Case Foundation Blog Posts by karid

Update from SXSW: How tech is changing the landscape for social good

karid — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:10:02 +0000

The 2010 SXSW Interactive Conference is in full swing here in Austin, but even among the sea of geeks, tech announcements and the vast backdrop of parties - there is an underlying theme of how technology is changing the landscape of social good. Beyond some pretty terrific “social good” panels, here are just a few of the things I’ve managed to bump into during my time down here.

We CAN End This/Cause Lab: Starting today, the CauseLab kicks-off a 30-day virtual brainstorm through a new digital co-creation platform called Goodzuma — all in an effort to develop the most powerful, effective, and impactful ideas to end hunger in America. Participants in the room at SXSWi will use Goodzuma to create and capture their ideas during the daylong session. At the same time, people nationwide can join the brainstorm to edit these ideas or upload their own. After the brainstorm ends, charity partners will review all the ideas and use the money raised thru WeCanEndThis.com to implement the best ones.

FourSquare Check in For Charity: There’s no question that location based technology is all the rage, and Microsoft and PayPal have joined forces so that every time folks check-in on Foursquare in Austin they will donate $0.25 toward Save the Children (up to $15,000)! You don’t need to be in Austin to help. Just use the hashtag #sxswHaiti on Twitter and Save the Children and Microsoft and PayPal will make the same donation.

Pepsi Refresh-SXSW Challenge: In a mini version of Pepsi’s Refresh Everything competition, Pepsi is giving away $50,000 to one of three team’s competing during SXSW. You can read over the ideas here, and tweet a team's hashtag to vote. Voting ends at midnight on March 15, and you can vote every two hours!

The Good Capitalist Party: Tonight (March 15th) at 7:00 PM is the Good Capitalist Party, an event put on by an assortment of innovative companies which focuses on social entrepreneurship. The Party will bring together leaders in the field for a discussion centered on finding a balance between financial success and positive impact while also providing necessary information on training, fellowships and investors.

Beacon Lounge / What Gives: Perhaps my favorite “downtime”, if there is such a thing at SXSW, has been spent in the Beacon Lounge, the self proclaimed “Lounge with a Conscience” presented by BeaconFire Consulting. Aside from providing nonprofit professionals and the socially conscious community with a habitat for chit chat, coffee and wifi, this year Beacon Lounge is putting on a series of inspiring events such as SoapBox lunches for a cause, acoustic concerts, and interviews with Social Media rock stars. Check out my interview with Mark Horvath of Invisible People on the Hardly Normal Cup of Coffee show from What Gives.

Charity Water SXSW Campaign: Without realizing that Charity Water was on the ground here, I spotted several people wearing t-shirts with QR codes on the back. I learned that they were there to promote Charity Water , with a goal to raise $100K at SXSW (matching a $100K donation by Invisible Children) to provide clean drinking water to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

That’s a lot of good and it appears that this is only the beginning; I expect the social good presence to continue to grow in years to come. What else have folks been seeing down in Austin this week?

2009, the year of the perpetual online contest

karid — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:59:17 +0000

As social media predictions begin rolling in for 2010, bloggers, pundits and anyone with a twitter handle seems to be weighing in with their best guesses. Will 2010 be the year of mobile technology? What’s all the talk of real-time web? Will location-based social networks like FourSquare become mainstream?

While all of these predictions are quickly floating across the blogosphere, there’s another important conversation happening – it’s a reflection on 2009, which for many nonprofits has become the year of the perpetual online contest. Some of these contests are crowd sourced, some are based on number of votes, some are based on dollars raised, and all have different rules and eligibility criteria. For those of you familiar with our work at the Case Foundation, you know that we are no stranger to the idea of crowd sourced philanthropy. In fact, we started experimenting with it back in 2007 with two initiatives, the Make it Your Own Awards which supported civic engagement in local community-based organizations, and our first America’s Giving Challenge which engaged tens of thousands of individuals in raising money for causes they cared about. This is something we repeated this year and leveraged an additional $2.1 million for a number of nonprofit organizations across the country.

We’ve seen many experiments, particularly in the private sector from Target’s Bullseye Challenge to Mashable’s Summer of Social Good, Paypal’s Regift the FruitCake, and most recently Chase’s Community Giving contest on Facebook. Pepsi also just announced they are forgoing traditional ads during the SuperBowl to launch their Pepsi Refresh Project, a crowdsourced cause marketing effort to give away $20 million in grants to help revamp communities.

With all of this competition, some important questions have been raised. As a Foundation that cares very deeply about the idea of democratizing philanthropy and making giving easier and more accessible to a greater number of people, we thought it was important to point you to some of the conversations that are already happening across other blogs. We think there is much good that can come from opening up the process of philanthropy and helping redefine what it means to give back and champion a cause you care about. We also know that nonprofit organizations are feeling stretched when it comes to finding resources to appropriately staff and promote these contests. And on the flipside, their supporters are feeling fatigued each time they are hit with another email to vote, or donate, or retweet.

We want to ensure these important and at times difficult conversations continue, and we hope to provide a forum for a more formal exchange in the new year to reexamine how these contests are designed so the greatest good can come from them. In the meantime, here are some of the conversations that are already happening and we hope you’ll weigh in with your own perspectives and experiences.

Do you think that a redesign of online contests could help salvage this concept of online citizen participation while maintaining some level of transparency? Would you prefer these contests simply go away in 2010 – if so, what might replace them?

With creative online giving campaigns, everyone’s a philanthropist

karid — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:59:35 +0000

As the end of 2009 draws near, nonprofits are standing at the ready with their year-end fundraising campaigns and are largely wondering the same thing: what impact will the tumultuous economy have on charitable giving? There are many schools of thought out there, and perhaps the most common is that we’re in uncharted territory, and it’s anyone’s guess. While that may be true, it’s not overly reassuring. One thing we do know is that we’ve never seen online giving campaigns quite like what we’re seeing sprout up this holiday season.

For those of you who are regular readers of the Case Foundation’s blog, you’ll know that (together with Causes on Facebook and PARADE) we just wrapped up our most recent America’s Giving Challenge, resulting in more than 106,000 individual donations that helped to raise more than $2.1 million for nonprofit organizations in just 30 days. For us, America’s Giving Challenge was about empowering individual donors to recognize their potential as philanthropists. After all, modest donations of ten or $25 can add up in a major way.

While our 2007-2008 Giving Challenge was the first national online giving competition of its kind, we have been excited to see so many new and innovative examples follow suit. Just this week there are two new campaigns we wanted to spotlight. Each offers its own twist on engaging a wide range of participants, and each is focused on ensuring the money benefits local or regional nonprofits.

