policy

Q&A #10: Sinner, Sinner, Chicken Dinner

A Life of Organized Chaos (and Innovation) could probably be this young man’s memoir title, but while we have him in our clutches, we prefer the title of Social Media Manager to any other. Coming to us last Fall, Robert Sinners has shown a knack for policy and political innovation that helps us build and be on the cutting edge- and grow to tolerate his headphone blasting and the right leg that won’t ever stop bouncing. It’s a decent trade, and it has only given us minimal headache to date. And to add to the package, something really insightful usually develops from his lair.

But besides that, he enjoys the concept of teamwork. Lending a hand is something that’s important to him, with loyalty being a close second- and that’s something thats hard to find. With a smile, he does what he should and doesn’t complain. But, when politics is your love and your job, how can you?

With a Master’s degree and an equally qualified sense of humor, there’s no doubt that an environment as often rambunctious and unpredictable as politics will be well suited for his wares. Will he lead the free world? Or will The Daily Show find a new producer of unabashed candor? Who knows. At least we got to ignore those irrelevant questions and spend some time getting to the cold, hard truth behind what makes this…person…tick. And, we got way more than we asked.

So, Bob, what’s your favorite book?

I read like it’s my job. I love them all…but…It would have to be “A Confederacy of Dunces” by John Kennedy Toole. Its like Seinfeld, but in a novel. Completely absurd.

What is your life motto?

Success is a planned event. I got that in a fortune cookie once and kept it in my wallet ever since. See?

What is your favorite song?

I dunno. I’ve been in Bruce Springsteen mode recently. I saw him last Sunday in Atlanta. One day, “Secret Garden” will be playing in the background and I will have one of those future wife moments like in Jerry Mcguire. And, I’ve also got jokes to go with my musical know. See? I just pulled your leg.

(tunage break)

Who is your favorite politician?

George S. Patton or Albert Einstein. The military and academia are easily the two most politicized bodies out there, and they figured out how to be unique in their environment. My favorite, or my best influence on real “politics”? Barry Goldwater or Pat Buchanan. They understand conservatism means supporting things you’re opposed to for the greater good. They actually look(ed) at policy. We’re missing that these days.

What is your biggest quirk?

Wasn’t a collection of fortune cookie prophecies quirky enough for you?

What do you think is your biggest asset to our work?

I read people. Growing up I used to get into trouble and my mom would always say “you don’t read people” “You never read people”. Well, it was actually that I read people so well that I knew exactly how to get under their skin. I was definitely that pest on the playground in 6th grade. Since I’ve grown up a bit it’s not about how to annoy folks anymore, as much as it’s figuring out what they require to earn their support. That’s politics. So, I think adding that touch of humanity to our work is important.

Biggest Screw Up?

Sometimes i get too creative, so I usually have to screw something up once to get it right the second time. Then it’s right forever. Or at least that’s the ideal. When I first started I went on this twitter tangent with a client’s page because I didn’t know what I was doing. That was bad.

Why do you like being a geek?

Because someday some very smart lady is going to like my quirks and have me whipped like cream. God help that gorgeously misled vixen…

What makes you love politics?

It’s a circus and I’ve always been the ringmaster type. I love the people you meet. Fun, smart, kind, truly crazy- I like everybody. But I’m also a policy guy, so that’s what I truly love.

Describe yourself, as something you can buy at Wal-Mart?

Batman pajamas. I am going to save this world, defeat evil, but I don’t want to take myself too seriously or seem threatening while I’m out doing it.

What would you Occupy?

That little import room at Greenes. And I’d never leave.

What does America smell like?

Master P’s hotel suite the morning after the Source Awards. That’s the smell of victory and abundance if there ever was one.

Well, to each his own. We would have gone with a hotdog roasting over a grill, but we aren’t the type to judge. Keep fighting the good fight, Mr. Sinners, and hopefully one day you will be earning enough to occupy that backroom of Greene’s, or a hotel suite yourself. Until then, go take out the trash…

Until next time…

Raise Money, and Rally Your Supporters

Check The Ways Rally Can Tell Your Story.

Regardless of The Issue, Rally Will Make It More Powerful

Social media is changing the way we communicate every day. It’s also changing the breadth and reach of those communications. From Facebook likes to re-tweets to youtube videos, a deep thought, a clever quip (or even an embarrassing moment) can be shared with more people more quickly than ever before.

Social media also has an incredible multiplier effect. With one click of the mouse, a person shares with hundreds or even thousands of others, then those people do the same. Pretty soon, one single communication is cascading across the Web.

What drives this phenomenon? What makes people WANT to share? Though the technology has changed, the answer to this question hasn’t – content. Even though the methods and modes of communication have changed, content is still king.

But that begs the question – what kind of content drives sharing? Sure a pithy quote or a funny video might drive some sharing or lead someone to 15 minutes of internet fame.

What people are really after is something that isn’t just compelling once, they’re looking for something that is compelling on a sustained basis; something that keeps them coming back for more.

What people are looking for, quite simply, is a story.

The best blogs, the best facebook timelines, the best twitter accounts are the ones that tell a story. People not only want to know what’s coming next, they want to see where you’ve been.

Every campaign, every issue, every candidate has a story. Those stories humanize and personalize what in a lot of cases are just facts, disjointed observations, and statistics.

That’s where Rally comes in.

Rally is a new social networking tool being utilized here at Donehue Direct. But Rally is more than simple social networking. It’s much, much more.

Think tumblr, twitter and pay pal all rolled into one.

At its most basic level, a Rally page functions like a blog. So automatically, it’s a great tool for storytelling. But it uses those stories to drive donations, right there from the content. And every new piece of the story is delivered to the audience at large via text, email and video alerts. The stories are shared over social networks as well.

We’re having incredible success with Rally, and getting great feedback from our clients for its simplicity and effectiveness.

It was a creation of the Piryx team. Piryx stormed onto the scene just a couple of years ago, and quickly gained renown as the best donation system for causes on the web. Donehue Direct started working with them during the Congressman Joe Wilson “You Lie!” controversy, and raised literally millions for Wilson online in just a few short days.

But Piryx was just the donation hub. And Congressman Wilson had the advantage of a very public news event to drive donations. In most cases, you need other means to push content, which is where Rally comes in – you can now do that alongside a donations platform.

Simply put, it’s a one stop shop for TELLING THE STORY of your campaign – and even more importantly, getting people invested in what comes next.