SocialButterfly

Facing Social Change at the Dinner Table

Friday, September 3rd, 2010 | Changeblogging: NP, activism, social change +, SocialButterfly | 1 Comment

My dad, Scott Rampy, is a free agent advocate, activist, and fundraiser working to end multiple sclerosis. He’s also humble. So he doesn’t say it in his post, but in one year, with two events, no budget, and a handful of volunteers, my dad spearheaded the effort to raise over $250k for the National MS Society–and that was just in his spare time. Below, read about his latest effort in working to crush MS and where he finds his inspiration. Reading the post and typing this intro, I have tears in my eyes. Our family’s fight is real. It’s personal. And it’s persistent.

By Scott Rampy:  The word “social change” for me is intimidating.  It implies that there has to be an attempt to resolve a social injustice, shortcoming or reversal of public opinion.  For me, social change can be as simple as the inspiration that sits across from you at the dinner table.  In my case that is Jo Rampy, my wife of 26 years.  From a pure grass roots perspective, social change can be motivated by inspiration to inform others in an effort to spark a movement in a small way to solve a larger problem.

This is the case with the National MS Society.  Multiple Sclerosis (aka many scars) affects nearly 400,000 people in the country and selfishly I’m focused on the one person, Jo, who deals with it everyday.  She has been diagnosed with this disease for the past 7 years.  MS attacks the myelin that surrounds our nerve endings in the brain that control our central nervous system.  The damaged myelin forms areas of “sclerosis scars” that over time, affects ones ability to talk, see, feel, walk and concentrate.

Tags: free Agent, free agent social change, fundraising, health, inspiration, Ironman, MS, multiple sclerosis, National MS Society, social change, triathlon

Can We Do It? 7 Roofs, 7 Families, 7 Days… and 7 Questions

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 | Blog Talk, Changeblogging: NP, activism, social change +, SocialButterfly | 2 Comments

Marketing and communications professionals can learn by studying, learning, training and from doing. In the next seven days, I am going to learn by doing and invite you to join me. What exactly do I mean?

In my last post, I shared news about an upcoming trip to Guatemala my mom, my grandma and I are making alongside fellow changemakers. Part of this trip is working to raise funds to provide seven roofs for seven families in seven days, a total of $1100 ($157 per roof).

7 Questions…

Over the next seven days, I also plan to answer seven questions based on things I learn during this process, insights you help me to discover, why I chose CrowdRise over other fudraising platforms, how fundraising relates to social marketing, the role of the free agent and any other items you may be curious about. I hope this seven-day adventure not only raises funds for those who need it–but also helps us grow as professionals.

So Sound Off:  What questions do you have when it comes to fundraising change?

flickr credit: Travelin’ Librarian

Tags: changemakers, communications, CrowdRise, discovering, fundraising, Guatemala, learning, Marketing, professional development, Q&A, social change

Telling the Story of Change

Monday, May 17th, 2010 | #read4change | 2 Comments

May’s #read4change topic is “Stories of Change,” looking at the concept and use of storytelling in creating change. Teaching us is young William Kamkwamba, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

On SB, we recently talked about the cost of dreams, and Kamkwamba is a true testament on not giving up on his dream despite his challenges. On May 26 at 8pm EST the @read4change Book Club is meeting via Twitter to discuss Kamkwamba’s true story as told in the book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. If you are feeling overwhelmed about how one person can make a difference, then this book is for you.

If you are interested in:

• The effect and influence of storytelling,
• Examples of strong storytelling from different organizations,
• Messaging and its relationship with storytelling,
• The role of innovation in creating change,
• The application of innovation versus invention,

…and much more, then we invite you to join us.

Ways to Get Involved

1. FOLLOW us @read4change on Twitter.
2. DISCUSS the book by joining us on Twitter the last Wednesday of the month, May 26 at 8pm EST using the #read4change hashtag.
3. VOTE on the book we should read in June. The topic is economics.

UPDATE: Stacey Monk of Epic Change will be our special guest for May’s #read4change chat. Stacey and EpicChange do an amazing job at using storytelling to share the mission of their Tanzanian partner, Mama Lucy. Most recently, Epic Change launched to ToMamaWithLove.org, using the Web to connect your story with Mama Lucy’s.

Tags: book club, Malawi, reading, social change, storytelling, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, William Kamkwamba, wind, wind energy

What Behavior Are You Selling?