GiveMN – Give to the Max Day

GiveMN is a new online giving platform to encourage Minnesotans to give and help create a strong and vibrant nonprofit community for their state. Now, before saying just how much Minnesota raised in its first day (Give to the Max Day) it’s worth noting just how civically engaged Minnesotans already are. They rank off the charts when it comes to civic engagement such as voting and volunteering, and in just a 24 hour period they raised more than $14M as part of Give to the Max Day. In fact, we’re learning the program was so successful that they had to backtrack on the promise of a match (which started out dollar-for-dollar up to $500,000, and then was going to be 50 cents for every dollar, up to $500,000, and is now "a portion of every dollar") all because of the overwhelming response. This is certainly an interesting lesson in attempting to predict the success of unprecedented online experiments.

GiveMN is powered by the giving platform Razoo, and offers a simple, secure way for Minnesotans to browse the site and make a donation to a nonprofit of their choice. And if they care to take it a step further, they have an opportunity to launch their own fundraiser for an organization. We’ll be watching with great interest as the campaign evolves.

Chase’s Your Communities, Your Vote

On the corporate philanthropy front, starting this week, Facebook users have an opportunity to vote for local charities and non-profits, and help direct Chase corporate philanthropic dollars to eligible organizations in the areas of: education, healthcare, housing, the environment, combating hunger, arts and culture, human services, and animal welfare. The grassroots campaign aims to inspire a new way of corporate philanthropy.

Visitors can type in their zip code or the name of a local charity and then each individual Facebook user gets 20 votes for the organization of their choice. One catch, you do have to “fan” the Chase Community Giving page in order to participate. But it’s a small price to pay to help direct money to a cause you care about. They'll be using a tiered voting system with the eligible charity receiving the most votes being awarded $1 million, the top five runners-up will receive $100,000 each, and the 100 finalists, including the top winners, will each be awarded $25,000.

The power of micro-donations is a game changer, it’s making each of us philanthropists. Yet, still very few of us consider ourselves “philanthropists” – we don’t like that word or we don’t think it applies to what we’re doing. But when you think about it, a philanthropist is simply someone who cares about a cause, and uses what they have to help. And now there are more ways than ever for people to exercise this power.

What are some of the most creative fundraising approaches you’re seeing as we enter the holiday season? We’d like to feature other innovative approaches to every day philanthropy in the coming weeks, so leave them in comments and happy giving!

PopTech! 2009: America Reimagined

karid — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:04:57 +0000

As hundreds of social innovators from science, business, art and design descended upon the quiet seaside town of Camden, Maine last week, they came together to reach across sectors and disciplines to reimagine the impact of world-changing people, projects and ideas.

This year’s PopTech: America Reimagined seemed to evoke some early curiosity from participants, “why Reimagine America?” when we find ourselves living in such a globally focused world? I have a hunch that’s exactly the response that Conference Curator, Andrew Zolli, had hoped for. While the challenges we face are global in nature there is a cadre of leading social innovators here at home, who are leading the charge to address many of these global issues. Through their presentations, one thing was clear – we’re living in a moment, we just all have our own idea of what exactly that moment means. As Zolli said in his opening remarks:

Is this a moment of new engagement and activism and an era of populist movements … or are we living in a kleptocracy, a moment where our systems are so perverted that they are fundamentally incapable of reform? Is it really possible for us as a country, economically and technologically, politically and culturally, to reinvent ourselves?

For the next three days we would explore just that. As blogger Nathaniel Whittemore put it, “the list [of speakers and performers] reads like a who’s who of people you didn’t know you needed to know about, but you do.” And while I was moved by many of the presentations and will likely blog about some of the people and ideas in the near future – it was the interspersed presentations from the PopTech Social Innovation Fellows that truly inspired and provided participants with action forcing opportunities to get involved.

The PopTech Social Innovation Fellows program is designed to equip the next generation of world-changing innovators with the tools, insights, visibility and social network that can help them scale their impacts to new heights. The ideas are bold, their visions are inspiring. Take for example Josh Nesbit of FrontlineSMS:Medic, who is enabling community health workers to use mobile phones to coordinate patient care from electronic medical records to inexpensive mobile diagnostics and mapping of health services. Or, Eban Bayer of Ecovative Design who is producing packaging that replaces Styrofoam or “toxic white stuff” as he calls it – that is literally grown from cotton seed hulls or buck wheat hulls, instead of manufactured.

Each year, PopTech selects 10-20 high potential change agents like Eban and Josh from around the world who are working on highly disruptive innovations in healthcare, energy, development, climate, education, and civic engagement, to name a few. Fellows work in both the for- and not-for-profit worlds, have a minimum of 3-5 years experience, and are working in organizations that are well positioned for sustainable growth.

You can read all about this year’s fellows and be inspired by their presentations here. What’s more, PopTech unveiled a new Science and Public Leadership program last week. The rationale behind this initiative is to help scientists overcome personal and institutional challenges they face in sharing their breakthroughs with the world. Like the existing Social Innovation Fellows program, the new program will give access to professional training to improve the impact of their work. But, rather than improving the work that scientists do in the lab, this program will help scientists already doing great work learn how to be more effective public communicators and advocates.

At a time when economic, environmental and global health problems seem more trying than perhaps they ever have, the PopTech! community is evolving and growing beyond an annual convening and providing new opportunities for beyond-conference engagement. Through the innovation and big ideas shared last week, perhaps it gives us hope that the world is better positioned to collectively solve some of these challenges now than ever before.

How can nonprofits create a vibrant 2020? You decide.

karid — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:50:01 +0000

Given the enormous complexity and scale of today’s social problems it may seem tough to pull out the crystal ball and begin looking to the future for answers. With shifts in public policy, unstable funding environments, and a new wave of social entrepreneurs working both locally and globally to address pressing problems, we know that business as usual is not an option. We also know it will take all sectors working together and thinking boldly to help envision a future that we would all hope to inherit.

Perhaps this is what Independent Sector had in mind when they set out to challenge the notion of “business as usual,” and engage individuals across the spectrum in a dialogue to address problems that we have been wrestling with as a sector for a long time. Whether it be the role of technology in social change, the power of cross sector partnerships, or the importance of building greater diversity that brings new and otherwise absent voices to the table -- all of these things play a role in reimagining the sector.

