These days marriage isn’t only about joining two hearts in holy (or other) matrimony. Apparently it’s also about joining two hearts to community.
Recently Alex and Kristin used their wedding as an opportunity to raise money for charity: water, a non-profit working to bring clean drinking water to developing nations. Instead of cappuccino machines and monogrammed silverware, the couple asked that wedding guests donate $50 to fund an entire well to provide drinking water for 250 people.
Charity: water tracked the campaign on their website, presenting photos of the special day and announcing the final amount raised… to the tune of $6,440. The happy couple included a touching note on the campaign web page to add that personal touch. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity! With your help, we really can make a difference in this world. We can’t wait to see all you in a few months! Love, Kristin and Alex. In addition, guests added comments next to the donated amount such as Filthy water cannot be washed -African Proverb Such a thoughtful gift!
Now switch to another marriage that recently happened using social media channels. For those who haven’t seen the current string of Old Spice commercials, all I can say is, you’re missing out on one of the best social media based ad campaigns in the past, er, year or more (at least). To date, there have been over 1o million views of the original ad. Needless to say, using the word ‘viral’ to describe what Old Spice accomplished is appropriate here.
Old Spice has ditched its stale image of being a product people buy for their dads on Father’s Day to being, well, sexy as all get-out. Recently the revamped Old Spice guy played by Isaiah Mustafa actually proposed to a girl for another guy on Twitter. When you see the video, you might better understand why she accepted.
Now check out the old Old Spice ad from 1971. Why else would women patiently wait for their men to return from sea…
I am wearing white pants today so that must mean summer is here in Vancouver. It actually arrived a little over two weeks ago and surprised us all. The abrupt temperature rise has got me wondering whether organizations use social networks as much when their thoughts turn to backyard barbecues and tall glasses of lemonade. I had assumed we would spend less time on Facebook, Twitter et al during summer months, yet judging from the consistency of posts among my networks (including mostly social media and communications professionals, not-for-profits and a handful of savvy online superheros; celebrities and other), I’ve observed that their tweets or blogs aren’t less frequent it’s just that they are more mango salsa than brown bag lunch.
Take for instance this tweet by benlocker, a UK copywriting agency: “I’m overtweeting. Time for a book and a glass of wine.” Or this one by paulrouke, “I’m attending Manchester Digital Summer Barbecue….”
These days, more people in my professional networks are recommending books to read or sending tweets from the beach or poolside. Another thing I’ve noticed: More people are updating their LinkedIn profiles and changing their Facebook and Twitter profile pics. It’s true that holidays or slow work days can be a good time to get caught up on all those social media chores that have been piling up.
Speaking of which… given that summer is the season of parties and celebrations, why not take the opportunity to show your not-for-profit’s lighter side. Let’s face it, all work and no play makes Jane or _____ (insert not-for-profit name) a dull girl/organization. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Summer in the social media
1) Organize a barbecue or baseball game to celebrate a momentous year of fundraising and serving your community. Maybe things have been challenging and staff need a pick-me-up and something to show they are still valued. Take pictures of the event to post on your website or blog. Tweet about it during and after to show your partners and site visitors your organization’s amazing team spirit.
2) Do you have a summer intern who might like to ‘guest blog’ during the summer months? Could be a cool way to infuse the organization with some fresh ideas and new perspective.
3) Offer your Twitter followers or Facebook fans some free stuff. A little while ago Ethical Bean was tweeting about certain locations its followers could go to on a Friday to take home a free bag of their Fair Trade coffee. Rustle up some in-kind donations from local businesses; use an online contest as an opportunity to share your organization’s story and the community you serve.
Friday afternoon antics
Two whole hours left till the weekend; it’s hot, the air conditioner is broken again or blowing colder than the legal limit. I know I’ll…
1) Visit Twitterer, type in summer or vacation and see what others are up to.
2) Join an online parade with my Twitter followers.
3) Sign up to be a friend of the cephalopod mollusk that predicted the 2010 FIFA World Cup winners. Btw, the oracle octopus has 170,000 Facebook friends. And you thought you were special.
Twestival is a short-term and creative way for volunteers around the world to connect both online and in real time to raise money for local charities. Twestival Local is taking place in cities worldwide between 10-13 September, 2009.
The first Twestival Global started with one tweet last January 2009 and one month later over 200 cities were hosting events to benefit Charity: water.
For years, I’ve been lamenting the declining power of protest marches and public demonstrations. As a teenager, I did my time picketing against clearcutting in British Columbia’s old growth forests, marching for peace and joining the crowds calling for a coordinated and government-backed strategy on HIV/AIDS. But, as I’ve come to realize in a painful, I’m-growing-old kind of way, these types of protests just aren’t as effective anymore, particularly in the Western world. Perhaps we’ve all coccooned ourselves in our comfortable, wired-up homes and can’t imagine venturing out to challenge an issue that seems inevitable to us anyway. Or perhaps governments and other decision-makers have learned to ignore the protests altogether, choosing to only notice movements that affect their popularity in the polls.
(If I sound a little jaded, forgive me. I live with a cynic.)
However, the online world has grown to accommodate dissent, as well as commerce, gossip and networking. And why not? If we can use new media for every other aspect of our lives, then it stands to reason that we can use it to push ahead with social change too.
Want to get involved? The Utne Reader has posted a comprehensive guide on how those of us who live outside of Iran can help, with online tools, of course. Simple acts like changing your Twitter location and Facebook picture can help the people of Tehran get the word out. Because in this new world that we are just learning to navigate, nothing is more important than listening to the voices that are straining to be heard.
Let’s face it, artists, designers, filmmakers, musicians and other creative types frequently have ideas that, while outlandish to some, seem perfectly legit to them. Today creatives are using online communities not only to connect with like minded people, rather they are putting their ideas front and centre so that others can help make them happen.
You want to make a documentary about trying to reunite the band, the Kinks? Or what about flying to Iceland to photograph fjords?
Kickstarter is a funding platform that helps bring to life ideas and endeavors put forth by artists, writers, designers, photographers, musicians, filmmakers and others. The website lists each project and allows others to share the project information through email, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter or to grab a widget and promote the project (as seen below) with the hope of garnering more support. Pledges are $1 minimum.
Don’t tell me you’re not the least bit curious about what’s behind the old painted truck buzzing down the street, mechanical nursery rhyme standards filling the air, a gaggle of kids chasing after it. Pretty sweet way to support the arts.
Since Oprah officially signed on to Twitter a couple weeks ago, there’s been even more buzz about the mighty micro-blog. The fact that on her first day of tweets she bought 20,000 mosquito nets from Demi Moore to stop the spread of malaria in Africa made our hearts sing a little here at Go Small because it showed the world (well, at least those millions of fans who watch Oprah) how a social networking application with a 140-character limit could actually be used by not-for-profits to reach out to their audiences and–as Demi and Oprah demonstrated–to fundraise.
What else can not-for-profits do with the so-called killer app?
Send tweets during conference talks, links to blog posts and events happening within your organization, drive traffic to your web page, use it as a collaboration tool….
Here is how some not-for-profits and ethically focused businesses are using Twitter for good:
