Thank You Sarah Palin…

Who would ever think that Sarah Palin could make me think about new media, but she did!! I have to admit that I was riding Kingda Ka at Great Adventure when Sarah Palin appeared on Saturday Night Live and unfortunately, my husband and I do not have DVR. While I was really anticipating what it would be like to see Sarah Palin and Tina Fey on the same stage, I was not worried as I knew that I would find it online after its’ initial airing on Saturday night.

Needless to say, Sunday morning I ran to my computer to look for the SNL clips that I know were already available online. Lo and behold, they were uploaded and ready for viewing and I spent quite some time at the computer (with my mother, father, and sister) laughing at the antics of quite a cast of characters.

What can SNL, Sarah Palin, and Tina Fey possibly have to do with HIV/AIDS education? The answer is everything!! The fact that I missed the initial airing of that Saturday Night Live episode did not mean that I would never see it again or would have to diligently watch the re-run roster for the next year; viewing it was as easy as sitting in front of my computer. This is the true definition of new media, information at your fingertips when you want it, how you want it.

While watching videos on the computer is nothing new, the speed and efficiency with which I can now find any and all types of media content online is new. According to the Associated Press, 10.2 million people watched the season-opening “Saturday Night Live”, an additional 1.2 million people recorded it on their DVRs and the skit was accessed online more than 13 million times. Remember that these are the numbers that NBC can track, while going viral through their company website, NBC has no way to track the number of times that it has been posted or emailed through hundreds of other sites. This is the nature of information in our new media world, once posted online, information has the opportunity to go viral within a few hours.

Now imagine if just a quarter of the people that went online to view the SNL clips went online to obtain HIV/AIDS information? What if they spent time with their family in front of the computer looking at HIV/AIDS related websites, public education campaigns, and various available programming? It is plausible and more than possible for online media to be at the forefront of HIV/AIDS information and to become the newest medium through which individuals and families can sit together and talk about what they are viewing on the screen.

This is the ultimate goal of Cable Positive’s different grant programs, to provide agencies with the funds and insight to translate their promotional and education campaigns onto multi-media platforms. With the correct use of new technology, HIV/AIDS information and education can be readily available through the press of an On-Demand button or the click of a mouse; when HIV/AIDS education goes viral online, it will be something viral that we can all celebrate.

Refocusing….

Let’s face it, times are hard. CNN’s red arrows continue to point to an economy that is responding to the greatest financial crisis of our time. It is hard not to become overwhelmed by the ever surrounding news of foreclosures, falling house prices, and the looming presidential election. It is enough to make to even the most uninterested American sit up and take notice, or at least change the channel from I Love Money to Anderson Cooper 360^o for 15 minutes.

It is a tumultuous time for non-profits across the country. Funding is being reallocated and/or lost, jobs are being cut, and sites are closing down; all while agencies must continue to prove their worth to the community and their funders, while doing more with less or less with less.

While our economy and job market continue to flounder, the CDC recently updated their 2006 new HIV infection rates to reflect an increase of 16,300 people living with HIV/AIDS, reaching a total of 56,300 HIV infections in the US compared to the previously reported 40,000. What does this mean?

It means that now, more than ever, is the time for innovative and flexible HIV prevention education. With less money to go around, a real possibility in a strapped household might be to have to choose between toilet paper and milk; personal protection items such as condoms, lubricants, dental dams, etc are left on the back burner. This is a very important time within our HIV/AIDS prevention community, back are the days when you teach people to make a dental dam by cutting up a plastic glove.

Also gone are the times of 500k, multi-year grants from the city, state, or local governments. Agencies must once again look to small foundation/private grants (who will to supplement funds to provide direct service and to market these services. I bring this up because the deadline for the Tony Cox Community Fund 2008 Cycle 2 was on September 12^th, 2008 and out of all the ASOs in the 50 states, we have a grand total of 25 applications. While I understand that a grant application can be an unwelcome addition to an already overworked and underpaid staff person’s job description; the benefits of up to $7,000 worth of unrestricted funds cannot be denied.