Thursday, May 6th, 2010 | Education and Resources, Social Marketing | 5 Comments

In the halls of doing good, many of us are dealing with change–which means we are dealing with behaviors. Surrounding behavior is knowledge and beliefs coupled by environmental factors, assumptions and noise. To make an impact, we need to know what kind of behavior we are selling.

For experienced social marketers this might seem like a review–but we can all use a review sometimes. People leading change often “sell” one of the following:

• Accepting a new behavior (i.e. Wear a helmet when biking)
• Rejecting a potential behavior (i.e. Don’t drink and drive)
• Modify a current behavior (i.e. Wear sunscreen with an increased SPF)
• Abandon an old behavior (i.e. Quit smoking)

Some say that selling behavior versus a concrete product or service comes with increased challenges–for one, it’s harder to measure. Two, it’s hard to deliver. Three, we’re talking about deeply rooted, often value-based, behaviors and decision making. Hard? Yes, historically. But, it doesn’t mean that is has to stay true.

We can do better–for example, HHS recently launched its Community Health Data Initiative–freeing up data, making it accessible, drawing out understanding, making connections–this can help us in our efforts to achieve behavior change by working to address that measurement issue.

Challenge

Think about a current project that you or your organization is working to achieve. Can you pinpoint the type of behavior you are driving? If so, tell us about it in the comments. Perhaps we can brainstorm some ways to make it “easier.”

(Hint: Look into the approach and framework of social marketing–lots of good research and case studies!)

Flickr Credit: trawin

Reference:  P. Kotler, N. Roberto, N. Lee. Social Marketing, Improving the Quality of Life. USA: Sage Publications, 2002. Print.

Tags: behavior, behavior change, current behavior, new behavior, old behavior, potential behavior, social change, Social Marketing

The Social Round-Up

Thursday, March 25th, 2010 | The Social Round Up | 3 Comments

You all seemed to like this last time, so here we go again. I want to make sure I provide the best links for you–links that I feel deserve your time and attention. So, this won’t be every week. It may be every other week…or every month.

Onward.

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Social Change

• Stories of Change–20/20 Predictions: For Ashoka.org’s third Stories of Change eBook series, Ashoka asked its social entrepreneurs to think about what the world would look like in 2020. And to follow-up that question, Ashoka asked them what each would do in the next year to move us closer to their vision.
• A Wiki of Experts: The WeAreMedia project put together this “Expertise Map,” offering a long list of people who are passionate about doing good. If you are looking to connect with good people, this could be a good starting point.
• The Other City: This film sets out to explore DC–the other side of DC, the side with an HIV/AIDS rate equal to Africa. If you are in DC, be on the lookout as I’m thinking we should get a group together to go to the screening once its announced.

Social Marketing

• The Dragons of Behavior Change: If you read my “Awareness Fever” post, then you will want to read Craig Lefebvre’s follow-up post. In this post, Craig takes the conversation to the next level. Say, everyone around the table agrees to focus not on awareness–but on behavior outcomes, then what? Enter the land of the dragons. You are going to need to prepped with the right tools, resources and questions to ask. Craig’s post can help get you started on the right foot for the journey.
• Healthy People and Social Marketing: Mike Newton-Ward share with us the update regarding adding a social marketing objectives to Healthy People 2020 saying, “This is proving to be quite the year for social marketing! Just today I learned that social marketing is in the preliminary Healthy People 2020 Health Objectives for the nation!” This is a big step for social marketing. BIG.
• MINDSPACE: Influencing Behavior through Public Policy: This document comes out of the UK’s Cabinet Office and the Institute for Government. The fact that this type of report was even written–let alone by such two high profile organizations gives me great hope. The document aims to use behavior change theory to move policy makers to better address some of our worlds greatest problems. The document’s announcement includes the words: “Today’s policy makers are in the business of influencing behavior.” If only more people not only realized that–but were equipped with the rights tools–social marketing–to make an impact. Caveat:  I just found the resource and printed it out for myself, so I can’t yet speak to it in its entirety–but a huge thanks to Craig for his post that brought this resource to my attention.
• Journal of Social Marketing: Until now, the only social marketing journal was the Social Marketing Quarterly. In 2011, this will no longer be true as the first issue of the Journal of Social Marketing will be published. Currently, the journal is recruiting work for publication.

