Are you a prodigal? Our first thought is Jesus’ parable in the Bible about a son’s reckless spending and lavish living. With that thought in mind, wouldn’t you also describe the father’s actions in the parable as prodigal in how much he loved both his sons? Another definition of prodigal is giving profusely or generously.

Are you a prodigal of customer service? Are your customers saying “Wow” at how you go above and beyond to take care of them? In these trying economic times, “Wow” customer service is a must. Customers are more precious than ever, and you’d better treat them that way.

Are you a prodigal giver? When things are going well and there are not as many needs, it’s easy to give a little from your abundance. Currently, this is not the case. People in our communities and around the world are hurting. Now is the time to be a prodigal giver.

During these difficult times, look for ways you can be a prodigal of customer service and of giving. If someone uses the word – prodigal – to describe you, make sure it’s for the right reason…for giving generously.

How many times have you heard, “I didn’t have a choice?” This usually means the person had no other options, and we all like options. When my oldest son was in high school, I always encouraged him to make good grades, so he’d have options. A 2.0 GPA equals limited college options.

In the fundraising arena, donors are demanding more and more options in how they support an organization. Donors no longer want to merely send their money to the big box charity. They want to direct their support to specific projects.

Cancer Research UK listened to their donors and is now offering options. In a new initiative, MyProject, donors can go online and donate to the cancer research project that most appeals to them. For example, if you choose the breast cancer project, you can read about breast cancer and what the research is hoping to accomplish. You can also read how your gift will impact the research and how much money has been raised to date.

In addition, there is a bio on the project’s lead researcher, a video of a woman who is taking part in the clinical trial, and a list of recent donors with their gift amount and personal comments. Updates are continually posted so you can follow the progress of the research.

Wow!!! That’s giving donors what they want. Do your donors have options?

Is the sky falling? I’m not sure, but I do know Miley Cyrus left Twitter. And she’s not alone. According to a February 10, 2010 USA Today article, some people are starting to abandon social networking sites. The reasons vary but one common theme is the consuming nature of social media.

How long does it take you to sift through all the Tweets, updates and links you’re sent? One of the individuals quoted in the article said he leaving sites because he had run out of things to say. Amen to that. If you want a total break from your online friends, there are now websites that will remove your online self from social media sites.

As popular as social media has been, who among us isn’t tired of being hit with a pillow, receiving virtual gifts like smiles, flowers, golden eggs, etc., learning what superhero your friends are most like and hearing about someone’s Farmville. Some friend finder apps have total strangers asking to be our friends.

Maybe it’s time to reassess your social media involvement – valuable, waste of time or somewhere in between. Is it time to “defriend” some people, follow a few less tweeters or heaven forbid take a social sabbatical?

It sounds so cruel, but not really. Sweet little Miley Cyrus did it.

Victoria’s Secret seems to be a very popular place around Valentine’s Day. It’s filled with women and men looking for the right gift in the right color. This interest in color has been very prevalent recently on Facebook as well.

Like me, you may have noticed that many of your female Facebook friends have been posting one word status updates like black, white, red, nude, cheetah, and so on. Being confused and curious, it was obvious that I was not in the loop, so a little research was needed.

While no one is certain, it seems a woman in the Detroit area sent the following message on Facebook.

Some fun is going on...just write the color of your bra in your status. Just the color, nothing else. It will be neat to see if this will spread the wings of breast cancer awareness. It will be fun to see how long it takes before people wonder why all the girls have a color in their status…Haha.

Although there was no fundraising associated with this campaign, it has been an incredible viral marketing success. In January of this year, the campaign was in Google’s top 20 hottest searches. It has been mentioned in the Washington Post, on CBS News’ website and many other media outlets.

What can marketers learn from this campaign? If you want people to spread your message, you have to make it fun, free and easy. Having everyone ask why your status update reads “White” is fun. Facebook is free. And one word is easy. You also have to be relevant. Breast cancer awareness helps save lives.

There is another interesting aspect of this campaign. It was very successful in quickly spreading a message using only one or two words. Doesn’t that sounds a little bit like Twitter?

Now let’s see if we can be more creative with our marketing colors.

Blue Stripes.