'Own a Colour' in Aid of Unicef

 Dulux are attempting to raise £1million in 24 hours for Unicef with their 'Own a Colour and Help Save a Child's Life' campaign. This campaign is ingenious, on its home page features a large scale colour spectrum, when a colour is chosen it transports you to a more in depth colour spectrum as per the colour selected.

Once you choose your colour, bearing in mind that if a colour has already been selected by someone it won't be available, you are asked your name and why you chose it. Following on from this you are asked to donate towards the campaign. They give you options of certain amounts to donate and what they can provide for the children, in addition they offer an 'Other Amount' tab if one wishes to donate more:

• £1 - can buy enough polio vaccines to immunise 10 children
• £3 - can buy 400 water purification tablets, enough to filter 2,000 litres of drinking water
• £5 - can buy 100 satchels of oral rehydration salts to combat deadly dehydration and diarrho
• £10 - can buy three mosquito nets, vital protection against malaria, which kills an African child every 30 seconds
• £20 - can buy enough vaccinations to protect 50 children against measles, one of the biggest killers of children worldwide.

This is an extremely fun and interactive way to encourage people to donate, the idea of owning your own colour is ingenious and furthermore it doesn't incur any costs for Dulux or Unicef. Such an idea is likely to encourage and entice the younger generations to donate, with people being able to ask each other 'what's your colour?'. The partnership of these two companies is an unlikely one which makes it even more interesting. The creative and quite literal colourful nature of this advert is a great example of charities and companys thinking outside the box and hopefully as a result of this they'll be able to reach their goal within the next 24 hours.

To see this campaign/website please visit: http://www.ownacolour.com/

'Google Wallet' - Tap, Pay and Save

Google have just released a new revolutionary technology which will allow customers to pay with their phone or should I say 'Google Wallet'. The Tap, Pay and Save campaign has just been launched and is set to take the U.S. by storm.

For the time being this new technology is fairly limited to specific mobile phones and card carriers. For example Citibank MasterCard is currently the only card available to use with your Google Wallet, however this I'm sure will change as it becomes more widely used. For now, rest assured, those without Citibank MasterCards will be able to link up their own card with a Google Pre Pay credit card system which is also available with 'Google Wallet'. 

'Google Wallet' can be used anywhere a MasterCard paypass is available with hundreds and thousands of locations already in place in the continental U.S..

Google have pledged that this is only the beginning as they announce what the future of 'Google Wallets' might hold; Boarding Passes, Tickets and much more. What is for sure is that this is an exciting new venture and it's going to be interesting to see how it will ultimately develop.

Reaching out for Younger Volunteers Using Social Media

Punch Communications have recently released an article about how to utilise Facebook and Twitter more effectively in order to reach younger audiences.

Twitter:

They continually stress the need to build relationships with ones followers, whether by sending them direct messages or interacting by 'retweeting' relevant information that they had posted. In doing this your presence and visibility within Twitter will continue to grow.

Facebook:

For new users, having a fan page does not allow one to invite people as a result they recommend to start out with a personal page and then once one has sufficient fans change it to a fan page. Also by 'liking' or 'commenting' on other brands pages with a large fan base you automatically increase your visibility. However they point out that you shouldn't 'post ‘spammy’ messages, ensure your comments are relevant and not overtly promotional'.

In a more general message, Punch stresses that ones account should not be used solely to report on an organisations services and products. Instead they should also engage the user by posting interesting and relevant information, whether that's news stories, blog posts, videos and photos. However Charities should be aware of their audiences. For example if one is trying to engage in a younger audience posting news stores from the Financial Times in unlikely to draw their attention, one should be aware of their interests or hobbies, whether that be the new fashion trends or new restaurants. In doing so and by posting relevant information, the Charity is more likely to grab their attention and ensure a return user and are more likely to draw in people who otherwise might not have noticed or known about them.

Oxfam's Interactive Shopping Experience

Oxfam have just made shopping at their stores more interactive. In their Manchester shop they've recently tried and tested a system, in what their calling "a social network for objects", allowing customers to access information about items such as past geographical locations, stories from previous owners and video clips. Using QR code technology consumers will be able to scan barcodes with their phones, subsequently downloading all the relevant information about the item. 

An initial example includes this green dress donated by the singer Annie Lennox, in a video clip she explains about how she wore it to Nelson Mandela 90th birthday party or how another owner wore an item the first time she met her ex boyfriend. 

An Oxfam spokesman felt that 'items with an interesting history instantly have an added value for our customers' whilst 'promoting sustainability and encouraging consumers to look beyond disposable fashion'.

As a result of this new innovative technology the Manchester shop have seen their turnover increase by 41%, which have spurred Oxfam into installing this technology into a further 20 shops. Hopefully this new venture will continue to spread throughout the country.

Aviva Revives 'You are the Big Picture' Campaign, Benefiting Save The Children

In 2010 Aviva ran an ad campaign entitled 'You are the Big Picture', whereby consumers could upload a picture of themselves through Aviva's Facebook page, which would then be displayed in prominent cosmopolitan areas (see picture). Aviva have once again launched this campaign. Consumers are charged a sum to upload their photo which is then donated to Save the Children's Street to School program. However where as in 2010 consumers paid £1 to submit a photo, this year they will be charged £2, with all submission fees being paid into Save the Children's program.

The aim of this program is to provide education and counselling to 2.000 children a year in India by funding two mobile learning centres.

This partnership is a great way for this program to raise money. It allows the consumer to not only donate but appear on an Aviva ad campaign, a great incentive! In turn Aviva appears not only in touch with their consumers, treating them as individuals, but in touch with the need for charitable giving around the globe. 

