Posts Tagged ‘social good’

Using Social Media for Social Good – A Case Study

07 Mar 2010
by Genuine

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.

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Posted in Good, disaster relief, social media, video | No Comments »
Genuine

Mark Horvath & WhatGives!? at SxSW!!

05 Mar 2010
by MjM

What’s that hum in the air?  It’s all the buzz about South by Southwest, kicking off next week in Austin, Texas.  What began in 1987 as a music festival now includes film and interactive tracks that draw many of each discipline’s most influential people to town for panels, presentations, discussions, and good, old fashioned conversations.

This year, WhatGives!? will be smack in the middle of all the action at the Beacon in Room 8BC on Level 3 of the Austin Convention Center.  This self-proclaimed “Lounge with a Conscience” will kick off each day with our pal, Mark Horvath of invisible people.tv interviewing some amazing people in the social media for social good world. Opinions about social media’s impact on efforts to increase support for charities and causes are sure to be flying fast and furious every morning.  We’ll be streaming on UStream on the WhatGives!? Channel.  Join us in Austin or online between 10:30 and 11:00am! (Central Standard Time*)  You can also follow along on Twitter or through the Beacon website. WhatGives!? Read more »

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Posted in Good, South by Southwest, social media | No Comments »
MjM

Using Social Media For Social Good…

25 Jan 2010
by Genuine

For those who do not know me, my name is Jim Turner and I was recently featured here as a collaborator on a project to help raise awareness and, of course, money, for  the victims of the Haiti earthquake.  It was a great experience and WhatGives!? has asked me to post regularly about how you can use social media creatively to help your nonprofit or cause organization meet its specific goals.

That recent 24 hour radio program really opened my eyes to how social media can be used for social good.  It gave our community a place to gather and donate funds, discuss issues related to Haitian relief efforts, and open up other opportunities for nonprofit organizations.  I was able to put together this program in a very short period of time (approximately 48 hours), and for the most part using social media tools, I was able to do it efficiently and inexpensively – and was able to benefit charities in the process.  In these blog posts I will be discussing some of these ideas, the tools I used, how it was accomplished, and how you might also be able to do the same.  WhatGives!? is giving me a platform to bring you that information and I want to thank them for allowing me to post my ideas and information here.  You can also follow along with me on Twitter and at my blog at One By One Media.

If there are any questions that nonprofits have or if you are a person in charge of fund raising, promotion, marketing, or other areas, please feel free to ask any questions here and we will be happy to help.  The power of social media can be harnessed by you as it has by others.  Let us help you accomplish your goals.

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Posted in General, Getting Started, How I Started, Tips & Tools, disaster relief, social media | 1 Comment »
Genuine

Happy Birthday, Beth!

11 Jan 2010
by Noble

To do today:

  1. Wish Beth Kanter a Happy Birthday.
  2. Give the gift of education to kids in Cambodia

The cool thing is, you can do both at once. For several years Beth has been coaching and advising companies on how to best use social media to achieve social good.  And for her last few birthdays, she’s run social media campaigns to help her favorite cause, The Sharing Foundation.  Here’s what they do:

The Sharing Foundation’s mission is to help meet the physical, emotional, educational and medical needs of orphaned and seriously disadvantaged children in Cambodia. Our goal is to help prevent some of the problems associated with poverty by developing, in consultation with Cambodian community leaders, programs to improve the health and welfare of these children and their families. The Sharing Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. You can view our annual reports at Guidestar.

The great thing about Beth’s support of this cause?  It comes from the heart.  Both of her children are adopted from Cambodia, and she uses her considerable talent to do everything she can for disadvantaged children there.

So take a minute and wish Beth “Happy Birthday!” A mere $10 donation will send a child to school.

Thanks, Beth, for being an inspiration to givers, and a guide to the non-profits striving to do good works.  Happy Birthday!

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Posted in General, Good | 1 Comment »
Noble

“Passports with Purpose” – Build a School (for sure), Win Prizes (maybe).

09 Dec 2009
by Noble

Hmmmm. Decisions, decisions, decisions.  5 nights in Costa Rica?  3 nights in Wakiki? 3 days in Legoland?  Maybe that’s the hardest part about giving to the Passports with Purpose campaign – deciding which amazing travel prize you covet most.

Win This (photo credit Aqua Hotels)

Win This (photo credit Aqua Hotels)

It’s not hard to find the campaign: 75 top travel bloggers are joining together to activate their readers and followers and encourage them to donate to a good cause.  The team effort started last year and is led by founders Beth Whitman, Debbie Dubrow, Michelle Duffy and Pam Mandel.  Traveling the globe as they do, it’s easy to see what a difference a few dollars in the right place can make.  Last year, the team raised over $7,000 for Heifer International.

It’s not hard to understand the cause: This year’s campaign supports American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC) an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving opportunities for the youth and rural poor in Cambodia. For a personal account of the organization and what it does, read Nicholas Kristof’s op-ed from the New York Times.

Help them. (Photo credit Dave Rubin)

Help them. (Photo credit Dave Rubin)

It’s not hard to understand the results: So far, Passports with Purpose has raised over $13,000 – enough to build the school.  Now they need to feed students and provide a full time school nurse for a year.  That’s another $13,000, but the impact of your donation is obvious.

