Monetizing DPA

Posted by Jesse Masterson on June 24, 2015 at 1:18pm

Greetings DPA Board Friends!

I have been thinking as we have been discussing for a while now how to bring more sustainable funds into The Alliance. I have a suggestion, which our Founder can veto if she feels called, for our next board meeting in July. Between the now and the then of our next meeting, why don't each of us incubate a way for the create new sources of funds, or a undervalued/underutilized source of funds to be brought into the Alliance. For this to actually work I would suggest that it be more than an idea. What is the reality of this new venture? What are the steps needed to implement it? Who is going to implement it? (Bonnie is the wrong answer and it should stand independent of her involvement). What is the timeline needed to implement it. (Basics are to set the launch date and work backwards setting dates for each step in order to see if you have a good time frame). Who is the specific target audience? (Not DPA members but specific, for example, 'non-member CBT therapists who are looking to add value to their toolbox' or ' DPA members who are non-licensed practitioners who are wanting to move into depth based coaching' and etc. How is this program going to reach and entice this target audience to participate? What is the cost to participate? What are the technological needs to run this program? How will you appease the technological Goddesses so that everything runs smoothly. :-) What is the added value, besides funding, to the Alliance?

Basically I am suggesting a combo action plan/program plan/business plan for this event you are proposing. And, if you could present it at the next meeting. This might be a short for some people and you might want to wait until the August meeting to present.

The other piece, which I would say is an option, (don't kill me Bonnie) instead of creating something new if you are out of ideas or inspiration, what are the current functions of the Alliance and are there pieces that you would like to take over or do you have an idea on who (not Bonnie) might be great and being in charge of that one piece.

Basically, the Alliance needs to make more money to be sustainable as it is currently sustained by Santa Claus. The second piece is that the Alliance is mostly a one woman show, who is burning her candle at both ends and in doing so does not have the time to do the big thinking that she/that the Alliance needs. Bot not only is Bonnie Santa Claus but she is also all of the Elves and all of the Reindeer. This too is not sustainable. And, it might be painful, as founder, to give away bits, but for her sanity, now is the time.

Bonnie, if you would make a quick list of bits you would love to give away, not be in direct charge of, that will give you the space and time you need to function. For example, do you need to be the one who approves all blogs, photos, groups, members, and etc? What are pieces that you don't really need to be handling day-to-day that are not inspiring you, that you do because you always have. It is time kick your babies out of the nest and let them fly. And yes, a few will go splat on the ground or one or two might fly too high and have the wax of their wings melt, but most will learn to fly and soar mightily. It will be hard to stand by and let these 'bad' flights happen, but it will be crucial to the development of The Alliance. You have been amazing, done amazing things with the Alliance, and I want you to be even more amazing! Which means, stop being the doer and concentrate on vision vigilance and big idea creator. Question-Is your current role holding you back? 

Just my suggestions which can be followed or not.

Jesse

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Replies

  • Craig Chalquist, PhD July 10, 2015 at 6:46am

    Thanks so much for your call to action, Jesse!

    I would like the DPA to offer the affordable depth education that Pacifica, CIIS, etc. cannot. We do already in some ways, but I mean actual online (and offline?) courses taught by Pacifica alums and other qualified people interested in teaching. I don't know much about this side of education, but I will look into it. If anyone wishes to help me do this, contact me. Cheers--

    • James R. Newell > Craig Chalquist, PhD July 13, 2015 at 8:10pm

      Craig and Donna, hi:

      Let's talk about all of this at our first Education committee meeting!

      Best,
      James

    • Donna May > Craig Chalquist, PhD July 13, 2015 at 1:23pm

      I hope we can discuss this at our first Education Committee meeting.  I think this is a great idea; perhaps create certificate programs and/or offer CEUs.

  • Donna May July 7, 2015 at 11:08am

    Here are some of my ideas on possible ways to monetize the DPA (edited version of email I had sent to Bonnie):

    I am still struggling with technology; however, I have spent several thousands of dollars (and zillions of hours) learning about online marketing.  Here are some thoughts that I think are important considerations in order to grow the DPA - and for you/the DPA to get some much needed capital/income:
     
    EMAILS.  If I have learned nothing else, it is this:  lots of the success of online businesses comes from having a pretty large list. This has to do with percentages. Only a specific number of folk who receive emails will open them at all, then there is a percentage of that percentage will take an action (to sign up for a webinar, pay for a tier of services, etc). The more people in the DPA Constant Contact mailing list, the better.  Here are some ideas on how to increase the number on the DPA email list (notice that all of these are not about offering new product, but recycling what you/DPA has already done and/or have):
     
