Aggregated External News
We’re Sorry Ben!
The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), one of my alma maters, flubbed it last week, sending a message that graded its many online activists. One who contacted The Agitator received a ‘D’ … and wasn’t happy about it. I’m not sure what interpretation of human nature would have led EDF to think that chastising its activists — “You’ve earned a D” — for not responding sufficiently to alerts would be an effective cultivation strategy. 
On the other hand, awarding bad grades did get a response! So many
Facebook fundraising: part one
When people talk about Facebook in relation to charities, they often ask what the return on investment is. The general perception of social giving via Facebook is that it’s not a great way to raise money, but is fantastic as a communication and community building tool. This is true, but only to a certain extent.
At JustGiving, the UK’s largest online fundraising website, we have found that encouraging and enabling individual charity supporters to share their donations or updates about their fundraising events on Facebook has a great impact on amounts raised – research shows that just one share on Facebook encourages between £1 and £18 in extra donations.
To look to the future and understand the true potential of online fundraising on Facebook, it’s first necessary to look to the past.
In the summer of 2007, Facebook overtook Google to become the biggest source of web traffic to JustGiving, and then at the end of 2008, Facebook started to bring us more traffic than email. In the intervening years, Facebook has continued to grow in importance and become the primary way that people who use JustGiving to raise money for charity tell their friends about their fundraising event and ask for sponsorship.
In 2012 alone, Facebook drove over 1.8 million individual donors to JustGiving, who collectively gave £34 million, of which £5.3 million was donated by people coming to the site from the mobile version of Facebook.
One of the ways we reacted to this growth was by building an application that people could use to donate to charity or sponsor a friend without leaving Facebook – this generated over £250,000 in the first nine months of 2012. Given the continuation of this growth, we expect that by 2015, 50% of donations made through JustGiving will come from Facebook.
In a way, this growth in online fundraising reflects Facebook’s own incredible growth. As of March 2013, it has 1.11 billion monthly active users, of which 751 million users accessed the site through their mobile.
So the prospective audience is huge, and more importantly, hugely engaged. But how do non-profits make the most of it?
Making the most of FacebookTo start, organisations that have Facebook pages should make the most of its features and plan an approach that engages their online community.
Advice from Facebook includes setting clear guidelines about what is and isn’t acceptable to post on your wall – this will help when users veer off-topic or post things you don’t approve of. It can also reduce the risk that people will leave negative comments, a fear which puts off many first-time social media users. By having clear guidelines, you can reduce that risk and give yourself the room to ban people who don’t abide by them.
Another useful approach is to create a ‘conversation calendar’ whereby you plan the content you will share on your page in advance. This helps create consistency of communication, as well as making sure that you have a good mix of messaging. Don’t bombard people with messages about campaigns one week and only fundraising events the next – have a rich mix of topics that show the breadth of work your organisation is involved in.
Watch out for Facebook fundraising part two: share more, raise more
New Jobs – NSPCC, Children’s Society and Terrence Higgins Trust
Two new jobs: Terrence Higgins Trust and Scope
Campaign To Share Clean Drinking Water To Launch At 2013 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting
In support of Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitment to Action “Save One Life Every Hour,” Flash Flood for Good announces a new social media initiative that will launch at the CGI Annual Meeting in New York City on September 24 and run in concurrence with the meeting.
During the 72 hours of CGI 2013, Flash Flood for Good will focus the attention of global leaders, not-for-profits, NGO’S, academics, celebrities, private sector partners, corporate brands and the public at large to swell the tide of support for clean water by visiting FlashFloodForGood.org, where they can add their digital voices and amplify the call to action to donate funds. Funds raised will provide clean drinking water to those who need it most through the P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program (CSDW). P&G will work with implementing partner World Vision in Myanmar, Rwanda and Ethiopia to share life-saving clean drinking water.
Launched from a new community platform called Cause Swarm that is devoted to social impact, Flash Flood for Good was designed to address the global water crisis. In order to address some of the greatest challenges of our time, Cause Swarm intends to create initiatives that inspire people to act, then enables them to do so seamlessly by combining best practices with best providers. In this case, the global water crisis that continues to negatively impact hundreds of millions of people every day, including the 2,000 children who die each day as a result of diseased drinking water.