So what’s the tricky part? Figuring out which cool prize you want. Each blogger has ponied up something neat, and for every $10 you donate, you get an entry to win.  The catch with this virtual raffle is there is a separate drawing for each item.  But don’t feel to much pressure to decide.  If you want that McLaren Baby Stroller, the hot new camcorder, and the Ukelele – go ahead and pony pony up a few $10 entries – it’s all for a good cause.

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Posted in Other Stuff | 1 Comment »
Noble

Name Your Cause

03 Dec 2009
by MjM

NYC_Avatar

http://www.nameyourcause.com and follow @NameYourCause on Twitter for updates!

What do you care about?  More importantly, what are you ready to stand up for?  Most importantly, what are you ready to shop for?    It’s time to throw down and put in some quality clicking for the cause you care about.   It’s time to Name Your Cause!

Here at WhatGives!? we’ve been talking about ways to give this holiday season and decided a little friendly competition was in order.  Our pals at eBay and WorldofGood.com agreed.  So, from now until Thursday, December 10th, when you cast your vote for your favorite nonprofit you get them one step closer to winning a $2,500 gift card from eBay!  It’s free and there’s no complicated registration form.  Just check out our list of nonprofits from across the country and give one a click to show you care.  Yes, you can vote more than once, but not more than once every four hours.  So, you can get a little sleep…

What’s that?  Your fave isn’t on the list?  Well, nominate them right now!  Then spread the word to friends, family, and fellow supporters through Twitter and Facebook, or just call ‘em up, for Pete’s sake.  You’ve got one week to rack up votes for the nonprofit you love. The 501c3 with the most votes will receive a $2,500 eBay gift card; second place gets $1,500; and third place, $1,000.

WorldofGood.com & WhatGives!? are proud sponsors of the latest Name Your Cause!

WorldofGood.com & WhatGives!? are proud sponsors of the latest Name Your Cause!

That’s not enough?  Well, how about doing a little social shopping for social good?  WorldofGood.com has selected 15 nonprofit organizations to benefit from your need for holiday gifts.  Every purchase means $5 to whichever of the organization you choose.  And because you deserve a little something special, too, you’ll get $10 cash back on any purchase over $25.  Sweet.

So, come on, people, show a little holiday hustle.

All together now.

NAME… YOUR… CAUSE!!!

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Posted in General, Good | No Comments »
MjM

Glee like a VIP! The Glee Charity Auction

01 Dec 2009
by kerriebrynn

Glee_1

Whether you like to admit it or not, you’re a total Glee fan.  Let’s face it, you plan your entire Wednesday around that one hour of musical delicious-ness, and you watch each week’s coming-soon clip on repeat.  Gleek Nation – listen up!  It is time to put down that hairbrush microphone, pause your iTunes track of ‘Defying Gravity’, and head over to eBay for the Glee VIP Experience Charity Auction!

Our friends over at Kompolt get all the cool auctions. The VIP Experience for four gets you a meet and greet with the cast, lunch with the Executive Producer and two members of the cast, and an autographed item from the cast.  Hurry over to bid, there are only two days left to make your Glee dreams come true!

But wait, there’s more.  The experience gets even more gleeful because all the proceeds go to a fabulous organization, The Young Storytellers Foundation.  You’ve heard of them! They’re the ones working to improve the lives of elementary school children by increasing literacy, building self-esteem, and celebrating each child’s creativity through mentoring the children in the art of storytelling.

So go on, check out the auction, spread the word, and put your Glee obsession to use for a great cause! Don’t worry, I’m not judging, I’m an open and proud Gleek myself. :-)

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Posted in General, Good, auction | No Comments »
kerriebrynn

How WhatGives!? got started…

16 Nov 2009
by Noble

TappingPencil

Good ideas often have strange beginnings. Our buddy, Roman Garcia came up with the name WhatGives!? and initiated the site nearly two years ago.  (Just last month, our parent company Causemedia Group took it over.)

Later this week we’ll be launching a new feature called “How I Started” that will profile folks who are working for social good and their beginnings, and we wanted to give Roman a chance to reminisce about the formative days of WhatGives!?

Amazing what bad sushi and Nyquil can do, huh?. His story:

“Do you remember?

… that scene in Jerry McGuire? He can’t sleep , blames the bad pizza and comes up with the epiphany of his career. Yes, he ended up getting fired because of it, but not the point of this post.

I had a similar situation about 20 months ago, though my culprit was Nyquil and bad sushi. During that time I was part of the eBay Giving Works team and I was tasked with launching our first blog. I clearly remember being in a half daze fighting a cold and bad sushi and writing down “names” for what the blog would be called. I came up with some pretty bad ones, and my colleagues suggested even worse ones ;-) . The end result was “What Gives!?”.

So how do I feel now that this site has been re-launched; bigger and better? I feel pretty ecstatic, so much so that I asked my friends behind the scenes to let me contribute to the greatest thing that’s ever come out my mind (aside from my killer blog).

