Our November Business, Nonprofit, and Job Help Programs

Here is the updated Idea+Space calendar for November! Please note that the date for "Market Research" has been corrected to read Thursday, November 6th.

Poll: What’s the worst part of starting or running a business? What’s the best part?

At the Idea+Space Beta Launch we asked everyone who came "What’s the worst part of starting or running a business? What’s the best part?" The results were pretty interesting. Here are the answers.

BEST

• Being your own boss
• Filling a need
• Helping people
• Using all my skills
• Creating your future
• Being passionate about my endeavor
• Building a team and making lifelong friendships & partnerships
• Thrilled customers
• Working for yourself
• Changing people’s lives
• Being able to circulate your ideas
• The feeling of self-accomplishment, the satisfaction of success
• No boss!
• Working on your own terms
• Controlling the types of projects
• Enjoying the payoff from my efforts!
• A job that fits me!
• Being creative

WORST

• Needing to draw boundaries and time for you
• Not knowing where to start
• Investing more $ than you should
• Figuring stuff out on your own (or thinking you have to)
• Feeling isolated
• No networking
• Fear
• Developing a scalable idea
• Bookkeeping & taxes
• Feeling alone
• Knowing it’s going to be a long process
• Networking as an introvert
• Lots of responsibility and upkeep
• Liabilities
• Financial risk
• Making payroll
• Sometimes it’s lonely
• Long hours
• Having to do everything 
• Finding a board for nonprofits
• Needing to change the plan
• Licenses & getting the paperwork right

We'll be using this data to plan more programs and recruit mentors. What else would you add?

What is the Idea+Space?

What do you get when you bring together a library, excellent resources for businesses and nonprofits, professionals and mentors to provide workshops and individual support, and a space where you can learn and get things done? We're calling it the Idea+Space and it is located on the second floor of the Joel D. Valdez Main Library.

What you’ll find at the Idea+Space:

• · New programs, including: business planning, lean startup workshops, brainstorming, problem-solving, social media marketing, financial management, professional meetups, and library business resources 
• · Nonprofit workshops and resources for grantseekers
• · Self-employment assistance and resource referral
• · Job and career help services
• · Catalyst Café programs introducing new ideas
• · Furniture designed for collaboration
• · Library staff and volunteer mentors from the community to help you

We here at Pima County Public Library want the Idea+Space to be the place where you come to get the help you need to succeed, and get to the next step.

The Idea+Space was funded by a grant from the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. In 2014, the Arizona State Library received about $3.25 million under the Library Services and Technology Act, which is administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Almost $1 million of the funding was awarded on a competitive basis to libraries in Arizona.

This Week in the Idea+Space

Drop-in Job Help
Monday, Oct 27, 12:00pm - 3:00pm

Pima County One Stop Career Center
Monday, Oct 27, 1:00pm - 3:00pm

Walk-in Social Media Help for Business and Nonprofits
Tuesday, Oct 28, 5:30pm - 7:00pm

Business Feasibility: Ready to go from Idea to Reality?
Wednesday, 10-29-2014, 5:00pm - 7:30pm

Want to Start Your Own Business?
Thursday, 10-30-2014, 9:00am - 11:00am

Drop-in Job Help
Thursday, Oct 30, 9:00am - 12:00pm

Individual Job Counseling
Thursday, Oct 30, 9:00am – 12:00pm

Idea+Space, Joel D. Valdez Main Library, 2nd floor
101 N. Stone Ave.
520-791-4010
All programs are free and open to the public

Food Truck Confidential, Scoopin' the Good Stuff

We'll be scooping the good stuff this Tuesday at the Catalyst Café. Come hang out and hear what it's like to own a food truck business.

Tuesday, Sept. 9th, 5:30-7:00 pm
Joel D. Valdez Main Library
101 N. Stone Avenue
Lower Level Meeting Room

Parking in the Library Garage is free after 5:00 pm

Grants and Contracts for Small Business

Our July Café featured an expert overview of government grants and contracts by Sandy DiCosola of Summit Contract Management, LLC, a company that manages such contracts for the full procurement cycle.

