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About Jim Turner
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Jim Turner is the leader of the One By One Media and it was his vision that began the business in 2004. Jim is a well-respected social media consultant and professional blogger, mentoring others to become professional bloggers and leading companies through successful online social media campaigns. Jim is well connected in advertising, public relations, marketing and other business circles, consulting with Fortune 500 companies, large agencies and startup companies. Jim has experience in management and leadership from working in the law for more than 20 years and is taking those skills to the social media arena and making companies successful as they enter into the Web 2.0 business space. Jim serves on the advisory boards of a few companies to consult them in how to make their companies work in the social media environment. Jim lives in Colorado with his wife and four children.Using Social Media for Social Good – A Case Study
When I heard about the earthquake in Haiti I was filled with despair as I saw the images come out of that country showing people’s lives changed forever. I wanted to do something more than send in my check or give my standard donation. I wanted to do something more and I wanted to use what I did in my job as a place to start. The result was the Haiti radio show, which was able to raise funds for Haiti and spread some good in the world.
Joseph Jaffe a marketer and pioneer in the world of social media had the same idea. He took what he knew and what he could do to help and used that to make a difference in the world. He explains more in his video:
Jaffe works for a company called Crayon, that recently merged with Powered, a company that was very generous in donating to that 24 hour radio show benefiting Haiti earthquake victims. I join Mr. Jaffe in his call for social media people to do something more than preach to the choir. I want them to take what they do and find a way to leverage that into a campaign for a cause. The work we do everyday is easy enough, but it is hard to make a choice to take what we do and give that to others. Thanks to Joseph Jaffe for making a difference in the lives of those who need it.
Haiti, Chile, Japan… whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on…
Not to be flippant, but WhatGives!? with the earthquake in Chile? With a magnitude of 8.8, it was 500 times more powerful than the one in Haiti. 
Buildings fell, people died, water and utilities were cut off… but checking #chile on Twitter results in mainly Spanish language conversations. Unlike the tiny island nation of Haiti that gathered worldwide support, the country on the western edge of South America has seemingly already been “handled.” Outside of Latin America, there seems to be no call to arms or marshaling of resources to go to the aid of those who suffered last Saturday. Our question today is, “Why?”
That question is thoughtfully considered in today’s Huffington Post. The short answer is that Chile was simply better prepared on every level. Whereas most Haitians had no idea if their president had survived their 7.0 shaker, Chile’s president was giving live televised updates of the crisis within hours. Included in those updates was a clear message that Chile was not requesting outside government aid until their situation was evaluated and specific needs analyzed. And while the United Nations, international relief agencies, and the heads of many governments responded quickly to say they’d be there in a New York minute if needed, you could almost feel the world breathe out a sigh of relief.
After all, it’s been a tough year… already. Mother Nature seems to be taking no prisoners in 2010. Chile, Haiti, Japan’s earthquake on Saturday, a series of avalanches in Afghanistan, the relentless back-to-back storms on the east coast, heck, there was even a 4.0 earthquake in Oklahoma in January, for Pete’s sake. It’s become an almost constant state of alert to the point that upon learning the death toll is “only” 100 people, we move on.
It’s a problem that nonprofits face every day. How do you keep supporters involved and enthusiastic when the cause (poverty, cancer, homelessness, clean water) can seem insurmountable at times? Even the most ardent leader of an organization must have days when he or she wakes up frustrated that they have to ask – again – for money, resources, or volunteers. Even the most devoted advocates for a cause have moments when being asked – again – to dig deep causes them to think, “I just can’t.”
It’s basic charity fatigue. And this new-fangled interweb cybertube thing isn’t helping. It used to be lots of direct mail requests, some mid-dinner phone calls, and an occasional telethon. Now, it’s a non-stop, 24/7 around-the-world ask. Television programs weave stories about social issues into their plot lines, raising much needed awareness – sometimes with compelling subtlety, sometimes with a large hammer. Social media for social good campaigns (Hi, boss!) are taking hold with multi-national corporations like Coke and Pepsi. The ask is spreading into every form of information and entertainment. Some will tell you that it’s more personal now, and that their supporter base is more engaged and more passionate than ever. Others are sure it’s overwhelming the average Joe.
There is suffering in every country of the world. There are hungry children by the millions. People die from simple, treatable medical problems every hour. There is so much to be done. How do you choose where you spend your time, energy, and money? Do you follow your heart or try to be practical?
We would like to hear from you about all of this…
At what point – if ever – do you feel you’ve done enough?
A Courageous Ringmaster…
Okay, so here’s what you need to know…
Earthquake; buildings crumble; people living under tarps, cardboard, and sheets of plastic. Officials declare tents take up too much space; aren’t all waterproof; safety risk in unstable areas.
It starts to rain. UN announces it needs tents.
Meanwhile, hundreds of tents have already been purchased, shipped, and distributed to families in Haiti.
What worldwide relief agency was on the ball?
Who is this miracle worker? A nice guy who’s the pastor of Atlanta’s Courageous Church and who is also absolutely, undeniably relelentless.
He has put red tape through a woodchipper in order to get doctors into Haiti and to get desperately injured children out of Haiti.
He spends his days asking others to make things better. And they respond. With money and time and connections and passion and dedication.
We asked him how he does it, if he’s overwhelmed by Haiti’s desperate situation, and if he worries about wearing out his welcome with all the asking. We asked him about his approach to masterminding such a successful campaign. His answers surprised us. (Why are we still surprised by anything Shaun King does?) His response speaks more clearly about dedication to purpose than any blog post we could concoct…
Hey Marijane!
Thanks for your email my friend! Not overwhelmed… yet! I have faced a great deal of adversity in my life since childhood and was created to do this work.
