January, 2010

Amy Sample Ward

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Beth’s Surprise Party: A Case Study in Crowdsourced Action

Amy Sample Ward

Yesterday was a very exciting day: we threw a surprise party for Beth Kanter online! It was a bit of fun mixed with experiment, and I think it was really successful. Here are some reflections about how we used crowdsourcing techniques for a very fast-moving campaign and lessons learned that may apply to your work. Lesson #1: Design an action and invitation that’s doable and interesting – while focused on your goal.

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Return on Engagement for your Community

Amy Sample Ward

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and I’ve been watching the time zones wake up in the US and start Twittering about the various service projects and community building activities everyone is participating in. It’s been heart warming and also frustrating – I wish I could be so many places at once! I can only be in one place, though – but I can start a conversation that goes many places.

Community 179
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The other side of the figures: Causes reaches $20 Million in Donations

Amy Sample Ward

Earlier this week, an announcement on the Causes Application blog broke the news that over $20 Million has been donated since May 2007 via donors using the social networking application. There’s been quite a lot of talk in the last year about the opportunities for fundraising online, generally, as well as the best practices for organizations leveraging social media for campaigns (as well as the idea to use free tools to raise money in hard economic times).

Causes 166
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Nonprofit Marketing Report: Organizations Failing to Connect

Amy Sample Ward

Nancy Schwartz, president of Nancy Schwartz & Company and blogger at Getting Attention , has just finished analyzing data from a nonprofit marketing survey of more than 900 nonprofit leaders, revealing that they are doing a poor job connecting with their audience and community. Nancy explains: “Nonprofit marketers say their key messages are failing to connect with the people who need to hear them and that is a serious problem.

Report 145
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January #4Change Chat Topic: Campaigning

Amy Sample Ward

The January #4Change Twitter Chat will focus on the use of Twitter and other social media tools in campaigning. About the Topic. Campaigning can mean many different things and we want to keep the definition of the topic fairly open for this chat, in order to keep insights, resources and conversation in the Q/A format as open to valuable input as possible.

Campaign 145
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Join the surprise party for Beth Kanter!

Amy Sample Ward

Happy Birthday! Today we are throwing an online surprise birthday party for Beth Kanter , and you’re invited! In her birthday wish post , Beth announces that she’s trying to send 53 Cambodian children to school by raising $530. Last week, Stacy Monk and I were chatting and thought that our community could help smash that goal by raising much more funds as well as awareness for the work the Sharing Foundation does in Cambodia.

Children 143
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What’s ahead in 2010?

Amy Sample Ward

I’ve just spent a very wonderful 2.5 weeks offline with friends and family for the holidays. As much as my life is fueled by my work and connections online, it sure was wonderful to unplug and recharge. I’ve also been thinking quite a bit about what’s to come this year and wanted to stat a conversation openly here with all of you.