Sandy has agreed to share her PowerPoint "Grantwriting and Government Contracts for Small Business," where she encouraged small business owners to search and see if there are government solicitations for what your business provides. She is often surprised by the goods and services that the Federal government contracts is looking for.

Here are my notes from her presentation:

• To get ready: you'll need a 
• DUNS number
• to know your NAICS code(s)
• to register at grants.gov
• to register in the SAM system as a contractor
• Allow for lots of time to go through the process, at least 6 months.
• Government Grant vs. Contract: 
• Grants are for research that leads to commercial products that don't exist yet.
• Contracts are for existing goods and services.
• Research the granting agency so you know current news and all about their mission. The library can help you here!
• Have 2 kinds of readers: a colleague reviewer who is knowledgeable on the subject, and a detail-oriented, non-expert reviewer who can catch jargon and holes in the logic. 
• If the application is to be submitted electronically, upload it before the deadline to allow for "Murphy's Law."
• If you are not chosen, you can follow up and ask for a debrief of the reasons.
• If you're looking for local partners, talk to the UA's Tech Launch Arizona, a clearinghouse for licensed local innovation and products.

July Café: Grantwriting for Business (yes, you heard that right) and Nonprofits

Grants for business?

Grants for businesses from the government do exist, but they are very limited in scope. The Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs will be discussed at our July Café.

Grants for the nonprofit community will also be covered, including how to use library resources to find funders and write the best proposal possible.

Speaker Sandra DiCosola is the owner of Summit Contract Management LLC located in Tucson, Arizona. The company is dedicated to helping inventors, entrepreneurs and small businesses work with local and federal government agencies. The Summit Team specializes in assisting companies prepare proposals under the SBIR and STTR programs as well as Broad Agency Announcements.

Also participating in the discussion will be Kassy Rodeheaver, the Grants & Nonprofit Info Center Librarian for the Pima County Public Library. Prior to working at the library, she worked at University of Arizona Foundation in their Foundation Development office researching, writing, and editing grant proposals to private grantmakers.

Companies with a Nonprofit Soul: L3Cs and B Corps

What happens when a business develops a non-profit mindset, and wants to use income for social good? Or a nonprofit develops an idea for a profitable business model?

There are a growing number of legal and taxation structures for businesses large and small who want to do good in the world, yet remain a for-profit enterprise.

This post is a companion piece to the panel discussion "L3C: Companies with a Nonprofit Soul" at the 2014 Association of Fundraising Professionals Breakfast.

Panelists speaking: Rob Stenson, Priscilla Mendenhall, and Sy Rotter. Moderator: Lisa Bunker. Organized by Heather Hiscox.

Social Enterprise Structures

501c3: The 501c3 designation allows for federal tax exemption of nonprofit organizations, specifically those that are considered public charities, private foundations or private operating foundations. They must be organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes, or to foster national or international amateur sports competition, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals. (Source: 501c3.org)

L3C: A low-profit limited liability company, also known as an L3C, is a new kind of limited liability company (LLC) that combines the financial advantages of the traditional LLC form of business with the social benefits of a non-profit entity. In addition, as a variety of LLC, the L3C generally shields its owners from the debts of the enterprise. (Source: Marc J. Lane) Essentially, it is an LLC where the social mission is its primary purpose.

B "Benefit" Corps: B Corps are corporations certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. (Source: BCorporation.net)

L3C Resources

• A primer by Marc J. Lane: The Low-profit Limited Liability Company (L3C) .
• Comparison matrix: Effective Social Enterprise - a Menu of Legal Structures, by Robert A. Wexler, from The Exempt Organization Tax Review, June 2009.
• Book: Social Enterprise: Empowering Mission-driven Entrepreneurs (2012).
• Social Enterprise Attorney Explains the Benefit Corporation, L3C, and Flexible Purpose Corporation [Video] from Social Enterprise Buzz, December 2012.
• Corporate Creativity: The Vermont L3C & Other Developments in Social Entrepreneurship, a Symposium, February 2010.
• To L3C or Not to L3C? That was the Question, by Richard Marker, February 2013.
• L3C founders on Twitter.
• How To: Corporation Division of the State of Vermont resources.

