AKA Activist: For the little activist in everyone

Embrace Life: A wonderful PSA

A simple idea with lots of impact.

Clever Greenpeace spot: Unfriend Coal

A little harsh in calling Mark Zuckerberg a nerd. Also fails to tell the viewer what Facebook's alternative is – yes, green energy, but how e.g. buying offsets? Nonetheless, a clever video that I hope gets people talking.

Social Media and the rise of the Citizen Philanthropist

In case you missed this article, "Why We’re In the Age of the Citizen Philanthropist" is a nice piece that discusses social media and the rise of the "citizen philanthropist". Of particular interest (at least to me) is the question of how to cultivate "slacktivists" into long-term, engaged philanthropists.

How Non-Profits Should Approach Mobile Apps

Thinking of developing a mobile strategy for your cause or organization? Take a look at this Mashable article.

A little iPhone-centric but the work being done via CauseWorld and the Extraordinaires apps is compelling.

TakingITGlobal needs volunteer interns

I really like this organization. If you're in the Toronto-area, and are looking for a rewarding experience, give TakingITGlobal a call.

TakingITGlobal is looking for volunteer interns to work in our Toronto office for the summer! Have a look at the opportunities below - and please forward on to any friends or colleagues you think might be interested.
TakingITGlobal's mission is to provide opportunities for learning, capacity building, cross-cultural awareness, and self-development through the use of Information and Communication Technologies. As a registered charity in Canada and the US, our key strategic initiatives include:

- providing a virtual space (www.tigweb.org) for cross-cultural expression, dialogue, networking and collaboration among youth
- supporting youth action and understanding around global issues
- developing meaningful, interactive, global education experiences
- facilitating the development of local initiatives, multilingualism and skills training

]]> We're looking for volunteer interns to fill the following positions:

1) Sprout e-course Program Assistant
For more details: http://opps.tigweb.org/8485

2) Sprout e-course Communications Assistant
For more details: http://opps.tigweb.org/8487

3) Marketing and Communications Coordinator
For more details: http://opps.tigweb.org/8497

4) Donor Development Coordinator
For more details: http://opps.tigweb.org/8475

5) Web Developer
For more details: http://opps.tigweb.org/8477

6) Graphic Designer
For more details: http://opps.tigweb.org/8481

7) Online Community Animator
For more details: http://opps.tigweb.org/8495

8) Online Volunteering Research Analyst
For more details: http://opps.tigweb.org/8489

9) Multilingual Community Research Analyst
For more details: http://opps.tigweb.org/8479

10) Youth Task Force Project Assistant
For more details: http://opps.tigweb.org/8483

11) Special Events Coordinator
For more details: http://opps.tigweb.org/8505

12) Adobe Youth Voices Project Assistant
For more details: http://opps.tigweb.org/8493

13) TIGed Resource Development Coordinator
For more details: http://opps.tigweb.org/8491

14) TIGed Marketing and Promotions Coordinator
For more details: http://opps.tigweb.org/8499

The application deadline is Friday, May 14, 2010

Please submit a resume and cover letter to:

ATTN: Sulmaz Ghoraishi, Human Resources and Office Manager
Email: jobs@takingitglobal.org (include the title of the position in the subject of the e-mail)
Mail: 19 Duncan Street, Suite 505, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 3H1, Canada
Fax: 416-352-1898
For Inquiries: 416-977-9363 ext. 317

Why should you volunteer for us?

- Your work will have an impact! TakingITGlobal's programs reached over 4.5 million users last year, empowering young people in over 200 countries to express themselves, develop understanding, and take action to address social issues in their communities and around the world!

- The staff at TakingITGlobal encompass a broad range of skills including web development, design, marketing, evaluation and surveys, fundraising, writing, editing and strategy. The organization provides a great platform to improve and learn new skills due to the variety of projects and the opportunity to learn from others;

- TakingITGlobal has a strong international reputation within the NGO, non-profit and charity sectors. Experience at TakingITGlobal will be respected by future employers and TakingITGlobal's collaborative nature means volunteers may grow a solid professional network and gain experience vital for future job opportunities;

- TakingITGlobal is a vibrant and positive work environment! As part of a youth-led, youth-focused organization you will be working amongst peers in a collaborative structure. Although headquartered in Toronto, TakingITGlobal is an international organization and you will have the opportunity to work with colleagues from all parts of the world!

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about these positions! Thanks for sharing these opportunities with others!

In friendship,

The TakingITGlobal Team
http://www.tigweb.org

Follow AKA Activist on Twitter

Sadly, I haven't made many posts as of late. Not that I don't have a lot to report or say, just ridiculously busy on other projects. I guess that's what you get for running your own company. ;)

That said, I have started making posts on Twitter. If the desire should strike you, please do follow.

http://www.twitter.com/aka_activist

Cause Marketing and Our Diminishing Attention Span

The other day I was riding the subway when I spotted an ad for the anti-poverty non-profit, Windfall. Their tagline, "Wear white for Windfall". The ad showcased a number of celebrities wearing white (white t-shirts, white belts, etc.). Flash forward to some research I was doing when I happened upon CARE Canada. CARE has a campaign, "Show Your String" in support of International Women's Day. They utilize Flickr and ask supporters to upload images of themselves with a string around their finger. Hmmm.

