Ideas
Being The Change We Want to See in the Marketplace
This week, our COO Kate Swann spoke at the Digiday Agency Summit. In this post, Kate gives a taste of her presentation and talks about how Blue State Digital’s values have shaped our policies and our business.
Instagram adds polling to Stories — but what does it all mean?
In the past year, Instagram has added feature after feature to Stories. Creative Director Nathan Maggio goes deep undercover to use Instagram like a teen, with some questionable results. Find out what Nathan thinks these changes mean for the platform — and for the brands and organizations that use it in their social marketing.
Advocating for Ourselves
The news moves fast. This week, the latest Republican effort to repeal the ACA in 2017 gave its death rattle. This time last week, however, the fight was still raging. Our Director of Content Billy Silverman talks about how we used our tool CallOut to join our clients (and Jimmy Kimmel) in battling ACA repeal.
Twitter is Doubling Its Character Limit. Is That a Good Thing?
Hot on the heels of this week’s announcement, a few of BSD’s Twitter fans weigh in on what this big change means for the platform — and for the brands, nonprofits, and organizations that use it on a daily basis. Hear from strategists Chris Coletta and Reece Jackson, as well as our Director of Content Billy Silverman — plus a bonus pearl of wisdom from Associate Creative Director Missy Kurzweil.
In the field with UNICEF USA
Ever wanted to experience your client’s work firsthand? Account Director Justine Nancarrow talks about what it was like to join UNICEF in Mexico to witness their important work supporting child migrants and enhancing child protection policies in Central America.
Does a Year-End Weekend Mean Weak Year-End Fundraising?
The tax deadline (Dec. 31) fell on a Saturday in 2016 and will fall on a Sunday this year. What happens to a fundraising program when the target audience might not be sitting at their desks, ready to click a big, beautiful “donate” button on December 31? Blue State Digital’s Analytics and Communications teams weigh in on how to make the most of the New Year’s weekend.
Be a Better Manbassador
Are equal rights for women guaranteed in the Constitution? No, they’re not. Are we working on that? Yes, we are. Read this post by Creative Director Laura Kunkel on how men can be better allies to women in the workplace and beyond.
Watch: Taking on Extremism in the U.K.
Fast Company’s Co.Design chats with BSD London about fighting extremism and hatred with our U.K. clients in this quick video.
Takeaways From DMA’s 2017 Chicago Nonprofit Conference
A good fundraising professional is always learning! Last week BSD headed to DMA’s 2017 Chicago Nonprofit Conference to hear from (and share with) our peers in the fundraising and advocacy space — click here for some insights and takeaways from our team.
8 Tips for Launching a User-Validated MVP on Time
Yes! I want user feedback on my product before it launches. No! I don’t want to delay the launch. Principal UX Designer Daniel Kalick shares lessons on conducting user testing in parallel to development, drawing from our work with the City of New York on Growing Up NYC.
100RC is Building a More Resilient World
BSD partners with 100 Resilient Cities to help cities around the world survive and thrive despite the shocks and stresses of modern life. We recently helped open up their annual 100RC Summit to resilience practitioners all over the world — no travel required.
Don’t Boil the Ocean
How can you craft a digital campaign not only to spread a hashtag, but also change the way people think and act?
What We Learned from the 100RC Urban Resilience Summit
Here's what we learned from the 100RC Urban Resilience Summit on making our cities stronger.
Are Sponsored GIFs a Gift for Marketers?
Giphy is testing out sponsored GIFs. What does that mean for marketers?
Listen: BSD on the UK Election
The UK election gave us a big surprise. What’s next for campaigns in the UK and the US? Samir Patel, who leads our London office, shares his views on the Social Media and Politics Podcast.
Fundraising has Changed — Here’s How to Catch Up
Creative Director Dan Thain shares some key tips for nonprofits raising money in 2017.
It’s Go Time: How to Fight Policies Like the Health Care Bill
Here’s how we’re using our strategy and tech chops to help clients fight the good fight.
Lit vs. Let [It Go]: What Nonprofits Should Be Measuring
Senior Digital Analyst Orwin Evenson discusses which metrics can lead you to a powerhouse fundraising program and which are wasting your time.
What Nonprofits Should Be Measuring: A KPIs Cheatsheet
Be the smartest person in the room by using our handy KPIs Cheatsheet. Download the list to find out which metrics can lead you to a powerhouse fundraising program and which metrics are wasting your time.
Progress! How the UK’s Digital Left Mobilised Voters for Labour
After Labour’s unexpectedly strong performance in the UK election, we discuss a few key shifts that contributed to this historic outcome.