FutureLab, an Online Challenge for the Nonprofit Community to Chart a Vibrant 2020 is a national conversation to generate, develop, and share ideas to dramatically increase the impact of nonprofits and foundations over the next 10 years. The following question was asked, “What can we do right now, as a nonprofit community to create a better more vibrant 2020?” And while this is a bold question, the conversation and the sector will only be reimagined if people come together and participate.

The goals of Envisioning Our Future include:

Identifying and developing high-impact ideas and insights that have the potential to transform the charitable community in the next 10 years.
Generating and sharing publicly those insights and strategies so that organizations can contribute to and draw on collective wisdom to inform their own decision-making.
Building networks and strengthening relationships by breaking down existing barriers and facilitating new connections around common goals.

So, take your hallway conversations or the big ideas generated around the water cooler and join the challenge. Offer your ideas, but more importantly, benefit from the sector’s collective thinking. In early 2010, the best ideas and insights will be summarized and published by Independent Sector so that leaders can draw from this thinking to inform their work and build a better 2020.

The idea of reinventing the nonprofit sector at a time when so many individual nonprofits are simply grasping to stay afloat is ambitious, and yet at no time in our history have we had so much information or so many tools at our disposal. We commend Diana Aviv and the team at Independent Sector for starting this important conversation in such a public way, and look forward to watching as the ideas are generated and discussed in November at Independent Sector's annual conference.

If you have already offered ideas as part of the FutureLab, let us know by sharing a link to your idea in comments below. If you have a big idea but aren’t sure what to do with it – share those as well, and lets help populate the FutureLab and keep this discussion going.

Five things to help you Gear up for Giving

karid — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 04:10:11 +0000

We’ve seen a great response since announcing our Gear up For Giving Series earlier this week – but it’s safe to say, we've only just begun. Starting next Tuesday, we will be launching a full set of online tools and live streamed seminars aimed at helping you get smarter about developing your organizations social media strategy.

After all, while we’re excited to see nonprofits jump on board and adopt new social media tools at incredibly high rates, we also know that the tools can be overwhelming and hard to navigate – especially if you don’t know where to start.

That’s why we’re committed to helping you make sense of it all, and we’re bringing on a stellar group of social media “Giving Gurus” to help you do just that. We’re trying something new, and the success of our little experiment depends on your participation. Our Gurus have been told to be prepared for anything – from questions about who should be responsible for social media in a nonprofit, to how you can raise awareness using a blog, and how to measure your return on investment. However, the tone and content of the sessions depends entirely on you.

Here’s what you need to know about Gear Up for Giving:

The tools and resources are completely free and there's no need to register. You can watch the sessions live via a livestreamed video webcast - every Tuesday and Thursday beginning September 10, at 1:00PM EST. If you miss a session, you can watch it later at your leisure; a recording will be available on our website. All you need to do is mark the times and dates using the calendar below. Then, when it's time for a session, just go to www.casefoundation.org/social-media-tutorials
We want to make it as easy as possible for you to ask a question. Here are a few different ways:
- Submit a question by email to: gearup [at] casefoundation [dot] org
- Leave a comment on the Guru's blog post the day before their session, right here on our blog.
- Ask it in real-time via the chat function that will appear during the live video session.
- Or, if you're already on Twitter go ahead and “tweet” a question now – just use the #AGC hashtag so we can find it.
Just who are these “Giving Gurus,” you ask?
- Geoff Livingston: Senior VP, Social Media, CRT/tanaka
- Katya Andresen: COO, Network for Good
- Stacie Mann: VP for Partnerships, Network for Good
- Allison Fine: Author and Activist
- Marnie Webb: Co-CEO, TechSoup Global
- Holly Ross: Executive Director, NTEN
- Beth Kanter: Author of Beth’s Blog and Social Media Strategist
We’re giving stuff away. That’s right, when you tune into our live Giving Guru session you’ll have an opportunity to register to win a Flip Cam and $250 for the cause of your choice.
We couldn’t have done this without the generous support of our Gear up For Giving partners – the Goldhirsh Foundation and See3 Communications.

That's all you need to know for now - but stay tuned and feel free to start asking your questions below and get ready for the first live session with Geoff Livingston next Thursday!

Add to your calendar: iCal/Outlook or subscribe: RSS

Help put social good on the map at SXSW Interactive

karid — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:02:17 +0000

The SXSW panel picker went live this morning and is jam packed with ideas that will keep your wheels spinning for a while. To be exact, 2,219 panels have been proposed for the interactive portion alone. This year, we hope to add to the small but mighty presence of panels from last year’s conference that took social media beyond the tools themselves to show how the tools can be used for social good.

Since we suspect few will have the patience to actually sift through all of these great proposals we thought we’d help you with the process, and of course, would appreciate your vote for the two panels we’ve proposed here at the Case Foundation. If you’re familiar with SXSW, you know it is a community-driven event, and public voting accounts for about 30% of the decision-making process for any given programming slot – so, please make sure to weigh in on your favorite proposals between now and the close of voting on September 4.

Here are three steps to get you started:

Register at http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/users/register
Vote for our Ideas: Connecting Communities for the Common Good and How to Win Money and Mobilize People! (search for "case foundation" if these links don't work)
Check out other great ideas (or browse ideas here)

Also, if you have a proposal in the interactive pool that focuses on social media for social good – let us know in comments and we’ll help drum up support for you as well. Hope to see y’all in Austin next March.

Nonprofits take the plunge into social media, outpace Fortune 500

karid — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:17:36 +0000

It wasn’t all that long ago that I remember spending a good deal of time here at the Case Foundation working with nonprofits as they contemplated their willingness to dip their toes into unknown social media waters. The most common response went one of three ways: “I really don’t get the value,” “it’s all too overwhelming,” or “we just don’t have the money or staffing to support it.”

The times they are a changin’ as evidenced by many things -- not least of which is a new report out of Dartmouth, showing that the nation’s largest nonprofit organizations have outpaced corporations and academic institutions in their adoption of social media. Similar research has confirmed that the Fortune 500, the Inc. 500, US colleges and universities and charities have all increased their adoption of blogging between 2007 and 2008, but charities are “out-blogging” them all for the second year in a row.

In fact, the Dartmouth study shows a remarkable 89% of charitable organizations are using some form of social media including blogs, podcasts, message boards, social networking, video blogging and wikis.