I have to say, though – I am winging it. If I am an expert – I don’t feel like it. I use the experience that I have to try to help but I regularly find myself in situations where I have no idea what I’m doing.
My church and followers may tire of my frenetic pace. They have not done so yet. We seem to pick up more people along the way than we lose. I only tweet a small percentage of my life (believe it or not – haha) and do have to do a lot behind the scenes to keep our core team strong.
I am perfectly willing to ruin my reputation, though, and get on the nerves of folk, if I judge that something is an undeniable emergency – like a dying baby or kids being sold.
I did not intend to do all that we’ve done. If it’s a symphony it’s accidental. I have a shoestring budget, very little technology, and a relatively small following online or otherwise.
What we do is push hard… consistently. We have a track record of finding a cause and making a difference – i.e., 500toys.org & hopeATL.com – this consistency makes each new cause a little easier for us and more acceptable for others.
Thanks for your support and interest. Typed this from my Blackberry on the way to the Circus with my kids 
Oh right, he’s also the 30-year-old father of four young children who, we’re guessing, take up a “little” of their dad’s day. Think you can’t make a difference? Think again.
Linkin Park’s Music For Relief Gives Fans Opportunity to Download to Donate
The coming together of so many musicians to aid Haiti has been inspiring, uplifting, and undeniably powerful. Like so many of the artists we’ve been talking about, Linkin Park’s nonprofit foundation Music For Relief knew they had to do something big to mobilize their famous musician friends.
The result? Download to Donate, an album full of unreleased tracks to raise funds for the victims of the quake. Artists on the album include Alanis Morissette, The All-American Rejects, Dave Matthews Band, Enrique Iglesias, Hoobastank, Kenna, Lupe Fiasco, Peter Gabriel, Slash, and of course, Linkin Park.
As Music for Relief’s Executive Director, Whitney Showler has seen the incredible impact of artists stepping forward to make a difference . “This album is special because so many artists and their fans stepped forward to let Music for Relief know they wanted to help the people of Haiti. Boundaries came down and artists and fans of a variety of genres wanted to work together to make a difference.”
She also told me that this isn’t the first time Music For Relief has stepped up to help Haiti. “The people of Haiti were struggling even before the Earthquake in January. Music For Relief raised funds last year to help following the four hurricanes that devastated parts of the nation and we knew we had to help again following this tragedy.”
What are you waiting for? Download the album now!
After you download, be sure to give as much as you can (it’s an honor system). The charities that benefit from your donations are UN Foundation’s Central Emergency Response Fund, Habitat for Humanity and Dave Matthews Band’s BAMA Works Haitian relief effort.
If you’ve already downloaded and donated, then you can help by spreading the word to friends and family.
- Share the Widget on Facebook! (click the “share” button below “listen here”)
- Embed the Widget on MySpace! (grab the embed code from the bottom of the “listen here” box)
- Give it a Tweet!
Awake and Sing…
One thing that has been clear from the very first night after the ground shook on that island in the Caribbean – music cannot be buried in the rubble.
… All thought his disaster-relief trip, [Dr. Steven] Landau heard Haitians “singing lovely songs, just beautiful songs, and clapping hands or being joyous,” he said last week. The Herald
…”There are a lot of problems, a lot of problems in Port-au-Prince right now, but I think they’ve held up better than the U.S. military had expected,” [Peter Kapiloff, Hope for the Children of Haiti Orphanage volunteer] said. “One thing I’ll never forget is all night long, the Haitians were singing hymns. It amazed me how positive they could be in the situation they were in,” he added later. The Daily Collegian
…A cluster of women began singing hymns; soon other women would join them; they would not relent for days. [Author Mischa Berlinski, Haiti resident] New York Review of Book
The Haitian soul is surely wrapped in melody, and the Haitian people use that music to express their pain and their joy; their prayers for mercy; their prayers for the dead. It is only appropriate that music is being created in support of the worldwide relief efforts. Today we invite you to click and listen to the voices being lifted up around the world to bring hope to the people of Haiti.
The most widely publicized song/video created to benefit Haitian relief debuted this past Friday during the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. As they did 25 years ago, Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie gathered together music royalty to record a new version of “We Are the World”. Mary J Blige, Barbra Streisand, Jennifer Hudson, Kanye West, and even the original performance of Michael Jackson were featured in the production. Donations support the We Are the World Foundation.
Simon Cowell also put together a star-studded remake – the R.E.M. classic “Everybody Hurts” featuring performers from both sides of the pond such as Rod Stewart, Mariah Carey, Robbie Williams, Michael Buble, and worldwide phenom Susan Boyle. The single will split all proceeds 50/50 between the Disasters Emergency Committee and The Sun newspaper’s “Helping Haiti’ appeal.
A group of Caribbean musicians and artists insist that “We Shall Rise Again” in this terrific video. Money raised will go to the Digicel Haiti Relief Fund.
It’s not just the professionals who are getting into the act, so to speak. The High School for Recording Arts – also known as Hip Hop High – created their own original video called “Together”. Just like the rest of the videos, you can download to donate and the money will go to Haitian relief efforts.
Finally, we leave you with a reminder of the power of one. In an earlier post we told you about Amy Carol Wolff and her decision to unite the voices of many choirs in a song she had written. On Valentines Day she released the resulting “Brighter Way” featuring choirs from the US and Uganda. Amy encourages everyone to donate here – proceeds going to Care via Citizen Effect, all on behalf of Haiti.
A human voice – singing alone or joined in a chorus – has power. It can calm jittery aftershock nerves and it can bring joy into the darkest of days. It can also bring real help. Support the music. Save the people.