All in Giving
Toys for Tots is one of the best known causes that rings the bells of joythroughout the holidays. It's an easy thing to do. Buy a toy. Drop it in the box. Help under privileged kids have at least one day of sheer joy. This program is one of many that makes it easy for people to help others during the holidays. With the help of social media however, it's getting even easier.
For example, dressbarn raised money for the Toys for Tots organization by asking folks on Twitter to follow @dressbarn and mention that they are raising money for Toys for Tots! If users Tweet using the#dressbarntoys, a dollar would be raised for the cause.
"We are so proud to be partnered with Toys for Tots again this holiday season,” said Vivian Behrens, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of dressbarn inc., "By working together, we can bring even more smiles to thousands of children this year."
Just Google "social media" and "holiday causes" and you'll come across a slew of others. One example is Angel Giving, a program developed by JCPenny using a Facebook fan page, targeted towards holiday bargain hunters and the sweepstakes crazed. In conjunction with the Salvation Army, JCPenny asked fans to entering a zip code, desired age group, and gender of the Angel they wanted to "shop for." Fans were then be presented with matching children and their holiday gift wishes. Once fans selecte
I've been in the PR/communications business for over 14 years now. I've covered some pretty interesting stories as a reporter -- some fun, some not so fun.
As a PR professional, I've had the same experiences. The dot-com era was great for me as a tech geek because all I used to pitch were stories about innovation. There has been times where we had to work really hard to develop angles for stories just so we can make then newsworthy -- a very tough assignment at times.
However, one of the great things about the PR business is that you get to meet a lot of interesting people who are doing some great things for those in need. That need can vary from under privileged kids, adults with substance abuse problems, those trying to squash homelessness and times where those who are very sick need a second opinion that can mean life or death.
Now, I typically don't write about my clients on my blog, but in this case I felt so compelled to do so because yesterday was a day that really put some things into perspective for me.