Other key findings from the report include:

Social networking and video blogging are now the most common tools used, with 79% of charities using each of them. Use of online video increased by 38 percent; social networking increased by 47 percent in the one-year period studied.
Sixty-six percent of respondents in 2007 and 75% in 2008 report they monitor the Internet for buzz, posts, conversations and news about their institution. This compares with 54% of colleges and universities and 60% of the Inc. 500.
When asked if they felt their blogs were successful, approximately 90% of charities with blogs said yes. This finding is consistent with studies in business and academia that have consistently shown those using social media are satisfied and feel it provides positive results. (Although, as a personal aside, that number seems awfully high)
Finally, more than 80% of those studied feel that social media is at least “somewhat important” to their future strategy; 45% responded that social media is very important to their fundraising strategy.

To what might we attribute this rapid change from toe-dipping toward a deep dive into social media? As an active and interested observer of these trends, my hunch is that as we have begun adopting these tools in other parts of our lives, more people are finding that the social web can allow people who work in nonprofits the ability to connect and collaborate informally and across institutional boundaries in a quick and inexpensive manner.

Suddenly nonprofits see value in social media beyond attracting new donors or engaging volunteers, but in crowdsourcing ideas, getting instant and honest feedback, or even in finding new content for programs. Even so, we must remember that social media is just a tool and it takes more than mere tools to make social change.

Has your organization taken the plunge? If so, what did it take? A fearless leader, a nudging younger staff member, a plea from your members, or something else? On the flipside, if your toes are only skimming the surface, what's holding you back?

If you're looking for examples in creating your own social media strategy, there are many out there, and suprisingly more and more people are willing to share their successes as well as their failures. I'd suggest taking a look at what Wendy Harman has done at the Red Cross. She has been working to create this draft version of the organization's Social Media Strategy Handbook. In it, she provides a lot of useful tips, and is realistic about the time commitment involved whether you decide to dip or plunge. The first step, which is a great piece of advice, is to become social media savvy yourself - if you know how the tools work, you can better understand how they may benefit your organization.

United We Serve: a new rallying cry

karid — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:16:41 +0000

It seems we’ve been at the service crossroads many times over. Whether it’s a national tragedy like September 11, a natural disaster such as Hurricane Katrina or the less defined but widespread devastation the economy is currently having on our nation – as a country, we find a way to rally.

And, yesterday we heard a new rallying cry. Thousands convened in San Francisco for the kickoff of the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, and Mrs. Obama called on all Americans to find a role to play in our nation’s recovery efforts by volunteering as part of United We Serve. At its core, this new White House initiative is an effort to expand the size and impact of volunteer efforts in addressing tough challenges in four major areas: education, health, energy and the environment, and community renewal.

As someone who believes very much in the power of volunteer service – I also know that we must move beyond the idea of service for service sake. And, that seems to be a common theme among those gathered for the national service conference. In order to look back and count this as a success, the renewed focus and energy around United We Serve must truly recognize service as a solution for addressing some of our nation’s most critical problems.

When Mrs. Obama said that everyone has a role to play – she meant everyone. And, it’s been interesting to watch as commitments from across all sectors are coming. Here are just a few of the announcements that have been made as an answer to United We Serve, but if I’ve left yours off the list – please add below in the comments. And, if you If you're not sure how to find an exciting and unique opportunity in your community, consider volunteering your professional talents to a non-profit.

All for Good

The site, which is currently managed by Google — was made possible by a group of programmers largely from Google, Craigslist and other Sillicon Valley companies. It is the backend system powering Serve.gov and gathers in one place a wide spectrum of information about volunteer positions and events nationwide, using open-source technology so that groups can package the data in different ways.

YouTube's Video Volunteers

Powered by All for Good, the YouTube Video Volunteers platform will help individuals connect with nonprofit organizations that need help creating videos to promote their cause. You can sift through video opportunities and connect directly with nonprofits for whom you'd like to make a video. Learn more about the platform from the Vlogbrothers, who've used their audience and talents to champion causes they care about.

Mozilla Service Week

During the week of September 14-21, Mozilla (the network of developers who brought you firefox) is asking individuals to step up and make a difference by using the Web to better their community. Mozilla is looking for people who want to share, give, engage, create, and collaborate by offering their time and talent to local organizations and people who need their help. Harnessing the power of the Web and the passion of the Mozilla community to see how big a difference we can be made in one week.

Entertainment Industry Foundation

Jon Bon Jovi and Matthew McConaughey made a special appearance at the Conference to announce the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s new campaign for service. Beginning in October, the major television broadcast networks, together with the EIF, will use their programs and stars to advocate for service. EIF will also be working with AARP, ServiceNation and the Points of Light Institute to start building a grassroots movement to raise awareness of the importance of service to communities and the nation. Read the full press release to get all the details on what EIF and other Hollywood stars will be doing to support service.

Race for Hope raises spirits and $2 million for brain tumor research

karid — Sun, 03 May 2009 20:04:25 +0000

Guest blogger Max Wallace is the CEO of Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2), a Case Foundation partner organization and co-beneficiary of today's Race for Hope, DC.

We are all so excited about the wonderfully successful Race for Hope held here in Washington, DC, this morning at the beautiful -- but wet -- Freedom Plaza. The Race for Hope was started 12 years ago by a dedicated group of volunteers who wanted to raise money to support research aimed at curing brain cancer.

The proceeds from the race now go to our organization, Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure, and to the National Brain Tumor Society.

Despite conditions that ranged from misty to downright rainy, 9,000 participants were there at the 9:00 am start when over 300 yellow-clad brain tumor survivors led the way across the starting line. 380 teams formed for the event wore their own unique team colors and carried signs showing support for loved ones, family members and friends stricken by this disease. Our Honorary Race Chairman, musician David Cook, ran with his own team over the 5K course around the US Capitol and back.

After everyone completed the course, the volunteer chairs presented a number of awards, but perhaps the most touching presentation was made by David Cook himself. Not only was he the honorary Chair of the Race, his own team actually led all teams in fundraising with nearly $100,000 raised by race time. With such great help from his team and from supporters around the world, David was able to present a total race check of $2,000,000 to Stacey Case and Jean Case, two of our founders, and to representatives of NBTS.

This money will enable us to continue to drive the most cutting edge work by the nation’s leading brain cancer researchers. After presenting the check, David spoke quietly and earnestly to the crowd, saying how very important this cause was to him because his brother Adam, who had been battling brain cancer for a number of years, had passed away just the night before. David went on to say that while he had lost his brother, standing there looking out he realized that had gained thousands of new friends, each of whom was working toward the same goal of finding a cure for this terrible disease. He said that he would come back for the Race next year, and for each year thereafter, as long as we would have him. I am pleased to make that invitation right now – David, we would be honored to have you join us for next year’s race. And for the Races thereafter.