Local Social Enterprise

• Thryve, a program of Startup Tucson, 501(c)3
  "Anncouncing Thryve – A Social Impact Incubator," Startup Tucson
• Fed By Threads, LLC
  "Fed by Threads Extends Socially-Conscious Clothing Brand to New Downtown Location," Downtown Tucsonan
• Dishes and Stories, L3C
  "Entrepreneurs in a Cultural Urban Kitchen," Zocalo Magazine
• Borderlands Restoration, L3C
• Goodmans Interior Structures, B Corp

B Corps Resources

• What are B Corps?, BCorporation.net 
• Law Allows Benefit Corporations in Arizona, AZ Central
• Goodmans Interior Structures Earns Ethics Award, AZBigMedia
• Coming to Arizona in 2015: B Corporations, Carter Law Firm

Panelist Contact information

Priscilla Mendenhall: Priscilla@dishesandstories.org, tel. 202-746-1022

Lisa Bunker: Lisa.Bunker@pima.gov
Rob Stenson: rstenson@goodmans.info
Sy Rotter: syrotter@wlousa.net

Where to Read More about L3Cs

What is an L3C?

An L3C, or "low-profit limited liability company" is a for-profit company where the investors accept limited dividends. (Source: panelist Sy Rotter)

But Really, What is It?
Effective Social Enterprise - a Menu of Legal Structures, by Robert A. Wexler, from The Exempt Organization Tax Review, June 2009.

Social Enterprise Attorney Explains the Benefit Corporation, L3C, and Flexible Purpose Corporation [Video] from Social Enterprise Buzz, December 2012.

Corporate Creativity: The Vermont L3C & Other Developments in Social Entrepreneurship, a Symposium, February 2010.

To L3C or Not to L3C? That was the Question, by Richard Marker, February 2013.

How To
Corporation Division of the State of Vermont resources

Organized Support
Americans for Community Development

Net Impact

Legislative History
History of the 2011 Bill, AZ SB 1503
This bill passed the Arizona Senate but was tabled in the House.

The L3C, Background & Legislative Issues, by Robert Lang, January 2013.

I am tremendously grateful to Sy Rotter (Washington Liaison Office LLC), Dr. Paul Melendez (UA Eller College of Management), Priscilla Mendenhall (Dishes and Stories), Michelle Lutz (Custos Fratris), Meredith Aronson, and Elizabeth Alvarez del Castillo for sharing their time and expertise on our Nov. 21, 2013 Catalyst Café panel.

Facebook 101 for Business and Nonprofits

Hi guys, Kassy the Grants & Nonprofit Librarian here! Lisa is away in Texas this week for the great South by Southwest Conference, which means that I get to host all of the Catalyst Café folks tomorrow! This week at the Catalyst Café we’re going to talk to folks about Page creation on Facebook for small businesses and nonprofits.

You may we wondering why we’re going to be covering Facebook since it’s been around so long and not some other brand new social networking site, but there is a major advantage to going with Facebook: They are still the most-used social media site in existence. It is especially popular among women and folks with aged 18-49, according to the Pew Study. Nonprofits already have a strong presence on Facebook, with 98% responding that they are connected on Facebook, so if you’re a nonprofit and you don’t have a Page, get on it! There is also a great value to having a presence on social media for nonprofits, with the average value of a Facebook Like being a reported $214.81 over 12 months following acquisition. These statistics are coming from the 2012 Nonprofit Social Media Benchmark Report, which has a plethora of information for you to use to compare how well you’re doing. Businesses also have a large presence on Facebook. There are “more than 13 million local business pages on Facebook, with 8 million that are active monthly,” according to InsideFacebook.com.

So where do you go to get started?

Start off on Create a Page. You’re most likely going to choose either a “Local Business or Place” or “Company, Organization or Institution” when you’re setting up your new Facebook Page for your small business or nonprofit. The next step is to choose the appropriate subject category for your page and to enter basic location and contact information. (An aside: Don’t worry if you aren’t sure what category to choose. Once you’ve finished with creating the basic Page profile, you’ll be able to edit and add additional categories that you may fall under. This is going to be especially important with the new Facebook Graph search. Learn how to optimize your page so that your page comes up in searches more often.)

The next step in the process is selecting a profile photo for your page. If you have a logo, then this is most likely what you’re going to choose for the image.  However, make sure that whatever image you choose is easy to see in the thumbnail-sized image that displays in the newsfeed when you post something for your followers.

