12for12k challenge

Hope, Change, Belief – The 12for12k Story and How You Can Be a Part of It

Back at the end of 2008, I had an idea for doing something through social media to help charities.

Thanks to some amazing friends and people like you that supported with your time and donations, that idea turned into a great example of how we can all make change if we really want to.

The 12for12k project has raised over $100,000 for various charities to date – an amazing figure, given the “buy-in” was deliberately low, and the project took an enforced absence during most of 2010 and 2011.

The reason for its success? You, and the power of the crowd when there’s something to believe in. Your support; ideas; donations; awareness and more were crucial in all that 12for12k achieved, and if anything was ever a true team effort, 12for12k was it.

And now I’d love for you to take part again.

I’m currently writing Hope, Change, Belief – The 12for12k Story and the Lessons Non-Profits Can Take From It to Succceed in Social Media, and I’d love for your contributions to help shape it.

Because it will be a?story that’s geared towards helping non-profits understand social media and how they can really benefit from it, the book will share the failures of 12for12k as much as it’ll share the successes. After all, we only grow from our mistakes and how we react to them.

To that end, I’d love for your thoughts on what worked and what didn’t work. What did 12for12k do right, and where did it go wrong? What was your overall experience with 12for12k, and what are your memories of the project overall?

Drop me your thoughts via the form below, and I’ll choose a bunch to add to the book’s chapters and upcoming addition to the 12for12k website, with full accreditation. Also, those chosen will receive a free copy when published later this year, and everyone else will receive a special discount code for taking the time to share their thoughts.

I’d really love for Hope, Change, Belief to act as a soundboard and guideline on how to really make the most of social media in the non-profit field, and with your thoughts and honest opinion, I think we can do that.

Thanks, guys, and look forward to reading your words.

PS – And look out for a new goal for 12for12k later this year, it’s going to be fun!

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Why The Law on Stalking Needs to Change

Jodi?s Voice was set up out of tragedy. It was named after?Jodi Sanderholm, who was murdered by a stalker that had been watching her for ten years. Jodi was only 19 when she died ? which meant she had been watched by her killer since she was only nine years old.

Sadly, this is commonplace among stalking victims. Many victims begin being stalked when they are young. In Canada, for example,?11% of women aged 15 and older have been stalked. In the U.S.,?14 in every 1,000 women of 18 and above are victims of stalking.

Jodi’s Voice aims to change the law on stalking. In this video, I share why 12for12k is trying to help Jodi’s Voice change the law on stalking and why the current laws are so outdated.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QP1RiZS4es[/youtube]

12for12k Supports Jodi’s Voice to Combat Stalking

Two years ago, I wrote about virtual stalking and how it was becoming an increasing problem in social media. The comments in that post, and the examples shared by readers of it, showed that it was probably a bigger problem than even I thought it was.

Two years later, I’m honoured that our social media-led charity initiative 12for12k is once again helping to raise funds and awareness for an organization right at the heart of the problem of stalking.

Jodi’s Voice

Jodi’s Voice is an organization led by the amazing Angela Daffron. I’m a little biased in my description of her, as I consider her a good friend, but the determination and strength in feeling she has about Jodi’s Voice, and the serious issues it deals with, make her pretty inspiring.

Jodi’s Voice was set up out of tragedy. It was named after Jodi Sanderholm, who was murdered by a stalker that had been watching her for ten years. Jodi was only 19 when she died – which meant she had been watched by her killer since she was only nine years old.

Sadly, this is commonplace among stalking victims. Many victims begin being stalked when they are young. In Canada, for example, 11% of women aged 15 and older have been stalked. In the U.S., 14 in every 1,000 women of 18 and above are victims of stalking.

And these are only the reported ones.

Sadly, for Jodi, it was too late, although her memory lives on in her family. Her sister gave birth to the family’s first grandchild while Jodi was missing, and her brother became a police officer to help others.

And through the organization Jodi’s Voice, we can help make sure Jodi’s tragic death is one that helped change the way the law deals with stalkers.

How You Can Help

On June 23, Jodi?s Voice will be having a massive event in Las Vegas called Fight Stalking in partnership with Sky Combat Ace. Celebrities from the world of entertainment will be going up against each other in aerial combat. Supporters of each celebrity can back their champions with donations and messages of support, and the funds raised will go to Jodi’s Voice.

For 12for12k, we’re looking to achieve the following, and this is where we need your awesome support! Between now and June 23, you can help in these ways:

If you or someone you know has been the victim of stalking and you wish to share your story, share in the comments (anonymously if you prefer) or on our Facebook page.

Add a 12for12k Twibbon to your Twitter or Facebook profile picture. Details can be found here along with instructions on how to change your picture.

Write a blog post of your own, and either share your story or highlight what we’re trying to achieve for Jodi’s Voice. You can either link back to this post, or the main Jodi’s Voice page on the 12for12k website.

