SE2 holds a carnival in honor of Susan’s 10 year anniversary

Principal Susan Morrisey recently celebrated 10 years at SE2. The SE2 Party Planning Committee thought this sounded like the perfect opportunity to throw a surprise party! Not just any surprise party would do for the occasion so we decided to make it a carnival... a Susan Carnival!

Our goal was for our Susan Carnival to be the embodiment of one of our new favorite words: Janky, which, according to Urban Dictionary, means, "of inferior quality; old and dilapidated; refers almost exclusively to inanimate material objects, not to people."

This required that we have a janky mini-bar, janky games and the jankiest of prizes. It was awesome.

Take a spin through the photo gallery below to see how it all went down. Or, watch the highlight reel.

Photo Gallery:

Video Highlight Reel:

Wish Susan a happy anniversary in the comments below!

Posted by: Megaphone Man

Inspired.

About six weeks ago I was tipped back in a shampoo bowl (you know, the super uncomfortable, porcelain ones they have at your favorite salon) getting my hair washed and racking my brain about how SE2 could create a break-through video that had more impact than your run-of-the-mill nonprofit piece. I needed something that would illustrate a sense of urgency and need, pull heart strings and serve as a compelling reason to support one of Denver’s more worthy organizations – The Colorado I Have a Dream Foundation (where SE2 Principal Eric Sondermann serves as a Board member).

My impromptu brainstorming took me back to an event I attended in April – the inaugural TedX Mile High gathering. It was here that I saw a host of inspiring speakers who, among other things, helped me to shake off some of the mental cobwebs I had lurking around after 12 weeks of maternity leave. The presenter who left the biggest impression was a social-worker-by-day, slam-poet-by-night, West Denver native who talked about how he helps kids navigate the justice system. I remembered the pace of his narrative, his message of hope and perseverance, and the standing ovation he received from the crowd. But above all else, I remember how he made me care again about kids who I might have otherwise written off.

Fast forward to last night where my SE2 colleagues and I sat at the annual I Have a Dream fundraiser watching four minutes of what is probably some of our best video work to date – thanks to the talents of poet Bobby LeFebre, videographer Chris Shinn and a host of other project partners who came together to help us make Livin’ The Dream.

This video officially kicks off a pro bono creative campaign SE2 has donated in an effort to bring more attention to and clarity around the inspiring work that I Have a Dream does. We’re calling it The Edge Initiative. As it is unveiled this fall, our hope is that people will come to realize the precarious place in which “Dreamers” tend to find themselves – both on the brink of bigger and better things, but also too damn close to falling prey to issues like violence, drugs, hunger and crime. Through digital storytelling, The Edge Initiative will offer a realistic look at the lives of these kids. They are children who often face realities that the rest of us don’t know and can’t begin to understand…realities that come from living in poverty. I hope you’ll stay tuned.

Livin' The Dream from SE2 on Vimeo.

SE2'S GONE MAD!!!!

UPDATED 9/19/11:

We're excited to announce the winner of the SE2's Gone Mad contest... and the winner is...

Ms. Olivia Gallegos!

Congrats, Olivia. You've won the $25 Starbucks gift card.

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That's right... SE2 has gone mad. We've transformed into our Mad Men alter egos.

Can you figure out who is who based on our Mad Men looks?

If you can name everyone, you can win a $25 gift card from Starbucks.
Here's how to win:

1. Review our photos below.
2. Write down a name for each of the numbered photos.
3. When you think you've got the right answers, email them to Brandon [at] PublicPersuasion.com
4. Submit your answer by the end of the day Friday (9/16).
5. We'll announce the winner on Monday, 9/19. If we get more than one correct answer, we'll randomly select the winner.

And now for our Mad Men alter ego photos (click to expand):



Here's a hint: Even if you don't know us that well, you can figure out who is who by looking through our website... although a few of us might require some extra searching on the web.

Posted by: Brandon Zelasko

The Definitive Guide to Selecting the Right Kind of Facebook Page

I must get asked at least once a day what type of page an organization should create for itself on Facebook. So, I've decided to settle it once and for all with this definitive guide to picking the right type of Facebook page.

Click to Enlarge.

I know it doesn't cover all of the nuances of picking the right type of page, but I'd bet if you follow this guide you'd be right 98 percent of the time.

Do you like it? Share it, please!

Posted by: Brandon Zelasko