Warren Buffett, Biz Stone, Reese Witherspoon & More Unite For School Day Auction
Global charity auction site Charitybuzz.com has launched “School Day,” an auction featuring once-in-a-lifetime experiences, with the proceeds benefiting Communities in Schools of Los Angeles (CISLA).
The auction brings together such entertainment and business icons as Academy Award-winning actress Reese Witherspoon, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard, actor Matthew McConaughey, Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman, and business magnate Warren Buffett, among many others in support of CISLA’s programs empowering students to stay in school.
Bidding kicked off at www.Charitybuzz.com/SchoolDay on Thursday, July 25 at 9 AM PST and runs through Tuesday, August 13. The campaign is designed to culminate with the experiences being redeemed on or around September 20, 2013, “School Day.”
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy under fire over cost of website billed to public purse
Petition calls for singer and model to pay back £350,000 cost of setting up charity website while she was France's first lady
When Carla Bruni-Sarkozy – a millionaire heiress who once made over £4m a year as a supermodel – became France's first lady, commentators whispered that she might be attacked as a kind of modern-day Marie Antoinette. But it is only now her husband, the rightwing former president Nicolas Sarkozy, has left office that she is increasingly held up as the symbol of his moneyed, bling-bling era.
The latest row to engulf Bruni-Sarkozy as she promotes her new album is over her charitable foundation's website, which it has emerged cost French taxpayers €410,000 (£350,000) to set up while she was first lady.
The cost was published earlier this month in a state auditor's report on Élysée budget savings since the Socialist François Hollande took office, sparking outrage that has culminated in an online petition. More than 50,000 people have demanded that Bruni-Sarkozy pays the money back.
The creation in 2009 of the first lady site for Bruni-Sarkozy, which is different to her personal music site, was a departure for the Élysée. It was a public relations move supposed to capitalise on the soap-opera interest in the model-turned-singer, who had already appeared in interviews calling her French president husband "darling", introducing their dogs and revealing the contents of her handbag.
The site became a byword for glitches when it famously crashed on launch day – accompanied by a message blaming a "vast number of visitors" – and remains active in promoting the work of her charity foundation to help the underprivileged and her work as an ambassador for the Global Fund to fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria.
When the cost of the site emerged, Nicolas Bousquet, a web developer, launched the petition saying the state spend on the site was "indecent" and "anyone could have built the site for less than €10,000". He appealed for Bruni-Sarkozy to pay back the cost.
Amid the outrage, Olivier Laurelli, a French web expert, wrote on the website Rue89 that "at that price, one would naturally expect a veritable marvel", but instead referred to the site as a badly-maintained "catastrophe".
The Bruni-Sarkozy site issued a statement stressing that the foundation had distributed €8m in aid, adding that "all the visible content on the site has been financed by the foundation".
Earlier this year Bruni came under fire from the left when the prime minister's office published a report on spending pointing out that the five people working for the service of the president's partner, the journalist Valerie Trierweiler, cost €19,742 euro a month, compared to the eight people employed by Bruni-Sarkozy's office in January 2012 who cost €36,448.
Meanwhile, a trade union at Air France voiced outrage over state freebies after Bruni-Sarkozy enjoyed a free return flight from Paris to New York while promoting her new album in the US last month. Air France also paid the €500 (£428) airport taxes for her.
The SUD union complained that the longrunning tradition of free tickets for former presidential families and VIPs were scandalous at a time when the part state-owned airline is telling staff its financial situation is "catastrophic". Air France has been undergoing major restructuring and is trying to cut its debt by €2bn by 2015 with significant job losses.
During the last election campaign, Bruni-Sarkozy sparked ridicule when she said she and Sarkozy were modest folk. She later added: "I wasn't talking about our lifestyle. I'm aware that I have a life full of privilege." She claimed she meant her husband's "modest attitude" – in contrast to his reputation for arrogance.
