Geoff Livingston: The ‘Geek 2 Chic’ Interview

Post by: Mark Drapeau (Washington, DC).

This is the third in a series of interviews for a series we’re calling Geek 2 Chic, which is a personal style, a social movement, and a new event series all in one. The first Geek 2 Chic fashion show is powered by Microsoft and will take place at Bloomingdales in Chevy Chase, MD on October 13th. We’ll be raising money for the Heart of America Foundation, which makes libraries the heart of communities around the country and promotes literacy.

Today, our Geek 2 Chic interview is with Geoff Livingston, the co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of a new company focused on marketing for non-profits. He’s a terrific blogger and community leader that I’ve learned a lot from over the last couple of years.

Geoff, what’s your current position, and what work do you do as part of that?

I am co-founder and CMO of Zoetica. In a start-up like this, I do everything. Mostly though, I blog, market, sell and develop social change strategies.

And such “social change strategies” fit well within the concept of what we’re trying to achieve with SECTOR: PUBLIC. So how did you first become interested in technology? When and how did you become interested in Web 2.0 technologies?

My first job was an internship with the Electronic Industries Association (EIA) on 20th and Pennsylvania Ave back in 1994. Through a series of organizational changes, EIA eventually became the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). My job with CEA was to write articles, and one of the first ones I wrote was on this neat technology called Mosaic invented by a guy named Marc Andreessen. Within months I was handcoding the organization’s first web sites. The rest is history (though I must say I am happy to have escaped coding).

What transformed your thinking in moving your career from commercial/corporate work to working full time on issues related to non-profit organizations?

I think the end for me was when I wrote a defense contractor’s social media policy. At the time, I had half of my business with for-profit organizations, and the rest was with NGOs. I had very little interest in the work… It felt empty to me. And on the other side of the house I had a great passion, and cared about the work. The choice was clear, though I had some ups and downs. I sold my company (Livingston Communications) and gave corporate work one last hard try. After the sale though, I migrated to NGOs over a period of about a year [and co-founded Zoetica].

What does the next year or two look like for how technology and innovation will affect non-profits, NGOs, and social progress more generally?

As a trend, I really think about intelligently (or not so intelligently) integrating the crowd into social progress. How does citizen action factor in? Is it something like Pepsi Refresh, more challenges like X Prize, or more citizen action oriented efforts like 350.org? I think this is a great trend because now people are starting to participate in their communities again in ways we have not seen as a society since before the troubles presented by Vietnam and Watergate.

I’m particularly interested in actor Edward Norton’s new site that combines social networks and empowered fundraising for causes, called CrowdRise.

What’s next is really understanding best practices. We don’t understand what works for nonprofits, the stakeholders who participate, and the stakeholders’ social networks well enough, nor the dynamics that we see between networks of people and the technological tools that empower them. In my opinion, we’ll see a lot more research on this front.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

Spend time with my wife (we are expecting our first child this fall), exercise, photograph landscapes and objects, and motorcycle.

Anyone that follows your Twitter account has probably discovered that you love to ride your motorcycle! What were you doing five years ago? Would you have predicted your career path to where you are today?

Five years ago I was working in a PR firm as a SVP, and hopeful partner. In a way, entrepreneurial action was in the cards. I even envisioned publishing a book and was working on a manuscript for a novel… I just did not expect the turn towards cause-based activity.

What career and life advice would you give someone with similar interests to yours who’s 25 years old?

Focus on big - but attainable - projects that can get done in one to three years. Then, seize onto your dream and don’t let go, no matter what. Celebrate small successes along the way, as it really is a learning journey. If you don’t give up, you’ll likely succeed.

Thanks, Geoff! It’s been interesting learning from you over the years and I’m glad I could share this with SECTOR: PUBLIC readers!

You’re welcome.

Read more about Zoetica on Geoff’s blog. Please follow Geek 2 Chic on Twitter for links to future interviews, news, and events, and buy tickets to the Oct 13th charity event here!