A brilliant move by Compassion, the child-sponsorship organization: They made February "Compassion Blog Month." (I'm sorry I didn't find out about it until it's over!)
Here's what Compassion did: They sent 15 Christian bloggers to Uganda, where they blogged live -- and, no doubt, they'll keep talking about for a good long while.
It's not cheap to send 15 people from North America to Africa. And those bloggers, being bloggers, might not toe the Compassion line. (Did I say "might not"? How about "will not"?)
Looked at with old economy eyes, Compassion is taking a huge risk, letting go of its marketing to 15 different near-strangers who might do anything. Looked at with modern eyes, Compassion is smart: willing to give up control in favor of being talked about by real people.
Child sponsorship organizations know exactly how much it should cost to acquire a sponsor. So you know they're going to be tracking this effort closely. If they do it again next year, that's a sign it worked.
They also offered free stuff to other bloggers who talked about their "Compassion experience." They even launched a blog of their own. All around, it's a pioneering effort for a nonprofit, and I wish them luck.
Thanks to Church Marketing Sucks for the tip.
Technorati Tags: fundraising, blogging, nptech
-Good luck to the 15 and to you in remembering that the exercise of compassion begins at home and in your own neighbourhood and among the strangers you meet. Everyone can use a little compassion.
Posted by: David Joseph | 08 July 2008 at 17:01
We'll let you know next time. And there WILL be a next time.
Thanks for the kind words. And any suggestions you or readers have for us, please send them on to me at contact@compassionbloggers.com
I'm new, we're learning and we could use all the help we can get.
-Shaun
www.CompassionBloggers.com
Posted by: Shaun Groves | 14 March 2008 at 11:59