Three Takeaways from the ‘Ask5for5′ Campaign
The Ask5for5 Campaign, launched by SeeYourImpact supporter and nonprofit crusader Sarah Lenssen, has been a huge success. Nearly $10,000 in the last 5 days! We are forever grateful because children, families and communities will now have more of the necessary, life-saving food and water. But like any initiative or undertaking, there is a great deal of planning that goes into it. Our staff felt there were three key takeaways from the Ask5for5 Campaign for famine relief:
1. Organizing – Sarah Lenssen has been amazing. She made calls, sent emails, arranged meetings, and laid the foundation. And when she couldn’t do it, she appointed people who could. A campaign of this magnitude took hours and hours to set up. There is no substitute for hard work.
2. Bloggers – From the beginning, it was bloggers who powered this campaign. Moms, dads, students, social media professionals, journalists, and others from every corner of the globe, spreading the word about the campaign. A sizeable, dedicated group of bloggers can make the world stand up and take notice.
3. Social Media is Important – Though there is still resistance in many quarters, people do see the power of platforms like Twitter, Facebook, GooglePlus, LinkedIn, etc. It’s not just about posting. More than anything, it’s about “participating”: saying hello, engaging a suggestion, encouraging a positive idea some put on your page. It’s adds authenticity to what you do. Our social media community is just amazing!
These are just three of the ingredients, but there are among the most important.
As SeeYourImpact.org looks to the future, we will build on these and other points from our campaigns. We have a great support network around the world. They make it all possible. And they help make everything we do worthwhile. From everyone on our staff, we thank you for helping to make Ask5for5 a success during International Social Media Week.
Giving Back With the #Ask5for5 Campaign
When SeeYourImpact supporter Sarah Lenssen launched her ambitious Ask5for5 initiative in August, everyone knew it would make a difference. Ending famine in East Africa is not only personal for her; it is an achievable goal. In just six weeks, Ask5for5 has raised an amazing $23,000 (as of this posting) with the help of an ever-growing group of small donors, bloggers, and social media enthusiasts.
Sarah believes the response to a crisis must be equal (if not greater) than the size and scope of it. So she is aiming to raise $40,000. This can be done. Giving $5, and getting just 5 of our friends to give $5. And each of their friends can contribute. Indeed, we can help relieve extreme hunger!
As you will see below in Sarah’s guestpost, she is serious in her thoughts and actions. We are happy to support her efforts. What a great cause!
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Guest Blogger: Sarah Lenssen from #Ask5for5
Family photos by Mike Fiechtner Photography
Thank you SeeYourImpact and nearly 150 other bloggers from around the world for allowing me to share a story with you today, during Social Media Week.
A hungry child in East Africa can’t wait. Her hunger consumes her while we decide if we’ll respond and save her life. In Somalia, children are stumbling along for days, even weeks, on dangerous roads and with empty stomachs in search of food and water. Their crops failed for the third year in a row. All their animals died. They lost everything. Thousands are dying along the road before they find help in refugee camps.
At my house, when my three children are hungry, they wait minutes for food, maybe an hour if dinner is approaching. Children affected by the food crisis in in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia aren’t so lucky. Did you know that the worst drought in 60 years is ravaging whole countries right now, as you read this? Famine, a term not used lightly, has been declared in Somalia. This is the world’s first famine in 20 years.12.4 million people are in need of emergency assistance and over 29,000 children have died in the last three months alone. A child is dying every 5 minutes. It it estimated that 750,000 people could die before this famine is over. Take a moment and let that settle in.
The media plays a major role in disasters. They have the power to draw the attention of society to respond–or not. Unfortunately, this horrific disaster has become merely a footnote in most national media outlets. News of the U.S. national debt squabble and the latest celebrity’s baby bump dominate headlines. That is why I am thrilled that nearly 150 bloggers from all over the world are joining together today to use the power of social media to make their own headlines; to share the urgent need of the almost forgotten with their blog readers. Humans have the capacity to care deeply for those who are suffering, but in a situation like this when the numbers are too huge to grasp and the people so far away, we often feel like the little we can do will be a drop in the ocean, and don’t do anything at all.
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When news of the famine first hit the news in late July, I selfishly avoided it. I didn’t want to read about it or hear about it because I knew I would feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable. I wanted to protect myself. I knew I would need to do something if I knew what was really happening. You see, this food crisis is personal. I have a 4-year-old son and a 1 yr-old daughter who were adopted from Ethiopia and born in regions now affected by the drought. If my children still lived in their home villages, they would be two of the 12.4 million. My children: extremely hungry and malnourished? Gulp. I think any one of us would do anything we could for our hungry child. But would you do something for another mother’s hungry child?
