SMS Activism in Norway

Amnesty SMS-action from Rickard Roslund on Vimeo.

I was at the IFC in Holland last week. In the preparation for the masterclass I was running I was sent this.

It's brilliant. It's brilliant because it's different. And it's brilliant because it is interesting.

One of my earliest political memories…

On Friday I was reminded of one of my earliest political memories, when Mark Shayler came into Open to talk to us about some fancy marketing stuff.

In his talk he mentioned the trouble he got into at his supermarket job after watching Cry Freedom in the 80s, the film that tells the story of Steve Biko an anti-apartheid activist. Mark refused to handle South African apples as a matter of principle. He cited Cry Freedom as a contributing factor to his understanding of apartheid and the small protest he made.

Steve Biko

Cry Freedom was released in 1987 and I saw it at my local cinema in Somerset. It film had a profound impact on me. It sounds silly now, but at 17 years old I had no real idea about apartheid. I knew what it was. I knew it was wrong. But I had no idea of the scale of it. Everything I knew I was picking up from bands and the NME. So the film started to teach me about the struggle and gave me the incentive to find out more.

But it wasn’t the film itself that had the biggest impact on me.

When I left the cinema there were about 4 people waiting outside. I think they were Amnesty or ANC campaigners from Bristol, but I’m not sure. One of them pressed a photocopied leaflet into my hand and spoke to me earnestly about what I could do to join the struggle. I could give money. I could sign their petition. I could join their group. That evening outside the cinema I did two of those things. I gave a small amount of money and I signed their petition. I didn’t join the group. That felt far too radical for a country boy like me. But that meeting had a real impact on my politics and my desire to do something.

One of the questions Mark asked us on Friday was ‘Why?’ Why do you do what you do? Part of the reason I do what I do, can be traced back to the excitement I felt when meeting those real life activists — it was one of the first times I realised that the ‘typical’ career path wasn’t for me. More importantly it showed me that taking action against the things you disagree with is easy. You just need to start.

Be the change you want to see...

I've said it before. In fact I say it all the time. I am obsessed by the Bernie Campaign.

Who ever is making these films is a genius as most of them make me cry.

The reason I think they're so good is that they feel so real. We all know authenticity is critical to any form of communication for a charity or non-profit. But so many organisations, particularly political parties, struggle with it.

My hunch on why the Bernie team do it so well is that they have a huge and genuinely engaged community of people so desperate for Bernie to succeed. As the film says, "real change only comes about from the bottom up".

Greenpeace & Nelson. British heroes.

My crush continues.

Sign the petition here.

Tell stories like this.

Well this is an amazing film.

Celebrate the power of people...

It's Sunday and I should be putting the finishing touches on a series of presentations I'm giving at next weeks IFC in Holland.

Instead, as is so often the case, I'm messing about on the internet.

This just popped up in my inbox.

It's from Greenpeace.

The narrator is Peter Capaldi and the music is from Massive Attack.

But the sense of pride in being a Greenpeace supporter and the misty eyes - that's all down to Greenpeace.

An alternative to the same old same old...

I wrote a blog the other day with the title ‘Ignore all gurus. Read fewer fundraising blogs. (Yes, including this one).’ And I meant it.

The point buried somewhere in that post was that there are too many fundraising blogs. All covering the same circular debates with no real alternative to the status quo. Which isn’t very exciting or inspiring.

In that post I suggested we should seek inspiration from elsewhere, so here is a list of places on the internet I look at when I need that inspiration or an alternative view.

Mobilisation Lab. One of my favourite corners on the internet. And great people in real life. I had the pleasure of attending one of their events in the woods just outside of Arnhem a few years ago and I’m still drawing inspiration from my experiences with them. The blog has loads and loads of case studies on how the Greenpeace network and affiliates is using tech to win.

Springwise.  A place to see examples of problems that are solved by taking an alternative view.

Meta Activism.  A look at how digital drives activism. 

The Sell! Sell! Blog. A blog that at times can push my thinking and state the obvious in an uncompromising way. Good brain food. 

Two US agencies, Precision Strategies and Blue State Digital. The former set up and staffed by some people who worked at Blue State Digital. Both a great place for a look across the pond at smart things happening in political campaigning & fundraising.

We Are Social. A phenomenal resource for up to the minute thinking and global stats on all things social.

Benedict Evans. Not a blog, but a email list you won’t regret signing up for.

Mobile Fix. And another ace email to sign up to.

I’d love to hear about blogs that inspire you. But please, no purely fundraising ones...

What we can learn from activists use of mobile...

This article was first published on the 101Fundraising blog. An excellent resource for fundraisers. You can read the original article here.

