Grants Introduce Nonprofits to 21st Century Media

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Grants Introduce Nonprofits to 21^st Century Media

The Colorado Progressive Coalition's (CPC) membership has reached 5,500 individuals and 40 organizations since its founding in 1996, but greater growth lies ahead now that its staff has mastered a new arsenal of communications tools, thanks to a grant from Community First Foundation.

"My knowledge of new media was really minimal," admitted Nisar Nikzad, technology director at CPC, which calls itself the "anchor" for Colorado's grassroots progressive community. "Now, I feel like I've learned so much. The training we received, thanks to Community First Foundation, really helped us eliminate barriers we face in reaching members and potential members."

CPC, which advocates for an open democracy and promotes social issues, is among six Denver-area nonprofits that learned to create videos and public service announcements as well as use emerging Web, social networking and alternative media to their advantage. Community First Foundation partnered with Deproduction, a nonprofit leader in new media, to provide the training and support to the six nonprofits. The Foundation granted $28,000 to Deproduction to train the organizations and then air their content on Deproduction's TV station, Denver Open Media.

"Community First Foundation has been instrumental in helping us demonstrate the true promise that our new media services hold for nonprofits," said Tony Shawcross, Deproduction's founder and executive director.

"Media used to be outside the reach of many small nonprofits," he explained. "However, new media takes in the extensive communication possibilities created through the World Wide Web-and enables grassroots organizations to reach wide audiences without depending on traditional media."

"Through this program, six organizations have demonstrated how accessible it can be for anyone to add new media efforts to their marketing and outreach mix, and in the coming year, we plan to show how those approaches can help organizations have a significant community impact," Shawcross said.

Four representatives from each organization were certified in video production, video editing and/or studio production, and created public service announcements and short promotional videos. The grants also allow the organizations to continue to use Deproduction Public Access TV for a year through Denver Open Media.

The following six organizations were chosen because of their enthusiasm and ability to create and sustain new media programs, Shawcross said.

• Colorado Progressive Coalition
• Junior Achievement
• Children's Outreach Project
• Metro Volunteers
• Family Tree
• Girl Scouts of Colorado

In addition, the Audubon Society received a $4,000 Strengthening Partners grant from Community First Foundation and has used this support to participate in many of the same training programs.