Collective Heart

DoGooder TV plans for individual participation

I emailed Michael Hoffman, the founder of DoGooder TV, to ask about individual participation on the site. Here is his response:

"Thanks for the inquiry. We will have individuals! We are in the process of building a system that is part MySpace and part YouTube for nonprofits. We will have organizations' videos, but also allow individuals to upload video responses, videos of their volunteer activities, videos on issues, etc... We should have the way for nonprofits to sign up, create their pages and upload video in about 1 month. The other functionality is taking a little longer to develop. What you see online is really just a taste..."

This is great news! And thank you Michael for responding.

DoGooder TV: A Video Hub for Nonprofits

I came upon DoGooder TV back in early September, and have watched it slowly grow. The idea is wonderful, here is a description in their own words:

"DoGooderTV enables nonprofit organizations to present new videos and existing media assets to new audiences. Once site visitors see the compelling stories of nonprofits, DoGooderTV gives them a direct way to donate to the organization, join, volunteer or simply find out more information."

So far there are about 15 videos posted on a wide range of topics, all worth watching. I do wish there was functionality on the site to allow for easy sharing. And it would also be great if it were open to individuals, not just nonprofits. But overall, a really fantastic site that I hope continues to grow.

Free Hugs Korea

The Free Hugs Campaign has officially spread in a big way. Korea's own version launched on YouTube yesterday and already has over 60,000 views, placing it in the Top 10 videos viewed today. It's interesting to see what the YouTube community gravitates toward. I love the idea of free hugs. We all have to start somewhere, and maybe that's what this world really needs right now.

But then I question: why doesn't a video like this one become more viral and inspire YouTubers? Is it because the Free Hugs Campaign is user-generated, and the later is brought to you by the Ad Council? If that is the case, then I think advertising agencies should put the same viral effort into their charity cases that they do into their client work. Or, perhaps the Ad Council needs to rethink how they are reaching their audience and change their media buys...

WFP FIGHT HUNGER VIRAL VIDEO CONTEST

 

The United Nations Food Program and partners just launched a video contest in the hopes to virally spread the message to "end child hunger by 2015."  What is interesting about this campaign is that it is not tapping into the YouTube community,  but rather using new video community platforms like Blip.tv and Ourmedia.org.  What's wonderful about this approach is that it taps into the vlog-centric community,  allowing posters to more easily post and be viral from their own sites through RSS,  rather than always driving back to YouTube. I applaud this method,  and it will be interesting to see the results.

But more importantly,  please visit their site to find out more details and participate (deadline is December 15th). I know I plan to!

Don't Forget to Stand up against poverty this weekend

Stand Against Poverty recently reached out to the YouTube community to help promote this fabulous campaign. In addition, their site offers different ways to participate and join the cause--from posting a blog, to starting a forum, to simply just adding a button to your website--it's easy to show your support.

Visit their site today to find out more and what events are happening in your town. And at some point over the weekend, Stand Against Poverty.

I wish there were more posts on YouTube like this!

I was really touched by this.

Givemeaning.com offers services to US residents

This past month, Givemeaning.com announced the expansion of their services (tax breaks) to include all US residents. Read the full press release from CSRwire here.

This Canadian based charitable foundation, whose slogan is "The Power of Plenty," offers a wonderful platform and array of tools to make your charitable causes a success. Offerings are open to individuals and corporations alike--anyone can propose a project and create a community. Best of all, 100% of the funds raised go to the charity involved!

If you haven't been to this site, check it out today. Browse the causes, dig through the communities, find something that interests you--or propose something new that is in need of funding!

(oh, and check out the CEO's blog.)

Free Hugs Campaign

Jen over at Ebb & Flow reminded me of this fabulous campaign that debuted on YouTube last month. I checked back on its status today-- almost 2million people have viewed it on YouTube alone. In addition, response videos have also received nearly 100,000 views! This is a wonderful example how a viral video can impact a community in a positive way.

Witness pilots a human rights video hub

Witness-- who's slogan is "See it. Film it. Change it"-- recently partnered with Global Voices to pilot a user-generated participatory Video Hub. YouTube and other video portals at the moment have very few videos that get traction in the non-profit/charity/NGO sector. In fact, they don't even have a defined category for people to upload to yet (hint, hint). Witness's latest endeavor will hopefully create a new rich environment for activists, providing "new opportunities to feed the populist shift toward user-generated content with media in the service of global human rights advocacy."

A full released is planned for the summer of 2007. I look forward to the progression. Check out the pilot.

Have Money Will Vlog promotes colombia migration project

Have Money Will Vlog has a wonderful new project they are promoting-- The Maria Gomez-Colombia Migration Project.

Here is a quote from their website around what they look for in projects:

"We usually stray away from commercial projects (but not necessarily); we often smile at people that just want a new HD camera (but we never count it out); we like projects where the creator is sacrificing something to make the project happen (but it isn’t a requirement); we like promoting creators who already have a small network who can donate (but we love unknowns as well); we like projects that attempt to change how we see the world (no exceptions here)."

Maria Gomez, the current vlogger they are promoting, is looking for financial backing to help make the 4 month trip through Colombia. Currently, the site has raised $1423, a little over half of the targeted funds needed. Please take a moment and go to this site, watch Maria's video, and donate to this worthy cause.