In my last post, I mentioned that we (Me, Rob Wu of CauseVox, Esteban Contreras of Samsung and Chris Noble of Cause Media Group)  were presenting a case study on SXSW4Japan at Blog World Expo last week.  We were flattered to be asked to present what we learned in the course of our activities there, and were delighted to see Blog World Expo start its own charitable effort to raise funds for the Red Cross to support Tornado Victims after the tragedy in Joplin and the southern US States.

At the end of our panel, we provided "10 Tips For Awesome, Grassroots, Online & Offline Social Mobilization" which can apply to any social effort or movement - and especially for cause mobilization.  For your convenience, I thought I'd provide those tips here.  If you have thoughts, leavea comment!

1. Move Quickly. Speed is critical as situations build momentum and people look for a way to offer support – especially when it comes to disaster relief. The quicker you offer an immediate outlet where people can help -- the more successful you are likely to be in drawing attention, engagement and participation. Start by developing a reasonable, clear goal (ours was $10k for Japan) and make sure your goal, charity and scope is clear to everyone.  Rather than starting from scratch, find turnkey ways to build out a donation site.  For example, anyone can use a platform like Rob's CauseVox platform to set up a customized fundraising effort in minutes -- and transition all online donations to a charity of choice. The site even allows people to start fundraising pages under your main page to rally their own circles of influence. Set it up, make the communication on the page crystal clear, and get people talking about it.

2. Stick to the Cause. Everyone involved should be about the cause and little else. The people willing to lend themselves, or their brands, to promote and further your cause should be your target audience – not people willing to lend their brand to promote their own cause. Learn to quickly distinguish motives.  There are some complexities with say, negotiating corporate sponsorships that cannot be avoided - like processing transactions, agreeing on communication points, etc.  Beyond this, however, we found that, in general, there seemed to be a connection between the time people wanted to spend  “negotiating terms” and the level of self interest they presented to us. Kindly encourage parties with their own goals, motives or selfish-interests to start their own project if you sense there's not a match.

3. Keep it simple.  Ideas that require jumping through hoops, a ton of discussion, complicated production, distribution or crazy acrobatics may waste time and/or money that should go to your cause. For example: We had some ideas for things we wanted to do on our fundraising page that equated to customization that would have taken up too much valuable time, so we scrapped the ideas, settling for “good enough.” We also discussed having t-shirts made. However, when we considered production the complexities of ordering, cost, sizes, distribution and the rest ---> it became a non-starter for our particular cause. Our focus was to raise as much money as we could for Japan. T-shirts were a nice idea, but it would have taken us away from our vision and redirected funds that should go to help people. We decided to invest our time in a manner that drove more momentum for the charity, and that served us very well, in the end.

4. Empower People. When people came to us to ask what they can do to help, we answered with a question: "What do you do BEST?” We did our best to find a way to focus peoples’ energy in a way that best leveraged their natural talent or skill. On our team, it fell together in a somewhat divine manner. Rob was the technologist with the platform. Deb Ng is a conference organizer for Blog World, and she knew everyone in the Blogger lounge. Natalie Pethouhoff was the PR pro, with an impressive array of  business and media contacts. Hugh McLeod (of Gaping Void fame) drew us a logo.  Jessica Lin  had this incredible knack for juggling things like community management and Denice Crowell is a copy writer and music freak. Me? Well, I am a prolific multi-tasker with a gift of coordination and a few influential friends. We divided and conquered together in a pretty synergistic way and we kept our minds open when others approached us with contribution ideas. As people step into roles – make sure their mandates are clear to everyone – and let them become the go-to-resources for specific things.  Having clear roles will help prevent confusion and make sure messages being delivered are clear and consistent.