What Gives!? was conceived to be everything that the site is still today. It’s about the good works that YOU do. And the best part is these good works can be things that have been done a million times before, or are still being conceived in your mind. Consider this the vehicle that takes you to where your good deeds want to be.

So please get out there and do some good. Then tell us about it, then do it again. Tell us your stories, and follow up with us. And if you want to meet up for coffee, don’t hesitate to ask.”

-RG

Thanks, Roman! Keep ‘em coming!

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Posted in How I Started, Other Stuff | 1 Comment »
Noble

Become an App-oholic for a Cause

28 Oct 2009
by kerriebrynn

farmville

Facebook applications are a dime a dozen these days. Games, personality quizzes, and just plain silliness crowd our newsfeeds and fill our afternoons. In the midst of Farmvilles, Mafia Wars, & SuperPokes – how do you decide what to spend your time on?

If you’re anything like me, your Facebook activities are a combination of fun and meaningful. So why not spend your valuable time supporting some great causes while actually learning something about yourself?

WhatGives!?

Here are a few applications I’m excited about.

The Microplace Quiz Application isn’t just a quiz. It’s an opportunity to examine what matters to you and discover related investments where you can put your cash-ola to work on an international scale.  Are you an Eco-Green Superstar or a Warrior for Women’s Rights? You tell me!

Invest Wisely. End Poverty. Sounds good right? Take the Microplace App and find out what type of socially responsible investor you are!

Invest Wisely. End Poverty. Sounds good right? Take the Microplace App and find out what type of socially responsible investor you are!

The questions make you think about where your passions lie, and how you can focus that passion on projects you may have been unaware of before taking the quiz.  And each time you take the quiz or share with your friends, you’ll be entered to win an amazing microfinance tour in Nicaragua. Talk about hands-on! They’re also giving out $250 eBay gift certificates each week to one lucky winner.  You can find out more about the amazing things Microplace does by visiting their website here.

You read it right! Yoplait’s Make a Pledge Facebook Page is all about getting to know your girls.

You're reading it right! Yoplait’s Make a Pledge Facebook Page is all about getting to know your girls.

Speaking of knowing yourself, the Yoplait Know Your Girls Page gives you access to a plethora of activities supporting Breast Cancer research and early detection.

With one click, you can pledge to “Know Your Girls” – and each pledge is a 10 cent donation from Yoplait to fund research for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Their Know Your Stuff Quiz is a light-hearted look at what you think you know about Breast Cancer – which can be a real eye-opener especially for younger women like me.

More and more, Facebook is becoming a place to do social good.  So go on, make your Facebook time matter, and have some fun while doing it!

Which applications are your favorites? Do they support any of your favorite causes?

Feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions. Comment, send us a tip, tweet with us at @WhatGives, or join us on Facebook for more discussion!

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Posted in General, Good | 2 Comments »
kerriebrynn

Charities Thrive In The Las Vegas Desert

19 Oct 2009
by kerriebrynn

@kerriebrynn (The Change Girl) and @jon_dunn at the #SUPERBOOTH during Blogworld

@kerriebrynn (The Change Girl) and @jon_dunn at the #SUPERBOOTH during Blogworld

Bringing together ten diverse charities at the BlogWorld & New Media Expo was not only one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve been a part of, but also just downright awesome!  I watched as their passionate staff and volunteers raised money, spread their message, and most importantly, began to form some genuine friendships.

Thanks to our generous friends at eBay and PayPal, we were able to bring these groups to BlogWorld after they won a week-long challenge among a wide variety of charities.  Once there, we held a Charity Smackdown – and boy, oh boy did we have fun!  Spirit Jump, a new grassroots charity, took 1st place, which earned them an additional $2,000 from PayPal. All of the charities truly won in the end by learning how to harness the power of social media.

Want to see what I’m talking about?  Connect with these amazing folks in your own social networks and hometowns.  Follow Surfrider in their quest for protection of our oceans and  beaches, Canine Companions for Independence as they train dogs for adults with disabilities, L.A.’s Best as they strive for quality after-school programs for L.A.’s youth, and Alex’s Lemonade in their unstoppable drive to end childhood cancer.  Keep up with 3for5 Foundation’s movement to bring clean water to the developing countries, Mother’s Fighting for Other’s & Stepwise Foundation’s fight to provide orphanages with a loving and nurturing environment, Best Friends Animal Society’s amazing animal rescue and protection, and last but certainly not least, Heifer Portland’s goal to ending hunger by providing practical and sustainable solutions to poverty.

@kerriebrynn (The Change Girl) with Name Your Cause winners: @spirtjump & @LAsBest

@kerriebrynn (The Change Girl) with Name Your Cause winners: @spirtjump & @LAsBest

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? Not for long! The fire of determination these people bring to their causes shines brighter than any of the flashing neon of The Strip. I am truly thankful to have been a part of these charities’ stories, and look forward to watching their continued success.

I’m already counting down the days until we can re-unite and share more laughs, stories, and advice on the world of social media for social good.  BFF’s forever!?

Charities & Participants, what was your favorite part? I’d love to hear from you in the comments. :-)

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Posted in General, Good | 6 Comments »
kerriebrynn
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