The Coastal Bend Community Foundation’s (CBCF) Annual Grant Application is now live.  Individuals and institutions from the seven counties served by CBCF in Texas (Aransas, Bee, Jim Wells, Kleberg, Nueces, Refugio and San Patrico) are eligible to apply.

CBCF is a philanthropic “pool” that treats all donors, no matter the size of their contribution, equally.  They allow donors to name their fund and choose the field of interest.  Donors to CBCF receive the maximum tax benefits allowed by law.  The Coastal Bend Community Foundation’s Agency Endowment Funds total in excess of $3.2 million.

Areas that can be funded include arts and culture, education, environment, families, health, human services and public good.  The funds received can be used to implement a new program, expand a current project, aiding expenses such as personnel essential to the project and community outreach to targeted clients.

In order to receive more information on the process, you can attend the Foundation’s seminar on Wednesday, May 23 from 10-11:30am at the Del Mar Economic Development Center in Corpus Christi, TX.   For more information, please contact Sue Jackson or visit their site.

WizeHive’s grant management system helps make the process of applying as smooth as possible.  Applicants can not only respond to questions concerning objectives and other such project information, but can also upload documents concerning project budgets as well as balance sheets.

The deadline for applying is June 21, 2012.  From there, CBCF will utilize the private judging portal of WizeHive and determine the allocation of its funds and announce the Annual grant awards on August 23, 2012.  So for a chance to aid your project, please apply here.

According to WOMMA, there are 3.3 billion brand mentions in America every day.  As Andy Sernovitz wrote concerning word of mouth, “If it’s not worth talking about, it’s not worth doing” (Word of Mouth Marketing:  How Smart Companies Get People Talking).   Due to the large influence of word of mouth marketing in our society, major purchase decisions are often based on conversations held about a brand.  The latest contest launched through WizeHive, the WOMMY Awards, celebrates word of mouth marketing and looks to attract the very best examples of this practice in the world today. Launched during their WOMMA-U conference, the WOMMY Awards 2012 has all of WizeHive talking. We thought we’d share with you the details of the WOMMYs as the annual contest starts once again.

The WOMMYs, nicknamed the Oscars of Word of Mouth Marketing, gives companies the opportunity to compete against the most influential brands in the world.   WOMMA is looking to receive a simple and straightforward story that best exemplifies the power of word of mouth marketing.   Specifically, they are encouraging brand and agency marketers to enter work demonstrating product innovation, customer engagement or research.  The contest has several different categories, including the Momentum Award, Social Media Award & Mobile Award.

All winners will receive a WOMMY Award, as well as a case study published in the WOMMA Campaign Books.  Gold winners will also receive a complimentary registration to the 2012 WOMMA Summit in Las Vegas.

So, come celebrate the ever expanding phenomena known as word of mouth marketing and “boldly go where no one has gone before” (David Rabjohns – Chair of 2011 WOMMY Awards).

We had the pleasure of attending the Annual Council on Foundations conference in Los Angeles last week. Although we could have done without the gloomy weather, we really enjoyed learning more about the current challenges foundations face. We met great people, had inspiring conversations and shared what we know about the industry as well.

One week later, here are the top three things that stuck with us from the conference:

1. The disappearing middle class and what philanthropy can do about it. A panel with very quotable moments from Don Peck and  Angela Glover Blackwell. If people go to conferences to feel inspired, then this panel would have accomplished that goal. Don Peck started by defining what he thinks of as middle class: everyone with a high school diploma but less than a four year college degree. Angela Glover Blackwell drove home the point that America needs to invest in everyone that we’ve been too comfortable leaving behind.

2. Social Gaming for Social Good  – Everyone is talking about it, but it is right for you? At WizeHive, we don’t build games, but we do understand startups. If you are considering funding a grantee who wants to build a game, or building a game for your foundation, the process can seem intimidating. What do you know about a game? More than you’d think, actually. Investing in a game is pretty similar to investing in a project at a startup.

3. Data driven decision making. Everyone is talking about it, but is anyone doing it? WizeHive can help with this. With WizeHive, you can report on any piece of information collected, throughout the lifecycle of the grant and manipulate that data so that it is meaningful to you. Do you agree that determining the efficacy of your grant making is based on analysis of the data? Or do you think that measuring social impact is too difficult and you should invest in ideas and people over results that may or may not be the right thing to measure? We’d love to hear what your foundation does.

