What would you advocate for if you were given $100 to give away and report back? Interesting thought, right? Courtney Martin gave each of nine friends that amount and asked them to report back one month later on their advocacy choice. This appeared in the New York Times. They were also invited into the Secret Society for Creative Philanthropy which now meets on a regular basis to discuss their acts of advocacy or “kindness.” Ms Martin received a huge book advance and decided to make the giving away of some of it the problem of others. As word got out, some other small-time philanthropy advocates joined in. Small philanthropy takes a lot of creativity when you have that responsibility and have to tell others. This mini-advocacy idea has generated chapters of the Secret Society in different cities. Here is a list of what some people did with their $100.
• Turned the writing of New York City children in a literacy nonprofit into books.
•Distributed 10,000 pennies to friends throughout the country to drop so there would be more lucky pennies for people to find.
• Inspired by Lewis Hyde’s book “The Gift,” bought a handmade platter on etsy.com and gave it to a friend, who she hopes will pass it on to others.
• Slipped $100 into a thank-you card and asked a friend to give it to the clerk at her local Duane Reade who makes her feel like a million bucks whenever she buys toothpaste.
• Gave $100 to the most frequent commenter on her Web site, who turned out to be a former correction officer aspiring to write.
• Gave to four established nonprofits that work in Haiti.
• Gave the money to a woman he sees collecting recycling on the street.
Tags: Advocacy, philantrophy
The outpouring of help for Haiti is a prime example of Advocacy in action. All eyes are on the devastation and the many forms of relief being sent to the victims reminds us of what people (Advocates) can do when the chips are very down. Of course, it has to get into the hands of the Haitians quickly. As a resident of Brooklyn where 61,000 Haitians live, nearly everyone feels like they know someone whose family has been hit by this tragedy.
The amount of money raised through texting is encouraging and makes Americans proud of their generosity–over $10 million has been raised in the U.S. alone. Here are the many ways to help via texting (from the Washington Post) :
*Text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross
* Text HAITI to 25383 to donate $5 to International Rescue Committee
* Text HAITI to 45678 to donate $5 to the Salvation Army in Canada
* Text YELE to 501501 to donation $5 to Yele
* Text HAITI to 864833 to donate $5 to The United Way
* Text DISASTER to 90999 to donate $10 to Compassion International
* Text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross
* Text RELIEF to 30644 to get automatically connected to Catholic Relief Services and donate money with your credit card
* Text HAITI to 25383 to donate $5 to International Rescue Committee
*Text HAITI to 45678 to donate $5 to the Salvation Army in Canada
* Text CERF to 90999 to donate $5 to The United Nations Foundation
*Text YELE to 501501 to donation $5 to YeleText RELIEF to 30644 to get automatically connected to Catholic Relief Services and donate money with your credit card
*Text HAITI to 864833 to donate $5 to The United WayText CERF to 90999 to donate $5 to The United Nations Foundation
*Text DISASTER to 90999 to donate $10 to Compassion International
Tags: Haiti
I wish we had thought of this. In our Advocacy research, we found that Advocates like to wear their causes on their sleeves so to speak (Tshirts, hats, etc.). There now is a way to advocate your cause on your twitter image through twibbon.com Pick your cause and add to your image. It is a great way to raise funds, find people who share your cause and raise awareness. Advocates Unite.
Tags: Advocacy, Weber Shandwick
One of the more interesting facts about advocates is that they are likely to wear their cause on their sleeve….or should I say on their Tshirts, wrists or bodies somewhere. We asked this question in our research and although there were so many compelling learnings about what advocates do and say, the wearing of clothes to telegraph one’s advocacy is more compelling than ever as we watch the events in Iran unfold. Citzens of Iran wear green wristbands to show their support for opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. They wear green headbands and scarfs. Advocacy carries deeper meaning as we watch people in Iran rise up and protest their rights.
Tags: Advocacy, advocates, green, wristbands
Imagine my delight when I picked up Friday’s Wall Street Journal and on the front page was an article about people going after those unwarranted auto-warranty calls. The calls go like this, “This is the second notice that the factory warranty on your vehicle is about to expire.” I regularly receive these calls on my cell phone and I eventually became so annoyed that I called them back a few times. However, the company only had voice mail and I could not reach anyone. I left a voice mail telling them to take me off their list and please not to call me again. Of course they did. The reason I had reached my limit and turned into a “badvocate” was that I received one of those calls while in Beijing last summer. The call came in the middle of the night and I thought that something terrible had happened at home. After the infuriating call, I had trouble falling back asleep and my jet lag was prolonged.
The article described how an individual began an Internet crusade by leaving music recordings on the company’s voicemail and how an entire posse of angry badvocates or are they rightful advocates? soon overloaded the phone lines at the company in question. Eventually the online mob took down the company’s voice mail system and it started to get too personal. Some people stalked outside the owner’s home (who said his company was not involved) and wanted to take pictures of employees leaving the premises. Although I did not join this online swarm attack with elevator music, songs and rants, I understood how ordinary citizens might want to retaliate. What could be worse than an online army of enraged advocates turned badvocates.
Tags: advocates, Badvocates, Mob, Online, Swarm
My London colleague Leo Rayman presented this deck at a recent conference in Stockholm. He says it is all about personal advocacy. It is mentioned on a blog and has been widely shared so we thought we should share with you here. It is actually quite fun and insightful. Enjoy.
Tags: Advocacy, Leo Rayman, personal advocacy