While the initial grant application may seem taxing, the results can be tremendous, including: a partnership with a local cable system (that can only grow), increased agency clientele, agency branding, increased agency recognition within your community (and in the surround areas), increased participation in agency events, increase in potential grant monies from PSA exposure, etc. etc.

Cable Positive’s motto, “we have work to do,” has never echoed stronger or with such urgency, do your research and apply for small grants, the worst that can happen is that you are funded!!!

Grant: $3,000, Outreach: In-Kind, Bronze Telly Award: PRICELESS

When AIDS Service Organizations apply for the Tony Cox Community Fund, they are usually thinking about how they will best utilize the unrestricted media funds. Outreach is planned, storyboards are set, and PSAs are filmed. At best, the resulting marketing campaign not only educates those in the community about HIV prevention and the services of the ASO, but also provides volunteers and donations for an agency event. Programmatic and agency accolades are part of the process of a job well done, but outside agency, or even outside industry, recognitions come few and far between. For this very reason, I want to share with you the very exciting award recently given to Northland Cares and Cable ONE in Prescott, Arizona.

Northland Cares, a 2007 Cycle 2 grantee of Cable Positive’s Tony Cox Community Fund, and their cable partner Cable ONE, were recognized with a Bronze Telly Award for outstanding achievement for their short video entitled “Bud’s Story.” (FYI, the Telly Awards honor outstanding local, regional and cable TV commercials and programs, film production, and web commercials, videos, and films. This year’s competition had over 13,500 entries from all 50 states.)

The video tells the story of a community member, who, since accessing treatment at Northland Cares has undergone a physical and mental transformation to become the center of his family and an activist for those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in the Arizona region. The video was the highlight of a community event in Flagstaff, AZ, and at the organization’s annual World AIDS Day breakfast. In addition to “Bud’s Story,” Northland Cares also made a series of Public Service Announcements that aired on Cable ONE, as well as marketing materials that were made available in distribution channels previously not reachable by the organization such as libraries and area colleges.

After the release of “Bud’s Story” and a Public Service Announcement, both produced by Cable ONE, Northland Cares’ client roster increased by 10% and due directly to the video, the organization augmented their donor pool by an additional 15%. In prior discussions about the benefits of being a TCCF grantee, I have spoken consistently about “value” and what the true total value a PSA can bring to an agency. With its’ increased community awareness, extensive HIV prevention education, increase in client and donor base, and a Bronze Telly award, Northland Care’s and Cable ONE’s multi-pronged approached to HIV education, outreach, and media distribution is truly a shining example of how a small $3,000 grant can snowball into a mighty avalanche.

What does June 27th mean to you?

Summertime brings forth images of beaches, barbeque, and HIV testing? This is the message that agencies are striving to convey as National HIV Testing Day draws nearer and nearer. In an apathetic AIDS world, we are regulated to constantly hearing that HIV is no longer truly an epidemic/pandemic, that it is something that is “easily manageable”; it is due to these very assumptions that June 27^th is such an important day for AIDS activists and service providers across the country.

I know that our calendar is full of “National Days,” January 31 is National Popcorn Day and Child Labor Day, March 1 is National Pig Day and Peanut Butter Lover's Day, and July 12 is National Pecan Pie Day; but the tone is truly serious on June 27^th, National HIV/AIDS Testing Day. In a country where there are approximately 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS and where 1 out of 4 people are HIV positive but do not know it, the mission and work of National HIV/AIDS Testing Day (and days like it) takes on an especially dire significance.

It is imperative to be proactive in the fight against HIV/AIDS and education is our only tried and true weapon. Agencies who have applied to the Tony Cox Community Fund know and understand that marketing their services is key to getting people through the door and provided with prevention education and/or care. Without proper outreach, an agency’s services are not known to the very community that is in need of them. This reaches to the very core as to why the Tony Cox Community Fund is more important that ever before.