5. Partner Creatively. We worked hard to foster the practical and strategic partnerships that would fuel our success. Beyond forming a partnership with the Red Cross, we also teamed up with SXSW Leadership, and later, the City of Austin through the Mayor's Office. To their credit, they bent over backward to support our cause at every turn, and also supported our extension into the music track at SXSW. We worked with Hurricane Party and other grassroots fundraisers at the conference. From the lounge, Samsung promoted our efforts, hosted an impromptu panel on our efforts, tweeted about our cause and initiated a campaign on our behalf that drove an additional $5,000 to our effort. Joseph Jaffe auctioned off a keynote for $15,000 to Lifelock for our cause. Natalie not only paid for our printing out of her pocket, she worked magic to secure a number of corporate sponsors who donated about $500 each from the trade show floor, which drove up online donations significantly. Later in the game, the very talented Hanson brothers were introduced to us. They linked their effort to produce a 12 hour streaming online telethon with SXSW4Japan, and did an amazing job. They even produced a 40 track album with proceeds going to SXSW4Japan, which is also available on iTunes. In the end, everyone brought something unique to the table, and together accomplished much more than any of us would have done individually.

6. Embrace Your Community. We started the fundraiser because we were all, in some way, connected or touched by to the tragedy in Japan. We started it while we were in the company of thousands of friends who were champions of technology, cultural change, social media, business in the cloud, iterative development, crowd sourcing and much more. We had a chance to make those connections more meaningful and engage the community online AND offline. Through interaction and discussion, we fostered tighter connections with the people in our networks, even reaching beyond them to build new, meaningful connections. This was especially true with regard to our interactions with Japanese attendees at SXSW. Their input and appreciation for our efforts increased the immense burden we felt for the Japanese people and galvanized our determination to make a difference on their behalf. The relationships we built we will take with us long after the campaign is over.

7. Become a Story Teller. This is something we would have done better if we'd just had more time in the day. We met so many people at SXSW with compelling stories to share. We were so busy it was hard to post updates on our sites and share those stories with others. However, if we had to do it all over again, we would have shot more video (ugly or not) and posted more updates as we went along in the process. We did manage to get a few posts up and later in the game, even shot video interviews with some of the Japanese attendees we met at SXSW. We strongly recommend determining up front to share your story as it unfolds (the cause, your activities, key “happenings”) and reserve the time to do this. Share it in as many channels and formats as you can (Twitter, Hashtags, Blog Posts, Media, Video), so the word can spread more readily to other people. As you do this, people will discover your effort and get to unwrap it – one layer at a time, and experience less fatigue as an ever-fresh, real, human message is delivered.

8. Iteratively Build on Success. In any grassroots, rapid, crowd-sourced movement, you will rarely score perfection. Without question, there were weaknesses in our approach, but we didn’t make that the focus of our effort. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Aim for excellence but be okay with good enough. Quickly note what works and what doesn’t work. Accept your limitations and when something works well, improve upon it. Working with SXSW and the city of Austin to extend our effort to the music track led to our involvement in the Hanson Telethon, which rallied an array of impressive, talented artists and musicians to our cause. Go with the flow, as new opportunities present themselves attempt to keep your mind and heart open to new ideas and activities. 

9. Be Respectful. When you're engaged in something like this it's easy to get wrapped up in your own reality. You can push for donations, push for tweets, push for mentions at speeches, but you can also be too pushy. I'm sure some people got sick of us blabbing about this outreach and I know on at least one occasion, I went too far in talking about it. It’s important to realize that some people may not share your convictions or your perspective. For example, we ran into a tech editor for a large media outlet that was highly suspicious of our effort. Prepare to meet those who are apathetic, or skeptical of you or your cause. Be prepared for people who will misjudge your motives or criticize your work (while offering nothing constructive). Smile at them. Be gracious. They are usually a very tiny minority. Be open and honest and address their concerns respectfully. The best you can do is share your story, make your mission and requests (Tweet, share, donate, watch video, buy, etc.) clear. After that, respect people's right to form their own opinions and take action as they see fit.

10. Celebrate Giving. We can't say enough great stuff about the community that contributed to our effort with promotion, volunteering and by making donations. In fact, we found ourselves walking around with wide-eyed gratitude and using the words “Wow” and “Thank You” frequently. We made an earnest attempt to give everyone credit. We attempted to thank everyone (which became an impossible task) for their overwhelming support. We did our best to place everyone in the spotlight – which is why the array of blog posts and media articles highlighted different angles of the effort – and different personalities – involved in our campaign. We loved this because it celebrated the community that was involved in the charity. After all, it was all about people helping people from the very start. In the end, that’s what successful, grassroots, crowd sourced efforts are about.