Have a desire to create interactive advertisements with ease?  Perhaps the developer in you would like to design a feature that others can use in their advertisements.  MediaMind is running a “Block” Contest that allows you to show off your creativity and show that you’re the best on the block.

What is a block?  MediaMind Blocks are your shortcut to building great online ads.  Blocks are usable code and Flash assets that allow you to add cutting-edge features and into your advertisements, such as mouse tracking, QR code generation and the printing of coupons.   MediaMind blocks can help give your next campaign a high-energy creativity boost it needs to draw customers to your business.

Digital creative agencies interested in partaking in this contest can begin to submit their entries now.  MediaMind will be able to review submissions through WizeHive’s online contest software and post qualified entries for voting.  In order to qualify, you need to create a 30 second videoclip about an experience with a MediaMind Block or about a concept for a future MediaMind Block. Voting for the contest will open on May 14^th.

The winner of the contest will be granted with a five day trip to the Cannes Lions Festival.

If that isn’t incentive to enter, we don’t know what is! Good luck.

Do you think you have what it takes to be a professional skateboarder?  Skateboardermag.com and Monster are bringing fan interaction to a new level in their latest contest, powered by WizeHive. Over the next four months, skateboarders will have a chance to show the world their abilities as they emulate tricks done by the pros.

At the beginning of every month, one professional will load a video of himself performing a trick.  Skaters interested in competing will have to find a video camera and get someone to tape themselves emulating the trick shown in the video.  After uploading that video through skateboardermag.com or through facebook, that skater can get all of his or her friends to vote for it.  At the end of each month, the professional will choose the best imitation video of the top three vote getters.  With a new trick being displayed by a different professional each month, there will be more than one chance to win gear and cases of Monster.

For the month of May, fans interested in competing will have to emulate 22 year old professional Shane O’Neill’s Nollie flip nosegrind. Want to try a different trick? In the following months, Chris Cole, Peter Ramondetta and New Jersey’s Ishod Wair will be uploading their tricks as well. The fun does not stop there, as the four winners will face off on a trick done by a mystery fifth pro skater at the end of the four months.

If you say “break a leg” to actors, what do you say to skateboarders?

As I get set to move for the second time this year, I’ve seen how difficult it can be to acclimate to a new neighborhood.  Fortunately, Done. is helping to bring back the sense of community for individuals, like myself, who could use a helping hand.  Launched last month, Done. is an organization, built by friends, looking to bring back the community spirit through what has been called “the sharing economy.”

Done. is comprised of over 100 “Do-ers” who can give expert advice and offer help in a wide array of fields.   If you need someone to walk your dog or teach your son how to play the trumpet, there is a Do-er for you.  Just post what you need and Done. will find someone for you. When looking at the list of “Do-ers,” Done. noticed that it included everyone needed to make someone’s wedding day a success.

Done.’s  contest will have one lucky couple saying “I do” with the help from a bunch of their do-ers.  The Central Park Wedding Contest, which offers the winning couple a ceremony in the South Garden as well as a $4,000 credit to get all of the necessary do-ers for the ceremony, will surely make one couple’s lives less stressful as they plan for the big day.

This contest shows the capabilities of the Done. community.  The contest winner will also provide the group with an excellent case study on how much the Done. community can handle. We’re proud to work with other startups and Done. is no exception. We hope Done. generates some good buzz by using an online contest from WizeHive. We also hope the winners have an amazing wedding, what a cool opportunity!

Do you know someone looking to get married? Don’t forget to tell them about the Central Park Wedding Contest.

“Why can’t they say what they want?”  That question, from the song “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” performed by Jeff Tweedy and the popular alternative rock band, Wilco, is finally being answered.  Jeff Tweedy is partnering with Out of Print to celebrate his favorite novel, Don Quixote, by creating a special limited edition shirt.  Rather than just creating the shirt themselves, Tweedy & Out of Print are running a photo contest in which the public can upload an image for the shirt and show them “what they want.”

