From time to time, I come across odds and ends that I want to let you know about but may not warrant a full post. I prefer to combine them together rather than having lots of short one or two liner posts a la Instapundit (Indeed.). These posts shall henceforth be named… [insert drumroll/trumpets] …the Tip Jar. Here’s what we have this week:
- 64.9% of online community members who participate in social causes online say they are involved in causes that were new to them when they started participating in social networks, while 43.7 % of online community members say they engage more in social activism since they started participating in online communities. – from the USC-Annenberg Digital Future Project (via WOM Research)
- Back in September I wrote about the youth screenwriting contest sponsored by Scenarios USA. Scenarios partnered with Rap-It-Up, the award-winning public education initiative of BET and the Kaiser Family Foundation, to launch the “What’s the REAL DEAL on Growing up in the Age of HIV/AIDS?” story and scriptwriting contest. They have a winner, and the new film “Reflections,” written by high school senior Kayana Ray, is premiering on BET on February 4th at 12:00pm.
- If you are a nonprofit, why not let your supporters give you a percentage of their online purchases through Charity World Network? Nonprofits can sign up here, and if you want to support your favorite nonprofit, start your shopping online here.
- The deadline for communities to apply for the Community Meltdown Contest I wrote about has been extended to February 28th. See Carole Carson’s video for a quick overview.
- Food marketers should not pretend that fruit-flavored kids’ foods contain actual fruit, but parents and kids need to learn to be more skeptical of the pictures on the packaging as well. A new report (pdf) came out from the Prevention Institute that contained some “no duh” moments (e.g., Fruity Pebbles and Cap’n Crunch with Crunch Berries do not contain any fruit), but is also a good reminder that many people need help learning how to read and understand food labels better. (thanks to Tamar for the tip)
- There has been a lively discussion over on the Social Marketing Listserv this week about definitions of social marketing in theory and practice. If you would like to become a part of this international e-mail network of social marketers, here are instructions for how to subscribe. Send an e-mail message to listproc@listproc.georgetown.edu with “subscribe soc-mktg yourname” in the body of the message (your name goes in place of “yourname”). But be sure to keep the instructions you’ll receive so you don’t have to harass the other listserv members with numerous incorrectly sent “unsubscribe” messages if you change your mind.
- I am hosting the Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants on Monday. If you have a blog post you would like to submit for potential inclusion — particularly on the theme of social marketing for nonprofits — send it to me by Sunday at npc.carnival@yahoo.com.
- Finally, tonight begins the Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shvat, the New Year of the Trees. So eat some fresh or dried fruits and nuts, plant a tree (or let someone else do it for you) and think about all the wonderful things that trees do for us. Give your favorite tree a big hug.
Photo Credit: Paul Schreiber
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. 
tip jar huh? I’ll give you a tip — you are making the world a better place! Thanks Nedra I look forward to earning many tips!
Thanks, Michael! And keep your great tips coming too.