Social Media and Communications

• Twitter Your Own Adventure: Remember those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books? Welcome to the Twitter edition. I share this because as the use of social media becomes more sophisticated–storytelling is becoming ever more crucial. How can you be creative in how you tell a story?
• Open for Business–The Google Apps Marketplace: With over 2M businesses having used Google applications over the last three years, Google has recently announced its Google Apps Marketplace. The marketplate is a ”new online store for integrated business applications. The Google Apps Marketplace allows Google Apps customers to easily discover, deploy and manage cloud applications that integrate with Google Apps.” Already, more than 50 companies are now selling their business applications within the marketplace. This is a big development that we will be sure to watch as App stores similiar to Apple’s and Apps.gov continue to emerge and evolve.
• 10 Steps for Optimizing the Brand for Social Search: Brian Solis provides a jam-packed post full of helpful information and next steps.
• Top 10 Best Practices for Federal Government Web Sites from USA.gov: Whether you are a newbie or a veteran, this site offers something for everyone. If not this Web page, all of Webcontent.gov is a great resource and helpful guide.

What about you? What good info have you read lately? Please provide the link in the comments so we can all check it out. Also–if you’re in love with your Google Reader like me, here’s my public profile. Let’s connect.

flickr credit: Benimoto

Tags: Ashoka changemakers, behavior change, communications, influence, Journal of Social Marketing, MINDSPACE, public policy, social, social change, social entrepreneurship, Social Marketing, Social Media, social search, The Other City, WeAreMedia, Web Communications

Quote of the Week: A Call for More Marketing

Monday, March 1st, 2010 | Quote of the Week | 2 Comments

I’m going to try out something new called the “Quote of the Week.” To kick-off this new series, I’m starting with the best, Beth Kanter.

In Beth’s recent blog post, one of the questions she asks us is: “Can solving complex social problems be done by popular vote?” In explaining her stance on this question, Beth shares:

“Let me say this. If brands want to be authentic in their social media for social good effort, they need a fusion approach that balances marketing with social change. I think there is a hybrid option for crowd sourcing–and that there is a need for expertise.”

You need to fuse marketing with social change. This is exactly what social marketing does, and as I wrote last month, I also agree that authenticity will be key in growing organizations for the future. I love that the wealth of social marketing is beginning to reach beyond the world of public health and further into the realm of social change. I’m right there with you Beth–thank you!

How about you–What role do you think marketing has when it comes to social change?

Tags: authenticity, beth kanter, crowd sourcing, expertise, Marketing, Quote of the Week, social change, social media for social good, social problems

The Social Round-Up

Thursday, February 18th, 2010 | The Social Round Up | No Comments

I’ve called these round-ups by different names, but the concept is the same–share some of the recent links, resources and info I’ve been reading about social change, social marketing and social media. Now that I’ve finally switched my RSS reader from Bloglines to Google Reader, I find myself there a lot more–even more so than Twitter (gasp). Thus, let’s get on with the show.

******

Social Change

• Industry Forecast: Philanthropy and Social Investing: Blueprint 2010–The great Lucy Bernholz, through her company Blueprint Research & Design and in partnership with Stanford’s Social Innovation Review, recently released “the first ever independent annual industry analysis for philanthropy and social investing.” According to readers, the forecast is full of insights and revelations regarding the business of giving.
• What the World Needs Now–This is a bit of a softer piece, but Mitch Joel of Six Pixels Apart does a great job of inspiring by listing eight areas we should be focusing on and thinking about as we work to change our world for the better. Note: The first item he mentions is that the world needs a “mindshift” — and then points to the happenings in behavioral economics for added insight.
• 5 Ideas Worth Spreading from TED–Nathaniel Whittemore of Change.org’s Social Entrepreneurship Blog is the envy of us all as he got to attend the TED 2010 Conference. If you want to do social change, look at what some of the top thinkers of our time are doing, why they are doing it and how it may influence your own work. From this list, the one that stood out to me was the idea that we need to change our relationship with food. Another, was how Nathaniel describes the moment when Bill Gates spent 18 full minutes publicly sharing his views on climate change.

Social Marketing

• Design Thinking and Behavior Change: The term “design thinking” is everywhere–is anyone else noticing this? So, it comes to no surprise that design thinking meets behavior change thanks to social marketeer Craig Lefebvre who recently put together this helpful 17-slide presentation. Skimming through it alone will get the juices flowing about how disciplines can criss-cross, leading to effective change.
• Authenticity in Corporate Social Responsibility–I know, you’re thinking “CSR is not social marketing.” And you’re right–Social marketing is bigger. However, I include it here because I see CSR as a rising opportunity for social marketing, and Geoff touches on the reason why–authenticity. More companies want to be more intentional and take CSR from something to throw money at to a sustainable, organization-centric value that has impact. Yes, I know “it depends,” but we’ve been keeping the treasures of social marketing in the realms of “just health” for too long. Why couldn’t we take the framework of social marketing and the lessons we’ve learned and apply it to CSR? We can. If it helps, don’t call it CSR. Instead, think of it as more people wanting to do business better.

Social Media and Communications

• 5 Terms that Signify the Future of Mobile Marketing–Ogilvy PR’s Rohit Bhargava shares the five concepts that he thinks will move mobile forward in 2010.
• Buzz vs. Facebook vs. MySpace vs Twitter–Jeremiah Owyang does it again and offers a strong breakdown of these four platforms. It’s the perfect chart that you can pass along to colleagues who want quick yet extensive information on how these platforms relate.
• Can E-Readers and Tablets Save the News?–Not only does this article feature a Missouri J-School Professor (woot-woot!), but the article is deeper than the title suggests. At the heart of it, it talks about online content and digital publishing. Being an e-book reader myself and seeing the expanding number of communication platforms (hello Google Buzz), this article is worth the time to take in and meditate on the value of content and the future role of content vetting and control (via consumers, publishers or media producers).

What about you? What good info have you read lately? Please provide the link in the comments so we can all check it out. Also–if you’re in love with your Google Reader like me, here’s my public profile. Let’s connect.

flickr credit: Benimoto

Tags: authenticity, behavior, buzz, corporate social responsibility, CSR, design thinking, E-Readers, facebook, Google Reader, Mobile Marketing, philanthropy, RSS, RSS reader, social change, social communications, social investing, Social Marketing, Social Media, social platforms, Tablets, TED, twitter

The Pollyanna Principles for Social Change

Sunday, January 24th, 2010 | Changeblogging: NP, activism, social change +, Social Marketing | 3 Comments

Have you ever been frustrated about the impact of your efforts? I have--even when we’ve been successful, if not especially then.

For example, you may reach the number of donors you set out to reach, but still feel disconnected. You could have a bigger list of e-newsletter subscribers, but still question if what you’re doing is achieving the change you want. You can change the life of one person and wonder how you can change the life of another.

This is why I turned to social marketing. Social marketing is something you address, plan and implement at the strategic level. If you are considering how social marketing applies during materials development or media placement, you’ve missed the boat and instead are floating on driftwood. We need to think bigger and longer.

This weekend, I found someone online who I feel understands where I’m coming from: Hildy Gottlieb. After about five years of consulting, Hildy and her partner felt frustrated. They saw themselves doing great work and achieving the mission set before them, but then noticing their work wasn’t aiming for extraordinary community change.  She explains best in the video below (minutes 4-6 is where it hit home with me, as I feel social marketing can help create the change she describes).

If you are working on community-based change or social change in general, Hildy outlines six Pollyanna Principles to guide your efforts:

The Ends

1. We accomplish what we hold ourselves accountable for.
2. Each and every one of us is creating the future, every day, whether we do so consciously or not.

The Means

1. Everyone and everything is interconnected interdependent, whether we acknowledge that or not.
2. “Being the change we want to see” means walking the talk of our values.
3. Strengths build upon our strengths, not our weaknesses.
4. Individuals will go where systems lead them.

I like these principles because they aren’t media focused--they are value focused. What about you--can you relate to the frustration Hildy or I describe?

Bonus: If community-based change interests you, I recommend looking up the name Doug McKenzie-Mohr.

flickr photo credit: khoraxis

Tags: frustration, good, Hildy Gottlieb, non-profit, Pollyanna Principles, social change, social good, Social Marketing, strategy, value, value thinking

Oh! The Places We’ll Go

Monday, January 18th, 2010 | Changeblogging: NP, activism, social change +, Conferences and Events | No Comments

In case you haven’t heard, 2010 is going to be big–HUGE. Full of wonder, discovery, ideas and action. If you are looking to stretch your horizons this year, I’ve recently updated the “Events” tab up above just for you.

This page offers a listing of 40+ interesting conferences, events, observances and programs to keep you up to date in the world of social marketing and related areas of social change, social innovation, non-profits, and tech. From events like the World Economic Forum, to conferences like the 20th Anniversary of the Social Marketing in Public Health Conference to observances like World Day of Social Justice and Twitter chats like #4change, #hcsm, #SocEntChat and more–it’s shaping to be a powerful year.

The calendar will be continuously updated as the year goes on, so check back often as we have “Watch List” including the NIH mHealth Conference, Mobile Tech 4 Social Change and others. Oh the places we will go in 2010–may we enjoy the ride!

flickr photo credit: ForestForTrees

Tags: 2010, calendar, change, conferences, events, good, leadership, mobile, networking, observance, Public Health, social, social change, social good, social innovation, Twitter chat

To Make a Difference, Must You Choose?

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 | Blog Talk, SocialButterfly | 8 Comments

Life is full of choices–some more important than others. I started this post about four months ago, and the question remains unanswered for me, so I greatly appreciate your insights.

To make a difference or to bring about the illusive and often intangible “change” …must we choose? What I mean is this: In the non-profit and social change arena, must you choose a cause to rally behind and make your life’s work to make an impact? I use to think no. Now, I’m not so sure.

Beginnings

When I first started blogging I was an anonymous blogger. I wasn’t sure how it would be taken by potential employers and colleagues. I later revealed my identify. However–I’ve never quite fully stated in public certain causes I support or the specific “change” that gets me motivated. In our space, must we? Should we?

I don’t need to tell you that the line between professional and personal is blurring. I use to think we had to stay middle of the road when it came to personal matters–I thought this was the better route to go. After all, you don’t see companies or employees advocating for the causes they care about or beliefs they believe in….or do you?

Shifts

I think the pendulum is swinging. More and more, people and organizations are taking a stand. I think, in the future, part of what will make you credible and a force to be reckoned with, is what motivates you and where you take your stand. Remember that quote we were told as kids as we worked to understand our world:

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.

We all have influence. Why is it–that we as people or bloggers or even companies are afraid to exercise it towards the very things we care most about? Fear is powerful–and it can occur within a person or within an organization. Sometimes, we may not even recognize the role of fear as it may be built in systems and processes we may have little control over. Good news: fear can be squashed and new solutions and innovations can light the way. We should leave more trails, rather than report each others foot steps as a pack hovering together for warmth. Am I off here?

For instance, I’m a Christian. There, I said it. Does that change things? Let’s talk about it because I’m tired of not talking about it. How come many of us don’t talk about the things that motivate us to get where we are and push us to do our work? What gave me the courage to finally publish this post is that I know I’m not alone in pondering these questions. Thank you to people like Rosetta Thurman and Alex Steed. Read their posts.

Making a Difference

If this is the goal, what does this mean? This is where my hangup is. I feel like we’d all answer this question differently. In terms of my cause-reporting on SocialButterfly, you could say I’m a bit of a generalist with a heavy leaning towards public health. But what about cause-doing? One word comes to mind:

FOCUS.

People who are successful are great at being able to focus. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about verticalization–thanks to friend Geoff Livingston. In the non-profit, government, and even the public health worlds, each has its verticals. As we’ve matured, more areas of focus have evolved within the realms of “non-profit” and “social change.”  I have friends who are passionate about alleviating teenage homelessness. Friends who are persistent in the drive to address climate change. Friends who persevere to find new ways of doing business. Friends who are focused.

In the past, I focused on giving the Hispanic community a voice in Mid-Missouri and got involved in immigration issues. Then I focused on spreading awareness about multiple sclerosis and raising funds for multiple sclerosis research. In four years, I got to be a part of raising over $325k for multiple sclerosis through event planning and grassroots efforts.

Then, to be honest, I avoided “choosing” and this is why. I discovered social marketing–and focused on it because to create change and have an impact, you need to learn behavior changing skills and knowledge. You need to be a student of the evolving strategies, research and tools. This is why social marketing is appealing to me–because it provides a framework to go about influencing change, whether you are passionate about combating human trafficking, decrease drug abuse, ending poverty, eliminating HIV/AIDS, address climate change, increasing the country’s health or wanting to increase the rate people in your school wear seat belts–social marketing can light the way. Now, my focus is social marketing. I firmly believe that the process of social marketing can help address many of the battles we face. Yet I’m torn.

Bothered

The more I think about it, the more I’m bothered. Being bothered is good because it shakes you up and makes you question, think and go deeper. Thus, I ask you: to make a difference, must I (or you) choose one cause–one organization–or one group of people–to champion?

flickr credit: angrytoast

Tags: Alex Steed, career, career path, champion, change, Christian, Christianity, courage, discovery, fear, focus, friends, future, motivation, nonprofit, questions, Rosetta Thurman, social change, Social Marketing, thought