Angelique Chrisafistheguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy under fire over cost of website billed to public purse
Petition calls for singer and model to pay back £350,000 cost of setting up charity website while she was France's first lady
When Carla Bruni-Sarkozy – a millionaire heiress who once made over £4m a year as a supermodel – became France's first lady, commentators whispered that she might be attacked as a kind of modern-day Marie Antoinette. But it is only now her husband, the rightwing former president Nicolas Sarkozy, has left office that she is increasingly held up as the symbol of his moneyed, bling-bling era.
The latest row to engulf Bruni-Sarkozy as she promotes her new album is over her charitable foundation's website, which it has emerged cost French taxpayers €410,000 (£350,000) to set up while she was first lady.
The cost was published earlier this month in a state auditor's report on Élysée budget savings since the Socialist François Hollande took office, sparking outrage that has culminated in an online petition. More than 50,000 people have demanded that Bruni-Sarkozy pays the money back.
The creation in 2009 of the first lady site for Bruni-Sarkozy, which is different to her personal music site, was a departure for the Élysée. It was a public relations move supposed to capitalise on the soap-opera interest in the model-turned-singer, who had already appeared in interviews calling her French president husband "darling", introducing their dogs and revealing the contents of her handbag.
The site became a byword for glitches when it famously crashed on launch day – accompanied by a message blaming a "vast number of visitors" – and remains active in promoting the work of her charity foundation to help the underprivileged and her work as an ambassador for the Global Fund to fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria.
When the cost of the site emerged, Nicolas Bousquet, a web developer, launched the petition saying the state spend on the site was "indecent" and "anyone could have built the site for less than €10,000". He appealed for Bruni-Sarkozy to pay back the cost.
Amid the outrage, Olivier Laurelli, a French web expert, wrote on the website Rue89 that "at that price, one would naturally expect a veritable marvel", but instead referred to the site as a badly-maintained "catastrophe".
The Bruni-Sarkozy site issued a statement stressing that the foundation had distributed €8m in aid, adding that "all the visible content on the site has been financed by the foundation".
Earlier this year Bruni came under fire from the left when the prime minister's office published a report on spending pointing out that the five people working for the service of the president's partner, the journalist Valerie Trierweiler, cost €19,742 euro a month, compared to the eight people employed by Bruni-Sarkozy's office in January 2012 who cost €36,448.
Meanwhile, a trade union at Air France voiced outrage over state freebies after Bruni-Sarkozy enjoyed a free return flight from Paris to New York while promoting her new album in the US last month. Air France also paid the €500 (£428) airport taxes for her.
The SUD union complained that the longrunning tradition of free tickets for former presidential families and VIPs were scandalous at a time when the part state-owned airline is telling staff its financial situation is "catastrophic". Air France has been undergoing major restructuring and is trying to cut its debt by €2bn by 2015 with significant job losses.
During the last election campaign, Bruni-Sarkozy sparked ridicule when she said she and Sarkozy were modest folk. She later added: "I wasn't talking about our lifestyle. I'm aware that I have a life full of privilege." She claimed she meant her husband's "modest attitude" – in contrast to his reputation for arrogance.
Angelique Chrisafis© 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions
The International Rescue Committee Celebrates Third Annual Summer Party
The International Rescue Committee's young professional group, GenR, hosted their 3rd annual summer party this week at David Burke Garden at The James Hotel. The event raised funds for global and local humanitarian aid programs.
Chef David Burke at GenR Summer PartyCredit/Copyright: Neilson Barnard/WireImage
Billy Zane And David C.M. Carter Launch The BREAKTHROUGH Project
Actor Billy Zane (best known for Titanic) and international mentor David C.M. Carter are to launch The BREAKTHROUGH Project to teach students the components of being a great leader as well as how to create, build and share self-created economic opportunities.
The project is set to launch in Chicago in 2014, Zane’s hometown. It aims to assist the positive work of local authorities to alleviate gun and gang deaths by helping underprivileged youth take on entrepreneurial endeavors.
Lessons to remember when using data
Data analytics can help organisations to make better decisions and change their actions
Data analytics has had a lot of bad press lately: when people think of data mining they are as likely to think of big brother as of big data.