    • Offer a free download of a talk. You have interviewed dozens of interesting people. Pick one that you feel was very successful, had a lot of people sign up and on the call.  Make sure you set it up as an autoresponder so that they have to give their email to DPA in order to receive the audio;
    • Post this landing page in various social media forums (like Bonnie already does); I will help with this and/or we can ask all board members share this on their FB/Twitter/Etc and email to their lists. Perhaps we as the DPA board can make a goal of, say 10,000 folk on DPA email by Dec 2015;
    • In addition to the above, if there is any budget (perhaps there isn't any and this may have to wait) posting the free download offer on FB Ad (very little, say $5 or $10, to see what kind of interest is in that paticular download/topic &, if succesful, do more of this offering);
    • Turn some of your audio conversations into eBooks (I saw Kathleen Gage do this with someone she interviewed on a podcast and got phenomenal results - best selling book, more adds to her list, more people engaged and purchasing various tiers of online product);
    RE-PUPOSE prior successful events into courses and/or a workbook and/or an eBook and charge for these (perhaps create a "store" on the DPA website where folk can purchase these (or other kinds of merchandise - see more on this below).
    ADD MORE AFFILIATES that will pay DPA for any links back to them. I think you do this with The Shift and some other larger on-line organizations, but do more of this.  I do not understand how the software works, but programs like 1ShoppingCart and others have built-in mechanisms to track this. Affiliates can work both ways, meaning, if the DPA were to reward those of us who advertise to our lists/people things the DPA is doing, the DPA could give a percentage of profits for referring DPA. It also works where DPA does the promotion for others. This creates more of an incentive, more people signing up, and potentially more funds).  Just riffing off the top of my head:
    • Pacifica (or other depth-orienated schools/programs:  Do they pay a percentage for anyone who signs up for a program via the DPA?
    • Amazon:  Create a store with depth-orientated books, tapes, etc., and have the DPA signed up to receive a percentage of purchases made via a link on the DPA;
    These flows of income are different than what we are attempting in the vocation group, which is about mentoring and using the DPA platforms (which also can be an excellent form of income for the DPA, once we get going!).
    These are also excellent ways to grow DPA recognition (and our email list).
    STORE:  I think it would be great to have DPA as a hub where any member (or anyone, really) who wants to purchase something related to DP, could log on and find a catalog of titles for ordering. This doesn't mean we manually do anything; just send them to links where they can purchase the books - and get a percentage for this.  This could be promoted on several points. The two that immediately come to mind:  1)  "Your willingness to purchase your books/materials through this link enables the DPA to continue to function and stay open"; 2) "Shop via the DPA to find the latest and best literature and materials on DPA." Also, when you are interviewing someone who has a book (like you did this past week), you can refer them to the DPA Store where they can order a copy right away.
    PODCAST/RADIO:  Bonnie, having your interviews, plus those that some of us might do, be in downloadable form, that could be found on iTunes.  You have already done amazing interviews. This will help more people find the DPA.  This is also a place where we can ask people to sign up for the DPA and/or we could get paid sponsors for the broadcasts (again, what better place for Pacifica, Sonoma State, JFK, etc, to reach people who would be a good fit with their schools?). 
    Doing a radio/podcast is something that is very interesting to me, and I would be willing to help host, interview, and coordinate this if you and board thought this a viable option to help grow and monetize the DPA.
    WEBINARS/TELESEMINARS:  I've already talked to you about this.  Events can be offered free for 24-48 hrs, downloads for purchase after that - focus on that this is how the DPA will be able to keep going, keep offering the place and quality of information that they, as a soul-filled person, have come to need and appreciate, etc.
    CEU's available: I know Bonnie is already working on this, but this could be the source of a lot of cash for the DPA;
    FINAL THOUGHTS:  I think it is important for folk who are members to understand that the site, the interviews, the people and info they know and love will go away without active support by them (I guess I'm thinking NPR/PBS because they both had fundrives recently). As the DPA re-purposes the front page and the copy, I think it is important for them to know that, to quote Jesse, "there aint no Santa Claus" and we need their contributions - either by joining at another tier level, making a donation, and/or purchasing a product or service.
  • Eva Rider July 6, 2015 at 11:12pm

    Hello All and Everyone,

    Bonnie, Thank you for drawing our attention back to this discussion. I had read Jesse's in-depth and impassioned proposal call to move forward and have been sitting with it for some time unsure how to assimilate it and how to respond, while wondering how I may be of service. I only now have read the rest of the very thoughtful threads here posted by Bonnie, Dorene and Donna.

    I do not possess any expertise on how to make DPA a thriving and financially viable enterprise. As Donna points out below, I too, spend so much of my life alternating between the two worlds; the one of dreams, vision and imagination, learning how to manifest them and the other which entails a solid business and marketing plan. I have managed to limp along in my own practice being guided more by inspiration, faith, fortitude and luck than by any expertise in the arena of financial viabiliy. So far, this has worked but does take a considerable portion of time and energy just to sustain myself and my practice.