We hope you find these insights helpful, as we continue to support Japan while returning to our client work, blogging, etc.  We also want to thank Blog World Expo for hosting us.

Please keep in mind that while the conference and campaign are officially over you can still make a donation on the SXSW Cares / SXSW4Japan website.  We are still waiting for one outstanding $5k corporate donation, which will put us at just under $130k in online donations alone. This doesn't include the hundreds-of-thousands that were donated via text message direct to the Red Cross or funds raised through the SXSW4Japan Benefit Album.

While we've said it before, thank you to everyone who participated - there are literally thousands of you - and we hope you will remember Japan and continue to support this country as they rebuild for the future.

In my last post, I talked about some of the work we were doing at SXSW 2011 to raise support for Japan Tsunami Relief.  Here's a rapid attempt at an update:

Here's an interview from Day 2 with Esteban Contreras that describes how it started:

I do remember spending a lot of time. Waiting. Here.

As you'll note from the footage,  Samsung's own, local SXSW team also kicked in a sizable donation to help our cause, as they watched us work feverishly together in the lounge. This was over and above the incredible pledge Samsung has made toward the devastated country of Japan. The Samsung team was awesome to us, along with their PR team from Weber Shandwick and we can't thank them enough.

On the 15th, the leadership at SXSW donating badges to award for specific donation amounts.  Just prior to making an announcement in the lounge, I met up with  Joseph Jaffe, author of the best-seller, "Flip the Funnel."  As a prior advocate for fundraising for Haiti, Joseph generously volunteered (on the spot) to auction off keynote engagements with all proceeds going to SXSWCares.  There's one remaining keynote being auctioned. The first one went for $15,000.  Thank you, Joseph.

Over the days that ensued, we were actively promoted in posts, tweets and panels by an incredible (and impossible to count) community of smart people, including Brian Solis, Guy Kawasaki, David Meerman Scott, Stephanie Agresta, Drew Olanoff, Ann Handley, Mack Collier, Valeria Maltoni, Kellye Crane, Ekaterina Walter, Shelly Kramer, Beth Harte, Geoff Livingston, Kami Watson-Huyse, David Armano, Aaron Strout,  Meghan Scibona and so many others I can hardly count. (If I forgot you, please forgive me, I'm only now catching up on things -- as well as sleep).  In short, the collaboration and teamwork have been simply amazing.

On Wednesday the 16th, the Interactive types flowed out of SXSW and it was like someone flipped a culture switch.  There was a totally different vibe at the convention center, at parties and meetings. We had been asked by the SXSW leadership to help extend our outreach to the music track.  Unfortunately, Rob had to leave for the Non-Profit Technology Conference, so continuing with a lack of sleep and facing a dizzying array of opportunities and requests, we began working remotely together. So, it was truly a blessing to see people like Matt Curtis, Kevin Connor and Denice Crowell standing up to help drive band support, announcements, additional fundraising, on-site donation at concerts

Our team continued to promote our cause on the floor and with the media.  With SXSW's help, we also set up a Red Cross/SXSW Cares booth at the large venue concerts at Auditorium Shores.  We also partnered with the Mayor's office during the Mayor's Reception to kick off SXSW Music and did promotion on the KGSR Live Broadcast from the Four Seasons.  By last Saturday (March 19th) morning, we'd raised about $83k for the Red Cross Earthquake and Tsunami Relief.





On Friday afternoon, I got an email from Hugh asking me if we could connect with Hanson Music.   Zack, Issac, Taylor (Members of the Band, Hanson!) and Rebecca were organizing a live, streaming 12 hour (!!!) music telethon that featured some of the most awesome bands and artists at SXSW.  Rob arranged to host the stream on our site, they announced at the Four Seasons and printed flyers and started the stream around noon on Saturday.  It ran until midnight.


