Missing People are a charity that helps people to find friends and family who have run away and/or gone missing. What I like about them is how they always try new things and everything they seem to try is all about connecting and engaging people. You and me.
For charities who are looking for simple ways in which to get their existing supporters and others to not only support them but to get involved, then you should keep an eye on Missing People.
Their latest campaign has simplicity written all over it. I'm sure that a lot of work went on behind the scenes, but on the face of it, what the public sees is an eye catching, engaging and 'make you stop what you're doing' campaign. It has the power to get you to do something. Most importantly, that something they're asking you to do takes no more than a minute and a half of your time. And time is precious to everybody.
Watch the video below, have your mobile phone handy and see what you think yourself. (calls cost no more than 10p).
Did it engage you? Did it leave you wanting to call the number?
Drop them a tweet or leave a post on their Facebook page and let them know what you thought.
Hugely enjoyed my experience at GCVS (Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector) over the past few weeks. Two of my recent visits involved me delivering a hands on practical workshop lasting most of the afternoon. As well as presenting some key information on Facebook, by far the most rewarding part was being able to sit down with people and take them through step by step on creating their very own Facebook page for their organisation.
Setting up a Facebook page is just the first big step. The next step is to engage with your core audience and that is key to the success of any Facebook page. Here is a copy of my presentation:
I'm just over a month into working for myself full-time and I'm absolutely loving it. It comes with it's own set of challenges, but onwards and upwards as they say.
If you would like me to come to your organisation and deliver a similar workshop or even to talk about social media generally and how you can get the most out of it, then let's talk. I'll have a website up very soon but in the meantime you can find me here > www.about.me/marcbowker
I've written many posts about Be Good Be Social in the past and if you're already connected to the event and reading this, well let me tell you, this is more for the newbies. So what to do? I urge you to share this and/or other Be Good Be Social related blog posts on your Facebook pages or via Twitter and encourage new people to join in the conversation. You could even write one yourself!
So hi, you're new to the whole Be Good Be Social thing huh? Well you know what? I was new once too and what you'll find at Be Good Be Social is a hugely welcoming network of people who want to talk to you, learn from you and share their own experiences of using social media for social good with YOU! I've been a sounding board member of Be Good Be Social from the beginning and the best part about that is that I get to tell you all the amazing things about it.
If you're reading this and you didn't manage to get the highly sought after tickets to the event on Thursday, don't worry. If you're on Twitter you can follow the all year round conversation via #begoodbesocial and it wouldn't hurt to follow @begoodbesocial either. But come Thursday night from 6.30pm you want to visit www.begoodbesocial.org.uk and hit the LIVE button. That's right, you can live stream the entire event from the comfort of your own home.
Be Good Be Social brings together people who work in a variety of roles across the third sector and also people who are interested in working with you. There's everybody from those who are new to social media and want to learn more about how to use different online tools for their own organisation, right through to those who have been using social media for a while but just want to share their experiences and ideas.
But it's not just a networking event where you chat to people, you'll also hear from an amazing line up of speakers including:
Ally Tibbitt from Greener Leith and STV Local - 'Neighbourhood community engagement on a shoestring'
Louise MacDonald, Chief Executive at Young Scot - "Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore..." The story of one CEO’s journey along the yellow brick road to Twitter City
John Popham from Celebration 2.0 - 'From the village green to your computer screen: Because technology should be fun'
There will also be a Q&A session towards the end, so plenty of opportunity for you to fill your brain with the latest information happening in the sector around you.
Finally, don't worry if you can't make the event or live stream it. All the videos and presentations will be made available some time after the event. Follow the hashtag to find out when they're available. And if you're on Facebook, go and like www.facebook.com/begoodbesocial
(I make no apology for making you read the above first)
"Today is the beginning of the rest of my life"
Well that's how the saying goes and it's certainly a saying that often pops into my mind. It screams of opportunity and reflects on life in a positive way. So a new beginning eh? Yup.
Right now at this present moment in time it's Monday morning. The sun is shining and there's hardly a cloud in the sky. I can hear the birds singing as I type and the coffee tastes good. I've started this day with renewed vigour, a positive mood and with a smile on my face.