Make a donation to Jodi’s Voice, a full 501(c)3 registered charity (we’re talking with a few organizations to make a matching grant). You can use the ChipIn widget below, and it will go direct to Jodi’s Voice and you will receive a tax receipt (payments can be made via Paypal or credit card) – just click on the green ChipIn button. You can also embed the widget on your own blog by using the Copy option.

Embed the video below on your blog or share the link on Twitter and Facebook, and help raise awareness of some of the statistics around stalking.

These are just a few ways you can help. You can also share this with your friends and family, and we’ll be giving you more details soon on the event and other ways to help, as well as follow our 12for12k Twitter stream or Like our Facebook Page for more information.

Thanks guys – you’ve always been amazing in your support, and Jodi’s Voice is a cause that can really make a change with your voices too.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfd0_zCK6Ck[/youtube]

Relaunching 12for12k and Supporting Jodi’s Voice

This is a cross-post from the 12for12k blog.

So it’s been a bit of a while since we last shared anything on here. Originally we decided to take a breather and re-energize, after what was an amazing inaugural year for the 12for12k project and our supporters.

That breather turned into a slightly longer rest period than expected, as personal needs and workloads took away the time from everyone involved with 12for12k. But, these things happen – and it’s simply made us more energized and focused for the next stage in the 12for12k journey.

Which brings us to now.

We’ll be relaunching properly on June 1, and the first charity organization we’ll be supporting is Jodi’s Voice.

As you can see by the logo at the top of this post, Jodi’s Voice is dedicated to increasing awareness and support for stalking in the U.S., which affects more than 3.4 million people every single year.

Jodi’s Voice was born from tragedy.

On January 5, 2007,?Jodi Sanderholm was murdered by a stalker who?had been stalking her for ten years. Jodi’s death led to Jodi’s Voice being born, and we’re humbled to be working with Angela Daffron and Jodi’s Voice to help in any way we can as our first project in 2011.

We’ll be sharing more details soon, along with how you can help and some of the events we’ll be either arranging or supporting, so please feel free to subscribe to our blog, or follow us on Twitter or Facebook for the latest updates. You can also subscribe to our newsletter by filling out the form below.

In the meantime, it’s great to be back. It’s been way too long, and it’s time to set the 12for12k army in motion again.

Ready to fight the good fight?

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Making Homelessness Visible Through Social Media

This weekend just gone, I was honoured to meet a guy I’ve admired for a long, long time, Mark Horvath (Mark’s in the centre, my business partner Troy Claus is on the right).

Based out of Los Angeles, Mark is someone with an incredible story. Fifteen years ago, Mark was homeless and sleeping on the streets of Hollywood.

But he managed to get back on his feet, and then some. He was at the top of his game – working in Hollywood, bringing some of the best-known shows on television to viewers across the world, a great future – Mark was living the American dream.

Then the economy collapsed. Mark fell into a mix of drug and alcohol abuse, lost his job, became homeless, and lost his way. He fought hard to get back on his feet again, and get his life in order. And he did. But he’s always just one step away from being homeless again.

From that time, Mark took the experience of being homeless, and the stories of the people he met on the street, and created Invisible People. A site full of video, it shares the stories of the homeless in L.A. and beyond, and lets you see the person behind the stereotypical image we let ourselves create when we see a homeless person.

It’s been a huge success and has opened a lot of eyes to what homelessness really is. Hint – it’s not all drug abuse and choice.

Now Mark has a new project, and one I really hope you’ll check out and offer your support to.

We Are Visible

We Are Visible is a simple idea – and simple ideas are often the best. Many homeless use their local library’s Internet-enabled computers to connect with others, and try and learn new skill sets that could help them get back on their feet.

They also can find medical help; companies and organizations that help the homeless; lost family and loved ones; and so much more. Yet often they only know the basic email and Internet access.

As Mark’s shown, social media offers an incredible platform to not only connect, but tell stories. And this is exactly what We Are Visible aims to do, by making social media simple for anyone homeless to understand, and use.

There are videos that show you how to set up a Gmail account, as well as a Twitter and Facebook profile. Additionally, We Are Visible shows you how to set up a free blog, and connect your profiles to it.

You can then share your story through the main We Are Visible social networks, as well as be put in touch with other homeless folks. And, where possible, be connected to companies that could help you get back on your feet and/or off the streets.

Last Christmas, 12for12k partnered with Mark to show people how they could help the homeless in their own towns and cities, and we’ll be doing something very similar this year again, starting in November.

In the meantime, however, We Are Visible is a brilliant concept, and one that I’m honoured to share with you. Please, check the program out, and if you feel you can help raise awareness of it, get in touch with Mark and see how you can help.

One way is to order promo cards (if you’re in the U.S.) and these can be ordered here. More information will be available via the networks below.

– We Are Visible website.
– We Are Visible on Twitter.
– We Are Visible on Facebook.