Revelations about the National Security Agency (NSA) are just the latest in the long list of people using data for questionable ends. Why would any charity in its right mind want to open that can of worms?
The answer, of course, is that people use data analytics because of its power to help them make better decisions and to change their actions. And it truly is powerful.
It's hard to justify making decisions based on instinct. Nate Silver showed us clearly just how poor our instincts are when compared to statistics. But if you scratched beneath the surface of many charities you'd find that this is often the way it's actually done.
Take the most basic question faced by any charity: "is what I'm doing making things better?" It may be a simple question, but in the absence of data it is a difficult one to answer. It's even harder to work out how to become more effective at addressing those objectives – and that is an area where data analytics can help.
Lesson one: improve not proveAlready, some charities have begun using data to overcome key challenges or realise efficiencies: after working with volunteers at a free pilot DataKind 'Data Dive' event last year, the youth-oriented charity Keyfund were able to significantly change their working practices. Using what their chief executive, Hannah Underwood terms the "improve not prove" approach, they discovered that they couldn't justify the additional cost of one of the stages their young people went through. It just wasn't delivering sufficient benefits for the cost.
Lesson two: you're not aloneKeyfund now have ambitious plans to hire their own analytical resource and to share the data they collect with other organisations. But the starting point for this was the support that they got from volunteers.
There are many data scientists and analysts out there who are looking for a worthwhile way to use their skills. There are also organisations like DataKind UK and the Open Knowledge Foundation who try to link volunteers with charities and provide guidance and support.
Lesson three: the possibilities are (almost) limitlessOther UK charities are now getting in on the act, looking to data to solve an array of practical challenges and improve the way their individual organisations operate.
For example, Oxfam GB will explore world food prices – using data science approaches to harvest these from the web so that changes can be predicted and acted on. Hampshire County Council's Special Educational Needs team will look to a wide variety of data to try to predict future need – hopefully to enable the authority to marshal its resources and provide more timely help.
The challenge for HelpAge International will be to understand and visualise support for the elderly throughout the world, so that pressure can be brought to bear on decision-makers. Meanwhile, Community Voluntary Action Tameside plans to use data and analytics to learn about the development of its local volunteer movement, how it is being shaped by the current economic climate, where it is strong and where it is fragile.
Using analytics and data mining 'for good' is less likely to make headlines than using data 'for evil'. But by making more of the information assets they hold – or can access from other sources - third-sector organisations can achieve the type of tangible objectives that commercial organisations are spending vast sums to achieve.
Duncan Ross will be among those hosting the first UK DataDive event, from Friday 26 July- Sunday 28 July. See DataKind UK for more information and future events.
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To join the voluntary sector network, click here.
theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Lessons to remember when using data
Data analytics can help organisations to make better decisions and change their actions
Data analytics has had a lot of bad press lately: when people think of data mining they are as likely to think of big brother as of big data.
Revelations about the National Security Agency (NSA) are just the latest in the long list of people using data for questionable ends. Why would any charity in its right mind want to open that can of worms?
The answer, of course, is that people use data analytics because of its power to help them make better decisions and to change their actions. And it truly is powerful.
It's hard to justify making decisions based on instinct. Nate Silver showed us clearly just how poor our instincts are when compared to statistics. But if you scratched beneath the surface of many charities you'd find that this is often the way it's actually done.
Take the most basic question faced by any charity: "is what I'm doing making things better?" It may be a simple question, but in the absence of data it is a difficult one to answer. It's even harder to work out how to become more effective at addressing those objectives – and that is an area where data analytics can help.
Lesson one: improve not proveAlready, some charities have begun using data to overcome key challenges or realise efficiencies: after working with volunteers at a free pilot DataKind 'Data Dive' event last year, the youth-oriented charity Keyfund were able to significantly change their working practices. Using what their chief executive, Hannah Underwood terms the "improve not prove" approach, they discovered that they couldn't justify the additional cost of one of the stages their young people went through. It just wasn't delivering sufficient benefits for the cost.