But I won't lie to you, I'm optimistic on the outside but scared on the inside. But I'm taking it one step at a time. I have hundreds of thoughts whizzing through my head, ideas, things to do but right now, I just keep writing them down. The plan will become clearer as the week goes on I keep telling myself. I hope so.
So what of this new beginning? Well, most of you will know that for the past seven years I've worked for a large Scottish charity called Quarriers as a Communications Officer, the last four of which I spent establishing their online presence, building an online conversation with supporters, staff and even people they supported. It was my very first job in the third sector and one which I've relished in my time spent there.
Most of you will also know that I'm a professional wedding and lifestyle photographer in my spare time (not that there has been much of that, spare time that is!). And the question I've always been asked is 'Why don't you do it full time?". Well, my answer has always been, as much as I love photographing people, I don't really want to do it full time. And my reason has always been the same, because I love the work I do in communications. I love being part of the network I'm in, I'm literally surrounded by amazing people.
So what better thing to do than to combine them both? I'm using the photography as a foundation as it's already successful and well established. Hopefully that will at least pay the bills (my scared on the inside feeling). And I'm currently pulling together a plan of what I can take 'out there' to help small businesses and charities. I want to help organisations to connect with their audiences online and increase engagement and their online presence. There's a lot more to it but that's my week ahead, creating a plan and then contacting people to tell them I'm here.
So here's to the new future of Marc Bowker. I hope whoever is reading this that I get to meet you in some capacity at some point. And if, on the basis of what you've read so far you think we could work together, please get in touch > http://about.me/marcbowker
There are a select few who have known snippits along the way over the past few months and I'd really like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of them personally for their kind words, encouragement, advice, information and unselfish help in colossal amounts.
...make sure you spend 29 minutes of your precious time watching this moving film.
If you have children and they were kidnapped during the night and forced to kill people, what would you do?
Watching the film is just the beginning. Once you have watched it go to www.kony2012.com and make the pledge by giving your email address and post code.
But the most important thing you can do today apart from watching the film, is to share it far and wide with your friends, family and colleagues. Maybe you don't have 29 minutes to spare, share it anyway.
Ah the WEE BOX, a small campaign that seems to grow each year. And it's back! SCIAF launches the WEE BOX, BIG Change campaign for 2012 today. The campaign will focus on the Association of People with Disabilities (APD) in Bangalore, India, a long standing partner of the Scottish aid agency.
Living in poverty is a hard slog at the best of times, just imagine trying to fight this injustice while you are coping with a disability at the same time. I don't think we can even begin to imagine it. That is why it is crucial people like you keep supporting SCIAF's WEE BOX campaign. Just a small gesture made in this country can really help re-address the balance for people living in the developing world.
SCIAF is asking people to order a WEE BOX, choose something to give up and then fill their WEE BOX with the money they would have spent. It really is that simple. The donations you make will help those in desperate need in India and across the developing world. Okay I'll make it easy for you, imagine you bought a latte every morning, what's that? Say £1.70? That would add up to quite a bit and fill your WEE BOX in not time. I think you get the picture.
You can order your WEE BOX today and find out more about WEE BOX, BIG Change here.
I'm the tall(est) one and this is the Be Good Be Social sounding board - a winning team!
No, not quite Kirsty Allsop and Phil Spencer, but rather Ross McCulloch and his merry crew - the Be Good Be Social Sounding Board.
Be Good Be Social has just seen it's third outing in Scotland, but amazingly, it's first event in Toronto also took place just last month and was a roaring success. I remember the very first Be Good Be Social in Edinburgh just over a year ago, you can read my blog post about it here. And if you haven't a clue what Be Good Be Social is then you're best bet is to follow #begoodbesocial on Twitter or even check out the official website. What I'm saying is, this blog post isn't going to educate you on what the event is all about, except that it is about being social, so go away and read about it and learn something new today! (if you don't know already)
I've attended a few events this year and I know I'm not alone when I say that collaboration is the way forward. Of course, charities are more and more like businesses today than ever before. It's an extremely competitive environment, but with more and more of donors money going to the front line of the cause (and rightly so), budgets are not going very far in some cases, especially amongst smaller organisations.
It leaves a sour taste in my mouth when I see events that will 'teach you how to use social media' and charge non-profits an extortionate amount of money to attend and consultants who charge through the nose to tell you what your charity should be doing online.* How much added value do they really offer a charity/non-profit?
