Yes, Unemployed Marketers Group is now The Collaboratory.  Branding is being finalized, you may eventually know us slightly tweaked as The Marketing Collaboratory, but either way we have a new name.  It wouldn’t be right to say that a new name gives us a new start; this group is already quite new!  But it does inject a little nitro into these roaring engines, and it tightens down that compass.   We’ve got a solid direction and we’re on overdrive.  Stay tuned to see our new paint job (an overly extended metaphor for logo).

Projects Announced

So here is what has us all fired up.  Depending on how you count it, we have 5-10 projects underway.   The major projects are Mentor TennisSee (read about them in today’s Tennessean), Military Transition Institute, Hearing Bridges, Samaritans Offering Support, and  Matthew 25.  Then we have a couple small projects running for the Jewish Federation of Nashville and Nashville OIC.  We have two internal projects running for Branding and PR, and we have one unofficial pet project that some group members are consulting on for Fields of Boaz.  All of this and we’ve existed for about 2 months!  I’m about out of breath, are you?

Whys and Wherefores

Why and How is The Collaboratory different from other volunteer organizations, networking/support groups, and freelancing?  Because we are about action, we’re about teamwork and collaboration, and we’re about learning.  Where else can you take on professional projects in a team environment while being out of full-time employment?  We don’t keep just your creativity sharp, we keep you socially sharp and give leaders the opportunity to emerge.

Come Alive Again

If you’re a current team member, keep getting the word out.  If you’re just stumbling across us, you’re out of full time work, and you have a passion for marketing, join us and get back in action during this time of transition.  We can’t wait to hear from you, and this will not be the last you hear from us!

The Military Transition Institute
Nashville OIC – OIC stands for Opportunities Industrialization Center
Sophia’s Heart Foundation
Mentor TennisSee
Jewish Federation of Nashville
Samaritans Offering Support
Matthew 25
Posture Wings (not a non-profit)
Fields of Boaz
Hearing Bridges
BUV North America – BUV stands for Basic Utility Vehicles

(To all current members – you can preview the PDF applications under “The Conversation” tab with the password that was emailed to you.  Check your email if you’ve forgotten, or contact me)

I was going to give a brief description of each, but I’ll let their sites speak for themselves, and then their representatives tomorrow.  I’ve been told to expect applications from a couple other groups, but some of them are waylaid by their invaluable work in Haiti right now.

Several of the applicants will be present to get our meeting kicked off with brief presentations.  We’ll combine presentations and applications to make a decision, then determine teams.

Where: 2415 12th Ave S (or by Street View)  Head to the side door, on the part of the building that says “Believe”.  We won’t be meeting in the sanctuary.

When: 10:00 am tomorrow, Friday January 15

If you can’t come right at 10:00 because of job interviews (congrats, btw), come afterwards!

Our next meeting is going to be on January 15th at 10:00am. Location is TBD at the moment. Please comment with suggestions.

The purpose of the meeting is three-fold: 1) Hear brief presentations from the applying non-profits, 2) Choose which projects we will tackle first, 3) Break into teams and assign projects.

Since the next meeting is still 2 weeks out, we’re extending the application deadline until January 14th.  All applicants are welcome to give in-person presentations to the group, but those who are unable to come in person will be presented on basis of the information provided in the application.  Here’s the document if you haven’t gotten it yet: Non-profit Request for Marketing Services Application.

Very much looking forward to working with all of you!

Important to keep in mind, however, is this is not a one-time event.  Helping non-profits through pro bono marketing services is a central element of the Unemployed Marketers Group’s mission.  When round of projects is completed, we will begin another, and as our organization grows, we will continue to take on more projects at a time.  If you are not selected in the initial round, you may very well be chosen in subsequent rounds.

The application is attached as a PDF.  We are looking forward to working with you! Request for Marketing Services Application

If you are wanting to know a bit more about who comprises the Unemployed Marketers Group, please stay tuned for an upcoming bio section.

Tomorrow, Wednesday Dec. 16th at 5:30pm will be our first meeting.  It will take place at redpepper, whose address is listed at the right of your screen.

I continue to hear from more and more of you, and the email list is up to a couple dozen people so far.  So far, 12 people have explicitly told me they’ll be there, could be several others.

We will have a special guest tomorrow!  Corrine Ciocia of the Center for Non-profit Management will stop by.  She is the Marketing and Communications Manager for CNM and will talk a little bit about ways that our group might be able to help out the non-profits associated with her organization.  For more information on Corrine, check out her LinkedIn profile and Twitter.

If you’re having trouble finding redpepper, here’s a map of their location, and you can punch in your address for directions.

Finally, the meeting agenda for those who haven’t gotten it yet:

Speed Networking – We’ll dive into the getting-to-know-you process. Each person will have 3 things to tell about themselves, and there will be a quiz at the end, so pay attention!

A Little Deeper – We’ll take that further into preparing for being utilized in the group. Each person can briefly cover their background and expertise, as well as areas they want to grow, and finally what you’re hoping to get out of the organization.

Vision Overview from my perspective – I’ll go over my vision for the group: how we’ll continue to keep our edges sharp, the impact we’ll make on the community, and perhaps a couple dreams and long-term ideas.

Vision Brainstorming – But my vision is only a starting point.  You each have the opportunity to help mold this organization.  We’ll cover topics like how we select/prioritize clients, we’ll discuss the very relevant issue of non-profit vs. for-profit clients, and we’ll start the process of laying out specific goals for the group which will help us build a mission statement.  (Mission Statements, while absolutely crucial, can be black holes for meeting productivity, so we’ll get the ideas together and finalize collaboratively at a later time.)

