The BIG day has finally arrived and we at GV are super-pumped about the Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG Campaign.
Total donations so far at 5 p.m. Pacific time is a whopping$20,945!!!
This is just a little shy of halfway towards our goal of $50,000. With your help, we can get there! Give BIG to Global Visionaries by clicking on the orange donate nowbutton above!
Help us in our efforts to empowering young people to become global leaders in creating a just and sustainable future.
Like us onFacebook or follow us on Twitter to get a play-by-play throughout the evening!
On May 2, 2012, from midnight to midnight (Pacific Time), The Seattle Foundation will host its second annual GiveBIG campaign.
Global Visionaries is excited to be a part of this extraordinary event for the second time as it promises to turn out thousands of new and returning individual donors to help support organizations like ours that are doing amazing work right here in King County (and beyond!).
All gifts made on GiveBIG day will be made even larger through a generous “stretch” pool (aka matching funds) that The Seattle Foundation will distribute on a proportional basis.
What does this mean?
If GV raises 5 percent of all donations received through GiveBIG by participating non-profits, then we will get 5 percent of the stretch pool. The more you give, the more of the stretch pool GV will get. Last year, every $100 in donations resulted in an additional $14 from the stretch pool, so every gift really does make a difference and results in more money for GV!
As if the stretch pool weren’t enough, did you know that if you donate through GiveBIG on May 2, you could be randomly selected for aGolden Ticket that will give GV an extra $1,000??
The point is: donations and the partial matching funds that GV will receive through GiveBIG will rely largely on the traffic that YOU can help drive to our donation page on The Seattle Foundation’s website.
So here are some actionable steps that you can take today:
“Like” us on Facebook (have your friends and family do the same) and stay tuned for details!
RSVP for the Facebook GiveBIG event so that you will get reminders as May 2nd approaches
Don’t forget! In order for donations to GV to qualify for the partial match:
They must bemade via GV’s page on The Seattle Foundation’s online Giving Center
They must bemade on May 2, 2012, between midnight and midnight, Pacific Time
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and help spread the word about GV and GiveBIG!
An individual can only do so much. But as a group, you have unlimited potential.
Written by Tim Takechi
Thank you for keeping up with our blog series explaining why nonprofits cannot ignore the power of social media.
Understandably, most NGOs operate with limited manpower and finances. Communication budgets are mostly nonexistent. This is why reasons #1-7 should persuade anyone to hop aboard.
Here is a summary of what we’ve explored so far:
1. Everyone uses social media
2. Social media is free
3. People do their research on social media
4. Social media shows up on Google and other search engines
5. Print communication is starting to become outdated
6. Social media allows you to build a relationship with your audience
7. You can fundraise through social media
As mentioned earlier, reason #8 is more specific to Global Visionaries, as we are a student leadership organization who believes youth can be genuine changemakers. The numbers tell the story: 78 percent of youth ages 12 to 17 and 77 percent of young adults ages 18 to 24 use social media. How can anyone ignore this?
If we honestly believe the youth of today can be the leaders of today (and tomorrow), then we should also believe this:
8. Young leaders determined to change the world can use social media to make a positive social impact
We already discussed the Egyptian youth protests and how they used Facebook and Twitter to spark this movement. Nothing more needs to be said about that. In a society where genuine free speech is repressed, social media is the only alternative.
But what about here in the United States of America, where free speech rights are more protected? Social media can serve another purpose.
We use social media for social networking. Though these terms are often used interchangeably, they are not the same. In short, here is the difference between the two:
Social media is a set of online tools used to communicate information back and forth to a broad audience.
Social networking is the act of using social media to build relationships, establish two-way communication and form communities.
It is the networking aspect to all this that is most intriguing.
People learn from who they network with. Take another look at reason #3: People do their research on social media. When folks research and decide to network with your organization, they can learn things they did not know before.
“The most important contribution any of us can make now is not to solve any particular problem, no matter how urgent energy or environment or financial regulation is. What we must do now is increase the proportion of humans who know that they can cause change.”
Ashoka, a youth social entrepreneurship organization, believes spreading the knowledge of how to change the world is a critical component to actually changing the world. Problems cannot be solved by one individual alone, regardless of social or political power. Even the President of the United States or the richest CEO in the world are limited in what they can do.
