Zoom, we didn’t choose to have you in our life, but we’re making the best of it.
We thought we’d write an article for our clients and charity friends about Zoom’s benefits, challenges, and some tips on how to make the most of it.
You might be saying, “What’s Zoom?”. This must mean that the world has been destroyed by COVID-19 and a new people have emerged only to discover the internet and this article as an artifact of a society that once relied heavily on video conferencing. No, we know you know what Zoom is.
If you’re the CEO of Zoom, good luck. If it were us, we’d be nervous that all of our clients were first introduced to our product during a time of great trauma. And when the internet was being overwhelmed by a rise of home-office workers and kids growing up on YouTube and memes.
Video conferencing has been around some time. And if your organization is getting into it, we recommend Zoom. Here are some of our thoughts on life with this tool.
Why Zoom?
Back in the early 2000’s, our lead strategist and founder, Ben Johnson, remembers his college professor excitedly telling the class that a web portal, Google, was so ubiquitous that it was becoming its own phrase: that one could ‘google’ something to find information.
Over the last couple years we’ve started to hear video conferencing, a tool that’s been around for some years, be called ‘a Zoom’. People say, “Let’s have a Zoom” instead of saying, “Let’s have a video chat.”
You might’ve liked Yahoo, Metacrawler, or Ask Jeeves, but the winner was Google. In our charity world, simpler is generally best. And going with the winner when introducing a new process, will only make it easier. Skype, BlueJeans, and others lost the battle.
Practically, it is built with scalability in mind, it works even though the whole world is using it right now. And it’s useful in many contexts, not just in the work world. Josh Wilton, Frontier board member and church planter for The Table had this to say:
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 era, we have insisted that social distance does not mean social isolation. ZOOM has helped immensely in giving us a way to connect as a community in the midst of physical absence. With the exception of our livestream events, we have moved all of our ‘gatherings’ to ZOOM—council meetings, home groups, leadership training, and more. It’s not the same as seeing each other in person, but it’s made for a much shorter commute!
In March 2020 our team jumped on the Zoom bus. All of our meetings, client interaction that used to be phone calls, and gatherings are now through Zoom. Our team, which was 90% in one office, is now 100% remote. And when we ‘gather,’ we’re all treated equally.
We hope to continue the use of Zoom, so we can record meetings for those who can’t attend and include those who aren’t physically present at our HQ in Victoria.
Important tips for your video chats
Video conferencing can be very painful, just watch this clip to get a sense of how our founder Ben feels about them. The wifi will never be perfect, the timing will always be off, and we should never have to see ourselves when we speak. Here’s some tips to keeping sane:
Turn off “self view” at the beginning of the call so you can rest your brain.
Glance away from the screen during calls like you would in a normal meeting... (unless you do in fact stare right at a colleague for the full length of a meeting).
Decorate the area behind your desk to create a professional background.
Consider a headset, so that your voice is better heard (don’t use an iPhone headset as the mics tend to rest on your body and make scratching noises for others).
If you have a headset, consider a headset stand (Ben loves his).
If you’re using a laptop, get a stand so that your camera isn’t looking up at you from below.
Mute yourself, hold the spacebar when you speak, and do your best to reduce echos.
The light goes in front of you, not behind, unless you want to appear mysterious.
If you have a lot of introverts on your team, encourage them to use the chat feature.
Turn off the video sometimes! You don’t need to be seen to be heard.
You can make money with Zoom
Well, that was a bit of a tease. What we mean is, fundraising has a place at all times—with the right context! We thought we’d connect with a fundraiser friend of ours, Bryan Goehringer, to get his thoughts on the matter:
Going virtual is nothing new; however, it has become normalized in recent weeks with business being conducted over Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, etc.
Banks, insurance brokers, engineering firms, classes and just about all other transactions are being conducted in this fashion. And if you have not already done so, I’d urge you to consider going about donor engagement in the same way.
April 2020 has been a record-breaking time in terms of fundraising in North America, but many organizations are anxious to be asking for donations at this time, and understandably so. However, if you’ve been stewarding your donors well, you should be in a good position to make an appropriate ask and further your organization’s mission.
In these (unprecedented, challenging, etc) times, donors (actually, all people) want to be connected with others and feel a sense of purpose. Your Zoom call could be the best social connection they experience that day, and your ask could be the highest calling they’ve felt in some time.
Another great leader in digital communication, is Jeff Golby, executive director of Acts for Water. Follow him on LinkedIn to be inspired by his leadership and innovation. We are!
Remember your mental health!
Zoom can also be exhausting. You’re not meant to be sitting still staring at a screen. It isn’t natural, your brain isn’t adapted for it, and it’s confusing. What seems like close interaction is actually a counterfeit substitute.
Video conferencing is not a genuine replacement for a coffee meeting or shooting the breeze in the breakroom. And it’s not a great way to spend time with family. Much of society has moved online and for the most part, it’s a good thing. But it’s not without its drawbacks. We thought we’d conclude with a message from our founder, himself a dad:
“I’ve been a computer loving nerd since Windows 95. I’ve embraced online chat since the late 90’s. I’ve been an iPhone fan since 2008. As a parent, I don’t have any concerns per se with screen time, as we’re a family of nerds. However, the more our world is digitized, the more precious the human touch will be.
Our team specializes in direct response communication, and that means we need to send mail. Writing an email isn’t nearly as special as sending a handwritten card. In the same way, if you can prioritize genuine face-to-face time in the 2020’s, it will make a big difference to your happiness, your fellow employees, and your donors.”
For those about to Zoom, we salute you.
P.S. Use a scheduling application like calendy.com to give flexibility to your donors, clients, or colleagues. You can even set the availability limit of your time slots to keep from giving too much time away.