Has it come to this? Has the public's attention span become so short that we can only engage with issues as powerful as poverty, human rights abuse, and disease if they are distilled to simple colours and friendship bracelets? Organization such as Windfall and CARE deserve better. These causes deserve better. Cause marketing efforts should challenge the public. Yes, these are complex issues – and yes, it is difficult to be heard above the marketing fray – but the public can handle it. Now, I understand that budgets don't always afford grand campaigns but co-opting colours and pseudo-jewellery is just plain lazy. I don't have the statistics to back this up, but I'm willing to bet that the effectiveness of this approach is questionable at best.

I truly believe we need to rethink this cause marketing trend. We need to focus on the quality of engagement versus the quantity. Issues like poverty or breast cancer won't be solved overnight; it's going to take a long and concerted effort. Approaches like using colours or bracelets to represent causes might stick in consumers' minds in the short-term, but they are hardly solutions for any long-term, meaningful conversations about an organization's cause.

There are many talented (and not so talented) people in marketing and communications. Surely, we can create effective campaigns without breaking the bank. Non-profits and NGO's must challenge us to do so. More importantly, we creatives must demand this of ourselves. The world's disadvantaged and suffering are counting on us.

Update: Apple vs Adobe's Flash

Earlier, I posted a story about a small movement forming in response to Apple's iPad not supporting the Adobe Flash player (see iwantflash.com below). It looks like consumers and developers have continued to voice their disapproval through a new site: http://www.ilocked.me/

I wonder if this movement has any legs?

Portraits of Consumption

As a designer, I love visual representations of data and information. Chris Jordan's Portraits of Consumption: Visualizing the Statistics of Waste in America uses art to remind us of the ugly side of our consumption behaviour. Can you guess how many pieces of plastic are in this image?

Watch the slideshow and find out here.

#freevenezuela

For those unfamiliar with Twitter, the title above has been treated with something called a 'hashtag'. Hashtags are used to help those in the Twitter community tag tweets – 140 character messages. It also helps applications track conversations in the Twittersphere. That said, the social media site Mashable reports that #freevenezuela was one of the largest trending topics on Twitter this week. Apparently, all of this twittering is in reaction to reports that Venezuelan President, Hugo Chávez, is cracking down on freedom of speech and threatening journalists.

I admit, I haven't fully looked into these claims, but one thing is clear – Twitter is slowly becoming a tool for activism globally.

You can read the article here.

Update: Apparently, Boing Boing dropped the story first. Read it here.

Idealist.org needs your help!

Although I never used their service, I was nonetheless inspired by their work. Unfortunately, the financial crisis is about to claim another victim if we don't help out.

If you've never heard of Idealist.org, here's a quote from their site:

Idealist is a project of Action Without Borders, a nonprofit organization founded in 1995 with offices in the United States and Argentina. Idealist is an interactive site where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives.

Regarding their financial situation:

You know how sometimes in life you go through a bad moment, and when your friends hear about it later, they say, "Why didn't you say something? Why didn't you ask?"
That's where Idealist is now, and that's why we are asking for your help.

Very briefly, here's what happened. Over the past ten years, most of our funding has come from the small fees we charge organizations for posting their jobs on Idealist. By September 2008, after years of steady growth, these little drops were covering 70% of our budget.

Then, in October of that year, the financial crisis exploded, many organizations understandably froze their hiring, and from one week to the next our earned income was cut almost in half, leaving us with a hole of more than $100,000 each month.

That was 16 months ago, and since then we've survived on faith and fumes, by cutting expenses, and by getting a few large gifts from new and old friends. But now we are about to hit a wall, and that's why we decided to ask.

If over the past 15 years Idealist has helped you or a friend find a job, an internship or a volunteer opportunity; connect with a person, an idea or a resource; or just feel inspired for a moment, now we need your help. Thank you!

Please visit idealist.org for more details.

Heads Up: Pepsi Funding Socially Positive Ideas

Have an idea you think will make positive social change? Need some start-up capital to get it going? Check out the Pepsi Refresh Project. Unfortunately, these grants are only open to US citizens. :(

Consumer activism: iwantflash.com

The beginnings of a consumer activist movement? Or maybe this is a developer activist movement? Either way, I'm amazed at how quickly this site and petition launched. Only 444 signatures so far but it will be interesting to follow this story as the launch of the iPad approaches.

Visit iWantFlash.com for more details.

Heads Up: Marketplace – Road to Rich Dad

My first post of the new year.

I just listened to an interesting piece on CBC's The Current about the apparent sham that is Robert Kiyosaki's real estate seminar. Apparently, unsuspecting attendees are pressured and bullied into buying more expensive courses in excess of $45K!

Make sure to check out the full report tonight on CBC's Marketplace. Here's a link to the teaser video.

Technology and Charities

Here's a nice article on the impact web technologies are having on small non-profits. Of particular interest is the How To Raise Money On The Web list toward the bottom.

Note: Guluwalk sounds fascinating. I'll try and write something about this small non-profit in a future post.