Real change comes from the masses.
Drayton is absolutely right that when people know they have the power to make change, they are more likely to take the initiative. People who perceive they are powerless will end up being powerless (we call that a “Self-Fulfilling Prophecy”).
But those feeling empowered to take charge can exceed all expectations.
Social media is a grand tool for empowering the next generation. Egyptian youth did not need bombs or AK-47s to stand up to the government. They used their collective will to persuade Hosni Mubarak to resign. Social media probably helped Barack Obama get elected president, as social media helped spread his message to a vast audience.
In the spirit of making believers out of doubters, social media can do just that. The trendy thing today is to be on Facebook, follow famous people on Twitter, post and share videos on YouTube and express yourself on a personal blog. If this is how young people are networking together, this is how you can get them fired up.
Social justice, environmentalism and equality are all noble causes. But there is definitely the perception that youth are indifferent to issues outside their own world. Consider the following stereotypes:
Young people care more about the judges on American Idol than the judges on the U.S. Supreme Court. They probably couldn’t locate Iraq on a map. Are they aware of China’s global power, or do they still live in the fantasy that American dominance will last forever?
This stigma causes doubt. So how can social media convert haters into cheerleaders?
Today’s generation of leaders need to embrace social networking as a means to call their communities to action. If you want your neighbors to shop for organic vegetables instead of mass produced vegetables, spread the message on Twitter. If you want a group of folks to write letters to their legislatures supporting a certain bill, create a Facebook invitation.
Who needs expensive film equipment when we have camera phones?
Duplicating a mass movement like what happened in Egypt is a great first step. I’m sure many doubters witnessed what happened over there as at least marginal proof that Facebook has other value besides wasting time.
But only if that spirit can be replicated here in the United States will doubters convert into believers. The beauty of social media is that messages can spread like wildfire. If you ask your friends to boycott a certain unethical corporation, they will tell their friends, those friends will tell their friends, and before you know it, folks across the country will heed your advice. How sweet that would be?
However, like every good-hearted effort, there will be challenges (and inevitable failure). But that should not stop you from trying. Remember what Bill Drayton says: If people know they can create change, they will. In other words, if you build it, [they] will come.
If you are a young person (or older person) dedicated to a particular cause, what are you waiting for? Don’t sit around and mope about how nobody cares. MAKE PEOPLE CARE!
Whatever you are passionate about; make people aware so that they can care. If you want your community to stop wasting water; blog about it, start a Facebook Cause, Tweet incessantly, share inspirational YouTube videos, or post important articles on Digg.
If you communicate a message often enough, eventually people will listen. And the dominoes will fall from there.
So what if you fail? At least you tried. Persistence can be a virtue.
Whew. That sure is a lot to take in. But I hope you understand what I’m trying to say. If you are a social entrepreneur determined to change the world, you have the unprecedented ability to communicate on a global scale. Don’t wait for others to take charge. Do it yourself!
Did you hear me? Do it yourself! Don’t wait for me to begin. Do it. Now!
Tweet. Blog. Film a video on your cell phone. Facebook all your friends. Do something.
Last time we looked at four reasons why nonprofit organizations need to take advantage of social media.
With millions of people worldwide using social media to network with friends, colleagues and allies, we cannot ignore its potential. If you are still a skeptic, I encourage you to read on.
To recap what we discussed last time, here’s a summary:
1. Everyone uses social media
2. Social media is free
3. People do their research on social media
4. Social media shows up on Google and other search engines
So without further ado, here are reasons 5-7. Reason #8 is more Global Visionaries-centric and will be addressed in Part Three of this series.
5. Print communication is starting to become outdated
Folks in the publication business cringe whenever this subject comes up. But sadly, there is no ignoring that print media is becoming a thing of the past.
Newspapers around the country are shutting down, downsizing or converting to online content only. More people are getting their news online than ever before.
Unfortunately, this means the old methods of publicity are no longer our most effective options. Printing and distributing hundreds of posters cost money, manpower and time. Submitting a letter to the editor is a gamble. See the limitations?
Additionally, begging for media coverage isn’t as effective as it used to be.
