The other day I was having a conversation with my sister about how social media could be used by an organization to fortify connections between a community and its customs and traditions, while showing those outside the community the power and continued relevance of these traditions.
She told me about Dr. Heather Castleden’s research work which was undertaken in collaboration with the Huu-ay-aht First Nations. As part of this research, she co-developed a digital story which tells of the place of her own story within the richness of Huu-ay-aht First Nations stories she came to know.
“Digital Storytelling is the modern expression of the ancient art of storytelling,” says Leslie Rule of the Digital Storytelling Association. “Digital stories derive their power by weaving images, music, narrative and voice together, thereby giving deep dimension and vivid color to characters, situations, experiences, and insights,” she adds.
I like Dr. Castleden’s idea expressed in her digital story (after the African saying, it takes a village to raise a child) that it takes a Nation to raise a researcher. In other words, it isn’t the academic at the centre of the story anymore or the one with all (if any!) of the answers.
Digital storytelling, like the technique of “photovoice” (see Go Small’s March 31st post called Giving Ugandan girls a “photovoice”), gives subjects more power to be the creators of their stories and hopefully influence policy decisions being made that have a direct impact on them and their communities.
With widespread layoffs, budget cuts, foreclosures and a generally depressed (who wouldn’t be) economy, not-for-profits are getting creative like never before at raising money.
United Way’s Give 5 viral fundraising campaign for vital services and programs for families most affected by the economic downturn is one example that proves the age-old adage that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Yet, in this instance it feels more appropriate to say, the tough get creative.
Fact is, at no other time in history has it been easier in terms of the availability of low-cost social media tools for not-for-profits to reach audiences. Yet at the same time, given that many donors are tightening their belts and that there are many other organizations out there using the same channels to reach people, it is also one of the most difficult times for organizations to attain their fundraising targets.
Down $800,000 in funds raised from last year, the United Way of Northeast Florida is feeling the pinch of the economic downturn as are the communities they serve. For that reason they’re targeting a new generation of donors who might never have donated to the organization. Using social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, United Way is broadening its reach in hopes of generating interest from 20 to 30 year-olds looking to make a difference without breaking their piggy-banks.
This viral campaign is asking new donors to donate as little as $5 and then to e-mail the link to five friends. Being asked to give a small sum is viewed in this instance as no small thing because that $5 might be used to help a homeless family pay for an evening meal. With that kind of payback, it’s hard not to give.
Spring has finally sprung, as they say. In our city, which is Vancouver, Canada, tulips and other colourful numbers are in full bloom while the luscious pink magnolias and cherry tree blossoms are fading.
When I was a girl, each spring my mom would wash the curtains from all the windows and hang them to dry in the sunshine. She would yank the sheets and blankets off all of our beds, wash them and repeat the process. After that, she removed the carpets from the floors and beat them with a broom outside because, frankly, they had been cooped up all winter (like the curtains and sheets), and who (or what) doesn’t require a little fresh air and sunshine from time to time.
While I do a trimmed down version of spring cleaning at my home, we at Go Small see spring as a perfect time for not-for-profits to take stock, and decide whether to recycle, reuse, or throw away as the case may be.
Go Small spring cleaning checklist
Review your web copy to see if it needs refreshing (it usually does)
Compile a focus group of stakeholders to help plan for the future
Find cost-effective ways to recycle winning ideas and products
Repackage your riches using up-to-date tools
Clear out old mailing lists and other stuff from your computers
Examine your print materials to see if they reflect where your organization’s at
Find fresher, sunnier ways to involve your audience through online conversations
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:
