These 21 tips are based on learnings from two crowdfunding campaigns to fund my trip to present the Emergency 2.0 Wiki at the 5th International Disaster and Risk Conference (#IDRC2014) in Davos, Switzerland.
https://storify.com/bbsm/crowdfunding-report
It was a thrill and honour to present the Emergency 2.0 Wiki, a nonprofit I founded and lead on a voluntary basis, on the world stage at the 5th International Disaster and Risk Conference (#IDRC2014) in Davos, Switzerland on 27 August.
I was excited to have the opportunity to showcase the Emergency 2.0 Wiki, share our message on how countries can build disaster resilience through a whole of community approach to using social media, and also influence future world policy.
At #IDRC2014 opening ceremony. Inspired to be in the company of the world's best minds coming together to build disaster resilience.
— Emergency 2.0 Wiki (@emergency20wiki) August 24, 2014
#IDRC2014
, held 24-28 August, was organised by the Global Risk Forum in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and is the largest world gathering of key players in this field. Over 700 participants from more than 80 countries attended the conference including from the United Nations and international organisations; from NGOS, the private sector, science and the media.
It was an opportunity to share how the Emergency 2.0 Wiki’s work had supported the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action, and to influence future world policy, making recommendations for the Post 2015 Disaster Risk Reduction Framework to be ratified at the UN World Conference WCDRR in Sendai Japan in 2015. I did this via a presentation, an extended abstract, a personal statement and a video Red Chair Statement.
Our work & recommendations for Post 2015 Disaster Risk Reduction Framework #IDRC2014 #smem pic.twitter.com/txsyTEfAG3
— Emergency 2.0 Wiki (@emergency20wiki) August 28, 2014
To view the Emergency 2.0 Wiki submission documents, please visit the wiki policy submission page.
The presentationThe presentation topic was “The importance of a whole of community approach to using social media for disaster resilience and how the Emergency 2.0 Wiki can help.”
We believe that social media can play a transformative role in making disaster resilience a social norm. Social media offers the potential to help create a level of resilience that ensures communities don’t just ‘bounce back’ after a disaster, but ‘bounce forward’, becoming stronger with increased social networks, social cohesion and social capital.
This requires a ‘whole of community approach’ in which the community becomes partners in using social media for disaster resilience. I explained how along with emergency response agencies, all sectors of the community: local government, schools, hospitals, ngos, community groups, faith based groups, service clubs, business and citizens; have a role to play in disaster resilience, showcasing examples from around the world.
http://www.slideshare.net/emergency20wiki/idrc14-pppeileen-culleton-final
I would like to thank everyone who made this presentation possible by helping to fund my travel to Davos, Switzerland. I would like to thank Emergency Management Australia, of the Attorney General’s Department, for providing a sponsorship for the Emergency 2.0 Wiki.
I also thank key crowdfunding supporters: Emergency AUS, Paula Bernett-McInnes, Philippe Borremans, Joanna L Lane, Kerry McGoldrick, Tracie McNamara-Jones, Margaret Scott & Associates, Reputelligence, Streaka, Craig Thomler, Tchem Ryland and Gay Turner.
I would also like to thank the many who gave anonymously, and all who shared the project with their social networks.
Cheers,
Eileen
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I’m thrilled to share that I am flying tomorrow to present the Emergency 2.0 Wiki on the world stage at the 5th International Disaster and Risk Conference (#IDRC2014) in Davos Switzerland.
This conference is organised by the Global Risk Forum in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and is the largest world gathering of key players in this field.
Importantly, it is a powerful opportunity to influence world policy. As a speaker I will be making recommendations for the Post 2015 Disaster Risk Reduction Framework to be ratified at the UN World Conference WCDRR in Sendai Japan in 2015.
I will be speaking on “The importance of a whole of community approach to using social media for disaster resilience and how the Emergency 2.0 Wiki can help.”
This news is particularly thrilling because I’m flying despite my crowdfunding appeal not reaching its target on Monday.
What made it possible was a combination of a sponsorship from 
Emergency Management Australia, part of the Australian Attorney General’s Department, combined with the amazing phenomenon of people honoring their crowdfunding pledges anyway and making donations directly towards my trip (often increasing their gift) … all in time for me to fly tomorrow!
Eileen Culleton, Founder & CEO (voluntary) Emergency 2.0 Wiki at Social Media in Times of Crisis Forum
I’m excited to have this opportunity to showcase the Emergency 2.0 Wiki on the world stage and share our message on how countries can build disaster resilience through a whole of community approach to using social media.
I also look forward to making strategic contacts to form alliances with international bodies.
You can join the conversation on the conference via the hashtag #IDRC2014.
Pozible campaign 2
I plan to honour the rewards that I offered via the crowdfunding campaign (social media recognition and tip guides).
I also plan to write a post to share the lessons learned from my crowdfunding experiences: from my first campaign to raise funds for the conference registration fee to secure my place… which was successful and this campaign to raise funds to enable me to travel there… which was not.
My sincerest thanks and gratitude to all who made this possible. Together, we will make our world safer…
Cheers,
Eileen
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I believe in the power of the crowd to change the world.
It’s how the Emergency 2.0 Wiki, a free global online resource and knowledge-sharing platform for helping communities use social media in disasters, came into being. This world first initiative would not have been possible without social media and an online global crowd of volunteers.
Leading the Emergency 2.0 Wiki as founder and CEO in a voluntary capacity, is the other hat that I wear, along with operating Byron Bay Social Media.
Now I am turning to the crowd to support my Pozible crowdfunding appeal to help me travel to Switzerland to present for the Emergency 2.0 Wiki at the 5th International Disaster and Risk Conference (#IDRC2014) 24-28 August in Davos.
#IDRC2014 is organised by the Global Risk Forum in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and is the largest world gathering of key players in this field.
Importantly, it is also an opportunity to shape world policy. As a speaker I will be making recommendations for the Post 2015 Disaster Risk Framework to be ratified at the UN World Conference WCDRR in Sendai, Japan in 2015.
About the Emergency 2.0 Wiki
The Emergency 2.0 Wiki is a free online global resource and knowledge sharing hub for using social media and new technologies in emergencies.
Emergency 2.0 Wiki Tweetmap
The wiki serves a global hub for emergency response agencies, government, NGOs, schools, hospitals, community groups, faith based groups, business, media and citizens to use social media to better prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies.
The wiki provides tips, guides, apps, mapping tools, videos and an international directory of emergency services on social media. It has tips for citizens to help themselves and help others, an accessibility toolkit for people with disabilities and guidelines for emergency services, government, community groups and NGOs, schools, hospitals and business.
The Emergency 2.0 Wiki facilitates collaboration, knowledge sharing and crowdsourcing across the industry sectors to provide users around the world with the latest information, best practices and resources. The Emergency 2.0 Wiki is a nonprofit run entirely by volunteers and is yet to officially begin fundraising (hence this crowd funding appeal) . The development of Wiki content is overseen by international volunteer reference groups of professionals with expertise in the field.
What we believe
Eileen Culleton, Social Media in Times of Crisis Forum
We believe that together we can help create a world where communities use social media to save not only their own lives in a disaster, but also the lives of others. A world where:
The Emergency 2.0 Wiki believes that social media can play a transformative role in making disaster resilience a social norm. Social media offers the potential to help create a level of resilience that ensures communities don’t just ‘bounce back’ after a disaster, but ‘bounce forward’, becoming stronger with increased social networks, social cohesion and social capital. This requires a whole of community approach to using social media for disaster resilience in which the community becomes partners in disaster resilience.
In my presentation I will be showcasing how this can be done using best practice examples from around the world and sharing how the Emergency 2.0 Wiki can help.
Queensland Floods 2011
The Catalyst for the Emergency 2.0 Wiki
The catalyst for creating wiki was the 2011 Queensland floods. Like many people, I saw the television coverage of the Toowoomba flash flood. I watched in horror as cars with people trapped in them were washed down the street, shortly before the inland tsunami swept through the Lockyer Valley, washing away houses with people clinging to roofs desperately awaiting rescue helicopters. There was tragic loss of life that day and I wondered how many lives could have been saved if people had received warnings earlier, via social media alerts to their mobile phones – not just from emergency services, but from people on the ground who witnessed the wall of water coming through. The use of social media for emergency communications was in its infancy then. We had the technology, but we didn’t have mass take-up. Today we still have a long way to go in Australia and internationally.
Cyclone Tracy, Darwin, Christmas Day 1974
My personal driver
As a childhood survivor of Cyclone Tracy which destroyed Darwin in 1974, and in which I lost my home, family photos and pets, I am passionate about helping build community resilience and I believe social media is a most powerful enabler for this.
Rewards for supporting the Pozible appeal
Supporters have the option to receive a public thank you on social media through various channels:
Also on offer is a listing as a key supporter on my PowerPoint presentation at the Conference. The PowerPoint will be posted after the Conference on the Emergency 2.0 Wiki Library and Events Page as well as the IDRC website.
For businesses there is also the opportunity to receive a Tip Guide from my consultancy Byron Bay Social Media on how to use Twitter to build your brand profile and reach new customers. Also on offer are five customised tips on how your business could use social media to build your brand while doing good.
I encourage everyone to share your support of this appeal via your social networks to help us raise awareness and reach the fundraising target. If you are a business, supporting this cause online has the added bonus of potentially helping you build brand value, develop brand advocates, increase customer loyalty and attract new customers, as research has found that people prefer brands that support causes and they like to use social media to promote causes.
Challenges
We have a very short timeframe to raise the funds (the Pozible campaign deadline is Monday 18 August). Together we can do it, and I’m thanking you in advance for your support!
Sharing learnings
I plan to share learnings from this Pozible appeal in a future blog post to help those considering crowdfunding.
Many thanks for your support.
Cheers, Eileen
P.S. Together we can make our world safer
Image credits
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Society has entered a new paradigm… the biggest shift since the internet revolution. Social media and the mobile web has changed the way government, business, nonprofits and communities interact with each other and the world around them.
What I believe is really exciting is the transformative power of social media for social good. Some key statistics:
www.givingtuesday.org
Whether you’re a government agency, business or nonprofit, these statistics mean that if you engage in social media as a ‘good social neighbour’ you will build brand value and be rewarded with brand advocacy. Also, whether your community is local, state, national or global, the same principle applies, because social media has created a global community where people want to join together to help each other.
www.emergency20wiki.org/wiki
I experienced this transformative power of social media for social good in my role as Founder and CEO (voluntary) of the Emergency 2.0 Wiki, a non-profit global online resource for using social media in emergencies. This world first initiative would not have been possible without social media and a global community of volunteers.
Galvanised by the devastating Queensland floods of 2011, Gov2qld, a voluntary community of practice of people working in the social media/government field utilised Twitter, a LinkedIn Group, a Blog, YouTube, Slideshare, Skype, Google Docs and the Wiki itself to create and build a global collaborative knowledge sharing and crowdsourcing community of organisations and professionals from business, government and the nonprofit sector. Social media has enabled people across the world to join together, share information, co-create knowledge and amplify the cause of using social media to build resilient communities.
www.thunderclap.it/whd-iwashere
The World Humanitarian Day ‘Thunderclap’, in which a billion people across the globe were reached simultaneously via a Tweet and Facebook post, is a great example of harnessing the transformative power of using social media for social good while building brand value. The whole of community: business, not for profits, governments and the public joined together to utilise their social media accounts to spread the message of taking action to do good using the Twitter hashtags #WHD2012 #IWASHERE.
Thunderclaps have proved an extremely powerful tool to create a campaign or publicly support a cause aligned with your organisation’s brand values and to leverage that support through the amplification effect of social media.
Causes.com is another powerful social media platform for business, government and not for profits to utilise for social change, brand advocacy and brand building through awareness raising, pledges, petitions and fundraising. Given that over 20% of people who take action on causes.com encourage their family and friends on Facebook to join them, this is an extremely effective tool. (Though it must be noted that only US charities can receive donations via causes.com at the present time).
www.causes.com/att
And, if you are a business, large or small, Causes.com is an excellent mechanism for creating or aligning with a cause that fits your brand values and then leveraging your involvement through amplification via Facebook, Twitter and your other social media channels. A great example of an organisation doing this well is AT&T’s ‘Connect for Good’ cause which supports numerous campaigns on Facebook, resulting in over 250,000 actions and raising over $US 400,000.
Imagine the brand value of having 250,000 positive actions undertaken by people on social media across the globe, associated with your brand?
Whether you’re utilising social media to help provide sports equipment for your local school, empower youth at risk or provide clean water to a village in Africa, you can build brand value by being a ‘good social neighbour’.
The term ‘social media as a service’ has now emerged in the government sector as agencies are realising that social media is not just for community engagement, but can be used as a tool to deliver services and empower citizens in areas such as emergency management, youth services, seniors services, services for people with a disability and for the culturally and linguistically diverse. Checkout this powerful infographic “LocalGov2.0: How Council Can Use Social Media” by the team at Symphony3.
www.symphony3.com/online-business-strategy-and-digital-marketing/localgov20_infographic_how_council_can_use_social_media
An inspirational example of this is New York City, now dubbed ‘the Social City’ which uses a variety of social media channels to support over 60 agencies in their service delivery and engagement. They also provide innovative mobile apps due to their commitment to open data and city sponsored ‘hackathons’. Checkout their Digital Roadmap.
CFA FireReady app via www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/fireready-app/
Having worked across all three sectors (government, business and nonprofit) in my marketing communications career, and now as a passionate advocate for utilising social media to build resilient communities, I have never been so optimistic about the opportunities for social good that social media and mobile technologies offers.
I’m also thrilled to share that today is the launch of +Social Good, a platform that unites a global community of innovators around a shared vision: The power of technology and new media to make the world a better place. I’ve joined and I encourage you to do the same! Checkout their YouTube video:
I established Byron Bay Social Media as a social enterprise to help government, business and nonprofits leverage the transformative power of social media for social good. I also aim to help build connected, empowered communities, because I believe that connected communities are resilient communities.
If your organisation would like assistance in utilising and leveraging social media to build your brand and create brand advocates while having a positive impact on your community, I would love to hear from you. Whether you need help with strategy, social media policy, guidelines, or training I would be interested in having a chat.
I aim, through this blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and future social media channels, to showcase inspirational examples of the transformative power of social media for social good in government, business and the not for profit sectors. If you would like to share any examples please post them here or contact me. Thank you!