Lesson two: you're not aloneKeyfund now have ambitious plans to hire their own analytical resource and to share the data they collect with other organisations. But the starting point for this was the support that they got from volunteers.
There are many data scientists and analysts out there who are looking for a worthwhile way to use their skills. There are also organisations like DataKind UK and the Open Knowledge Foundation who try to link volunteers with charities and provide guidance and support.
Lesson three: the possibilities are (almost) limitlessOther UK charities are now getting in on the act, looking to data to solve an array of practical challenges and improve the way their individual organisations operate.
For example, Oxfam GB will explore world food prices – using data science approaches to harvest these from the web so that changes can be predicted and acted on. Hampshire County Council's Special Educational Needs team will look to a wide variety of data to try to predict future need – hopefully to enable the authority to marshal its resources and provide more timely help.
The challenge for HelpAge International will be to understand and visualise support for the elderly throughout the world, so that pressure can be brought to bear on decision-makers. Meanwhile, Community Voluntary Action Tameside plans to use data and analytics to learn about the development of its local volunteer movement, how it is being shaped by the current economic climate, where it is strong and where it is fragile.
Using analytics and data mining 'for good' is less likely to make headlines than using data 'for evil'. But by making more of the information assets they hold – or can access from other sources - third-sector organisations can achieve the type of tangible objectives that commercial organisations are spending vast sums to achieve.
Duncan Ross will be among those hosting the first UK DataDive event, from Friday 26 July- Sunday 28 July. See DataKind UK for more information and future events.
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To join the voluntary sector network, click here.
© 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions
One Born Every Minute Stars Visit Liberia With Save The Children
When the midwives and stars of Channel 4’s ‘One Born Every Minute’ series visited Liberia with Save the Children they were shocked to discover that young mums in Liberia face a 1 in 24 chance of dying during pregnancy or childbirth when a simple trip to a clinic could save their lives. Yet many mums-to-be have to walk for up to 8 hours to get to their nearest clinic, and the journey can be treacherous.
So when Gemma Raby, Louise Holt, and Maud Hardy stepped into their first Save the Children supported health clinic in Liberia recently, they were amazed at the difference your donations make.
As Gemma explains, "At Leeds General where I work, we have between 9 and 11 midwives per shift on the labour ward. We also, crucially, have dedicated medical staff on hand.
Jimmy Carter Supports Whistle-Blower Edward Snowden
Jimmy Carter is giving his support to whistle-blower Edward Snowden.
“[Edward Snowden] has obviously violated the laws of America, for which he is responsible, but I think the invasion of human rights and American privacy has gone too far,” former US president Jimmy Carter told CNN. “I think that the secrecy that has been surrounding this invasion of privacy has been excessive, so I think that the bringing of it to the public notice has probably been, in the long term, beneficial. I think the American people deserve to know what their Congress is doing.”
His views on invasion of privacy echoed the New York Times op-ed that he wrote a year prior, criticizing the US’s human rights abuses: "Revelations that top officials are targeting people to be assassinated abroad, including American citizens, are only the most recent, disturbing proof of how far our nation’s violation of human rights has extended. […]
More: http://www.looktothestars.org/news/10531-jimmy-carter-supports-whistle-blower-edward-snowden
Volunteering brings out the best in people
Britain's Personal Best campaign aims to inspire people to volunteer and achieve personal goals
Last summer, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games captivated us all with the amazing feats of athletes achieving personal bests. I will never forget Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah winning gold medals. The Paralympics was an absolute triumph - challenging perceptions of disability as never before. These memories have been rekindled by 2013 being a second summer of British sporting success.
Recent weeks have seen Olympians and Paralympians back in action, Andy Murray winning Wimbledon, Ashes victories, a second British Tour de France winner and the British Lions triumph.
We all remember the gold medals and the opening ceremony, but as impressive was the role played by volunteers in creating the spirit of the Olympics. This was typified by torchbearers carrying the flame through their communities and by the Games Makers who gave their time freely to help make the event a success. You could see the selflessness of the volunteers enhanced the sense of community and how much people enjoyed it.
Britain's Personal Best, funded by the Big Lottery Fund as part of a range of campaigns to keep the spirit of 2012 alive, has been set up to help each of us to rekindle last summer's memories by doing something special. We can't all break world records, but can all achieve a personal best in our lives. This could be something to help ourselves – say giving up smoking - or something to help each other by giving time or raising funds for a good cause. Britain's Personal Best aims to inspire us, as individuals, organisations and communities, to achieve our very own personal best.
The UK has a proud history of volunteering for good causes. Millions of people already volunteer each year. I believe the best way to achieve a lasting impact from the Olympic spirit is to build on this and encourage people to make a regular effort to help their community, something more permanent than one-off donations or fundraising activities.
The 2012 Olympics changed the public perception of volunteering. It made volunteering attractive, exciting, open to all, aspirational, modern and of the moment. Last week official statistics confirmed a surge in volunteering during the Olympic year. The majority of Olympic Games Makers were new to volunteering. We need to keep attracting new people to the world of voluntary work. In 2012, participation rose especially among younger people and among black and ethnic minorities. That's great news.
But a recent YouGov poll revealed that almost a third (31%) of adults were keen to play their part in an Olympic legacy but didn't know how. Are you one of these people? If so, Britain's Personal Best can help. It can connect you with others wanting to support local causes you care about.
Local charities and community groups can also benefit by taking up the invitation to register with Britain's Personal Best. This allows them to offer opportunities and ideas for people to achieve their Personal Best for a good cause in their own community. Britain's Personal Best recognises that although people give their time freely, volunteering is not a costless exercise. You need organisation to support volunteers and to match the right volunteers with the right opportunity. Local Volunteer Centres play a vital role in making the right match.
Disability campaigner Martyn Sibley has made his personal best a challenge of going from Land's End to John o'Groats in a wheelchair. But regular volunteering need not mean making major life changes. There are many ways to be part of this Olympic legacy through regular participation without taking over too much of your time:
• Contact an older person living alone - regular joggers are encouraged to pop in on isolated neighbours as part of their run
• Mates and dates events where volunteers run social and dating events for people with learning disabilities
• If you have special skills (in say IT, electronics, plumbing or finance) offer to share them with a charity
• Puppy walking – either guide dogs for the blind, for elderly people or for animal rescue homes
• Sport coaching – do you know how to play tennis or rugby? There is always a need to teach a new skill to people of all ages.
• Undertake a challenge you have dreamed of, say parachuting, to raise money for a good cause.
• If time is an issue, consider a regular direct debit donation
To find out more about Britain's Personal Best click here.
Joe Irvin is chief executive of NAVCA – a strategic partner of Britain's Personal Best campaign.
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To join the voluntary sector network, click here.
theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Volunteering brings out the best in people
Britain's Personal Best campaign aims to inspire people to volunteer and achieve personal goals
Last summer, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games captivated us all with the amazing feats of athletes achieving personal bests. I will never forget Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah winning gold medals. The Paralympics was an absolute triumph - challenging perceptions of disability as never before. These memories have been rekindled by 2013 being a second summer of British sporting success.
Recent weeks have seen Olympians and Paralympians back in action, Andy Murray winning Wimbledon, Ashes victories, a second British Tour de France winner and the British Lions triumph.
We all remember the gold medals and the opening ceremony, but as impressive was the role played by volunteers in creating the spirit of the Olympics. This was typified by torchbearers carrying the flame through their communities and by the Games Makers who gave their time freely to help make the event a success. You could see the selflessness of the volunteers enhanced the sense of community and how much people enjoyed it.
Britain's Personal Best, funded by the Big Lottery Fund as part of a range of campaigns to keep the spirit of 2012 alive, has been set up to help each of us to rekindle last summer's memories by doing something special. We can't all break world records, but can all achieve a personal best in our lives. This could be something to help ourselves – say giving up smoking - or something to help each other by giving time or raising funds for a good cause. Britain's Personal Best aims to inspire us, as individuals, organisations and communities, to achieve our very own personal best.
