charities

all publicity….etc? Seems so for the NSPCC….

Posted on by Becky Green (was McMichael)

Take one fake Facebook campaign….add rumours about the origin of the campaign being set up by paedophiles….add to the mix it is supposed to be for a charity that stops cruelty to children and you have an absolute PR disaster right?

Nope….not if handled correctly……four steps…

1) Find out as much as you can about the fake campaign and assess whether it is damaging or can be made into a positive for your brand
2) Give info clearly about the campaign as you know it, thank those for participating in good faith who clearly have an interest in your brand / cause

3) Clearly state the original campaign was not started by you but you are glad for the awareness it has caused (via online and trad media)

4) Whilst the interest is there, provide a call to action that can further benefit your brand/cause and maximise the current interest level

Well done NSPCC on the handling of the weekend’s fake facebook campaign – a lack of panic and an eye for an opportunity has enabled them to hit over 100,000 Facebook fans (and rising) and provided a great audience to share a review of their good work this past year.

tweet tweet ha ha

Posted on by Becky Green (was McMichael)

red-nose4As Twestival approaches, another Twitter charity project appears in the rear view mirror – Tweetin’ hilarious.

In aid of Red Nose Day 2009 it is described as:

A new collection of comedy writing hopes to raise cash for Comic Relief – thanks to the micro-blogging site Twitter.

Journalists Linda Jones and Louise Bolotin are working on collecting and editing submissions for the TwitterTitters book by tweeting about it regularly.

Just one day after first mentioning the initiative on Twitter, they have found an illustrator and first submissions have been received. The deadline is Friday, February 20 at 4pm.

The resulting book will be published by self publishers Lulu.com, with all proceeds going to Comic Relief.

Short stories, scripts, poems and prose will all be accepted for the anthology and the word limit is 1,400 words. Copyright for the work is retained by the writer.

If you fancy yourself as a funnyman (or woman) get Tweeting. For more information, please contact Linda or Louise.

Cross posted with Ruder Finn’s blog

twestival 2009 – a case study in the making

Posted on by Becky Green (was McMichael)

twestival-logo1

If anyone needs an example of what Twitter or other forms of social media can do for their organisation? Ask Charity: water on February 13th after one hell of a party has taken place. worldwide

On 12 February 2009 100+ cities around the world will be hosting Twestivals which bring together Twitter communities for an evening of fun and to raise money and awareness for charity: water.

The Twestival is organized 100% by volunteers in cities around the world and 100% of the money raised from these events will go directly to support charity: water projects.

In September 2008, a group of Twitterers based in London UK decided to organise an event where the local Twitter community could socialize offline; meet the faces behind the avatars, enjoy some entertainment, have a few drinks and tie this in with a food drive and fundraising effort for a local homeless charity.

The bulk of the event was organized in under two weeks, via Twitter and utilized the talents and financial support of the local Twittersphere to make this happen.

Around the world similar stories started appearing of local Twitter communities coming together and taking action for a great cause. Twestival was born out of the idea that if cities were able to collaborate on an international scale, but working from a local level, it could have a spectacular impact.

By rallying together globally, under short timescales, for a single aim on the same day, the Twestival hopes to bring awareness to this global crisis.

charity: water is a non profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations by funding sustainable clean water solutions in areas of greatest need.

Right now 1.1 billion people on the planet don’t have access to safe, clean drinking water. That’s one in six of us.

Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of all sickness and disease, and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Many communities in developing nations often have a plentiful supply of clean drinking water just below the ground, but no way to get to it.

The organisers behind this project are volunteers and have shown us all what can happen when you think big and put in a lot of hard work.  I’ll be attending the Manchester Twestival -hopefully see you there.