Once upon a time ago, you had to spend thousands of dollars in newspaper, magazine, television and radio ads to get your name out. Today, social media offers a cheaper (remember, it’s free) and more efficient mode of communication. Setting up a Facebook page takes a few hours and costs nothing. Reserving a 30-second spot on the radio is time-consuming, expensive and may not reap any rewards.
Social media is great because you control the message. You can’t control what a journalist says about you. But on a blog, you have exclusive and final editorial say on all content. How cool is that?
6. Social media allows you to build a relationship with your audience
Social media is exactly that: Social. If you allow comments on your Facebook page or blog, readers feel like they have a voice within your organization. They become part of a larger community.
You may have heard the analogy that the online world is like the real world. Similar to the real world, the online world has cultures, subcultures, communities, public forums and all sorts of points-of-views.
Too often organizations feel distant. You give your money and your time to a nonprofit, but do they give anything back? Sure, you might get a thank-you phone call or a Christmas card, but does any genuine communication happen?
Social media allows for this communication. Communication is a two-way road with plenty of give and take from both sides.
Posting a message on Facebook is more fun than sending an e-mail to a faceless individual. Comments made on social media sites can be publicly viewed. By sharing your insights on a public forum, you develop a larger conversation. This in turns creates a sense of togetherness.
And “togetherness” is what fosters community. An online community is very different from a physical community. People from all across the globe can participate in a discussion thread borne out of a thought-provoking blog post. You can’t see that in the physical world unless you have a large group of diverse people together in one room.
Once you’ve developed an online relationship with your constituents, this can lead to reason #7:
7. You can fundraise through social media
Believe it or not, but many nonprofits have raised money through social media. Really? Here’s an example:
The Case Foundation, a philanthropic and civic engagement organization in Washington D.C., used social media to their advantage for their 2009 America’s Giving Challenge. They raised more than $2.1 million from 105,000 donors using social media tools like Facebook and YouTube.
On a smaller scale, if you’ve built a significant following on social media, you now have a direct avenue to ask for money. If you need to raise $2,000 quickly, you have two options: Call up 100 people and ask them to donate $20 over the phone, or advertise this fundraising appeal over social media and give them a link to your PayPal account.
Of course, traditional phone appeals might work best, but using social media is easy. Phone calls take time. Posting a tweet asking for $20 takes no time at all. You might not get as much money through Twitter, but every bit helps. Fundraising over social media is a low risk/high reward project.
For tips on how to raise money over social media, look into Facebook Causes or consult the Goddess that is Beth Kanter.
Blogging platforms like WordPress makes you your own publisher.
Reason #8 is more GV-specific. As a youth leadership organization, Global Visionaries cannot ignore a major medium today’s youth uses to communicate.
Check back next week to learn why we should use social media in empowering youth to fight for social and environmental justice.
Social media started a revolution in Egypt. So why can't that same thing happen here in America? Photo courtesy of http://johnprooij.wordpress.com
Written by Tim Takechi
Remember when the phrase “World Wide Web” was the chic buzzword back in the 1990’s? The American Dialect Society did name it the 1995 Word of the Year.
There once was a time before every household in America had Internet connection. Heck, there once was a time when not every household had a computer, multiple television sets and one car per person. But that’s a whole other story.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, social media is a world-wide phenomenon that cannot be ignored. You can’t ignore it because you’d have to be living under a rock in the first place in order for that to happen.
You should all know about the popularity of Facebook (just watch the movie “The Social Network” for a taste), the rise of Twitter, why LinkedIn is crucial in today’s business world and how MySpace is SO early 21st century. And can any of you remember a time before YouTube? How else were we supposed to waste time at work?
And don’t even get me started on Hulu. How do you expect me to watch TV? On television itself? Please…
Not surprising, the American Dialect Society’s 2009 Word of the Year was “Tweet” while the Word of the Decade was “Google.” No need to elaborate.
The popularity of any social phenomena inevitably breeds controversy. Will using Facebook compromise your privacy? As this debate continues, consider the upside of social media: Not only can individuals use it, but so can companies.
Everyone from sports teams to big corporations to small nonprofit organizations are using Facebook, Twitter, blogging and YouTube to directly connect with fans. Just check out our blog here at Global Visionaries. We are using this as a platform to directly deliver our most relevant news, insights, perspectives and photographs. We hope you have enjoyed our content so far.
