Charity and social media

What are the links between charity and social media?

If ever we needed convincing that social media can change the world when it comes to charity endeavour, the story of Stephen Sutton did just that. Describing himself as an average teenager, he shared his bucket list on Facebook and started raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. It is so inspirational when people facing adversity stay positive and dig deep to help others. People sit up and take notice including those in the public eye. You can still donate and be part of this amazing story. On the day of Stephen’s funeral, thousands of people joined in a thunderclap to show their respect for this remarkable man who has already raised over £4 million for charity. How fitting that he should be awarded the MBE.

I joined Twitter not long after it started as an isolated stay at home mum looking to engage with anyone to prove I still existed. My previous career was in charity work. I knew how cash-strapped charities can be and how they struggle to get their message across. I remember questioning why they were not harnessing the promotional power of Twitter. Times have changed and quickly. Charities of all sizes are tweeting and blogging. Jobs are coming up in charities for people who are social media savvy.

Stephen Sutton was a one-off but here are some other people who know how to make a noise about good causes on social media.

Let’s start with Emma from Crazy with Twins who has faced so much as a young mum and would like people to get behind #EmmasArmy. They have completed an amazing challenge and welcome donations however big or small.

Rosey suffers from post-natal depression and had a weekly Twitter chat in which she brings people together to discuss the debilitating condition. She is celebrating a very special anniversary.

The lovely Penny highlighted 8 things she learned at the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence and asked us all to shout out that it is #timetoact and to get behind ActionAid’s #SheCan appeal.

The wonderful Kimberley suffered from extreme pregnancy sickness and is now helping others and promoting education about the condition.

The next post is not specifically a charity post as such but it does show how important it is to have sometimes we do amazing things when we have fantastic people behind us. We all know Jennie does huge amounts of work for charity after the loss of Matilda Mae and I am sure you will be moved by her tribute to her husband.

Of course, traditional media counts too when it comes to charity work. Jodie share the newspaper coverage of her recent buggy push to support Bliss.

Hayley from DownsSideUp inspires me for telling her truth and helping so many people affected by Downs Syndrome. Her daughter Natty has changed the world and now he sister Mia is following in their footsteps with a book about her experience as a sibling of someone with special needs. I Love You Natty is available from Amazon at £5.99 + P&P ISBN 978-0-9929251-0-9

Both my parents were nursed by Marie Curie nurses in their final weeks so I like Claire would encourage everyone to get involved in a Blooming Great Tea Party to help them support more terminally ill people and their families.

Stephen Sutton described himself as an average teenager. You might describe yourself as an average blogger. Every individual has the potential to make a difference and to campaign for great causes? Will you?

Be inspired by the above posts to …

1. Make a donation

2. Take on a fundraising challenge

3. Reach out to others that you share an experience with

4. Blog about ending sexual violence

5. Post about the support network that helps you move mountains

6. Write a book

7. Hold a tea party

8. Do something amazing that only you can think of.

If you do any of the above, we would love to hear all about it.

About Kate Davis-Holmes

Kate Davis-Holmes is a writer and blogger. She is married with 3 children. After obtaining a law degree from Cambridge University, Kate spent 20 years working in local and national organisations. She has experience of project management. media relations, events organisation, advice-giving and the facilitation of learning groups. Kate’s interests include bargain-hunting, reading, travelling and cookery. She has a passion for helping good causes and seeing women get a fairer deal in society.

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