“Please don’t witter on Twitter”

Interesting comments on using Twitter and Facebook from the mouth of a professional.

Setting up a Facebook profile or Twitter account is very easy, but what you say on them must be part of a wider strategy, otherwise they just create noise. At conferences last year, I often heard charities talking about their fantastic new ‘widgets’ without clearly communicating why or how they had helped them deliver their objectives.

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Lawyers in spring

It’s now safe to say that we’ve gone from a few long term volunteers toiling at boring tasks to an organisastion that gives interviews, meets with lawyers, and plans fundraising days.

Yesterday I met with a lovely lawyer by the name of Rebecca. I got completely lost in London looking for her office, but then again, being lost in a very nice part of London on one of the first sunny days of spring is no curse. And once I found her, she was impressed. A lawyer was impressed. She said it was an “inspiring idea”.

She then proceeded to shoot down all my plans about how to register with The Charity Commission. But that’s her job and I’d rather hear it now than make a mistake later. Thanks to Rebecca’s clear commentary I know which route to pursue to protect EDV’s members from serious liability issues.

But that’s boring.

We’re planning an “EDV Day” to fundraise the money we’ll need to incorporate (aka, make ourselves an official charity). We have volunteers on several continents who are willing to run events in their offices, local pubs, or town greens as well as several who plan to run marathons in EDV’s name. It’s extraordinary the way people have come out of the woodwork to help.

And lastly, there are these two websites where those interested can help raise funds for EDV just by shopping online or searching the internet. At this site  you can do your usual online shopping and the site donates a portion of the profit going to EDV (no extra costs for you). This search engine donates a portion of the profit it makes from advertising to EDV.

Now, if you go to these sites, don’t be disappointed. You won’t be making 10 EU every time you use them – you’ll be ‘donating’ far less. They rely on many people using them. So while one person can’t raise all that much by searching alone, an individual can make EDV some serious money by sharing these sites with others.

And on an even more exciting note, I’m giving an interview for EDV today. My first interview, on anything, ever. It’s with a publication called “Citizen’s Eye” and I would by lying through my teeth if I didn’t confess my anxiety. Here’s hoping I don’t get to the editor’s office and spontaneously forget everything I ever knew about disaster volunteering.

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