The UK has a proud history of volunteering for good causes. Millions of people already volunteer each year. I believe the best way to achieve a lasting impact from the Olympic spirit is to build on this and encourage people to make a regular effort to help their community, something more permanent than one-off donations or fundraising activities.
The 2012 Olympics changed the public perception of volunteering. It made volunteering attractive, exciting, open to all, aspirational, modern and of the moment. Last week official statistics confirmed a surge in volunteering during the Olympic year. The majority of Olympic Games Makers were new to volunteering. We need to keep attracting new people to the world of voluntary work. In 2012, participation rose especially among younger people and among black and ethnic minorities. That's great news.
But a recent YouGov poll revealed that almost a third (31%) of adults were keen to play their part in an Olympic legacy but didn't know how. Are you one of these people? If so, Britain's Personal Best can help. It can connect you with others wanting to support local causes you care about.
Local charities and community groups can also benefit by taking up the invitation to register with Britain's Personal Best. This allows them to offer opportunities and ideas for people to achieve their Personal Best for a good cause in their own community. Britain's Personal Best recognises that although people give their time freely, volunteering is not a costless exercise. You need organisation to support volunteers and to match the right volunteers with the right opportunity. Local Volunteer Centres play a vital role in making the right match.
Disability campaigner Martyn Sibley has made his personal best a challenge of going from Land's End to John o'Groats in a wheelchair. But regular volunteering need not mean making major life changes. There are many ways to be part of this Olympic legacy through regular participation without taking over too much of your time:
• Contact an older person living alone - regular joggers are encouraged to pop in on isolated neighbours as part of their run
• Mates and dates events where volunteers run social and dating events for people with learning disabilities
• If you have special skills (in say IT, electronics, plumbing or finance) offer to share them with a charity
• Puppy walking – either guide dogs for the blind, for elderly people or for animal rescue homes
• Sport coaching – do you know how to play tennis or rugby? There is always a need to teach a new skill to people of all ages.
• Undertake a challenge you have dreamed of, say parachuting, to raise money for a good cause.
• If time is an issue, consider a regular direct debit donation
To find out more about Britain's Personal Best click here.
Joe Irvin is chief executive of NAVCA – a strategic partner of Britain's Personal Best campaign.
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To join the voluntary sector network, click here.
© 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions
Jump With Derrick Rose
Hey Girl, I See What Your Nonprofit Is Doing
You’ve seen them all over Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, and Pinterest: grumpycats,talking babies, even Ryan Gosling. Entertaining memes have exploded across the Internet. But have you also noticed an uptick in charitable memes, memes that are doing good? Many nonprofits are capitalizing on the popularity of memes to gain visibility and connect with new supporters.
Nonprofits aren’t always great at piggybacking on the work of others, but that’s the key for a meme to take off. Senior Strategist Avi Kaplan of RAD Campaign has compiled some tip-top examples of nonprofit memes that worked because they borrowed a cultural phenomena, as did tech writer Zachary Sniderman.
One of the best examples of nonprofit meme-jacking came from a 132-year-old organization, the American Red Cross. Capitalizing on Charlie Sheen’s 2011 outburst and proclamation to have drank tiger’s blood, the American Red Cross tweeted:
We may not collect #tigerblood, but we know our donors & volunteers have fierce passion for doing good! #RedCrossMonth
— American Red Cross (@RedCross)By tapping into the #tigerblood hashtag, Zachary reported that tons of media outlets picked up on the story, resulting in a modest increase in blood donations.
So what’s in it for you? Why should you consider making a meme?
1. Sure, memes can be just plain silly and fun, and but they can also humanize your nonprofit’s public image. Who doesn’t love an organization that embraces its humanity and sense of humor?
2. Memes can create connections and start conversations because of their two-prong premise: A meme is based on an aspect of popular culture and spread from person to person.
3. Memes give supporters an easy way to publicize and promote your cause. Once you create a meme, fans can quickly share it over email, social media, and their own websites.
Want to create your own nonprofit meme to help build buzz for your cause? Check out our tips on using memes to spread your nonprofit’s message.
(Image credit: National Wildlife Federation, Source: Avi Kaplan)
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