FEATURE:
A Time to React…
PHOTO CREDIT: Nayara Dinato/Pexels
Creating a Social Media Campaign to Raise Awareness and Funds for Women’s Organisations
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THERE has not really been anything…
PHOTO CREDIT: Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels
like this for many years. I mean the viral sensation. A campaign that is on social media where people can share a campaign and hashtag that raises money. I am not sure when the last time is something like that occurred. Maybe there have been some minor versions recently, though it was probably the Ice Bucket Challenge of 2014. This was an activity involving the pouring of a bucket of ice water over a person's head, either by another person or self-administered, to promote awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and encourage donations to research. It has been over a decade since that. Maybe some criticism was justified. In terms of the point of pouring cold water over you and what significant that had. Anyway, it did raise money. I am thinking about the urgency of raising awareness of and funds for women’s charities and causes. It is a time when there is a rise in domestic violence, sexual assault and misogyny. A terrific range of charities that could benefit. Organisations and causes that support women and women’s rights. Through music and culture there is inequality and discrimination. Rather than a viral campaign raising funds for one particular charity, it would be a case of the campaign being tied to a single page or website that would then distribute funds to a number of charities and organisations. They would all focus around women’s safety, rights and equality. There is a lot of activism and awareness being raised through social medias. People posting frequently. However, as important as it is to have this awareness and engagement, there does need to be this wider explosion and movement. Whereas the Ice Bucket Challenge was for a single cause and had that focus, this would be more general. Not only in terms of raising money for charities and causes that support women. Also, there would be this other strand of promoting incredible women through society. Highlighting incredible and influential women. Maybe it seems unwieldy to have one campaign that supports so many different causes. I think it could work and would be a success – and not too difficult to follow.
PHOTO CREDIT: Kelly/Pexels
In terms of what a campaign would involve, rather than it being a video of someone doing a stunt or anything like that, there would be a musical element. I know there have been viral campaigns in recent years such as Movember and Black Lives Matter. In terms of supporting women and helping to shine a light not only on misogyny, sexism and abuse. Also to shine a light on brilliant women across society. I know we have International Women’s Day, though that is not about fundraising. I think a campaign would have to be simple. It would involve the person posting a link to a song by a female artist that means something to them. It does not need to be their favourite song or the one they hold dearest. Able to fit into a tweet, there would be a hashtag, a link to the website where funds are raised, the link to that song, plus a short section of what the song is and why it means something. The hope is that people get retweeted/shared and another person can add to that. There is no minimum donation for the campaign. The idea would, I hope, be that major artists and figures engage and that would do a huge amount. Think about women’s rights in the U.S. and how they are being stripped away. Artists in the U.S. like Taylor Swift or Beyoncé posting about it could raise millions of dollars! I do think that the campaign could do a lot of good. Rather than it being a fad or something throwaway, there is this website with links to charities and organisations. Information, promotional campaigns and online videos. The hope is the raise millions of pounds by the end. I am not sure why something like this has not been done recently. Perhaps there are flaws or some might dismiss it. How much is this helping to improve lives for women or to make things better?! Well, the aim is that people donating and sharing their songs would engage with the causes, learn more and engage. When posting on social media, the link they share would be unique. It would be a section of the website where you can write why you are supporting the causes and you can also, if you are a woman, talk about your experiences. This would inspire others to donate.
IN THIS PHOTO: Taylor Swift/PHOTO CREDIT: Jamie McCarthy
Not to suggest there are no kinks or anything to be worked out. I do feel that something like this takes a long time to get off of the ground and work out. Also, as I have no cache or huge following, if I were to start this myself, then it would not go far at all. Die in the water. It would need somebody bigger and more prominent than me to get this going. One might feel that the lack of video element would mean platforms like TikTok and Instagram would be out of the running. I do think there could be a central image that can be shared on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. I am not sure about the TikTok element. The point is that everyone can engage. Many people won’t want to share a video. A link to a song or video is more accessible. Also, there would be a committee that could work everything out. Rather than me hastily throwing something out, it would be carefully considered and tested before being rolled out. However, I do feel there is this urgency that means something need to change shape soon. A single campaign that could unite so many wonderful charities. The campaign could have ambassadors. Those who are already ambassadors for charities such as Refuge and Women’s Aid. In terms of how long it would run for, I would say about six months. There will be a certain momentum.
IN THIS PHOTO: Zara McDermott is one of the Ambassadors of Refuge
The start might be slow and then it would pick up pace. Perhaps the engagement rate would die after a few months, so that might be something that needs to be researched and ironed out. I do feel like, at a time when social media is more influential and popular than ever – and there is so much hatred and misogyny out there that impacts billions of women and girls – that this could be something positive that could make a change. There could also be a benefit concert that could go alongside the campaign. Maybe in the U.S. or U.K., it could unite a whole range of artists. In the coming weeks, I am going to be writing a feature about Refuge. The U.K’s largest domestic abuse organisation for women (and girls), I am doing a charity fundraiser for them in June. One of the most important charities out there. They would very much be part of the campaign and conversation. I am not sure of the name yet. In terms of brevity, a hashtag should have no more than sixteen characters. I would say, including the hashtag, there would be a maximum of thirteen characters. I am not sure of the name yet. Maybe #AllForWomen – which is twelve characters. Perhaps it seems like a dream and something that would not work. However, there does seem like this moment in history where something simple like this could be very effective. In terms of me? What song would I select if I was the first one to start the campaign? The artist and song choice may be obvious, though this is a song that means…
SO much to me.