You’ll then be asked to give a short description of your organization. This is a good place to put your mission and a brief history. Do remember to put your organization’s website in there so that you can get folks back to go back to your site to either buy products, donate money, or take some other sort of positive action.

You’ll also be asked to choose a shortened Facebook web address. Try to make this something easy for your customers or supporters to remember and type into their browser. It will also help you out in the long run if you’re putting this web address on printed banners or flyers. For example, the Grants & Nonprofit Info Center’s Facebook web address is https://www.facebook.com/PimaGrants.

The last thing in the Page Creation Wizard that Facebook wants you to do is add account information to enable you to pay for ads or promote posts in a variety of ways. I would probably skip this until you decide that this is something you want to invest in.

Those who are new to Facebook Pages should read this article on 10 Things You Need to Do When Getting Started on Facebook. It is a great that can be used by both businesses and nonprofits, and can help clarify a few of the finer points about Facebook Pages. You should also check out the Pages Help Center if you find yourself getting stuck.

Facebook does have an official Facebook For Business page for businesses who are using the social media website to boost sales, engage consumers, and brand their businesses. There are links to overviews on how to begin building your Facebook Fan Page

Conversely, the Facebook for Nonprofits Page is a little less well-organized, but still offers a few links to useful guides and additional resources. They mostly use this page to highlight specific nonprofit fundraisers and collaborate with larger nonprofits on spreading the word about specific causes and actions. It’s also a news venue for how nonprofits on Facebook accomplished specific feats, such as their recent post about the World Wildlife Fund getting 40% of all of the signatures on the Thai ivory petition from people on Facebook (March 5, 2013). However, while you’re on the page, you should definitely review the Guide for Nonprofits from Facebook that’s available in their Resources app.

Improve Your Page

There are already tons of blog posts and online articles that talk about creating engaging content, so I’m not going to talk about that now. Instead, I’m going to focus on a few tips and tricks for managing your Facebook Page in its infancy.

1.     Choose a cover photo that highlights the products or mission of your organization.

2.     Organize the Apps on Your Page so that the ones that appear in the toolbar at the top are the ones that will be most important to your followers.

3.     In the “Basic Information” section of your Page settings, make sure you add as many Place subcategories that are relevant to your organization.

4.     Post Milestones for your organization.

5.     Post at least once a day.

6.     Like other Pages for nonprofits, organizations or businesses that are related to the services your business or nonprofit offers.

7.     Part 2 of Liking Pages: Manage which Page Likes are visible on your Page in the settings. Click on “Edit Page” at the top, then “Update Info.” In the list of options on the left, click on “Featured.” You can then edit your “Featured Likes.”

8.     Announce the new Page’s existence and invite all of your contacts to Like your Page.

9.     Create Events and share them with your followers.

10.  Pin or highlight important posts so they remain at the top of your Page.

11.  Consider offering a “Deal” to drive people to your organization’s physical location. This service is in beta, so not everyone may see it as an option on their Page. (Offers are available to Pages with at least 100 Likes.)

I’m looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow! Come with all your Page questions. If I can’t answer them off the top of my head, I’ll try to find the answer for you.

Additional articles on Facebook Pages for Nonprofits

A Simple 6 Step Plan for Creating a Facebook Page that Works

Raise Money on Facebook: Four Strategies You Need to Know About

Quick Tips Guide from Facebook

Answers to the Top 10 Questions Asked by Nonprofits About Facebook Marketing

Facebook: Further Reading. A list of articles from Idealware for nonprofits on Facebook.

Additional articles on Facebook for Businesses

8 Must-Know Facebook Tips for Small Businesses – Part 1

8 (More) Must-Know Facebook Tips for Small Businesses

Facebook Graph Search Optimization: 3 Tips for Small Businesses

9 Hot Tips for Small Business Marketing on Facebook

Additional Resources for Pages of either Persuasion

Facebooks Pages Terms

Facebook Page Insights Guide. Learn just exactly all of those insights mean and how they can help you tailor content to drive better customer/supporter experience with your business or nonprofit. Interesting note: Two of the metrics on Facebook (“Likes” and “People Talking About This”) that allow you to judge how popular your Page is are also visible to anyone who visits your page.