Providing unrestricted marketing funds is completely unheard of (I mean come on, when was the last time your department of health said here is some money, do whatever marketing you want), but that is exactly what TCCF does!! Through the use of these unrestricted marketing funds, agencies produce and market public education campaigns that promote their services and/or a fundraising event. These HIV/AIDS fundraising events usually collect money for the agency while also providing free HIV/AIDS testing, education, and outreach to the community. This double pronged approach to community service provides the perfect opportunity for ASOs to fundraise while continuing to provide direct services to community members in need.

National HIV/Testing Day, National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, World AIDS Day, and other “National Days” are the perfect time to shine a spotlight on educating the public that HIV is still out there, that it still does not discriminate in who it infects, and that, at the current time, education is our only vaccine. Integrate these days into your outreach/community events and make them an important part of your yearly calendar, because if you don’t, June 27^th will lose its’ meaning and become just another dress down Friday.

Value Does Not Always Equal Money

How does an agency gauge the value of an RFP or grant and then decide to apply for it? How is it decided that one grant has more value than another and what exactly is the programmatic definition of value? Having been in HIV/AIDS direct service for the last ten years, I can tell you the easy way that most agencies calculate this, how much money will this grant provide to the agency?; using this baseline definition, agencies decide which RFPs and grants they are going to go after.

For example, $1 million grant will provide viable opportunities for an agency; essentially it can provide a plethora of new jobs, new rental space, incentives for clients, and a host of services and activities that will certainly benefit the community and consumers alike. The honest truth though is that $1 million grants are few and far between and as agencies, we must look beyond the dollar value of what a grant can provide. Looking beyond a grant’s monetary value is no easy task; it takes a group of people who are innovative, creative, and willing to pull their programs outside of the box. While I cannot argue that looking at the numbers is certainly one of the ways to ascertain a grants’ value to an agency, let’s discuss value in nonmonetary terms.

I bring all this up because yesterday was my first experience at Cable Positive’s Positively Outstanding Programs (POP) Awards. Essentially, cable networks and agencies are recognized for the programming/public service campaigns that they produce throughout the year whose storylines include safer sex and HIV/AIDS messages. It was amazing to see so many different types of people come together for such a great event; there were high level executives from cable systems, programmers, television producers, AIDS Service Organizations, AIDS activists, and celebrities who support the cause of HIV/AIDS prevention. Now as I stood there for four hours, it occurred to me that THIS, THIS EVENT, should be considered an extremely valuable nonmonetary opportunity. The type of occasion to meet people who, while interested in helping promote HIV/AIDS prevention, are not employed providing HIV/AIDS direct services; people with whom innovate and creative projects could be discussed and more importantly, IMPLEMENTED.

The question is though, how does an ASO even learn about an event like the POP Awards? Now here comes the simple part, apply for the Tony Cox Community Fund!! Even if agencies are not awarded TCCF funds, they are placed into our database and sent newsletters and emails about all of Cable Positive’s events and fund raising activities. Cable Positive has events throughout the year and these networking events can provide valuable connections that can expand an agency’s mission and message through a variety of different media. Come hang out with us, I promise we don’t bite!!!!

Summer, summer, summertime!

It is officially June; in the HIV/AIDS prevention world that means a month centered around Gay Pride activities (HAPPY PRIDE!!!!!) and National HIV Testing Day. June also officially kicks off a summer full of outdoor HIV prevention activities including: programmatic outreach, tabling, and HIV/STI testing; all of which occur in a variety of venues that include outside health fairs, block parties, parades, barbeques, etc. All in all, June denotes “the busy season” for many Prevention/Education Departments at AIDS Service Organizations (ASOs) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) nationwide.

