Marketers for a Cause

- It's a simple idea; We all get together and rally our social media marketing skills for an important cause or nonprofit. This is happening on the day of Barcamp Vancouver 08: http://barcamp.org/BarCampVancouver2008

- In the span of the allotted session time, we will identify the needs of the campaign, choose our tools for the job, and split the workload among all in attendance. Everybody has a role, and if the stars are in our favour, we can launch a campaign that makes a sustainable difference in a very short time.

- Please sign up below and feel free to add any notes, suggested causes, tools, etc.

Ideas:

• We leverage our social media networks while in session to form the ultimate on-the-fly Kiva Team and enable an entrepreneur(s) in the developing world.
• Create a Climate Change Hub for Vancouver - Aggregator of Vancouver Climate Change News, Media, Events, etc. See: http://communitycarbon.net/
• Plan a Vancouver GreenCamp
• Google Map Mashups
• Twitter Mashups - TwitterFeed can work wonders See @VanPoverty
• Sprout widgets for Action Alerts and RSS feeds of tips/other updates
• Voting interface for photo contest
• Facebook Page
• A blog!
• Flickr photo petition (like http://www.flickr.com/groups/starbucksphotopetition/pool/ )
• Create a new website that deals with the topic, "Non-Profit Communications on a Shoe-String Budget", and aggregate all the free, useful online tools that charities can utilize (from e-mail campaigns to free blog software).
• Hook up with a local non-profit in person. Offer to volunteer one day a week to use your social media expertise for projects like: launching (and MAINTAINING) a blog, a facebook presence, a twitter feed, online donations, etc. Hold brainstorming sessions with local non-profits to determine where their needs are, and how to meet them.
• Facebook Causes: How can a non-profit succeed in managing a Causes application?
• Give a local thrift store an online auction component: photograph key products, get them on eBay, Craigslist or equivalent, and get some buzz happening.
• Find or develop new web software to let regular donors sign-in to their account on a non-profit's website, to see their giving history, request new receipts, modify mailing preferences, blog about their donations, set up automatic monthly donations, and more.

Examples of Past Projects:

• Social Innovation Camp Projects - http://www.sicamp.org/?page_id=137

Organizers & Contributors:

• Jordan Behan http://jordanbehan.com
• Janis Behan http://janisbehan.com
• Tzaddi Gordon http://zodomatica.com - Great idea. When is this? I'm interested if the timing works out for me to be in town.
• Joe Solomon http://www.engagejoe.com

• Eli van der Giessen ~ eli@davidsuzuki.org (double-booked my weekend. Sorry 'bout that.)
• Monica Hamburg http://www.monicahamburg.wordpress.com/about/
• Rebecca Bollwitt (if it doesn't conflict with WordCamp) - from Blogathons to Badges
• Raul Pacheco http://hummingbird604.com(if there's enough interest, Green/EnviroCamp, and also work on poverty alleviation or homelessness - also, admittedly I've already got a suggested session on ethics and web 2.0 - and I want to attend WordCamp).

Suggested causes:

• "Free Geek Vancouver" http://www.freegeekvancouver.org - work to ensure computers are scraped in a way that is not harmful to the environment and provide refurbished computers to local non-profit organisations (but I've not asked if they would want this to happen - Raul's edit - I can ask as I live quite near by and I'll be back in Vancouver by Monday Sep 15th)
• Union Gospel Mission (http://www.ugm.ca) in Vancouver, BC. We're looking to eradicate homelessness in Metro Vancouver. How can you help? Speaking as someone on the inside, we would love to have the support of any social media experts as we find new ways to connect with our supporters online. Having some Smart Person Power behind our team to create video projects, launch mini-campaigns, develop widgets, build badges, and work on new web ideas, would be hella powerful. Email me any time (Kevan Gilbert - kgilbert@ugm.ca).

• Create a social media campaign to help re-open a health clinic that closed because it was too popular. The provincial adult ADHD clinic at BC Children's hospital was the only public adult ADHD clinic in BC. It's very hard to find someone in BC who knows enough about ADHD to accurately diagnose it, especially adult ADHD. The clinic had a 1 year wait list for more than a year and was closed because wait lists are embarrassing to the BC Govt. Close the clinic and abandon the patients = no wait list = no political embarrassment. See http://adultaddstrengths.com/2007/01/30/adults-with-adhd-abandoned-as-clinic-closes-doors/ No clinic has opened to replace it. People with ADHD tend to be found working in creative or high stimulation environments like marketing, sales, technology, entrepreneurs, emergency rooms etc. Unmanaged, there are many negative consequences to having adult ADHD, (higher rates of addictions, divorce, work, financial and social problems etc. Properly managed there are a lot of advantages to having ADHD. See http://adultaddstrengths.com/2006/02/09/top-10-advantages-of-add-in-a-high-tech-career/ I and some others tried doing a press release province wide to get public pressure but we only got one interview on global tv http://adultaddstrengths.com/2007/02/05/global-tv-interview-on-overwhelming-popular-bc-adhd-clinic-closing-doors-to-new-adult-patients/ and nothing more. (Contact Pete Quily Adult ADD Coach & blogger pete@addcoach4u.com)