Leadership – Our final topic will be a discussion of needed leadership roles and taking volunteers to fill them.  The group has already grown faster than expected, about a medium-sized agency by Nashville standards.  Compounding that with the fact that we’re a group of doers, not a group of listening-to-guest-lecturers, we will need an organized organization.  Be thinking of the level of involvement you desire.

That’s it, and I’ll see you tomorrow, tomorrow!

It feels like mental shell shock.  Almost like you detach from the world, and you are still as it moves around you.  The world packs your box, the world mumbles goodbye to the co-workers you liked, the world manages to open your car door, and you watch as a passenger, a paralyzed observer.  And like a knocked out cartoon character, your responsibilities circle your head, bleating.

Eventually, hopefully, you do awake.  You get out your pen and paper, write down your real expenses, what you need just to get by, and you realize this might not be ideal, but you can do it.  It is going to be OK.

The question is: Is it better to be the one laid off, or the one left behind?  And I can guarantee, there is no across-the-board answer.  But as an unemployed person, I think simply having the conversation helps me to broaden my perspective and audaciously choosing to be continually grateful.

Laid Off

Let’s start things off on a positive note.  Whether you wanted it or not, getting laid off leaves you with a lot of time on your hands, and it is time that some people use to reinvent themselves.  A classic example of this is the movie Lemonade.  Do yourself a favor and watch this trailer.  Lemonade is a movie about 16 advertisers who lost their jobs and got creative with their lives.  Whether going into business for themselves or changing careers entirely, these people chose to turn layoffs into opportunity.  (Trailers are rarely this inspiring, so you know my copy of the DVD is on the way!)

The soul-sucking unfulfilling job is not a rarity, but our responsibilities weigh heavily upon us.  Fear is a tether, with our goals and potential taunting from beyond strained fingertips.  Perhaps the stroke of the hatchet was merciful for you.  I know it was for me.

But it is insensitive to fail to acknowledge that these sentiments are often unwelcome.  Many in the Unemployed Marketers Group were let go of jobs they adored, others may have families so large that a loss of income is an immediate danger.  Still others don’t have resources that can withstand career reinvention.  For many, with very good reason, it is difficult to see any light or opportunity.

Left Behind

With all the pain of losing your job, some very surprising research has been carried out that examines those who are left behind after company layoffs.

A team of researchers studied Boeing for 10 years between ’96 and ’06.  The researchers serendipitously began their work around the period that Boeing axed 33% of their workforce.

Researchers found that those left behind were twice as depressed as those who were let go.  They were more likely to binge drink and develop chronic health problems.  Those let go were happier overall, even in new jobs that paid less.  Most frighteningly, other research has shown that over-stressed workers are twice as likely to suffer heart attacks.  Those left behind at Boeing often fit this bill, whether it was waiting for the shoe to drop on the next round of layoffs, or the extra work they had to take on.  The fear that if they showed the wear and tear of doing three people’s jobs, perhaps they would be the next to go.

When left behind, you are saddled with the pressure of “at least you still have a job.”  But life is not as it once was.  Now you’re expected to smile though your close friends are gone, taking with them stores of institutional knowledge, and you are stuck with their work.  Stress management experts say that this kind of environment puts a person in a constant fight or flight mode.  Adrenaline and cortisol can aid in a speedy retreat, but overtime they are toxic to your body, sapping away sleep and immune system vulnerabilities.

The majority of this info comes from this article, but it is also a very interesting read to look over the comments on a Tampa Bay blog that asks readers to weigh in on whether there’s a silver lining in getting laid off.

How about you?  What are your thoughts?  How have you done your best to push forward?

Looking forward to finally meeting you all!

Perhaps this should have been obvious to me, but nonetheless I missed it and was pleasantly surprised.  We are an incredibly eclectic group.  As Stan commented on the first post, “There is a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge going to waste.”  This could not be more clear as I look over the resumes many of you have sent along.  VPs of Marketing, lawyers, newspaper editors, MBAs, high finance.  There are those with decades of marketing experience, and those making the transition.  Finally there’s the group of passionate-but-new-to-the-scene, of which yours truly is a proud member.  I can’t wait to see the awesome ways we’ll combine those influences.

Here’s what I need from you all:

1. Find potential projects.  My original hope was that we’d be able to find enough people for one project.  Now it looks like we have enough for 2 or 3!  Reach out to your contacts in the non-profit sector.  I’ll be getting an application up soon for them to fill out.

2.  Continue to spread the word!  In terms of skillsets, it would be nice to have some graphic design experience on the team; I think we’re lacking that so far.

3. Respond to the email that will be coming out this week.  I’ll list a tentative agenda and then I’ll be needing your availability for the first meeting.  Every effort will be made to accommodate for that first meeting so we can have a strong kick-off.

4. The initial meeting will be mainly getting-to-know-you and discussing a collaborative vision for the group.  Come with ideas, and give some thought to what leadership positions you think would best fit you.

On a personal note, I appreciate the very kind, encouraging, and inspiring words I’ve heard from many of you.  We’re even starting to get some feedback from out-of-state, so the pressure is on for us to succeed and inspire others around the U.S!

Stay sharp!

If you’re ready to start doing, leave a comment and/or drop me a line.  Can’t wait to meet you all!