Our opinion? This is user generated content at its best.  We’re pretty excited about this contest, because we’re big Wilco fans.  The same is true for most people that enter the contest. This isn’t just a design contest for fans, this is the chance to do something that your favorite band will see! For this collaboration with Jeff Tweedy,  proceeds from the sale of shirts will go to 826 National, an innovative non-profit dedicate to inspiring kids to write creatively. Each piece of the contest fits together for fans as a celebration of books, music and creativity.

The contest, which is being run by Out of Print & Jeff Tweedy, is brought to you by Veer, 826 National and HOW.

Out of Print, the company creating the shirts, has been celebrating the world’s greatest stories through fashion for almost twenty years.  Its products feature images of iconic book covers.  Out of Print not only commemorates great literature, but it also helps to spread literacy, as it donates a book to a community in need every time one of its products is bought. HOW is just wrapping up another design contest through WizeHive, Neenah Paper’s the UNshow.

To enter the contest,  download the design elements, brought to you by Veer.  Use the design elements and a quote from the novel to customize the logo.   Submit entries through WizeHive. Tweedy and Out of Print will select the finalists, also using WizeHive

Entrants will have the chance at great prizes, including tickets to see Jeff Tweedy & Wilco in concert this summer, the best time of year for a Wilco concert.

As Jeff Tweedy once sung, “This is a fact that you need to know… Wilco, Wilco, Wilco will love you baby.”  I’m sure he will love you even more if you take the opportunity to participate in this awesome contest.

Want to turn your business website into a sales machine?  WizeHive can help you do just that.  Entrepreneur recently recognized our services as one of the key ways to run promotions and lure customers to your website.

In Jonathan Blum’s article on entrepreneur.com, he details five ways in which a business can help its website generate more revenue.  Some of the methods noted include building an effective shopping cart, recommending related products and starting contest or promotion.  According to Blum, WizeHive “comes with the ability to customize a giveaway and to judge multiple entries, say, for a writing or photography contest.”  We couldn’t agree more! The reasons for running a contest or a promotion, detailed by Blum can certainly help any business become more profitable.

We are excited to see WizeHive in entrepreneur.com, one of our favorite daily reads.  Jonathan Blum posts other interesting content on twitter @blumsday.  Check out his website for all of the latest technology news.

WizeHive was recently named one of the three finalists in the Philadelphia Emerging Technologies for the Enterprise Project of the Year Award. While the award is Philadelphia based, our customers extend well beyond the city limits.  The contests currently running on WizeHive are taking place as near as Orlando, FL and as far as the United Arab Emirates.

Undercover Tourist, the leading supplier of online discount tickets to Orlando, is running a contest on its lovable frog mascot, Leap.  Voters can decide how Leap should dress.  Should he be Flynn or Prince Eric?  Entering the contest and answering that question can give you the opportunity to win excellent prizes, such as a $250 gift card.

Did you happen to catch Wildflower Center’s annual photo contest last year?  This year, the contest is back and with some help from new co-sponsor Texas Highways, there are already many great photos to vote on.  Entrants can submit photos in categories ranging from botanical to people with wildflowers.  With new features, such as the ability to participate via Facebook as well as public voting, this contest is even more interactive this year.

Toyota UAE’s contest is evidence that individuals all over the world can find solutions through WizeHive.  In this contest, all you have to do is visit the Toyota stand on campus and take a picture with the GT 86 or the FJ Cruiser.  Students can enter the contest through Facebook and have a chance at winning the grand prize, which includes VIP treatment and the ability to drive the car shown below.

For nearly a century, the Delaware State Fair has hosted a fair and exhibition. With over 307,000 visitors coming to a fair of over 300 acres, the number of exhibitors needed to entertain visitors increases each year.

How do you manage of all of those exhibitors? This year, the Delaware State Fair turned to WizeHive.  From livestock to floral arrangements, there is a competitive process before becoming an exhibitor at the Delaware State Fair. To manage the intake this year, home arts exhibitors will receive an entry number from the Fair, then enter their information and any payment required, all through WizeHive.

The Delaware State Fair isn’t the only large scale event to use WizeHive. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo powered the intake of submissions and 1st round of voting of their Rodeo Rockstar Competition through WizeHive.