I’m beating my head against a wall right now, trying to find a simple solution to a rather simple problem. I need to add a donate button to the Facebook mobile app because I don’t want users to have to take the extra time to log into Paypal and do it themselves. I was thinking that it’s matter of convenience. As I was reading through the pages and pages of options, none of which had the solution I require, I came across this comment on this topic in the Facebook “Help” section.
“Would love to know why as well. The majority of the people I know do almost everything on their mobile so it makes it very inconvenient for people to donate especially since people are lazy.”
Then I wondered, is that really how I felt?
Having worked for many years with non-profit organizations, I have an experienced perspective on exactly how much time a non-profit has to capture your attention. There are a few factors that contribute to the success of any campaign.
1. The need has to capture the individual’s heart.
2. For most people, the organization has to be a tax shelter.
3. Timing is everything. The organization has to remain ever present in the mind of the contributor.
In the last 6 months, I’ve watched how social media has helped provide scholarships for kids who lost parents to devastating illness[3], to get a friend back on his feet[4], and most recently, build a memorial fund in the name of a young woman who died far too young[5]. In the last example, it took only five days for roughly 1,200 people to “Like” and 13,000 to interact with the Facebook page. It’s a tiny fraction of the world’s population, but it’s a testament to how many people can come together because they care about the same thing.
But then, I began to wonder, why is it that charities and good causes don’t all get the attention they so richly deserve? It all boils down to the ego (the psychological ego), apparently.
The “ice bucket” challenge had two important things going for it.[1][2] shock value and guilt. I could (and have) begged people to “Like” my business page. In the four years that I’ve maintained the page, I still haven’t broken 1,000. I refuse to purchase likes, a ridiculous practice as far as I’m concerned. The major thing that is lacking for me is shock. I’m selling myself as a photographer. I certainly don’t want to do anything that is going to call into question my professionalism. Most importantly, my work is not a cause that warrants “awareness” in the minds of all humans.
In the thirty days or so that the ice bucket challenge occupied the world’s attention, a huge volume of donations made it to the ALS organizations. Not all of that money will make into the hands of the patients who need it, but perhaps enough will make it to the researchers trying to develop treatments. The most notable result is that more people understand the devastation of ALS. The thing that bothered me about the challenge is that toward the end, it became more about the performance than the actual awareness.
Now, I sit at my computer and I administrate a Facebook page started in honor of a twenty six year old woman whose loss is still a medical mystery. She had been, for months, at the mercy of physicians who could not put a name on her symptoms and basically classified them as psychosomatic. There is no awareness we can bring, other than to the woman herself, and therein lies the problem.
How does one raise awareness of something that has no name?
One quick, shocking idea got the attention of the entire globe for a few weeks. God forbid one is issued a challenge that goes unfulfilled. How gauche. How inconceivable that one would have no desire to give an entertaining, icy performance, but rather, quietly continue to support causes they’ve been dedicated to for years. I wonder, now that it has been months, how many can define ALS and do any of you who froze your biscuits for a good cause have any idea what has happened to the cause since?
In a few weeks, the shock of a young life lost will have turned to a manageable sadness, even for those closest to her. In a year, support for the fund for which we are currently pushing will have faded. So, for now, without the benefit of something as shocking as the ice bucket challenge, think about what is important to you. DO something to make a difference in someone’s life (even if it’s a furry someone). That is my “ice bucket” challenge to you. There are a number of ways you can do simple, painless things to improve someone else’s life. And, oh, by the way, I don’t need video to prove it. Here are just a few:
1) Drop an old coat at a shelter. It doesn’t have to be beautiful, it just has to be clean and warm.
2) Give to a local animal shelter. Doesn’t have to be money. It can be old towels, food, toys.
3) Give supplies to your kid’s school, in case there is a child who doesn’t have any.
If any of you have ideas, and want to comment here, please, I invite you. And if you want to donate to Lindsey’s fund, you can do so through PayPal. The fund name is Carmen’s Rescue at mt0815@charter.net. (You can learn more about Carmen’s at her website http://www.carmensrescues.com).
[3] http://jasonackermanfoundation.org
[4] a personal gofundme campaign
[5] https://www.facebook.com/LindseyWinchestermemorial (you’ll have to be logged into Facebook for this link to work)
Bitches and Issues 