YouTube Nonprofit Program Adds New Causes Feature for Measuring Views

YouTube Nonprofit Program Adds New Causes Feature for Measuring Views
Small Businesses: Check Out a Contest or Competition For Funding
Getting In The Game Puts Your Start Up Investment on the Board

Posted: 27 Oct 2012 12:00 PM PDT

Google recently added a new feature for its nonprofit program that aims to help charity organizations and other nonprofits that run YouTube channels gain traffic and views to help their fundraising or awareness campaigns.

Campaigns acts as a progress bar that tracks views for nonprofit video campaigns, much like the classic thermometer display that shows how much money a nonprofit or charity has raised toward a goal, event, or milestone.

With the Campaigns tool, nonprofits can not only track how many views they have and how many they need to reach their goals, but it can also actually help nonprofits drive traffic to their videos by showing the company's measurable goal and prompting users to share the videos with others. Nonprofit videos on YouTube can also display prompts for volunteering, signing petitions, or donating to an organization or cause.

The YouTube Nonprofit Program is an extension of Google for Nonprofits that was created to help charities and causes gain an audience through YouTube's video platform. It offers tools such as call-to-action overlays within videos, community forums, channel branding, and donation options.

Though views aren't everything when it comes to raising money, getting petitions signed, or passing laws, public awareness is an essential first step to these actions and YouTube can be a very useful tool in helping nonprofits achieve these goals.

Giving these organizations a visual tool to help illustrate to viewers what they want and or need to achieve can help to make certain videos or channels go viral within a network of target users.

Google for Nonprofits offers many of the same tools and features as it does for other businesses and entrepreneurs, but often for discounted prices or even free of charge. Businesses need to apply to the Nonprofit Program to gain access to these discounted tools. Users that have been accepted to Google for Nonprofits are automatically given access to the tools in the YouTube Nonprofit Program.

The post YouTube Nonprofit Program Adds New Causes Feature for Measuring Views appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Small Businesses: Check Out a Contest or Competition For Funding

Posted: 27 Oct 2012 09:30 AM PDT

Small businesses: do you need some cash to expand? Do you need to find funding to kickstart development of a new product, or pay for the first few months to hire a new employee? There are lots of ways to fund growth, but a quick source of funds and resources can be a competition or contest. Check out our hand-picked list of quality contests specifically for small businesses:

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vFlyer Build the Best Website Contest
Enter by November 1, 2012

Entrants must create their sites using vFlyer Sites. The first phase of voting will take place on Facebook to select the ten finalists, and then three guest judges will select the winners. Websites will be judged on their effectiveness, ease of use and overall look and feel.

The Grand Prize winner will receive $2,500, and the first and second runner-ups will receive $500 and $250, respectively. All entrants will receive a service credit on vFlyer's website service.

Mobile Apps ’12 Contest
Enter by November 4, 2012

Do you have a great idea (or maybe a prototype) of a great new mobile app? The next Concept To Company event, which looks to spur Utah startups, is focused on new mobile applications, with a prizes of $45,000. Concept To Company has been running a series of competitions which awards both cash and services to aspiring startups, to help small businesses in Utah get off the ground.

Dell $100M Innovators Credit Fund
Ongoing

Dell has launched a $100 million Innovators Credit Fund, with the purpose of helping entrepreneurs "maximize potential for innovation, speed to market and job creation." The credit fund will offer both funding and technology resources with IT support, depending on what each start-up needs.

To be eligible, you must have already received some angel funding or venture capital before you can apply. Start-ups can get up to 10% of its current funding or up to $150,000 with limited credit terms. See website for details and application.

The Big Reboot
Multiple Contests & Entry Dates

Toshiba, Intel and Staples have teamed up to help small businesses share their stories and win thousands of dollars in new technology. Throughout 2012, they will award $10,000 technology makeovers to American businesses and free Intel-powered Ultrabooks to the people who support them.

Categories include Powering Knowledge, Powering Innovation, Powering Service, Powering Products, and Powering Good. See website for details and entry guidelines.

StartupNation Home-Based 100 Competition
Enter by October 31, 2012

The fifth annual StartupNation Home-Based 100 Competition is now open and accepting entries. The Competition is a ranking of outstanding home businesses and the amazing people behind them. With more than 18 million home-based businesses in the United States, StartupNation's competition is aimed at celebrating the most successful businesses in this important segment of the market. Entries are accepted until the end of October. The 100 winners will be published in mid-December 2012. Winners can receive priceless exposure in the media and be positioned to take their business to the next level.

The Small Business Challenge
Enter by October 31, 2012

The Small Business Challenge is a way for companies to compete for up to $50,000 in cash & prizes, while creating new jobs in the USA. Starting September 1st, you can register, nominate or vote for your favorite small business & help create new jobs in America.

Eligible Small Businesses can compete for $25k prize value (1st Place), $15k prize value (2nd Place), and $10k prize value (3rd Place) to help create new jobs in America.

FedEx Small Business Grant Contest
Enter by November 24, 2012

Grow your business with a small business grant of up to $25,000.
Entering is simple. Click the contest registration button below and submit your business story and photo by November 17. Once your application is approved, you can vote for yourself once a day – and get all your friends, customers, and associates to vote as well – through November 24.
Winners will be chosen from the top 100 companies in the contest based on how compelling your story is and how many votes you can get for your business. So tell us your story today, and you could walk away with up to $25,000 to invest in your business.