In the meantime we will continue to work to raise money and support the research that is so important to all of us. To that end, it is still possible to help by contributing to David’s team (or to any of the other teams, or even to the Race itself) by going to the Race website at www.curebraintumors.org. We will always value your support in this effort and we would love to have you join with David and with us going forward. I look forward to seeing you at next year’s Race for Hope.

I spy companies that care

karid — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:13:14 +0000

I think it’s safe to say that every successful business owes its well-being to its customers – and more likely than not, those customers come from the surrounding community. With this in mind, many companies are taking a very intentional look at their impact on the community and are finding new ways to partner and help a neighborhood thrive.

After all, when customers see a local business supporting a youth program in their community or promoting environmental sustainability, they are more likely to spend their hard-earned dollars with those businesses that have a track record of giving back.

Think back as you set out on your day today - did you come across causes that made you stop and think, and perhaps even act? For me, my day started with a grande skim mocha at Starbucks. No matter your feelings about the coffee company, they have a remarkable way of making each of their stores support causes important to the local community. To demonstrate this, just before completing my order this morning I was asked if I’d like to donate a pound of coffee to the AIDS ward at a community hospital here in San Francisco.

My colleagues and I often share stories of our encounters with companies like this who are taking creative steps to improve the communities in which they operate. With that in mind, we thought we’d begin to highlight some of those stories on our blog. While it would be difficult, if not impossible, to write about all of the companies that donate their time and money so generously every year, we hope to use this section of our site to shine a spotlight on companies who recognize the importance of doing well by doing good.

We hope you’ll share stories of companies that are doing great things in your community. If you're on Twitter you can tag your favorite examples of companies that care with the hashtag #CSR and join the larger conversation on Twitter around corporate social responsibility. And, if you're not on Twitter don't worry, you can drop us a line on the comment section below, we'd love to hear what's happening in your community.

Here's a list of some of our staff favorites to help get you warmed up:

@theshackman: I'm a supporter of Aveda's products, due to their strong commitment to & genuine respect for the environment. Beauty is as Beauty Does. #CSR
@kivie: TOMS shoes! For every pair purchased, TOMS donates another pair to a kid in need. That 1:1 ratio is rare! http://tinyurl.com/dkapxe #CSR
@mstohner: I love that at Whole Foods I always have a way to give back while shopping – whether it’s by going green or by donating upon checkout. #CSR
@sokunthea: Loews Hotels started Adopt-a-Farmer initiative - buying local to support & enhance local farming communities. http://tinyurl.com/d3uqt5 #CSR
@briancf: Hyundai is letting customers return their car within 1 year if they lose their jobs! http://tinyurl.com/77s9r2 #CSR
@socialcitizen: To help nonprofits survive massive slump in donations, love that Zipcar in SF is letting charity workers drive free http://ow.ly/11W0 #CSR
@broksas: Love Red Robin restaurant - great kids menu & their foundation has strong community and employee give back programs http://ow.ly/11WT #CSR

Companies that care: Taproot Foundation shares their picks

karid — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:01:47 +0000

There’s a movement afoot to expand pro bono service – afterall, it’s not just for lawyer’s anymore. This week in our series, “Companies that Care” we're featuring thoughts from Taproot’s Pro Bono Action Tank (PBAT). Taproot is working with companies across the country who are using the professional skills of their employees to help build the capacity of organizations serving the public good.

Recently, many of our corporate partners have expressed their need for insight into their stakeholders’ attitudes toward service and philanthropy during these challenging times. We understand this need and recognized the opportunity to be of assistance by leveraging our national pool of business professionals as a proxy for the employees, customers and shareholders of these companies. Our study showed that:

71% of professionals said that giving and service are not just luxuries to be engaged in when a company is profitable.
75% of professionals said that they would be proud of their company for investing in the community right now.
And only 3% of professionals felt that companies giving time and money to charity right now are blind to the realities of today's economic conditions.

The clear message to business leaders is that community investment should be part of their plan to dig out of this economic situation. It will drive business value and re-build trust in their brands. Pro bono service provides an avenue for companies to demonstrate its leadership and to ensure its impact goes beyond writing a check to include the time and talents of its workforce and business expertise.

We are thrilled about the vision of the companies highlighted below for the steps they are taking through their own unique approaches to pro bono service, in which they will maximize the balance between business benefits and social impact during these tough times and beyond.

About the companies:

Capital One
Capital One focuses on creating a culture in which their associates can thrive. It is this understanding of the power of human capital that led several years ago to the creation of one of the earliest and most innovative in-house pro bono programs in the country, setting the bar for corporate community investment. In 2008, spearheaded by Community Affairs, Capital One created a Pro Bono Roundtable to formalize their burgeoning pro bono program and its interdisciplinary approach. The Roundtable brought together their two established Pro Bono Corps initiatives (Brand and Technology) and has supported the development of new Corps (Legal, HR, IT, Finance and others), sharing knowledge about challenges and opportunities across their varied pro bono efforts. It is this strategic approach that has set a strong foundation for scaling the pro bono program across their markets.

Deloitte
Deloitte helps people and communities thrive by using its best thinking to build stronger nonprofits. Specifically through a sophisticated approach to pro bono service, Deloitte is delivering the highest quality counsel and services to build critical operating capacity for the nonprofit sector. Its groundbreaking pro bono program is the embodiment of the organization’s strategic approach to community involvement: to mobilize its intellectual capital, resources and expertise in order to deliver meaningful impact in our communities. Deloitte has committed to providing $50 million worth of pro bono services over the next three years, and as they continue to scale their pro bono program they are dedicated to contributing thought leadership and best practices to promote the broader pro bono movement globally. Through its program of meaningful community engagement and advocacy efforts, Deloitte is paving the way for a new standard of corporate community involvement.

Gap Inc.
Gap Inc.’s commitment to community investment dates back to its founding in 1969 with Doris and Don Fisher’s original vision to build community involvement into the very fabric of Gap Inc. culture. In recent years, Gap Inc. has taken their strong foundation of community investment to the next level, realizing the potential of combining financial donations with employees’ skills and other corporate assets by placing skills-based volunteerism at the core of their giving strategy through a growing variety of skilled volunteering and, most recently, pro bono service opportunities. Through signature programs like “This Way Ahead”, bringing their youth-focused nonprofit partners together with the Gap Foundation, Gap Inc. Learning & Development staff, and the staff of retail stores across their brands to support career-readiness initiatives, Gap Inc. has taken a comprehensive approach to serving their community and building the capacity of their nonprofit partners, placing them at the forefront of corporate philanthropy.