Be Good Be Social is different. For a start, it's free. But crucially, it also has the ability to break down any competitive barriers between organisations. The event generates a buzz and and an atmosphere where you can freely ask questions of your peers without worrying about crossing any kind of divide. Of course, each of us should know when not to cross the line with sensitive information about our organisations, but sharing is fun! The sharing of knowledge that is. Little tips here and there that will enable you to take the next big step forward. It's all about give and take. And why? Because the public wants to engage easily with charities close to their hearts. And charities desperately want to break down the barriers between them and their supporters. They need to make it as easy as possible for people to engage with them. So knowledge is power.
So let's cut to the chase shall we? Talk to each other. Join the Be Good Be Social conversation via the hashtag #begoodbesocial, introduce yourself to others, share links and arrange physical meetings - share the knowledge! Don't wait for the next big social media conference to find out the answer. The answer is closer to home than you think and will save you a fortune trying to find it elsewhere!
I'm not saying don't attend these conferences. I attend them myself and get huge value out of them. But there is a huge community of knowledgable people right here on your doorstep. Be Good Be Social!
I suppose I'd better give you a small glimpse of what last weeks Be Good Be Social was all about, especially if you've never heard of it or weren't able to make it along on the night. Basically, after a small introduction from Ross McCulloch, there then followed three presentations:
Next was Conrad Rossouw from Shelter Scotland who spoke about their recent Foursquare campaign, which has incidentally seen me using Foursquare nearly every day since the event!
Please please please find the time to sit down and watch these videos, it will change the way you look and think about using social media for your cause.
Be Good Be Social is a growing phenomenom. And you can be a part of it:
Twitter (remember to join the conversation using #begoodbesocial)
* Please excuse my slight rant about expensive events and consultants. They do have their place, the good ones that is. And the good ones reading this will know they're good. But there are too many who claim to be so-called 'gurus' that charge the earth for not a lot in return. Beware.
Well, not exactly. If I say the word crowd funding, what immediately springs to the front of your mind? Okay, let me explain, in it's simplest form:
You have a problem/idea
You need some money
You tell all your friends/family/contacts about your problem/idea using technology
They all give you a bit of money to contribute using your technology
Problem solved/idea is given a whole new lease of life
Okay, a little tongue and cheek, you'll find the really long winded explanation of crowd funding here.
Let me introduce you to something that may inspire you to tell somebody else about. SoLoCo. Launched at the fantastic Social Media Week in Glasgow earlier this month, SoLoCo is the UK's first dedicated crowd funding website for the third sector. And I really like it. My number one reason for liking it is that it's so accessible to small groups, projects or organisations who are doing fantastic work in their local communities yet need a little helping hand. And although SoLoCo provide the platform and lots of help and guidance, it all stays completely within your control and so it remains up to you to really push what it is you're fundraising for.
Of course, crowd funding isn't new. And neither is the ability to give to a local project. Charities such as Cancer Research UK have a similar set up with their My Projects. Action for Children introduced My Action for Children. And you've all heard of Kiva, haven't you? I'm also very lucky to be working on something similar for the charity I work for too, so watch this space.
But like I say, it's the fact that a very small group can use SoLoCo's platform to take their idea to their local community and say hey, we're over here and thought you might like to support us.
Giving to charity is changing all around us. People give differently today. Attitudes are changing. So go on, take a look at SoLoCo and make up your own mind, good idea or not? And what do you think about the changing landscape of fundraising?
I don't know what it is, but whenever I see anything from the charity Charity Water, it makes me stop in my tracks. In fact, I do know what it is. It's passion, clarity, transparency, simplicity that lead to results and high impact.
Charity Water are coming up to their 5th birthday. So what did they do? They have given the biggest and most heartfelt thank you to everybody who has helped them get to where they are today. But they don't just stop there, they ask for even more. Here's how:
Hi, my name's Marc and this is a tiny bit all about me. I'm married to Gillian and have two amazing boys Adam and Oliver, oh and another one on the way! I have a passion for the Third Sector and using social media for social good. I'm also a professional wedding and lifestyle photographer. I live and breath social media. So this blog is about all of those things and whatever else catches my attention.
