation have enjoyed a fantastic relationship since the very first time Julie Dugan and I met at Meconi's for a glass of wine.  During that meeting, I told her what we do and asked her how we could help.  She had zero budget for video.  It didn't matter to us one whit.  We believed in the Dugan Foundation mission, and that was enough.

THE FINAL RESULT...

In the years that have followed, and we believe it is partly due to the non-profit education we've received from the Dugans, we have had many opportunities to work with other non-profits in a variety of ways - from videos to event management.  Every time we partner with a non-profit, we walk away with a sense that we have had played some very small role in helping them reach their goals.  There is a euphoria that comes with that ~ a feeling that doing what we do is more than a job, it can change lives.

I don't want to make us sound more philanthropic than we really are.  Over time, the Dugan Foundation managed to find a budget for having us produce videos for the Fur Ball.  And somehow, Julie persuaded me to stage manage the event... which I do with gladness in my heart as an unpaid volunteer.  But also through that relationship we have formed life-long friendships.  We have been given free access to the ups and downs to starting, growing, and managing a non-profit.  We have also developed a trust with them that allows us to be an on-call creative brain trust.

A LITTLE PIECE OF DUGAN...

A couple of examples of what a great relationship can look like...

First, this was pulled from a larger video produced for their main fundraising event, which included a peak at a PSA we produced for them.

This one helped the Dugan Foundation raise around $15,000 during the fund-an-item portion of the Fur Ball in 2009.  Not bad for a day's work.

MAY I OFFER THIS ADVICE...

Business is about relationships.  Go out and find a non-profit that stirs your soul.  Give freely of your talent and skills.  Do it without expectation.  You will be the one in the long run that reaps the greatest benefits.

You know. You think. You assume. So, what's keeping you from adding video to your marketing plan, website, etc.?

It has been my experience when discussing video with a potential client three things are almost always guaranteed:

1. Client knows they want or need video support for website, event, marketing, etc... AND,
   
2. Client thinks they know exactly what they want the video to look like, or who should be in it... BUT,
   
3. Client assumes they can't afford to have the video professionally produced.

I think we can universally agree that you would be hard pressed not to stumble upon some sort of video just about every day.  You see amateur video taken from a cell phone featured in the news.  You hear about some viral video that has launched a new singer or product.  You surf the web and it seems one out of two sites have streaming video - there are billions of sites streaming video right now.  Seriously, you'd have to be living in a cave not to know that video is where it's at in terms of engaging your audience and spreading the word.  If that were not true, why would 27+ million people be paying for digital cable?

When a potential client knows video is needed, so we go to the next step.  Because they have been inundated with so many images on a daily basis.  Clients often have a very strong preconceived notion of what they want their video to look like and why the owner of the company or a favorite customer should be in it.  Let's be really honest here, what were you thinking the last time you saw a 'home grown' commercial featuring an unusual fellow hawking mattresses, cars, etc?  I'm not into corny.  So if you are looking for someone to produce your video while you are dressed as a tire and doing a Salsa, I am probably not the person to call or hire.  However, if you are the kind of person who has in mind a purpose or a plan, but is willing to entertain that we might know a little more about the process, please let's talk.  There may be a hundred reasons why you need to feature a particular person... there might be one really good reason not to.  Good producers work with you to clarify your vision and design an appropriate strategy for getting where you want to be.

The last point - and the biggest assumption made about video - has to do with cost of product.  Yes, I do this for a living.  But I have no reason to inflate numbers to make my point.  Which is this:  There is no better use for your marketing/event/advertising budget than to invest in video production. Unlike a print piece, which runs once and has then outlived its usefulness, video really is forever.  Every frame of video shot is one more piece of inventory that can be re-purposed in a multitude of ways.  If your project is properly produced, you are shooting footage that can be used on a website, in a commercial, in a Powerpoint presentation... the list goes on and on.  With the innumerable options available to use video, it pays for itself very quickly!

To quote David Garland at Smallbiztrends.com:  "The opportunity is there.  The eyeballs are there.  Are you there?"

Visit smallbusinesstrends for a wealth of useful information about running your business.