Highlights from the "Building the Buzz" panel

We enjoyed the topic (and each other) so much that we stayed nearly an hour later than scheduled. I'm still buzzing with ideas. Big Catalina-size thanks to Kade Mislinski from HUB, Mia Schnaible from The Screening Room, Patricia Katchur from Yikes! Toys, and Shanali Davila from Cup Quequitos for their candor and generosity with their time and knowledge.

Here are highlights (at least what I remember).

Kade Mislinski (HUB) told us that the launch campaign for his HUB Restaurant was a necessity, especially early on, because his funding hadn't fully come through. Facebook gave him a way to share their progress that only cost him his time. Once the building renovation began, the Facebook page turned into a chronicle of the building itself and the history they were uncovering. He shared what fascinated him about the process -- and his readership grew. (Today he still relies on Facebook to keep his businesses fresh in the minds of his readers. It allows him to be more selective about here his advertising dollars go.)

This was one of the themes of the discussion, that the best engagement comes from a playful, personal, real-time approach to social media.

Another theme was that what works for one page, or one social media guru, may not work for you. Find your "online voice" through trying different things and watching for what works. Social media is too new and changing too quickly for there to be bullet-proof formulas for what to do.

Shanali uses Facebook to create a sense of place, something necessary because she doesn't have her own storefront. People may not be able to visit her store, but they can visit her Facebook page to see what's up. She loves to post things that will make her readers laugh. She called it "being goofy," but it's more that she shares herself. The element of fun is inseparable from her "voice" online.

Patricia used Facebook to redefine the business after she bought it. She needed a flexible way to send the message that the store merchandise was broadening into pop culture toys for all ages, not just kids. Photography of the shoppers and merchandise in her shop wasn't used merely to sell, it became a creative outlet and showcase for her considerable artistic skills.

Mia uses Facebook and Twitter to play games with her readers. In a twist on geo-caching, she hides objects and rewards the finder. She appreciates that Twitter allows her to interact with filmmakers and actors, something very useful for a theater that shows independently-made films. She demonstrated QR codes and how they fit in with her publicity.

More audience-building ideas

• Ask for advice and input, especially while your business is in its formative stage
• Free offer drawings (but as posts, not ads for legal reasons)
• Scavenger hunts
• Photos and images so good people share them
• Post a minimum of 3 times a day, especially while you're building your following.

Other tips:

• Look around your business or organization for tiny stories, juicy tidbits, and imagery that is appealing.
• Buy a smartphone and keep it handy for those spontaneous, ephemeral moments.
• Experiment. Post on a hunch every now and then just to see what happens.
• The more entertainment-focused your business is, the more playful you can be. Try one-word posts, relevant, pithy questions, play word games.
• Stick to the core of your business and don't go wildly off topic. 
• Social media isn't the place for negativity, whining or complaints.
• Be human: Shanali shared about the day her cupcakes exploded in the oven! 
• Be generous with your fellow area businesses, even your competitors; what goes around comes around.
• If you are on topic, don't worry about the "unlikes" because they're just not your audience, your core.
• Respond to reader complaints promptly. Some of us deleted these once they were resolved and some of is didn't.
• Think of social media as a chance to deepen the relationships you have with your clientele by sharing "you are here with me" moments.
• If you are booking performers, look to see what their own social media presence is like.

How to Write a Social Media Policy

I can tell you that there's a lot of advice out there about how to write a social media policy, and it is dominated by consultants who work for medium-sized and large corporations. But what about your 15-person nonprofit? Your home-grown restaurant chain? Your small network of art galleries? What should it look like when you want to go beyond an informal "Don't be stupid" policy?

Here are some tips and strategies that will help your organization or business write a policy that works for you.

There are three important documents that a business or nonprofit should create if you want to make the most of your accounts on social media.