My friend and World Vision staffer, Jon Warren, was recently in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya–the largest refugee camp in the world with over 400,000 people. He told me the story of Isnino Siyat, 22, a mother who walked for 10 days and nights with her husband, 1 yr-old-baby, Suleiman, and 4 yr.-old son Adan Hussein, fleeing the drought in Somalia. When she arrived at Dadaab, she built the family a shelter with borrowed materials while carrying her baby on her back. Even her dress is borrowed. As she sat in the shelter on her second night in camp she told Jon, “I left because of hunger. It is a very horrible drought which finished both our livestock and our farm.” The family lost their 5 cows and 10 goats one by one over 3 months, as grazing lands dried up. “We don’t have enough food now…our food is finished. I am really worried about the future of my children and myself if the situation continues.”
Will you help a child like Baby Suleiman? Ask5for5 is a dream built upon the belief that you will.
That something I knew I would need to do became a campaign called #Ask5for5 to raise awareness and funds for famine and drought victims. The concept is simple, give $5 and ask five of your friends to give $5, and then they each ask five of their friends to give $5 and so on–in nine generations of 5x5x5…we could raise $2.4 Million! In one month, over 750 people have donated over $25,000! I set up a fundraiser at See Your Impact and 100% of the funds will go to World Vision, an organization that has been fighting hunger in the Horn of Africa for decades and will continue long after this famine has ended. Donations can multiply up to 5 times in impact by government grants to
help provide emergency food, clean water, agricultural support,
healthcare, and other vital assistance to children and families suffering in the Horn.
I need you to help me save lives. It’s so so simple; here’s what you need to do:
- Donate $5 or more on this page (http://seeyourimpact.org/members/ask5for5)
- Send an email to your friends and ask them to join us.
- Share #Ask5for5 on Facebook and Twitter!
I’m looking for another 100 bloggers to share this post on their blogs throughout Social Media Week. Email me at ask5for5@gmail.com if you’re interested in participating this week.
A hungry child doesn’t wait. She doesn’t wait for us to finish the other things on our to-do list, or get to it next month when we might have a little more money to give. She doesn’t wait for us to decide if she’s important enough to deserve a response. She will only wait as long as her weakened little body will hold on…please respond now and help save her life. Ask 5 for 5.
Thank you on behalf of all of those who will be helped–you are saving lives and changing history.
p.s. Please don’t move on to the next website before you donate and email your friends right now. It only takes 5 minutes and just $5, and if you’re life is busy like mine, you probably won’t get back to it later. Let’s not be a generation that ignores hundreds of thousands of starving people, instead let’s leave a legacy of compassion. You have the opportunity to save a life today!
7 Billion People on Planet Earth
Infographic: The Famine Crisis in East Africa
The crisis in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya has produced hundreds of thousands of refugees, and claimed the lives of tens of thousands of children. This infographic brings everything into focus: the relief efforts, the agencies involved, and how you can help.
Much has been done to take the famine issue off of the back pages of the daily news, and to push it to the front, giving it the attention it greatly deserves. With initiatives like Ask5for5, we’re not only making a difference on the ground, but helping to explain the urgent need for greater involvement.
Ending Famine in East Africa
10 million people face extreme hunger right now in the East Africa Countries if Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. A nightmare scenario is clearly unfolding on the ground with the region’s worst drought in 60 years. This moved SeeYourImpact supporter Sarah Lenssen to create a fundraiser that would catch people’s attention. Called Ask5for5, it asks that you give $5, and then get 5 of our friends to give $5.
The results have been phenomenal since its launch on August 12th. In the first two hours, she raised over $1000. She then raised over $6000 in the first three days. Moved by her generosity, and by the knowledge that two of her adoptive children are from that region, many donors have emailed her campaign and shared it on popular platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
On Thursday August 18th, over 25 bloggers including Jenni Hogan, will band together to spread the word about the famine in East Africa. This project is resonating! Below is a guest post by Sarah Lenssen, a passionate supporter of SeeYourImpact, who believes in making a difference and responding strong to the situation in East Africa.
photos courtesy of Cate Turton / Dept. for International Development
First, thanks to SeeYourImpact.org for allowing me to post on their blog today! Today, more than 25 bloggers, including this one, are standing with me to Ask 5 for 5 for Africa. Here’s why….
I began pursuing a BIG dream two weeks ago. After deciding I could no longer avoid the news about the famine in the horn of Africa, I had that gut feeling that I couldn’t sit this one out. I HAD to do something because I could. Something bigger than I could do alone. That’s when #Ask5for5 was born.
Two of my children, Ashen and Bereket, were adopted and are from the region affected by the drought in Ethiopia. They would be two of the statistics if they still lived there. I see my son’s and daughter’s faces in the photos of those suffering in the refugee camps. It could have been him. It could have been her. The thought haunts me.
And moms just like us are watching their children go hungry day after day. I can’t imagine what it’s like, but I have to –I have to be there to help them, because it could have been my children. These families have lost their livestock, their crops, food prices are inflated at the market if there any food there, and don’t have any more lifelines to tap into. Many are traveling hundreds of miles through parched land in hope of finding help. Many are dying along the way. It is estimated that 29,000 children have died in the last 90 days in the famine in Somalia alone.
But I KNOW we can do something about it. Instead of feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed, we can rally ourselves and our friends to respond! I set up a fundraiser through See Your Impact. 100% of your gift will go to the relief and development organization World Vision, where it will be combined with government grants to multiply up to 5 times in impact!
You’ll receive updates on just how your funding is being used to help save lives affected by famine in East Africa. I’m amazed at how much we’ve raised already — over $7,000 in just four days! We blew through our first 3 goals in just 3 days and are well on our way to $10,000 and beyond!
I need you to help me save lives. It’s so so simple; here’s what you need to do:
- Donate $5 or more on this page (http://seeyourimpact.org/members/ask5for5)
- Send an email to your friends and ask them to join us.
- Share Ask5for5 on Facebook and Twitter, and join our page to stay updated too!
I’m also looking for 100 bloggers to stand with Ask5for5 to spread the word during Social Media week, September 19th – 23rd. If you’re interested, email me, ask5for5@gmail.com.
Thanks! Please donate and email your friends right now–don’t wait for a calmer moment, because if you’re like me, other demands inevitably crop up and you won’t get to it. A child’s life hangs in the balance, but you can help save her!
A huge thanks to the following bloggers for participating. Their support has been a blessing to this campaign. If you’re not on the list, let us know! We couldn’t do it without you.
Confessions of a Graphic Designer
The Power of Education in Guatemala
If you’re a frequent donor at SeeYourImpact.org I bet you noticed the number of gifts expanding in Latin America. Recently, I visited a few of our charity partners in Guatemala and met personally with children who have been helped through SeeYourImpact.org.
A young girl out of school due to the teacher strike.
Jackeline with a classmate at Colegio Benedictino
Edwin with his model. The table behind him serves as the kitchen in his one room flat.
When thinking back on the trip, it’s the children that are engraved in my memory. Everywhere I went I noticed a large number of children working by peddling on the streets, tending stalls in markets, working in their parent’s bodega, helping at a restaurant and farming in rural villages.
Most businesses relied on the help of the entire family. The kids ranged in age; generally once kids were old enough to count they were part of the labor force.
Recess at a private school in rural Guatemala.
Empty schools
During my visit, teachers working for the Ministry of Education were on strike. Did this impact my perspective? Yes, some schools were closed in the areas that I visited. In fact, we were unable to visit a kindergarten in a rural village in the District of Chimaltenango because the classroom was empty.
Who wants to visit an empty classroom? I believe that the strike increased the number of children that I saw working, but in a country where only 23% of adolescents attend secondary education I’m not sure if this was the main factor.
Lives changed
I visited five schools and spoke individually with 25 students. I was impressed. The kids were driven and realized how lucky they are to have the opportunity to continue their education. I visited schools in Guatemala City, the City of Chimaltenango and in rural villages with only 100 families.
I was extremely fortunate to meet Edwin, a student studying architecture in Chimaltenango. Edwin shares a one room flat with his brother a few blocks from school. The rest of his family lives in a village with 25 families four hours from his school. When he was younger Edwin walked a few hours to attend grade school because bus service is sporadic in his small village. Most of his classmates in school ended up working when they finished grade school because his community does not have a high school.
Now, he is studying architecture at a vocational school and aspires to become a draftsman after graduation to help support his family. In this picture he’s standing in front of a model that he created as a class project. Edwin grew up 8 hours from a skyscraper and has only been to Guatemala City once!
How can you help?
We work with a number of charity partners supporting education in Guatemala. When I was there, I saw first-hand how your small gift has changed lives.
Today, you can change the life of a girl in Guatemala City or help children like Edwin living in rural villages. Together we can provide educational opportunities that would ordinarily be out of reach.
Why Give in Hard Times?