Intel
Intel recently celebrated its 40th anniversary by dedicating over 1 million hours. As it continues to broaden its community investment, Intel plans to match its employees’ specialized disciplines with community needs. Their efforts will earn grants for the organization while delivering valuable professional services in finance, HR, strategic planning, engineering, Information Technology and other areas. In partnership with its General Council’s award winning pro bono program, we are betting Intel is one to watch in this field in the not too distant future.

McGraw-Hill
The McGraw-Hill Company has developed a signature pro bono program to provide nonprofit organizations with the services of the writers, editors, and communication and public relations specialists from The McGraw-Hill Companies. Writers to the Rescue (WTR) volunteers help to develop and support the infrastructure of nonprofit organizations by assisting in the production of materials that fit within the nonprofit’s larger communication, fundraising, and/or capacity-building strategies. The company sees value in replicating the WTR model across the company, expanding the focus on communications skills to leverage the additional specialty professional skills in finance, education and business information that the company’s employees have to offer. The company also strives to expand throughout the U.S. and internationally, so that every regional office of The McGraw-Hill Companies is executing WTR or a similar WTR model.

Target
At Target, giving to the community is part of their broader commitment to corporate responsibility and engrained in their corporate DNA. Since 1946, Target has given 5% of their income and millions of volunteer hours to the communities they serve. Today, 5% equals more than $3 million every week to support education, the arts, social services and volunteerism. In addition to fiscal support, Target’s community support includes the time and talent of their team members. The value proposition is clear: giving drives change in the communities they do business, enhances their reputation and brand, helps to recruit and retain top talent, aligns with their corporate giving and inspires others to get involved as well. Over the next few years, Target will expand the collection of its pro bono service offerings, exploring opportunities to leverage the skills of a wide range of team members from various departments and functional areas. Through a comprehensive assessment of community needs, team member skills and pro bono service delivery best practices, Target is building a strong, integrated foundation for the growth of this initiative.

Companies that care: HandsOn Network shares their picks

karid — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:07:42 +0000

Last Monday Jean Case helped kick off our new Companies that Care blog series with her reflections on International Corporate Philanthropy Day. Today we're pleased to share the list that our friends at the HandsOn Network Corporate Service Council have developed to highlight their picks for socially conscious companies to watch this year. So, without further ado...

President Barack Obama has called service a “central cause of his presidency” and also pledges “a new level of participation for America's citizens” in governance. Corporations are responding to the President’s call, leveraging employees and customers to meet needs. Corporations are increasingly engaging their employees in programs focused on solving serious social problems such as poverty, weak education systems and the polluted environment, through employee volunteer programs, partnerships and pro-bono service. They also demonstrate the significance of persevering in community activism during uncertain economic times.

Some corporations have already realized this opportunity for corporate engagement and mobilized employees to meet critical needs in the U.S. and beyond. Below please find a few of the companies HandsOn Network partners with and recommends watching in 2009 as they continue making strides toward solving social issues.

These are just a few of the corporations leveraging resources to meet needs during the economic downturn. We support and encourage others to follow these examples and do the same, improving the health of our communities and uniting us. For more information, visit www.HandsOnNetwork.org

Cisco

Disney

The Home Depot

Kaiser Permanente

Nike

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Quaker Oats

UPS

About the Companies:

Cisco
Through leveraging its technology and employee volunteers, Cisco helps to transform education, assist with economic development, address basic human needs such as food and shelter, and support non-profit organizations to improve efficiency and reach. For example, during Cisco's 2008 Hunger Relief Campaign, employees helped feed 20,000 mid-day meals to poor children in India, processed 22,000 cans of food in Austin, distributed quilts to earthquake victims in China, and made donations to more than 100 food service agencies worldwide, totaling USD$1.3 million. Last year alone, Cisco employees donated approximately 100,000 hours of their time to make a difference in their local communities.

Disney
Disney is dedicated to brightening the lives of children in need around the world through global outreach programs, local community initiatives and the Disney VoluntEARS program. Last year, Disney donated more than $209 million in cash and in-kind support to various charities around the world. Disney VoluntEARS contributed more than 495,000 hours of service and provides opportunities for Disney employees to contribute their time and expertise towards making a positive impact in the communities they serve while furthering the traditions and ideals of The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney said "My business is making people, especially children, happy" and we continue this legacy today, brightening the lives of children around the world when they need it most.

GE
GE Volunteers are an integral part of GE's philanthropic and citizenship activities in more than 150 locations across 43 countries. Last year GE Volunteers engaged employees and retirees in over 2500 projects improving education, health, environment and communities around the world and donating more than a million hours of volunteer service. Service is a fundamental element of the GE culture throughout the global organization. John Rice, Vice Chairman and CEO of GE Technology Infrastructure, demonstrates that spirit through his leadership of the Hands On Network Corporate Service Council which calls all corporate America to volunteer leadership and high impact service.

The Home Depot
Giving back is a fundamental value of The Home Depot and a passion for its associates. Through Team Depot, their employee volunteer program, associates donate their time and talents to building healthy communities across North America. The Home Depot is passionate about the environment, as well, showcased by their wood-sourcing policies, progressive consumer education programs and commitment to carrying eco-friendly products. While focused on building affordable homes, The Home Depot Foundation is also committed to improving the overall health of our communities. Taking a long-term, comprehensive approach to building healthy, stable communities where families can thrive, the Foundation invests in the planting and restoration of trees along streets, in parks and in schoolyards; the building and refurbishment of community play spaces; and the revitalization of school facilities. The Home Depot Foundation is serving as the official “green” sponsor of the 2009 National Conference on Volunteering and Service.

Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente co-founded “Super Surgery Days” through Operation Access, an unprecedented volunteer service in the healthcare industry that mobilizes hospitals, supplies and volunteer surgical teams to provide outpatient surgeries that significantly increase the quality of life for low-income, uninsured people in northern California. To date, Operation Access has served over 5,000 clients and conducts over 600 procedures each year with a growing team of over 570 medical and administrative volunteers. Kaiser Permanente is a major contributor of both in-kind services through supplies, equipment and facilities and the major contributor of skilled medical talent.

Nike
Nike believes in the power of sports as a tool for social change. Nike has partnered with HandsOn Network to encourage Americans to serve, beginning on MLK and lasting throughout the year. The company’s 170 retail locations are connected with HandsOn Network Action Centers and promote volunteer opportunities. Nike has been recognized with numerous awards for its efforts to maintain sustainable and ethical operations.

