Self-Promotion fundraising and other thoughts

Posted by Michael Johnston on May 30th, 2006 at 07:19pm

Can Bloggers Make Money for Charities?

 Blogs are great for an endless stream of electronic media but will it make a difference offline? A recent New York Times article stated: “Online politics can’t flourish in the virtual realm alone, any more than an online romance can be consummated through instant messaging”. I think there’s something there for fundraising too. Virtual fundraising is probably stronger when it can also be connected to a real voice, or a visit, or an event. Hear Hear I say - the web doesn’t replace the public square, it drives people to it. You just have to look at recent pro-immigration rallies that used both radio and the online environment to get people to the streets.I believe deeply that technologies change and different philanthropic trends come and go, but the essential process of giving endures – people helping people. One medium may replace another over time but that’s all it does – replace it – with people still giving…Â

Free Advertising

 It’s true that personalized fundraising pages (and blogs) have allowed citizens to use marketing and advertising tools to raise money and awareness ON BEHALF OF charities.Now PSAs and DRTV may be the next step.In the commercial world, Converse has allowed individuals to make commercials for them with editing/content tools. When GM allowed people to make SUV commercials, some peopleturned out anti-SUV commercials. People are calling these opportunities as “co-creation”. In the commercial world, Converse has allowed individuals to make commercials for them with editing/content tools. When GM allowed people to make SUV commercials, some peopleAre we ready for co-creation in the nonprofit sector? Anything would be better than most of the crappy PSAs that are out there! Firefox, the web browser of Mozilla Corporation asked people to submit broadcast quality 30 second spots. There were 280 submissions judged by industry experts in advertising. It gave aspiring artists a chance to show off their work and the company got free ads. Co-creation goes hand in hand with co-marketing.Shouldn’t some charities do this? How about your organization doing this? And what about fundraising content on mobile phones? Some estimates put the market at 27 billion dollars by 2010.

About 3-5% of North American cell phone users view mobile video content.

In the US, “Sway’s Hip-Hop Owner’s Manual” had an MTV show host interviewing people on the streets of LA. He was close to the camera – popping out – and that’s probably the way for fundraising on the mobile to come – “the whites of their eyes”.

How will they be made:

1.    Close up

2.    limit zooming, panning, quick movements

And Apple’s ipod is turning out more successful for video downloads than thought – 15 million shows downloaded in the first six months.

Europeans are quite advanced but one NA executive said, “Great technology, but it’s a bunch of naked people swearing… not gonna work here.”

So… it looks like we’ll have to make up this mobile fundraising content ourselves - or we’ll just hand over the content provision to the supporter and let them make our appeals!

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