This holiday season, I have been writing post after post about social good and giving back because of my global toy drive, Tweet Drive, which is in its second year and seeing a lot of positive results. While the success is exciting, the way that others have started to rally around not only this cause but many other social good causes is much more important because there are so many ways that we can help – especially through social media.
The opportunities that social media has given us from a philanthropic standpoint are plentiful and has made; in my opinion, community managers the best philanthropists. While there are people like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates that use their celebrity and fortune to give back in the form of billions of dollars, there are many of us that are left unsure of how to approach our place in giving back.
Community Managers have that answer as we know how to leverage our voice and networks better than virtually anyone else in order to inspire real world action. We don’t just donate money, toys, and food – we donate our voice and our time to reach those who previously were unreachable or unable to get involved. Community Managers have found a way to go beyond the dollar and create positive change through our personal and brand’s networks.
This is the very reason why Tweet Drive has worked. We have specifically tapped into a community of community managers, marketers, PR pros, and other social media focused professionals because they know how to use their voice and inspire others. We don’t worry about followers for Tweet Drive but rather the voices and activity of our volunteers and community champions because their actions and voices speak louder than just one Twitter account.
Over 3,000 toys and 40 events later, we’ve been able to give back in large quantities due to the building of communities both online and offline.
This will continue to be the mark of successful community management and building moving forward – it will be about how we can effect the environment around us and inspire action in the real world. So, let’s continue to not only give back, but also own up to the responsibility and be change agents of the future – there’s no one better for the job.
If you would like to get involved or help out with the Tweet Drive, you can see if there is an up-coming event in your city by visiting this link: http://bit.ly/uqhSFi
Harrison Kratz is the Community Manager at MBA@UNC, the new online program which allows students to receive their MBA degree from the University of North Carolina anywhere around the world. Harrison sticks to his entrepreneurial roots as the founder of the global social good campaign, Tweet Drive. Find him on Twitter, @KratzPR!
I always say that the #1 most important quality in a community manager is that they must be someone who genuinely cares about helping people.Good stuff Harrison.