Happy Friday! We made it! Today I am more in a solution mode than thought mode. Thank goodness! My last post was about burn out and what to do about it. I have been thinking about the “free” economy and what it is doing to us collectively.
We all like free, and we all seek free in order to find solutions. However, if we constantly get free, what do you think this all the time free is doing to the people that are supplying the free?
I constantly hear that giving something for free will open the door for more business. Is this still true? Many people are starting to become stuck in this free mode. “I love the free advice from your blog,” but are people willing to start paying for it?
Our free information world is beginning to cause a few challenges. The people that are attempting to supply the information, for free, are starting to have to shut down due to all the free-ness. If you value their advice, the advice is worth paying for at some point. The cycle of free needs to end or we will end up without the fantastic advice that we need and want in the first place.
So, in order to help end the cycle, which I myself have been contributing to, I am starting a Give Program. I hope you will follow pursuit. Here’s the deal:
- I will keep track of the blogs and other free information sites that I have come to rely on.
- Every month I will decide on a person to donate or contribute to based on how often I visit and read their information.
- I am making sure to value the people that are making a difference and showing them my appreciation with this gift.
- I am making note of what happens to me during this program.
You may recall that during my time off I completed a 29 Days of Giving program. You don’t have to be as strict as giving every day. The point of this program is to recognize and contribute to the people that give you good ideas, advice, and you have come to rely on for guidance.
Please consider joining me. It takes very little money per gift to make a difference. Today I donated my first gift to Drew McManus for his continual efforts to supply sound advice, guidance and information to the orchestra sector through his site Adaptistration.
You see, we all rely on energy. Many of us are giving energy, and we are rarely seeing this energy returned. You can help end this cycle by giving a little here and there to the people that are making a difference. It’s your choice.
Have a great weekend, and I hope you will share your thoughts about this program! Please share with people that might want to join in.
Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,
Shoshana
Shoshana Fanizza
Audience Development Specialists
http://www.buildmyaudience.com
“Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.”
~James Stewart
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Audience Development Specialists Blog! 
And thank you for that Shoshana, I’m honored you found the blog worthwhile. I think this is a terrific idea and I’m going to adopt it and post something about it next week, hopefully it will start a domino effect but what do you suggest for any authors that don’t have contribution functionality?
You are most welcome, Drew. For authors that do not have contribution options, perhaps you could give back to them in other ways such as multiple mentions online, commenting on their blogs to get conversations started, and recommending their newsletter or blog to other people that would enjoy their guidance.
Another way to give is to buy their book or sign up for a webinar, if they are offering these products and services.
Lastly, I thought of another opportunity to give, and this one is for the arts alliances, councils and other institutions that supply educational workshops. Many of these offerings are low priced to accommodate the artists and arts organizations, yet they probably need more funding.
For example, there is a workshop on evaluations tomorrow that I want to sign up for. I am a member and the cost is only $10. I happen to know that this organization could use more funding, so I can add a little donation to my registration fee.
Giving a little extra when you can and purchasing other goods and services that will support people that support the arts (and you) is what this Give Program is all about!
So far, since my first donation, I had a colleague send me a helpful email out of the blue. I’m looking forward to see if more good karma is heading my way during this month.
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