    However, I do believe in the feasibility and future of the Depth Psychology Alliance as its existence arises from a vision "given" to Bonnie which it seems that we here and the over 4000 members (and growing) seem to be aligning with.

    Something is happening here and on the planet that is linking like minded people together towards a new paradigm for connection and co-creation. We seem to be just at the moment when the pendulum is about to swing back. The form that this will take is as yet invisible which may be why it has been so challenging to pin down the role of DPA and its direction. Now, that we have arrived at the moment when we recognize that we are a movement that is evolving, how then do we transform this fledgling chick into an organization that is strong and viable? We are however, clearly linking through the web in various forms and in so doing we must not only offer something viable but be open to be a vessel for these new ideas to incubate amongst the members.

    I am happy and honored to connect and create sub-committees and I want to learn more about how to navigate, the alliance and the internet. So far, I have been flying by the seat of my proverbial pants. For example, I have been putting feelers to find some help in teaching me how to do something as simple as load some of my offerings onto my website and onto mailings. So far, not much luck and I am feeling frustrated as time is limited by the demands of my therapy practice.

    So, here once again, is that tension of the opposites; the paradox of how do we keep the creation of new projects balanced with the very grounded real work of manifesting, marketing, promoting etc...

    I want to learn and I want to offer what I can with the limited time and resources that are available. I am so aware that Bonnie needs our help and we need the help of one another to proceed. We are the experiment in and of ourselves in this moment.

    Thank you, Jesse, Bonnie, Dorene and Donna. I look forward to our continuing discussion on Friday.

    Eva

  • Donna May June 30, 2015 at 1:51pm

    Jesse, I agree with many of your points here. We do need a way to increase revenue for the DPA to keep it viable, healthy, and self-sufficient.  I am open to being part of this discussion on an on-going basis; however, I don't know about you and others, but I am also struggling to live and work authentically in my own life. I truly believe that Bonnie is on to something, when she says we need to find avenues of collaboration where there is nurturance and sustenance - both for the DPA and for us individually. That is why I am very optimistic about what is happening within the vocation group.

    I feel the "tension of the opposites" in that there needs to be a logical, linear set of steps re vision and goals for the DPA (as outlined by Dorene) AND I feel that we all need to continue to go within, to dream, imagine, watch & hold the images which are emerging.

    This may feel slow to some; however, I think this is an important part of the process - if we are to move the DPA in directions that are viable and important, not just now, but into the future.

    An old metaphor:  I cannot plant seeds in the soil and demand the daemon take root and flower on my timetable and, if I get impatient and frustrated, dig the seeds up again - and complain that the seeds did not work. The process of creation needs to be watered, weeds pulled, and time. 

    • Dorene Mahoney > Donna May July 2, 2015 at 11:47am

      Thanks for your response, Donna. I also struggle with this tension, Donna, between being led by Psyche according to my daemon (individuation, authenticity and the spontaneous flow of experience) and expressing myself in the outer world (differentiation and individual will). (I love Gareth Hill's model!)

      Frankly, this is my own learning edge as I look for traction in my own new business--when to push for order and step-by-step process, and when to surrender to the more circular wisdom of the Invisible realm. You guys have all been on the board a long time and know how the Alliance is evolving.

  • Dorene Mahoney June 25, 2015 at 10:08pm

    I like what you're saying, Jesse, about distributing some of the existing roles in the Alliance to volunteers (board members and others) who have the requisite knowledge and experience, and for whom the tasks would be rewarding.

    I would add to this that I think we need to be very thoughtful about how we invest our very limited resources--the time of board members, Bonnie's time, and certainly any money the organization may have. Turning the Alliance into a viable business with paid staff (even if it's just Bonnie and a virtual assistant)--will require at least minimal infrastructure and some very specific planning activities. For example, we need an up-to-date business plan that details our evolving mission to a movement, helps us set our priorities over time, outlines our marketing strategy, and lays out at least a loose 3-year financial plan. It doesn't have to be accurate, but the discussion process will be astonishingly helpful at corralling and making good use of our collective energy.

    As Bonnie mentioned in her response post, the only way I know how we as a virtual group can move the organization forward is by breaking ourselves up into functional committees that meet outside the normal 90-minute board meetings. These committees would have a very specific charter and be made up 2-3 board members (plus other volunteers) who have the requisite knowledge, experience, and/or interest to oversee that body of work. Every board member would be on at least one committee, and each committee would choose a board member to chair the committee and report out at the monthly board meeting. As mentioned, committees would be encouraged to draw on volunteers outside the board for special expertise and help, as committee members see fit. "Many hands make light work."

    While a board committee is responsible for a broad functional area, such as "Education," or "Outreach" (membership, strategic partnerships, etc.), within each committee would be Sub-committees that would convene at a specific time of year for recurring events (e.g., bi-annual Telesummit or conference, etc.). And, finally, also within board committees would be Task forces that would be convened for discrete one-time task, such as to create a business plan.

