Katya’s post this morning about Network for Good’s new charity badge widget inspired me to create one for the nonprofit that’s nearest and dearest to my heart, the American Anti-Slavery Group. If you check out the right side of this blog, you’ll see what the badge looks like.
These charity badges allow you to upload photos and write the text, link to a video and fundraise for a nonprofit — either your own or one you care about. If you don’t have a blog or website, you can put it in your e-mail signature. It all goes through Network for Good, so you can feel confident that the donations will get to where they are supposed to go. And you can track in real time how much you have raised, so your donors get immediate feedback that they are making a difference.
The reason why I think these will be so successful is that they are personalized. It’s not just another random plea for charity, but a direct request from someone you know, who can give their specific reasons for supporting the cause. This is similar to the idea behind Buttons of Hope, which employs the slightly lower tech medium of buttons that you can wear to personalize and inspire fundraising.
The one problem I had with the widget is that it kept cutting off my text in the middle without letting me know exactly how many characters I could use, so I had to use trial and error to get it to fit.
So, here’s my more extended plug for the American Anti-Slavery Group, a group I’ve been involved with for a while. Did you know that, by conservative estimates, over 27 million children, women and men around the world are enslaved? They are essentially “owned” by another person. AASG provides direct aid to free slaves and help them reclaim their lives, conducts advocacy, and educates the public about the fact that slavery is not history. What better gift could you give someone than the gift of freedom? If you’re trying to figure out what to get for the person on your list who has everything, think about making a donation in their honor to help a person who has nothing. Give it a click and then make your own badge for your favorite nonprofit.
Technorati Tags: nonprofit, fundraising, charity badge, slavery
Nedra helps nonprofits and public agencies create positive change on health and social issues through social marketing and transmedia storytelling strategies at Weinreich Communications since founding the company in 1995. She helps organizations make a difference for the populations they serve by strategically designing programs that draw on state-of-the-art behavior change techniques, digital media approaches and the power of stories. 
Nedra, good cause. We need more people like you…my new friend.
makehope, michael
I was searching for sample fundraising letters when I found you post. I think badges are a great idea and have been reading about them lately. I can’t seem to see what yours looks like though. Take care.
Red Hot Fundraising Ideas
Red Hot – I took the badge down after a while because it had stopped generating donations. But you should be able to see other examples of badges at the Network for Good link above.