PricewaterhouseCoopers
PWC recognizes that college students today are committed to investing in their communitiesand the planet and want to work for companies that are responsible corporate citizens. This winter, PwC hosted a contest, offering college students an opportunity to spend three days volunteering with HandsOn New Orleans in June alongside partners and PwC employees. Students will create projects focused on PwC’s four CR pillars (marketplace, people, community, and environment).

Quaker Oats
Worldwide, Quaker is recognized for its commitment to health, families and communities. Through its partnership with Kids Care Clubs, Quaker has awarded more than $70,000 in grants in 43 cities to help youth volunteers bring good moments to more than 25,000 people in need through various volunteer projects across the country. In addition, Quaker helped Kids Care inspire more than 575 youth volunteerism advocates to start Kids Care Clubs in their communities. During MLK Day and Kids Care Week, children hosted a Quaker Birthday Party with a Purpose to provide young do-gooders and their moms with the tools to make a positive difference through youth volunteerism.

UPS
UPS has a long tradition of community engagement and sustainability innovations. Today, UPS is experimenting with solutions to lower the company’s environmental impact, including the purchase of hydraulic hybrid vehicles and the adoption of paperless printing techniques. Additionally, the company builds the capacity and sustainability of nonprofits through the Volunteer Impact Initiative, an innovative program helping nonprofits better recruit and manage volunteers. In just three years, this initiative has engaged more than 21,000 volunteers to serve nearly 215,000 young people. UPSers and their family members contributed 1.2 million hours of volunteer service in 2008, highlighted by more than 139,000 volunteer hours during Global Volunteer Month (GVM) in October.

TED2009 as seen through the eyes of twitter

karid — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:49:58 +0000

I’m not at TED 2009. I’m sitting here in San Francisco, about 500 miles north of Long Beach, and I’m kind of “geeking out.” Thanks to Twitter, I feel like I've had a pretty good seat to many of the incredible minds and talent convened at TED this past week. Sure, there are a lot of ways to follow TED happenings. The TED blog has great reports on the latest conference happenings, there's the Flickr Photostream, and even interviews with TED speakers – but it seems that most of those are being controlled by TED staff. What’s fascinating to watch is the trail of Twitter followers (using #TED hashtag) reflect on some of the major TED happenings like these:

@davidkinard: Bill Gates makes Malaria eradication real for TED audience - releases mosquitoes. What could your cause [safely] do? http://bit.ly/17WCi
@onepinktee: #TED2009 - Day 1 reflections : TED represents a great paradox - how can something be so mentally exhausting and .. http://inmycopiousfreetime.typepad.com/in_my_copious_free_time/2009
@Common_Breath: At this year’s #TED Conference photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand showed a preview of his new movie Home. http://common-breath.com/?p=198
@gever: #TED day 1 - war, famine, pestilence, art, and hope. Bill G. is smart and kind, Saul G. makes me jealous, Regina S. made me cry.
@StoneGreg: #TED Matt of http://www.whereinthehellismatt.com just taught us some Bollywood dance moves. I'm ready to perform them for anyone that asks.
@ashdonaldson: Check Hans Rosling's amazing data mining graphs that dispel common myths at http://www.gapminder.org/ #TED
@timoreilly: Running theme here at #TED is turning out to be how sensors are pushing the frontiers of human-computer interaction.
@intradink_feed: TED: Jose Antonio Abreu's TED Prize wish: Help 50 young musicians: Above: Maestro José Antonio Abreu, founde.. http://tinyurl.com/clcd8z
@tracifenton: Speaker Golan Levin, “What if art was aware that we were looking at it? How would it respond if it could?” http://flong.com #TED
@tedtalks: #TED The TED balloon escapes! http://tinyurl.com/dl8ayv

In it’s 25th year, TED has brought together some of the world’s most talented thinkers and doers - whether or not you were there...what's your favorite TED moment?

Update: In perhaps one of the most talked about TED Talk’s of 2009 Bill Gates offers his perspective on philanthropy and the role that we all have in changing the world. He does this while releasing a jar of mosquitos into the audience and quipping, "Not only poor people should experience this." This is one of the first talks from TED 2009 that was released on their site and youtube today. You can see it in full length below.

As Serve America Act gains media spotlight, is congress listening?

karid — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:48:53 +0000

We’ve watched this week as job losses continue to accumulate, as nearly 40 million Americans find themselves living in poverty, and as reports show half of the students in our 50 biggest cities aren't graduating. America is facing some serious challenges. And while the current economic downturn is putting even more people and communities at risk, volunteering and national service can offer an effective means to tackling some of our nation’s toughest challenges.

As evidenced last week by the largest MLK Day of Service, and a renewed emphasis on volunteering by President Obama in his Inaugural Address, the momentum for service is perhaps as strong as it’s ever been. But what does all of this momentum add up to?

In the past week, there have been some pointed op-eds and editorials promoting fast action on service and more specifically the Serve America Act.

Sunday’s very direct New York Times editorial, The Moment for National Service calls for action now on the Serve America Act.

An op-ed by John Bridgeland (co-authored with Bruce Reed), Volunteer to Save the Economy, appeared in the New York Times last week and made the case for service as an economic stimulus.

In Obama Era, National Service's Time Has Come, an editorial by Mort Kondracke in Roll Call, highlights the broadening bi-partisan support for service.

An op-ed by Alan Khazei and David Gergen in USA Today, Obama's Call to Service Can't Start Soon Enough offers a six point plan on why the time to act is now.

As President Obama continues to focus on gaining quick passage of a $825 billion stimulus package aimed at creating new jobs and aiding the nation’s ailing economy – where does service fit into the picture? The Serve America Act comes at a price tag of about $5 billion over five years and its approval will create meaningful new opportunities for people who are ready to work hard for the public good.

Many are asking what they can do to get involved. Our friends at Service Nation have offered a few suggestions:

You can reach out to your local papers and write editorials in favor of the Serve America Act, and its passage and funding in the first 100 days.
You can contact your elected officials to voice your support for the legislation.
You can sign the Declaration of Service and be notified when mobilizations begin happening on Capitol Hill.

Putting the service in MLK Day

karid — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:20:29 +0000

As the Martin Luther King Day of Service is upon us, we came across this video of our friend and former Case Foundation Senior Fellow Harris Wofford, who during his term as a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, co-wrote legislation challenging all Americans to transform the King Holiday into a day of citizen action and service. Although the scope of the event grows every year, it's surprising to note that many people still are not aware of the service component of the holiday.