    Based on conversations with Bonnie, attached is my suggested DRAFT matrix of potential board committees. It has lots of gaps, and in many ways I was making it up. What do you all think? Would such a structured approach help engage the board in a positive way and move the organization forward, or would it interrupt a creative process that I am not yet aware of? 

    Rough Draft of Committees.doc

    https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/9142844670?profile=original
  • Bonnie Bright June 25, 2015 at 4:18am

    What a remarkable contribution in your post above, Jesse. I have known for awhile now that this board is the right combination of individuals who can really make this organization/community/movement viable on all fronts, and this call to action truly opens a new horizon to our collective work. 

    I deeply appreciate your insights and the invitation to me personally to surrender some of the control. Truly the past does not equal the future. Here's what occurs to me right away, and certainly there is much more to mull over.

    • I do still feel strongly (though I remain open to all possibilities) that we could/should leave basic membership in the Alliance free so it's affordable/accessible to a larger number of people. Any small amount we could charge per month ($3, $5, $6) will be hit hard by credit card or PayPal fees and seems like it would punish the people who are actually participating. Connected to that in some way would be having several people dedicated to answering member questions, troubleshooting sign up/sign in or posting issues, creating more "how to" videos, etc. because right now I'm the only one able to respond if any of these arise. Approving members and blogs, etc. only takes a few seconds so it's not really a problem for me, though I'd be happy to share that among several of us if others are willing; it DOES make one more aware of what's going on on the Alliance, who is contributing, etc. 

    • I think by opening the Alliance to the public, we will get far more visibility and therefore ultimately more members. I would like to put together a task force immediately to start assessing how the home page and navigation should be revamped. While I would want to be a part of that, I think doing it as a group would really speed things along and ultimately be beneficial.

    • I think I've mentioned a few times I'm thinking of implementing a special value-added subscription membership, like a "Discovery Membership" where everyone would be invited to not only contribute monthly to support and sustain the Alliance, but they would get increased opportunities to cross connect and to learn through "Dinner & Depth" program of lectures or interviews with "party lines" remaining open afterward so people can talk live...or more book clubs and special study groups where they can learn and interact via a written forum, etc. I'm close on doing this but haven't pushed the button because I am cautious about committing but potentially being unable to deliver. I have 3-4 interviews "in the can" and ready to go...but then, it wouldn't always have to be me doing the interviews either...so that's one area others could help out if it's something of interest to you.

    • Another way, as we've discussed in the vocation group, is to produce an event or course (online or in the real world) and allocate a certain amount of the proceeds to the Alliance. I am starting to commit to more of those, but it means I have to be present for them to engineer and facilitate. If others learn to engineer the technology (not at all difficult ultimately, and there are options that are easier and less demanding than others) and if more of us promote these Alliance sponsored events, it would require less of my time to do those things but would still earn some revenue--and more importantly, also reward those who are delivering the events and even those producing should be able to gain some compensation if we do it right. I also would like to see us get qualified to offer CEUs, which is a process as well, so would love to have some help initiating that.

    • Finally, I think we could do something really special with Depth Insights eZine but as of right now, I feel it's limping along as a "me too" that competes with other long-established and better known industry journals, especially Jung Journal and Spring. Each time I do an issue (there are 2 per year), I swear I'm not going to do it again, but I keep doing it because I have been unwilling to give up so easily when I think there's potential. If we could manage that as a board, or via hand picked guest editors, and focus on getting subscriptions, I think we could actually make a little money on it. But it's a tough industry and the logistics and time spent may not be worth it in the long run.

    Long story short, on all of this, I "think" I am not attached to any particular aspect of these or other ideas and tasks and welcome any suggestions or shift of processes and even goals.

    I do want us to become more efficient as a board and am working with Dorene who is a convincing coach with a wealth of experience in the arena about how we can all step up our commitment and take on specific roles that will distribute responsibility more evenly. With more frequent board meetings plus the (re)establishment of smaller committees that meet in between monthly board meetings, I believe we can actually start making progress on some of these issues, and prioritizing a revenue model perhaps could and should be one of the first tasks we focus on.

    I shared with some of you the other day that I built most of what I've done over the past few years using student loans which were readily available (perhaps not the smartest business move, but it seemed the "right" thing to do at the time). Now, however, there will need to be a shift as I not only no longer have access to those but need to start paying them back!—Ha! Who knew the day would actually come?

    At any rate, I welcome this conversation and thank each of you in advance for your tremendous passion and commitment to helping grow the Alliance. I firmly believe IT wants to grow, and perhaps if we can all start listening to how its speaking to us individually through dreams, symbols, happenings, we can each grow along with it in a dance of destiny that intersects each of our own paths of individuation in some way. What do you think?

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