The Dough to Grow Award
Enter by November 30, 2012

The recession has claimed thousands of small businesses in recent years. Valpak wants to do its part in fueling local business growth with the Dough to Grow Award.

The winner will receive $10,000 to help grow their business. Entrants do not need to be Valpak customers to nominate their business.

Infusionsoft Battle of the Apps
Enter by December 31, 2012

Do you have a great idea for an Infusionsoft App, integration or plug-in that will enhance the Infusionsoft user experience? Then you have a shot at being crowned the Kick Apps Champion in the Battle of the Apps 2013. First prize is $10,000. See website for details.

Shopify Build-A-Business Competition
Enter by December 31, 2012

Shopify has teamed up with four world-class entrepreneurs to
help you build a million-dollar business in just months. Come up with a product to sell, open your online store and pick a mentor. The Shopify community and your mentor will give you great advice and guidance along the way. At the end of the competition, the four stores that sell the most over a two month period will each win a $50,000 investment from their mentor.

The list of awards and competitions is brought to you by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com.

To find more small business events, contests and awards, visit our Small Business Events Calendar. If you are putting on a small business contest, award or competition, and want to get the word out to the community, please submit it through our Small Business Event and Contests Form (it’s free).

Please note: The descriptions provided here are for convenience only and are NOT the official rules. ALWAYS read official rules carefully at the site holding the competition, contest or award.

The post Small Businesses: Check Out a Contest or Competition For Funding appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Getting In The Game Puts Your Start Up Investment on the Board

Posted: 27 Oct 2012 06:00 AM PDT

Getting In The Game Leave it to a lawyer to put together a splendid finance book.

A while back, I lamented about the dearth of good finance books aimed at small businesses and entrepreneurs. So while I have not had counsel correct my statement, a counselor has “objected” nonetheless.

Matt Crowley, a corporate lawyer veteran with a Los Angeles practice that specializes in entrepreneurship, added to the start up universe with an excellent book, Getting In The Game: Guiding Your Startup Through The World of Venture Capital and Angel Investors. The publisher sent a review copy, and I am pleased with how it untangles the complicated world of business finance.

Making A Venture a Rewarding Adventure

The book is similar to a recent VC book I reviewed, David Gladstone's Venture Capital Investing, but with a twist. Crowley's background, having served as a senior manager for a software development start up, provides legal perspective compared to the questions outlined in Gladstone's book. A great mention towards the end of the book explains why venture capitalists do not sign NDAs:

"During any given year a VC that invests in social networking companies will probably see several dozen business plans describing social networking ideas…If the VC agreed to assign NDAs with all of them, the VC would be liable to get sued by the ones that didn't get funded, with claims that the VC shared startup 30 brilliant idea with start up 6, which the VC eventually will invest in. VCs would be straight jacketed… "

Crowley also offers solid advice on, well, seeking legal advice:

"Entrepreneurs frequently tell each other stories about the lawyer who billed every phone call and charged for emails. Make it clear in the engagement letter how phone calls and emails will be handled. A good lawyer won't charge for a two-minute phone call…but you need to give some assurance you won't be making two-minute phone calls ten times a day. "

I liked the comment on research that followed the aforementioned quote. And I liked his honest approach. Crowley mentions the word "shark" in Picking The Right Shark, but the advice will not read like a shark teaching you how to be in shark-invested waters.

Beyond Stellar Legal Eagle Advise

Not every chapter is influenced by legal perspective, but just like the NDA example Crowley references his industry experience with aplomb. Chapter 2 notes about the value of budget. Chapter 7 notes when money should be raised and when it is too late.

A few points outside of business structure will need refinement by your objectives. For example, I did not fully agree with the launching a website template – do a cursory Google search of template debates from web designers and developers and you'll get how contentious that topic can be.

But I'm being nit-picky. Crowley efficiently gets to useful points for essential business aspects outside his experience scope. He simply does not want you to overvalue or undervalue aspects in your start up. As an example, here's what he goes on to note from website development:

"The key points to note here are ownership, cost overruns, timing, and misuse of other people's content….understand that cheap and fast doesn't always equal quality and efficiency…"

Like the writing of Navigating Social Media Legal Risks, the tone is straight-forward language that can aid that two person app developer looking to attract investment as well as the service business that is looking to add board members. The explanations on what goes into a board, cautions about securities fraud, and the value of trademarks are worth standing in the bookstore, staying longer in the library, or staring at the Kindle just a little longer.

But above all, get this book. Getting In The Game is a great compliment to books like Locavesting. You will feel better prepared for the challenges that come from creating boards, selecting partners, and anticipating the responses venture capitalists will offer.

Getting In The Game will make you an entrepreneurial winner.

The post Getting In The Game Puts Your Start Up Investment on the Board appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Small Business Trends

Sunday, October 28, 2012

YouTube Nonprofit Program Adds New Causes Feature for Measuring Views

YouTube Nonprofit Program Adds New Causes Feature for Measuring Views

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