As a quick history lesson, the campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after his assassination in 1968, but it wasn't accomplished until President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed in 1986. The legislation that Wofford and Atlanta Congressman John Lewis co-wrote was then signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994, and since that time hundreds of thousands have recognized the day each year by tutoring, mentoring, serving food at soup kitchens and giving back to those in need. As Michael noted in his post last week, service is something that many consider a uniquely American tradition of neighbor helping neighbor problem solving – and, perhaps there is no better way to kick off the inaugural festivities next week than to bring people together from different backgrounds and ages to serve alongside one another.

Wofford, who was an early supporter of the Civil Rights movement in the late 1950s and became a friend and unofficial advisor to Martin Luther King, Jr., half jokingly says in the video, that if Dr. King were around today he might say, "Well I thought your idea was that all Americans would engage in service on this day?" It's estimated that last year a record number of individuals or around half a million recognized the day by volunteering. But, I have to agree with Harris that a half a million is a bit short of all Americans.

As Special Advisor for Civil Rights under President Kennedy, Wofford also assisted Sergeant Shriver in founding the Peace Corps. As a great story teller, I've often heard him talk about a young volunteer who was asked why he decided to join the newly established Corps. Wofford says the young man responded simply, "No one ever asked me to do anything unselfish, patriotic, and for the common good," he said. "Kennedy asked." As so many great American leaders like Kennedy and King have done, President-Elect Barack Obama is now asking too.

Throughout the past two weeks of our Change Begins With Me campaign, we have been genuinely inspired by the thoughtful commitments of thousands of people across the country. Many of these commitments have been rooted in the importance of serving one's community. So, what are you doing to "make it a day on" this year?

In nonprofit rankings, what's your position?

karid — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:57:16 +0000

Beyond fulfilling an intrinsic competitive desire to be the “best,” do rankings really matter? Let’s be honest, you don't need a survey to tell you Harvard is a top university -- but rankings can give a lesser-known school a chance to shine because of a niche program, a high commitment to student service or even because they have the best dorm food. But, what about when it comes to ranking the nonprofit sector?

This is a question I started pondering after participating in a discussion about the value of a “Best Nonprofits” ranking system. And, before I get too far, I have to note that our colleagues at Independent Sector have been exploring the concept of nonprofit rankings for the past year. In fact, in December, IS released an RFP for an initiative they’re calling the “Great Nonprofit and Philanthropic Places to Work Initiative” and as such, they note two primary programmatic goals for this work:

Improve talent management practices in the nonprofit community
Raise the visibility and viability of the nonprofit community as a desirable career destination

Now, I have no reservations about the fact that good talent is critical to achieving organizational impact – and the nonprofit sector indeed faces challenges not only attracting but retaining both diverse and high quality professionals to fill organizational needs. But, my interest in participating in this discussion stemmed from a personal interest as well as that of the Case Foundation’s, in focusing on the rising generation – or NextGen’s as we’ve been aptly referred to at sector wide conferences this past year.

Nonprofit rankings or rankings of any sort for that matter, are only as meaningful as the methodology used and the areas of focus chosen. It’s not yet clear how open the Independent Sector rankings process will be, but I have a hunch that a small but impassioned group will continue to push for a focus on the generation entering the sector.

If I had the opportunity to develop my own criteria for ranking the nonprofit sector – I’d take a look at how nonprofit organizations are adapting and changing with the times. Rather than stifling new talent, how are individuals able to grow and be challenged in their roles at nonprofits? How does this compare to their peers in the for profit community? How does the organization embrace diversity, work-life balance, and for goodness sake, does it have a Twitter feed?

10 easy steps to understanding social media

karid — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:50:39 +0000

Feeling overwhelmed with all of this social media talk? It’s okay, everyone has to start somewhere. We've tried to break it down for you in 10 easy steps that will have you feeling like a social media pro in no time. Once you’ve got these down, we hope you’ll visit the Social Citizens Blog for even more resources that will help you stay current on all of the social media and social change efforts out there.

Join a social networking site like, Facebook or MySpace or even create your own on Ning; it’s an easy way to connect with old friends or meet new ones who share your interest. You can even create an online presence for your own cause.
Share websites you like and find out what sites your friends are reading by using free social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us and StumbleUpon. FriendFeed is another free site for organizing music, photos, videos, and articles online in one place.
Share photos of issues that are important to you. Sites like Picasa and Flickr let members tag images with relevant key words. By tagging, you’re likely to connect with others who share your interest.
Have a story to tell? Use video to get your message across. Find videos relevant to a cause you care about on YouTube or create your own and post it to share your story with others. If you're in need of an affordable camera, check out Flip Video's spotlight program to get started today.
Champion a cause by creating a charity badge or widget. Network for Good or Global Giving to locate an organization or issue area you care about. These sites will let you to create and personalize your own Charity Badge, an online tool for raising awareness and funds for your cause. Email the link to your Charity Badge to friends, family, and other contacts, or post your badge anywhere you have an online presence.
So, maybe you’ve identified a cause you care about, but you’re not quite ready to jump into blogging. Why not test the waters of micro-blogging through sites like Twitter? These sites will let you say what’s on your mind as long as it’s in 140 characters or less.
If you’ve got something more to say, go ahead, start a blog. Blog services like Blogger or Typepad make set-up simple and are easy to use. Invite your email contacts and anyone from your social network to your blog. Encouraging readers to leave comments is a great way to jumpstart online conversation.
Have a little extra time to spare? Why not fire up your computer and find an opportunity to volunteer online. Volunteering online is easy -- the In2Books online Pen Pal program offers the flexibility to choose when and where you give of your time. The UN Foundation offers opportunities to put your skills to work whether translation or project management you can find an opportunity that fits your style.
As a consumer, employee, citizen or activist - sometimes you realize you can't do everything alone - and that's when the power of many comes into play. Organizations like The Point and Care2 offer you an opportunity to create online petitions that help influence the causes most important to you.
Put away your checkbook and pick up your cell phone. Mobile giving campaigns are taking off. Text-to-give campaigns let donors make a secure donation to the cause they care about. Check out what Alicia Keys has done with her Keep a Child Alive campaign.
OK, we know we said 10 - but for the most dedicated, if you want more ideas or information about using social media for social good please subscribe to the Social Citizens Blog where we'll feature great stories and campaigns -- join us on FriendFeed, or follow us on Twitter. We want to help keep you connected no matter what your preference.