Splash into social media...

You know how you have these voices in your head sometimes - waging war over what you should or shouldn’t do?  Well, mine have been vacillating between "Jump!" and "Don't Jump!" for over three years.

Why? As the daughter of a political-junkie-turned-judge father I was bred for fundraising. Memories of my first house party reach back to when I was five years old. I remember passing out drinks and holding a candidate for U.S. Senate’s hand as he spun his pitch.  I’ve been stuffing envelopes since earliest memory - either for my Mom’s run for school board, or for her latest favorite cause.  My father’s mantra - ‘you have a moral obligation to give back to society what society cannot give to itself.’

I’ve lived by that code. I started working for a non-profit at eighteen and haven’t looked back.  Twenty years of fundraising and marketing for some of the best organizations and brightest non-profit visionaries in New England provide me with a wealth of experience of which I’m proud.  I’m passionate about mission-driven work and always will be...

But there’s always been this little voice... ‘Make something of your own.’ For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to ‘do my own thing’... have my own business. I’ve just been too afraid.  What if my idea isn’t good enough? What if I’m not ready?  Do I have enough knowledge?  And, I knew that whatever I wanted to create for a business would have to be intimately tied to the non-profit sector.  I just never knew where to start - and I didn’t know where the ‘sweet spot’ was.  

That is, until my friend Kelley-Sue started AleuroMedia.  A full-service interactive media marketing and development firm, Aleuro focuses on helping start-ups, established businesses, and non-profits leverage online and Web 2.0 tools to create and nurture community, strengthen constituent loyalty, and help make or raise more money.  At the beginning Kelley hinted that I might have something to contribute to this venture, but I was too afraid.  Afraid of the things all potential entrepreneurs are afraid of at one point or another.  The people who evolve into entrepreneurs are the ones who put the fear behind them and forge ahead.

I've decided that sometimes you just have to jump. Take the leap into a world that intuitively or otherwise, you know awaits your presence and participation (heed a calling so to speak). For me this manifested in my recent resignation from my full-time job as the Senior Director for Marketing and Development at New Hampshire Public Radio to 'do my own thing.'  I’ve joined Kelley-Sue as a partner in Aleuro. Yes - now. Yes - in this economy.  

What gives me the confidence to jump into an entrepreneurial endeavor today? I have a vision. I believe in the power of social networking to help non-profits and start-up businesses. And I believe that the time for organizations to truly embrace social media is now.  To succeed you need a community of loyal supporters.  Social media will support you in that work - especially in times like these.  Now I combine my fundraising and marketing background with my passion for social media. It’s a primary focus that allows me to help you acquire new supporters, build loyalty with your current stakeholders, and ultimately raise more money for the work you do.

If you haven’t jumped into the ocean of social media yet - hold your nose and take my hand.  The waves may be a bit choppy, but the water’s really just fine...

I need your help to help others

This is personal. My younger cousin Sonya has four young children and she has late stage breast cancer.

I grew up hanging out at her childhood home on the lake in Maine during summer vacations. Down stairs you'd find us drinking Tab and singing to Kool & The Gang - (Joanna), Dexys Midnight Runners (Come on Eileen) and of course we did our share of Blondie and Rick Springfield among many others. We both were so going to famous one day. :o)

Sonya and I have another thing in common, both our moms have survived breast cancer. My Aunt Rita got to set the example by going first. Rita is about as strong as any woman I've ever known; she made her way through the challenge with little complaint and lots of humor. My Mom was diagnosed several years after her sister and followed the example well. Mom and Auntie have been cancer free for years now, so when I learned that Sonya was diagnosed I wasn't completely surprised. Cancer is not a stranger to us.

Sonya was diagnosed while her last child was still in diapers. She has been fighting breast cancer for the past few years now and she's just not catching any breaks. If motherhood wasn't hard enough, she's got to pack in as much mothering as she can into every moment because she has to. I'm a mom too, and I know she worries.

The local paper and TV news have run a story about her this past Mother's Day, some folks have come together to help her family get a home. Please take a moment to meet her and to hear her story. Then contribute to my fundraiser for Sonya - I have set a goal of $400,000.00 that I hope to attain in four rounds of fundraising. Ultimately that's 100K for each of her four kids - so that she and her husband wont have to worry about their education amongst all the other financial burdens they are facing. I want to/need to do this soon, so my goal date for the first round ($100K) is my birthday. For my birthday this year I want to fund four $25k scholarships and provide a little peace of mind, I hope that you will help.

Meet Sonya
The last quarter of the video on this link has an interview with Sonya.

Other ways to help
Check out Sonya's page on ChipIn.

Screencasts to social networks and fundraising.

I LOVE the internet!

Kenny ran into this great article on the Non-Profit Times about screencasting. The author Beth Kantor did a great job of going "101" on the topic. It was very cool timing because I've been working with some non-profits and non-profit solution providers to give them insight about New Media and Social Networking. Helping these organization understand what social technologies can mean to fundraising, event, and constituent management, for example using Facebook to work a community based event, or using Inner Circle to connect and stay abreast of what your donors are doing.

Well I liked Beth writing enough that I went to her blog and found that she is infact managing a fundraising campaign for Leng Sopharath. Beth is using Facebook, flickr, ChipIn and her blog, among many other social technologies to coordinate and communicate her fundraising efforts and mission. Kudos Beth! The name of Beth's blog is "How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media", you should check it out.