It has promising prospects as last year Aviva's Facebook page received 2 million views, while in excess of £150,000 was donated to Save the Children. Hopefully they'll be able to surpass that this year.

Charities Using Social Media to its Full Potential?

The Charity Social 100 Index is a recently released 6 month study on whether UK Charities are utilising different forms of social media effectively. The areas in which they were assessed include their strength of income, strength of brand and social performance, covering responsiveness, whether they demonstrate social leadership and engagement in social media as part of their corporate communications style.

Despite the the staggering number of Facebook likes and Twitter followers within the top 100 UK charities, the study showed that charities may be neglecting social culture as an important part of further creating their brand awareness. The need to create cloud communities whereby one can interact with the brand on various media levels, in this case within social media, is becoming ever more important it allows contributors to feel connected a sense of belonging and will help in developing an in-depth interest.

The report stresses that Charities need to develop their communication and bring out their personality within social media in order to capitalise. See below the link to an info-graphic depicting the Charity Social 100 Index, giving an in depth analysis of how each Charity is currently interacting with each of the main social media platforms.

- http://www.guardian.co.uk/voluntary-sector-network/2011/sep/19/the-charity-social-100-index-infographic?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487#zoomed-picture

Charity Shops Using the Internet to Obtain Higher Prices

Charity Shops such as Oxfam have now started to use the Internet in order to sell items such as clothing, antiques and books. They are using sites such as eBay in order to address a larger audience and ensure higher prices. The bidding nature of eBay ensures that charities are getting the highest price possible when compared to the knock down prices set in charity shops where prices will only be haggled down. The Charity Retail Association announced that not only will this continue to increase year on year, as it already has with a 123% increase since 2008, but that it's already accounting for 3-5% of total donations.

Charities are seemingly becoming more and more sophisticated about their retail operations, selling through internet outlets, their own websites and expanding store their numbers thanks to cheap rent from the current high vacancy rates. It is reported that there are now 8,500 charity shops across Britain, a 28% from June 2009.

Despite these impressive figures Charities are also reporting that they are struggling to compete with commercial retailers on the internet, citing a lack of computer equipment and skilled staff. Despite this report it is likely that Charities will start to orientate themselves more with e-commerce as they continue to see the financial benefits whereby in years to come we may see a large shift to internet charity shopping and a decline in charity shops, despite the current increase in shop numbers.

NSPCC's New Campaign Receives National Exposure

The NSPCC  have announced the launch of a new campaign. 'Rebuilding Childhoods', this launch has come in response to the considerable increase in referrals that the charity has received this year in comparison to the 2008/2009 time period. They have revealed some shocking statistics, one of them claiming around 60,000 children miss out on therapy every year, another, that in some cases the victims grow to become the abusers themselves.

Many are not receiving the treatment that they need with unfavourable consequences, as a result the NSPCC have pledged 'treble the number of therapeutic centres in Britain from 6 to 18 over the next three years'. They are also appealing for those close to children they may suspect to being abused to keep a vigil eye out as they continue to stress that most children being abused will know their attacker.

This campaign launch was featured on the front page of the Metro (ABC 1,373,472), the free national newspaper that the average commuter will read on their way into work. At the end of the article they provide a mobile phone number and code, which if sent will incur an automated £4 donation to the campaign. This exposure is fantastic whether pitched by the Metro or suggested by the NSPCC, every new campaign launched by large scale charities should attempt to feature in a free newspaper. It would be interesting to see what awareness this article created or what level of response they received because it certainly caught my attention this morning.

People Being Misled Over Door to Door Charity Bag Collections

The British Heart Foundation have conducted a research about the scrupulous dealings of sub contracted door to door and independent charity bag collectors. Most charities have a deal whereby for each tonne of clothing the commercial firms collect they in return pay the charities £50-£100. However less than 30% of the items collected end up on the high street charity, with most being taken by the commercial firms and sold abroad where each tonne can fetch a price more than 400 times that given to the charities originally. These returns are for profit and will not used as a charitable donation.

The British Health Foundation released a poll showing that in fact around 70% of charity bags are from commercial companies which use these donations primarily for profit. Furthermore, 65% of those using the service weren't aware that the money raised would not be going to a good cause.

As a result the British Heart Foundation has found that due to the dramatic increase in commercial companies donations to legitimate charities has decreased, with them estimating that over the past two years they have lost £4.6 worth of donations. 

The British Heart Foundation has now called for increased transparency for all companies and charities involved, with them further urging for those wishing to make a donation to simply take it to their nearest charity shop.

Rise in those Sleeping on the Streets

Crisis, a homelessness charity, has recently released a report showing a rise in those living without a home. In addition, the report shows that they believe with a continuing economic downturn and planned government welfare cuts the crisis could spread up into the middle classes, leaving many on the streets.

Over the Summer figures were released stating that '44,160 had been accepted homeless and placed in social housing' this was the largest increase in almost a decade. Government, Councils and Organisations turned to B&B's and small hotels to temporarily house the new overwhelming increase in the homeless as space in social housing has started to stretch as far as it will go. This is becoming more and more evident as the homeless are increasingly spilling out onto the streets, unable to find accommodation. Interestingly, those living on the streets are predominantly migrants form Eastern Europe and not British Citizens.

These figures are worrying as Crisis stresses that if welfare benefits are further reduced, combined with increasing rent, salary freezes and increasing unemployment, figures could continue rising for the next few years. The Government has introduced a few initiatives such as the £4.5 affordable homes programme, hoping to generate 170,000 affordable homes, although many argue they will fall well short of their target with some expecting a creation of only 50,000 affordable home.

It is hoped that interest rates will be kept low in order to ease the strain being put on those trying to get back on their feet. Hopefully an upswing in the economy is on its way as many see this as the only hope in keeping people off the streets.