1. Your social media policy answers internal questions about purpose, defines ethical and responsible behavior, and lays out how the levels of management and oversight will function. You may also have an external policy for the public that communicates your commenting and interaction guidelines.
2. Your social media plan or strategy. This document captures social media's role in the bigger picture of your outreach and marketing efforts, face-to-face relationships, and online presence. How should social media support the website, and visa versa? If you use a variety of social media, how do they feed and support each other?
3. Your training materials. Don't use your plan or your policy documents for training; they are your underpinnings. the training document is constructed for easy reference and maximum inspiration. Training materials should include information on best practices and clarify the rules most pertinent to everyday work.

Prepare for success

1. Find a champion for creative use of social media and ask them to create a cross-functional team to create the policy.
2. Do an audit of the existing accounts by searching all the major platforms for accounts with your name. You may find surprises! Take a look: what kinds of activity are going on?
3. Comb through existing policy for areas that can be adapted for social media. For example, I based some rules on our existing bulletin board and meeting room use polices.
4. Start a list of all of the contact people and passwords.

Questions a good social media policy should answer:

DEFINITIONS:

• What is social media? What types of platforms are covered?
• What will they be used for? 
• Recognition of the wide variety of tools and possible uses. Examples: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, blogs, FourSquare, Google+, YouTube, Yelp, Instagram. In other words, don't write a policy for a platform like Facebook that won't cover an image-based one like Pinterest.

WHY:

• What are your general reasons for being on social media?

WHO:

• Which staff members can write for your organization? Who will have access?
• Who provides training? 
• Who has oversight? Who collects the statistics and analytics? 
• Who decides on branding and account naming consistency? 
• Who decides what new platforms to add? Who decides when it’s time to shut it down and move on?
• How does it fit into your organizational structure? 

WHAT:

• What may staff write about? 
• What constitutes success?

ETHICS and CONDUCT:

• What staff and reader behaviors work against your goals? 
• What legal considerations do you have? These may include records retention, free speech, privacy, operational and information security.
• Where is your balance between transparency and security?

CRITICISM and CRISIS TOOLS:

• What do you do when things go wrong? How will your organization handle criticism in a public forum?

What your policy shouldn't do is hamstring your staff's creativity and experimentation, or their ability to adapt to the changes a platform will throw at you. You also don't want a policy that is so rigid that it has to be rewritten when new types of social media come along, or one that works against the best uses of the tools. It shouldn't unnecessarily stifle online social behavior either. Basically, you don't want a document that doesn't fit your organizational structure, or one that your best people have to work around or disregard.

I have a true story. Once we launched a Facebook page so quickly I didn't initially have time for the typical 2-hour training. Our staff writer, a librarian, was known to be a delightful writer for her personal account. Pressed for time, I told her I trusted her, and that she should: "Be human, have fun, and show your passion for what you do." You know what, her page is our most successful service-level page. Remember when you're writing the policy that your ultimate goal is to have a fun, engaging, appealing page; your supporting documents should model trust and transparency wherever they can. 

Sample Outline:

1. Purpose of document
2. Definition of social media (Example: Social Media: A term for the tools and platforms people use to create community online by publishing, conversing and sharing information. The tools include forums, message boards, blogs, wikis, podcasts, and sites to share photos and bookmarks. Social media applications include Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube.)
3. Recommended uses of social media
4. Social media access and procedures
5. Legal considerations

Further Reading

Highly recommended
Best practices for developing a social media policy (Socialmedia.biz)
A Template To Help Start Your Social Media Policy (Corey Creed)
Social Media Policy Best Practices: Trust Is Cheaper Than Control (Beth Kanter)
Got Social Media Policy? (Beth Kanter)
American Red Cross Social Media
Policy Tool, a generator for Social Media (Policy for the People)

Examples of Social Media Policies
Social media policies (Sociamedia.biz)
Database of Social Media Policies (Social Media Governance)
Analysis of Social Media Policies: Lessons and Best Practices (Social Media Governance) 

Policy for Business
Four Ways To Do a Social Media Policy That’s Simple, Smart, and Right (TLNT) Note: while I like this, I think it confuses a policy with training materials.
5 Noteworthy Examples of Corporate Social Media Policies (HubSpot)
 
Policy for Government
Designing Social Media Policy for Government (Center for Technology in Government)

Blogging Policy & Ethics
Blogging and Social Media Policy Sample

High-Stakes, Big Company Policies
Sample Social Media Policy (Eric Schwartzman)
This template is more than most of us will need