Say your company wants to collect the most video tributes to our troops ever collected, as recent Stanford GSB alum Justin Nassiri is trying to do for Operation Gratitude. And say, like most non-profits, you don't have much budget.
Since you want to have a blend of sources—you might want to map out the types you definitely want to include (veterans, family members, friends, immigrants, kids etc) and then develop a targeted strategy for each. Having samples is the best way to get more people to create video. Also, giving people very simple/easy instructions is great…”all you have to do is…” Don't forget the importance of making it simple and obvious to participate effectively.
Once you have some samples, create an FB Fan page. Invite everyone you know to join- and make sure that there's good information and sample vidoes to get people excited. You want to give your fans "something cool to share".
Maybe also create a simple applet that changes something key about people’s twitter avatar and builds awareness/links to your cause (like Arik Fraimovich did to build support for free democracy in Iran).
Ask people to “donate” their FB status to building fanbase–like so many did when they changed their middle names to "Hussein" in support of Barack Obama.
Once you have momentum and a little bit of a story, you might partner with key organizations (ROTC alums groups, veterans, family support groups, other charities known for supporting our troops like scouts) to get them to rally their own groups—they are often looking for easy ways to get their audiences engaged.
And of course you would alert the local media—if a Girl Scout troop is doing something, tell the local stations, so they can cover it…etc.
Cost of all of this? Close to $0. Just some time.
You don't need a lot of money to make a difference and build awareness. Social media are designed for social movements–and charitable causes should be on the front lines. Everyone loves a feel-good story!
Oh, and if you want to support Justin–please reach out to him directly.