This is a guest post by Erin Turtel, a writer, active volunteer and art instructor, who shares from her heart on why giving matters – even in the hardest personal times. You can follow her on Twitter.
Ahhh…Summertime, and the living is easy…The heat of July brings with it an impulsive rush to the beach , lovely lazy baseball games, delicious scent of freshly cut grass, joyous romps through backyard sprinklers, and of course, more chances for barbecue, burgers and beloved ice cream. Not to mention flip-flops. A welcome escape. As we enjoy the company of family and friends, the thought lingers in the back of many minds…will we be able to cover the mortgage this month? Should we really be going on vacation?
As I sit at my kitchen counter, scanning job sites on the internet, I wonder when this sluggish economy will break free – and give me a break. So many friends and neighbors getting laid off – hard workers, straight shooters, bright and interesting people…no real reason other than the bottom line. Money is tight, all around – from businesses to breakfast nooks.
Easy for anyone to fall into a bit of blue. Self-pity. And with good reason. So how do we refocus? How do we regain the energy necessary not only to move forward, but to succeed in the face of hardship? How do we begin anew? Give it away. Give the pity away. Give hope. I gave mine to SeeYourImpact.org.
Look around. If we break out of our shells, our cocoons, our safe harbors – what happens? Look around and see… feel… how fortunate we are. Truly. And then give it away. Even if you have “nothing” to give, give it away. Feels absolutely amazing.
Gratefulness, once embraced, changes our entire outlook. Oh my goodness, am I ever blessed. Or, lucky. Whatever you want to call it. No job, losing my house, even a trip to the food bank – where I once was the biggest and most frequent donor. Hard. Seriously hard. But Lucky.
What occurred to me as I drove away with literally a trunk full of staples was: how fortunate we are to have these resources, to have this support system. Friends have pitched in, too – with childcare, dinners, gift cards, treats and adventures. Times are hard for everyone, and yet we still have so much to give – all of us.
I not only found an enormous outpouring of support – but discovered first-hand the great importance of community infrastructure designed to bolster people in my situation. My community just knew. They were aware. They opened their eyes, and their hearts. And gave without strings. I was floored, stunned by the outpouring of love I’d received. But I didn’t know how to give back. Thank you notes, of course. Volunteering, absolutely. But how to provide this sense of security – this gift of hope – to someone else like me?
When freed from my self-pity, it finally dawned on me, that this amazing safety net doesn’t exist in many places across the globe.
Its not usually top of mind, but here in the U.S. we have a tremendous support system to fall back on in tough times. Most of us have trouble swallowing the idea of taking unemployment insurance, or going to a free medical clinic – or even accepting dinner made by a neighbor. But its there, all around us, ready. All the time.Not so in Sierra Leone. Or Nepal. Or even Guatemala.
When I opened my eyes, the question of how to demonstrate my gratitude suddenly became obvious. Something new. Something that would spread the gift of hope I was so blessed to experience. Give it away. Though a part of me felt I shouldn’t continue donating in the face of so much hardship within my own household – ”God helps those who help themselves” came to mind – I realized that here in America even those of us scraping by can still share.
And in giving we can all thrive. A small gift – just a few dollars – can have a tremendous impact for a family in a developing nation. Though I’d been searching for quarters on the floor of my SUV to cover gas just a few weeks prior, my decision to give $10 to SeeYourImpact lifted the yoke from my back, opened my heart to happiness, and most importantly helped another human being facing hardships I knew I’d never encounter.
In being a support to someone else, you bolster your own strength and glean inspiration. But the best part – you make a real tangible difference. Be a pillar, even when you are worried about your own. Save a life, spread hope, make an impact.
Results from our Social Media Day Campaign
Our social media day campaign with Mission Hot Mama was a great success. Our goal was to get this article and the hashtag #impactmamas retweeted at least 200 times. In the end, we generated 392 retweets in a 24 hour period, and the tweets themselves reached over 500 thousand people. We’re even the top search result on Google and Bing on ”assist a mom”.
We even trended as breaking news!
We had support from a cross-section of people: nonprofit supporters, technology enthusiasts, business professionals, and celebrities.This project was significant for many reasons. We tapped into the tremendous power of social media and connected with people on the world stage. This gave a huge audience to the work that SeeYourImpact.org and Mission Hot Mama do for mothers everyday. Indeed, what we did together also put a spotlight on the empowering work we do individually.
But this is just the beginning. We will team up again in the future on social media campaigns to raise awareness and bring attention to causes. Continue telling everyone about our global efforts. Together, we can use our influence to make a big difference, and and more important, a lasting impact.
Thanks for all that you do!
The SeeYourImpact Team