Our blog has been up for eight months and we’ve recently passed the 3,500 views mark. That means 3,500 unique visitors from all walks of life have shared our story. From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank you for your love, support and generous curiosity.
But think about this for a moment. A long, long time ago, nonprofits could not speak directly with its constituents as they can now. Many NGOs have websites, but updating a web page takes knowledge of HTML, CMS and lots of other acronyms I am not familiar with. Besides, posting new content onto a WordPress or Tumblr blog takes mere seconds. Updating a website takes a lot longer.
So you can already see the benefits of companies using social media. If any of you out there are interested in starting your own nonprofit, small business or social entrepreneurship venture, you must have an understanding of social media and why it is foundationally important for survival.
Read on for in-depth reasons. This list is by no means exhaustive. Nonprofit social media guru Beth Kanter and marketing strategist David Meerman Scott can provide more comprehensive insight into this matter. For part one of this series we will look into reasons 1-4.
1. Everyone uses social media
That’s not entirely true, but it sure seems like it. According to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, as the company celebrates its 6th birthday, Facebook is now being actively used by more than 400 million users worldwide. That’s more than the population of the United States. The other statistics are also mind boggling.
Its popularity cannot be underestimated. As long as Facebook is popular, it never hurts for a nonprofit organization to start a company Fan Page to directly engage their communities. This leads us to our next point:
2. Social media is free
It costs nothing to join social networking sites. Facebook, Twitter, blog platforms, LinkedIn and Flickr are free to join (upgrades, on the other hand, do cost a little extra).
If it costs nothing to join and can only help you advertise your name and brand, what’s the harm? Anything in life that’s free and can reap high rewards is almost always worth it. Let’s say you start a blog on WordPress or Blogger but you hardly ever update it. While that’s not a preferable thing to do (not updating your blog regularly is a recipe for disaster), what’s the ultimate harm?
At the most, it will make your organization look lazy. That may not be the most horrible thing to have happen, but if you find out your blog is not working, simply delete it. Pretend it never happened. Unlike a gym membership, there’s no cost for ducking out early.
3. People do their research on social media
When you’re job searching and you stumble across a company you might want to work for, what do you do first? Apply for a position right on the spot? Of course not! You have to do your homework first.
And how do you research companies, organizations or nonprofits? First, people see if you have a website. The website is the first place everybody goes to for information. Secondly, people go to Google or some other search engine to see where else your company appears on the web. And once those means have been thoroughly researched, people then explore social media.
Are you on Facebook? Twitter? Do you have a blog? YouTube videos? These are real questions real people ask.
Here’s a great example. Our new Development Assistant Intern found us through Facebook after seeing an internship posting on Craigslist. She’s a recent college graduate who wants to get involved in the nonprofit field. She told me that after she found us on Craigslist she immediately Googled us and found our Facebook Fan Page. And the rest is history.
If we stalk people on Facebook to see if that cute guy or girl is single or in a relationship, why won’t those same people use similar methods to research your company?
4. Social media shows up on Google and other search engines
We’ve already discussed this, but your social media presence will not go unnoticed by search engines like Google, Bing or Yahoo.
In fact, there are people out there whose full-time job is to improve a company’s prominence on search engines. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is the 21st century version of posting informational flyers on community bulletin boards. Search engines are one of the first places people go to do their initial research. Even though I previously said people first go to your website, folks use search engines to see if you have a website to begin with!
Methods toward Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are vastly growing to become a professional field unto itself. Yes, there are fancy tactics to make sure your company is found on the top 20 hits on Google, but using social media is one of the more practical ways to make that happen.
I will say this now and I will say it again, but I am not the foremost expert on this subject. If you want more information about social media and how to use it, visit Mashable.
Check back to the Global Visionaries blog for my second installment of this series to see reasons 5-8.
Part 3 will talk about how social media is a crucial component to student leadership. The use of social networking sites among people ages 12 to 24 exploded in the year 2010, according to Edison Research. We cannot separate youth leadership engagement and the means with which youth communicate.
If you have any thoughts or additional resources we can learn from, please feel free to share them with us.
The April 6 Youth Movement logo, courtesy of the organization's Facebook group.
Written by Tim Takechi
Egypt is a nation known for its rich ancient history, breathtaking pyramids, and being the cradle of human civilization.
