Lisa Foote and Curt Prins gave a presentation on mobile and youth engagement. They discussed research showing high mobile phone ownership and social media use among youth. They described using various mobile tools like FrontlineSMS, MobileCause, and MixMobi in campaigns to engage LGBT youth. Their first campaign had logistical flaws as many youth lacked transportation. After refocusing the campaign locally with easier participation and prizes, over 250 people participated, most new to the organization, and $500 was raised unsolicited. They concluded by discussing best practices for mobile engagement and integrating it into organizations.

1. Mobile &
Youth Engagement
Lisa Foote & Curt Prins
Unsummit | 26 June 2010

2. Biographies
Lisa Foote, President | MixMobi
• Innovation enthusiast
• Corporate refugee, VP at CapitalOne
Curt Prins, Executive Director | District 202
• 16 Years in Technology Marketing & Nonprofits
• D202 empowers LGBTA youth ages 13-21
• D202 earned a 2010 Dot.Org Award for
leveraging technology to engage youth.
Mobile & Youth Engagement
Lisa Foote & Curt Prins | Unsummit 2010

3. What we’re covering
1) Research on youth & mobile phones
2) Talk toys & tools
3) Take a peak at our first campaign
4) Review @#$%! moment how we adapted
5) Results from the changes
6) Open discussion
7) Questions?
Mobile & Youth Engagement
Lisa Foote & Curt Prins | Unsummit 2010

4. Research
• Youth’s lives are integrated with technology
• Over 78% have mobile phones (Pew Research)
• Guess the average teen SMS volume/month?
• They send/receive 2,272 (NYT-AT&T)
• Over 73% use Social Media (Pew)
• Compared to 40% adults ages 30+
Mobile & Youth Engagement
Lisa Foote & Curt Prins | Unsummit 2010

5. Mobile Toys & Tools
• First experimented “Toy”: FrontlineSMS
– Built for NGO’s in developing world
– Hardware based & remarkably slow
• Moved to SaaS Platform: MobileCause
– Initially for text2give—Raised $15K
– Added SMS Broadcasting Tools—built a list of 2K
• Mobile Web Platform: MixMobi
– Integrated for education
– Later use for fundraising
Mobile & Youth Engagement
Lisa Foote & Curt Prins | Unsummit 2010

6. First campaign
• Goals for the effort:
– Youth email and SMS list building
– Introduction to greater LGBT community
– “Guinea pigging” youth for an adult version in Fall
• Tools:
– MobileCause for broadcast & list building
– MixMobi for education & enrichment
Mobile & Youth Engagement
Lisa Foote & Curt Prins | Unsummit 2010

7. First campaign
Mobile & Youth Engagement
Lisa Foote & Curt Prins | Unsummit 2010

8. 70’s Sitcom Tune:
Mobile & Youth Engagement
Lisa Foote & Curt Prins | Unsummit 2010
“Who can turn the world on with her smile?”
Text “MARYTYLERMOORE” to 27138
Text “MARYRICHARDS” to 27138

9. Mobile & Youth Engagement
Lisa Foote & Curt Prins | Unsummit 2010

10. First @#$%! campaign
• Faults were not technically based
• 13-21 year-olds not mobile—transportation-wise
• Our locations were in a circular path around
Minneapolis/St. Paul
• 13-21 year-olds need greater incentives to act
• Keep it simple and brief
Mobile & Youth Engagement
Lisa Foote & Curt Prins | Unsummit 2010

11. Remedy
• Focus only on the area within Twin Cities—
Loring Park during Pride Weekend
• 7 Locations with easier hints
• Beefed up prize money
• Invited general community
to participate—sans prizes
• Added other organizations to
introduce youth to them
Mobile & Youth Engagement
Lisa Foote & Curt Prins | Unsummit 2010

12. Results
• Over 250 participated—20% were adults
• 86% of the participants were new to D202
• Strengthened relationships
with key partners
• Raised over $500 (unsolicited)
• Recruited 20 new volunteers
Mobile & Youth Engagement
Lisa Foote & Curt Prins | Unsummit 2010

13. Open discussion
• How to implement do you best mobile in your
organization
• Understanding your audience
• What’s a fad?
• What’s here to stay?
• How do you integrate mobile into other efforts?
Mobile & Youth Engagement
Lisa Foote & Curt Prins | Unsummit 2010

14. Questions?

15. Thank you!