Scones, Sparkle and Sharing at DC’s First Social Media Breakfast
I attended my first Social Media Club (DC) event yesterday – a “social media breakfast,” which was founded by Bryan Person (read more here) – and the inaugural event of its kind in DC.
Wow – what a great time. First of all, it was sold out (well, it was free, but if you wanted to share in the extremely tasty, hot breakfast, you had to shell out $10, which I think is a deal). Teaism‘s cup was running over, if you’ll pardon the expression, of social media maniacs. And we’re a hungry bunch, in more ways than one, so we were eager listeners when Andi Narvaez, who was running the show, kicked things off.
Speakers Geoff Livingston, Shashi Bellamkonda and Alex Howard were fabulous, as was the organization by Andi and her cohort, Rachel Rule. I had a terrific time being a “head of table,” along with Mike Schaffer – and we were even at the same table, which was great. Among others, I got to meet James Walker, Lorna Webster (all the way from Fredericksburg, Va.), Ashley Settle and catch up with Kim Oser (we were all at the same table).
Though I’d meant to post this much earlier, in a way I’m glad I didn’t get a chance to do so, because I’ve found some terrific recaps of the event, such as in Shashi’s Examiner column and Alex Priest’s excellent writeup.
Filed under Events, Shonali Burke, Social Media | Tags: #smbdc, #smcdc, alex howard, alex priest, andi narvaez, ashley settle, bryan person, geoff livingston, james walker, kim oser, lorna webster, mashable, mike schaffer, mobile, prezi, rachel rule, shashi bellamkonda, social media examiner, teaism, trends | Comments (10)Haiti: Aftershocks of a Different Kind
You should read this terrific post that Geoff Livingston has written for Mashable on social media lessons from the Haitian earthquake. There’s a ton of food for thought there.
But I’m following the Wyclef Jean/Yéle Haiti story closely and today saw this report in Gawker.
While I’m not jumping to conclusions (I’ll leave that to the appropriate authorities), I do think there are enough valid questions to make me think that non-profits should be extremely concerned about the long-term impact on fundraising.
Which, let’s face it, determines whether they get to carry out their mission effectively or not.
Filed under Philanthropy, Shonali Burke, Social Media | Tags: charity, fundraising, gawker, geoff livingston, haiti, mashable, nonprofits, Social Media, wyclef jean, yele haiti | Comments (6)Go Social, Give Wisely
The way philanthropic organizations have been mobilizing social media in recent years to raise funds isn’t really “shiny new stuff” any more. Still, the recent waves of donations after the earthquake have been coming at lightning speed.
In light of that, I’ve been intrigued by The Smoking Gun’s scrutiny of Wyclef Jean’s charity, Yéle Haiti (also reported on in today’s Washington Post). Having run communications for the ASPCA during some critical events in the animal welfare arena, I know how generous people can be with their money when tragedy strikes, even when they don’t have a lot to give. I also know how important it is that that money reaches the right hands.
I honestly don’t know what the deal is with Mr. Jean’s charity and am not going to play a guessing game. If you’ve been following the story, you can view his video response on YouTube, which Mashable picked up pretty quickly (h/t Lindsay Allen for finding it for me). I do think he is to be commended for springing into action so quickly after the earthquake hit and being a very public face for the poorest nation in the Americas.
What I will say is that regardless of who you’re going to give your money to, you should do your research and give where you trust that your donation will be wisely used.
Charity Navigator is a good place to start, and usually my first stop when I’m researching a non-profit organization (you can read their take on Yéle Haiti and why they don’t currently rate it here).
Filed under Philanthropy, Shonali Burke, Social Media | Tags: 12for12k, charity, charity navigator, guidestar, lindsay allen, mashable, Philanthropy, red cross, Social Media, wendy harman, wyclef jean, yele haiti | Comments (7)