Having already made you exhausted by reminding you of the summer’s workload, let me add a piece of corn to your summer work bbq; a signature summer event! Now, I can see the eyes rolling, the exasperated sighs, the hands fluttering that another summer event is just not feasible, not worth it, and not going to fly. While all of those reasons may be valid, let me throw something out there for you. In the midst of Medicaid cuts to COBRA case management, decreases in grant allotments, and the ever changing economy, it is time to think about the work that your agency does and how it is perceived by the community and the media. Your agency may provide the best case management, the most innovative HIV prevention programs, and provide a lifeline to thousands of clients, but if your community does not know the excellent work being conducted, your agency is essentially providing its services in a vacuum.

Now a signature summer event may certainly not be possible this year, but let us look ahead to next summer and how your agency can provide services to the community while also receiving the press/media that it deserves. My answer to you is the Tony Cox Community Fund (is anyone reading this really surprised??). Utilizing TCCF funds allow you to promote your event through media avenues that are not always utilized by ASOs; public education campaigns, website banners, online promotion, text messaging, and instant messaging are sources of new technology that can truly promote an event and have branding opportunities for both the agency and corporate sponsors.

Some agencies have balked at the fact that the Tony Cox Community Fund only provides up to $7,000 in unrestricted funding. While it is true that TCCF can provide up to $7,000 in true dollars, the cable connections, press recognition, and community exposure gained are worth their weight in gasoline, which at today’s prices is worth more than gold!

In The Know...

By Jennifer D. Medina

As I reflect on my 10^th year of working within the HIV/AIDS field, I realize that some old adages will forever ring true. The one that comes to mind for me, having returned from doing some serious volunteerism in New Orleans, is it’s not what you know but who you know. While it may seem trite and overused, it really struck me (as I was hanging dry wall on second story scaffolding at a Unitarian Universalist church in New Orleans), how very true these words are.

Let me explain myself…..

Cable Positive was fortunate enough to coordinate a HUGE volunteerism in New Orleans during the 2008 National Cable & Telecommunication Association Trade Show, known as “The Cable Show.” While prepping for the volunteerism, we looked to see what agencies were in need in New Orleans and how we could best help them. As a reference point, we contacted a Tony Cox Community Fund grantee, NO/AIDS Task Force, in order to follow-up with them regarding the needs of the community and how best to use the resources at our disposal (which included over 100 volunteers from NBC Universal, SES Americom, Time Warner, Rainbow Media, Imagine Communications, and other cable systems). After explaining our volunteerism proposal, NO/AIDS Task Force put us into communication with two residences in New Orleans for people living with HIV/AIDS that needed extensive landscaping and painting.

Many (MANY) emails and phone calls later, NO/AIDS Task Force had a new 22ft (400 sq. ft) wall at their shared kitchen/food pantry facility, Project Lazarus had a completely landscaped facility (four buildings worth!!), newly cleaned windows (inside and out), and all grounds had been completed mulched, and Kent House had a freshly painted kitchen, completely weeded and cleaned garden entrance, and a brand new backyard, complete with new barbeque pit, new seating area/patio, reset brick walk, and over 20 new potted plants. Additionally, through a generous donation from Josh Sapan of Rainbow Media, 35 works of art were donated to Project Lazarus and Kent House and each resident was able to choose their favorite, take it off the wall at the art gallery, and take it home.

As I look back at all the good that happened because of that ONE phone call to NO/AIDS Task Force, I am overwhelmed by the professional game of telephone that occurred; I called Noel, who called Glen, who called Eric, who called Lois, who called Jeff; and then they ALL called me back. So the morale of the story is that no matter how big or small a grant (our Tony Cox Community Fund for example), even applying for it can build bridges/connections that will benefit your agency, your community, and sister agencies; knowing others in your community who do similar work can make for collaborations and partnerships that are mutually beneficial. Know your colleagues, know your community partners, know your consumers; you never know when you can all help each other out!