In the middle of doing press, packing to leave and nearly missing my flight, I only caught the beginning. I got in around 10pm and caught the end. It was really impressive. Steady stream of great bands and artists - all coordinated out of a small studio in Austin. Catching the tail end, I was delighted to watch Ozomatli tear it up -- and Ben Folds' customized "how to text the Red Cross" demo and entertaining musical antics.

Check out the Flickr set by the talented Jeremy Charles here!

Working with the Hansons has been terrific and the telethon proves both (proving both their resourcefulness and their talent) and we are delighted to have partnered with them in this endeavor. It was a big success, and went far toward our goal of uniting the music community around Japan and reaching our goal of $100k in online donations for Japan.

Note: Since the broadcast, we've been talking and we're happy to announce that we'll be re-streaming this broadcast (with a host of other little surprises) very soon.  So, please stay tuned for more announcements!

So.... that's what's been happening here.  It's so bizarre, looking back.  Rob and I figured we could raise an easy $10k for the Red Cross.  We hit that goal in two days.  We just kept raising the bar, and people kept giving.  Today, we're at $105k with an additional $35k in commitments.  Incidentally, Our donation counter doesn't include the money raised via text donation to Red Cross at 90999.  Those donations are received directly by the Red Cross and are difficult to track.  However, we did hear from the Red Cross that last weekend alone (16-17th) the Red Cross attributed more than $400,000 in text donations as a result of SXSW4Japan.


Thats. Just. Awesome.

When I got home after 10 days in Austin, I was welcomed by the smells of home, the hugs and kisses from my attention deprived three year old, beautiful step daughter, my super supportive husband and our ever faithful, ball-obsessed Labrador Retriever.   As I hugged them all, it was a sobering reality to consider how many people in Japan and other devastated areas are now deprived of such a homecoming.  We have so much we can easily take even the smallest comforts for granted. My prayer is that God will prick our hearts and help us all understand.

We encourage you to give -- your time, your talents, your money.  Do it wisely - as there are some parties skimming 15% or more off the top of donations right now!  Please keep in mind that 100% of online donations go directly to the American Red Cross Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Relief fund for Japan.  As far as SXSW Cares / SXSW 4 Japan -- we're still taking donations online and will be making more announcements soon.

Again, to the team who has worked alongside me over the past 10 days, sacrificing their own time and resources, to raise funds for Japan - THANK YOU:

Rob Wu - CEO, CauseVox and Co-Curator of sxsw4japan / sxswcares
Deb Ng - Conference Director, Blog World Expo; and Social Networking Diva
Jessica Lin - Director of Strategic Planning, McCann Erickson; Community Manager
Natalie Petouhoff - Director, Strategy, Weber Shandwick and Corporate Donations Diva
Denice Crowell  - Writer, CCH TeamMate and On-Site Coordinator for Concerts
Hanson Music/ 3G Records - (Zac, Issac, Taylor & Rebecca) for a masterfully coordinated streaming 12-hour telethon, incredible talent and fortitude
SXSW - Hugh Forrest and Kevin Connor who offered unparalleled personal and professional support, advocacy, promotion, displaying zero ego in the process. It was an honor working with them.
City of Austin - Matt Curtis, Communications Director, Mover, Shaker and Masterful connector and super nice guy
Red Cross - Nina Lior, Marty McKellips, Debbie Immel and Stephanie - you were all terrific and ultra responsive. Thank you!

Thanks also to everyone who tweeted, re-tweeted, clicked, donated, volunteered, wrote blog posts and offered words of encouragement to our team in this endeavor.  Personal thanks to my family, especially my Cousin Lance Ray and his beautiful wife, Amy. They are two of my favorite people in the world and let me come in and out of their home at all hours of the night and day as their dogs barked protectively and woke them up.  If I've forgotten ANYONE please let me know.

Winded, overwhelmed, blessed and grateful.

Me (Leigh Durst) with SXSW Cares / SXSW4Japan with Co-Curator, Rob Wu - Courtesy: Austin Statesman