But as recent anti-government protests have demonstrated, Egyptians are not afraid to employ cutting edge technology to earn the freedoms they desire.
The 2011 anti-government street protests in Egypt stem from almost three decades of near-totalitarian rule of President Hosni Mubarak. Demanding free elections and true democratic liberties, protesters have bravely taken to the streets to express their yearning for political change.
So far hundreds of protesters have been imprisoned. Many have been physically beaten by law enforcement. But despite the violence we have witnessed on TV, this movement is all the more inspiring because of the youth aspect behind it.
Student protesters have played a significant role in spreading pro-democracy ideas by handing out leaflets and communicating through social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. Wait, Facebook and Twitter, you say?
Americans use these sites for fun. Egyptians are using them for social revolution.
Groovy.
Al Jazeera reports that Egyptian authorities have shut down Internet access and mobile communication services to quell the spread of anti-Mubarak sentiment. This is without a doubt an indication that even powerful governments are aware of the importance of social media and youth activism in the 21st century.
A prominent youth movement called the “April 6 Youth Movement” formed in 2008 to support labor strikers in El-Mahalla El-Kubra, an industrial town in northern Egypt. Young people in their early 20s started the “April 6 Youth Movement” to demand a right to free speech and transparency from government authorities.
Leaders of the movement used Facebook to organize protest events. Employing peaceful non-violent protest techniques, police crackdown of members of this group is proof that this movement was genuinely upsetting the status quo.
Young people in America should take notice of what is happening right now in Egypt because it serves as a bright example that youth can make a positive impact in their communities when they have the will to do it.
You don’t need loads of money or complex communication systems to organize a peaceful demonstration. All you need is an Internet connection, a Facebook account, and the strength to go through with it.
This strength includes the unmoving will to express your ideas freely without personal censorship, the burning desire for your ideas to be implemented, and the intelligence to know how to rally a group of people behind ideals rather than raw emotion.
Raw emotion can create short-term change, but rarely long-term positive change.
Social media is, inherently, a very democratic system. There is no censorship (except by cutting off Internet access) or mediums to communicate through. You decide the message. The only thing the outside world can do it consume it and come up with their own conclusions.
What is happening in Egypt demonstrates the power of social media and how underrated it is to the general American public. Obviously, what is happening over there isn’t perfect, but it showcases the possibilities of what can be.
Replicating this sort of success is not easy. Social reform is never easy. But it is easier to jump into the fire together with your friends than alone with only yourself as company.
Young people in Egypt are not letting fear stand in the way of fighting for a more open and just society. Why should any of us?
On behalf of our public relations and communications team, thank you for reading our fourth issue of Global Visionaries’ e-newsletter! Without the support of our community, GV and all our wonderful programs could not exist.
GV has dreamed for years of having a group of hardworking communications and PR individuals who are dedicated to spreading and promoting our name and mission to the wider world. After many months of recruiting and networking, GV now has a solid group of interns, volunteers, and staff dedicated to working on fulfilling our communications needs.
As you may know, Global Visionaries has recently taken advantage of online social media as part of our larger public relations strategy. GV is now on Twitter, WordPress, Flickr, and LinkedIn to complement our already existing Facebook page. The first step was to join these sites. Now we want to elevate things to the next level.
But we alone cannot reach our goals. We need help. We need help from the most valuable resource we have: You.
You are part of our GV community. You are students, alumni, parents, friends, donors, partners, and volunteers who help run our organization. All of you have stories, ideas, dreams, inspirational testimonies, and words of wisdom that need to be shared with the world.
The GV communications team would love to receive a constant flow of content from you for sharing on our social networking sites. Ideas for content include:
Personal stories of life-changing experiences.
Reflections from past trips to Guatemala.
Poetry.
Photographs.
Opinion pieces.
Videos.
Book or film recommendations.
Inspirational or thought-provoking quotes.
Articles from newspapers, magazines, or online publications.
Personal essays.
Links to great websites related to the mission of Global Visionaries.
Any other ideas you may come up with.
The possibilities are endless. The contributions you make do not have to be large. It can be as simple as a short quote to a one-paragraph reflection piece. If you would like to contribute, contact us at newsletter@global-visionaries.org. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
The Global Visionaries communications team
Enabling young people to become global leaders, creating a just and sustainable future.
Global Visionaries 