Geoff Livingston co-founded Zoetica to focus on cause-related work, and released an award-winning book on new media Now is Gone in 2007.
“In America alone, we spend $14.6B annually on Mother’s Day for stuff that could just never say what’s in our hearts,” said Stacey Monk, founder of To Mama with Love. “How would it impact our world if we stopped using stuff as a surrogate for love? What if instead, we used those funds to make the world a better place for mamas and children everywhere?”
It’s always hard to top last year’s Mother’s Day gift and really let that special lady know how much you care. Here are four ways to use social media to say “I love you, Mom,” and make a difference in society, too. Social media for social good, and Mom — does it get any better than that?
1. To Mama With Love
Epic Change, the folks who brought you Tweetsgiving, have focused their efforts on To Mama with Love, a collaborative global art space. Loving children and husbands buy spaces, then add videos, photos, and love notes, and send an e-Card to Mom. $25 donations are allocated for a children’s home in Arusha, Tanzania. The program was envisioned by local grassroots changemaker, primary school founder, and Epic Change fellow Mama Lucy Kamptoni.
In a TwitterTwitter
interview, Kamptonie said, “This project is superb! Kids need [a] proper home to study well & grow … [The] plan is [to] accommodate not less than 50 kids … After some years, so many kids’ll benefit from this gift.”
2. Love Needs Water, Too
charity: water is selling e-cards this Mother’s Day to help resolve the world’s water crisis. Women in developing nations are twice as likely to walk for water than men. In Africa alone, more than 40 billion hours are wasted each year just walking for water.
Each charity: water e-card can provide clean, safe drinking water for one person for 20 years. On average, a water project costs $5,000 — so 250 e-cards sold at $20 apiece can build a freshwater project.
“charity: water sells e-cards for every holiday, but Mother’s Day is especially relevant to the world water crisis,” said Scott Harrison, Founder and President of charity: water. “When we visit villages with charity: water projects, we hear a lot from the mothers. Once their village gets clean water, they’re not only excited to drink it themselves; they’re relieved they can provide safer lives for their families. Clean water and sanitation can cut disease rates in communities almost in half. What mom wouldn’t want to raise her kids in a world that is much safer?”
3. MomsRise for the Mom of the Decade
Last year, MomsRising had a Mother’s Day video card that went viral with over 12 million views. It informed its viewers about the realities of modern families in the U.S. According to last year’s video, over 80% of American women have children by the time they are 44 years old, and three-quarters of moms are in the labor force. Right now, according to the U.S. Census, full-time working women earn only 77 cents to a man’s dollar.
This year’s Mother’s Day video e-card takes the concept one step further, declaring the recipient “Mother of the Decade.” Luminaries ranging from Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to First Lady Michelle Obama to Ugly Betty star America Ferrera appear in the “news clip” praising the 2010 Mother of the Decade.
“Modern moms are stretched to the limit, juggling an unprecedented number of roles at the same time,” said Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, MomsRising Executive Director. “The labor force is now 50% women for the first time, and three-quarters of moms are in the labor force. Times have changed, but our policies and programs haven’t caught up, and moms are getting crunched. Having an easy way — like a video e-card — to acknowledge that we’re in this together, and that we support each other on Mother’s Day, is critical in this pressure cooker situation.”
4. Thankfulfor Moms
Thankfulfor, a collaboration between TechCocktail Creator Frank Gruber, and former AOLer Jen Consalvo, features a Mother’s Day giveaway contest. To participate, simply post a thanks to mom on Thankfulfor through Sunday, May 9th. The Thankfulfor team will select a handful of winners to receive some fun prizes. Thankfulfor will collect all the Mother’s Day posts and select the best to be published in a beautiful e-book to be given away to all Thankfulfor members (and Moms).
“We all want to feel deep appreciation,” said Jen Consalvo. “It’s easy to send flowers, gift certificates and the like. It’s much harder to spend time thinking about why you are truly thankfulfor for a mother in your life. We want to encourage people to dig down deep and write a few words every day about the gratitude they feel. This is a no-cost way to help mothers feel like they are deeply appreciated.
“We hope to serve as a reminder about what’s really important on Mother’s Day – and any day of the year,” Jen continued. “Given the research today that shows how keeping a gratitude journal can actually improve people’s levels of happiness and well being, and can have positive effects on health and focus, we believe that helping people cultivate a daily habit of gratitude could have a lasting impact on individuals around the globe.”
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More social good resources from Mashable:
- How Does Twitter’s New Social Good Initiative Stack Up?
- 5 Ways Non-Profits Can Increase Engagement With YouTube
- 4 Ways Non-Profits Can Use Google Buzz
- Why Sex-Ed Remains a Challenge for Social Media
- 5 Ways Mega Charity Events Can Harness the Power of Social Media
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