No one can doubt that the mobile phone is now a firmly established fundraising tool.

As a sector we’re taking full advantage of the opportunity. Text to donate asks appear on trains, the tube, the back of washroom doors and are central to telethons like CRUK’s Stand Up To Cancer. Recently we’ve really seen the power of mobile in social fundraising campaigns like #nomakeupselfie and let’s not forget the success of JustGiving’s JustTextGiving.

Even though mobile is at the centre of these campaigns, we’re not even scratching the surface of mobile’s potential to change the world.

A few years ago at a fundraising conference I sat in a session called ‘From Google to Ghandi’ where the question was asked: “What more could Martin Luther King have done if he had had a smartphone?”

Armed with a smartphone and the access to the internet and social media our phones give us, I’m convinced he would have mobilised more people, organised them quicker and co-ordinated even more significant acts of protest. Which in turn could have sped up the progress he made.

We can see what this could have looked like if we fast forward to December 2010 and the Arab Spring. Mobile and access to social networks were crucial, enabling the protestors to organise themselves. They also gave protesters the ability to tell their story in real time without any filter being applied and they could see that people across the world were listening and urging them on.

Again, last year in Hong Kong protestors against the Chinese government embedded the mobile phone at the heart of their protests. Massive public demonstrations were organised and co-ordinated via mobile.

Activists have worked out that these simple tools can help them mobilise thousands of people behind their causes in days rather than years and these lessons are being applied in the third sector.

The rise of the digital activist

Mobile and social media are now a fundamental part of protest and activism. But not everyone wants to take to the streets - which is where the rise of platforms like Change.org and 38 Degrees are making their mark.

From the safety of our sofas we can get involved in global campaigns. As we take more actions, similar causes are put in front of us. All too often these actions are dismissed as Slacktivism.

A definition: Slacktivism is a term formed out of the words slacker and activism. It’s a derogatory term for the act of doing something relatively effortless and simple like signing an online petition, sharing a link or hitting 'Like' on Facebook.

These actions aren’t worthless and we shouldn’t dismiss their value. Fundraising is getting harder. So fusing campaigning and fundraising seems like the most obvious thing to do.

It is unlikely that Slacktivism disengages those who are already engaged in our causes. It is however more likely that these micro acts of solidarity attract those who might not otherwise get involved. Our challenge as fundraisers is to develop these small actions into something deeper and more meaningful.

Mobile is shrinking the world

A recent study said that by 2017 just under 75% of the world’s population will have a smartphone and therefore have access to the internet in their pocket.

This was really brought home to me during the protests in Ferguson, Missouri. Looking at Twitter on my mobile at the height of the protest I started to see messages of support and solidarity from the people of Gaza to those protesting in Ferguson. The tweets that really made me realise how mobile was shrinking the world were the ones where activists in Gaza were sharing tips on how to combat the effects of tear gas.

Don't Keep much distance from the Police, if you're close to them they can't tear Gas. To #Ferguson from #Palestine
— Rajai abuKhalilرجائي (@Rajaiabukhalil) August 14, 2014

Having the internet in our pocket means we are all connected to the whole world via social platforms at any point of our day. As a fundraiser this is really exciting. It’s exciting because it means we can tell stories and show impact in real time. If we want to, we can even create places where conversations between donor and beneficiary can take place. All of which will lead to more donations or campaign actions which means we get to change the world for the better that little bit quicker.

We can do it now, the technology exists, we just need to get on with it.

Amnesty's Syria Gif

I never thought I'd think a Gif could tell a story.

This one does. It shows Syria from space between March 2011 and February 2015.

Take action here.

The unconnected are shrinking...

I spent my Sunday morning poring over these slides from Benedict Evans from a presentation called 'Mobile is eating the world'. It's good, go have a look.

My favourite slide is slide number 6... The unconnected are shrinking.

Pretty soon close to 75% of the global population will have a smartphone. Which as it says in the slides is a supercomputer in your pocket. A portable connection to the internet should be a force for good. (Tinder & Candy Crush aside).

The world is shrinking or has shrunk. The internet, globalisation, air-travel and economic migration amongst other things mean that we are no longer defined by our national borders.

More people with smartphones means more people can connect across these borders.

Which means 'local' causes and protests can become international causes and protests in seconds.

Change.org is a classic example of this. In seconds I can support a petition set up on the other side of the world and show my solidarity with people fighting back against corporations and governments who are doing bad things. In a previous world, I'd have to wait for some element of the media to tell me about it. And if they didn't know about it or more likely care about it - it would be unlikely that the many people could ever find out.

In the past few months I've....

Watched a stadium full of people turn their phones around to show they've made a donation to an international charity.

Watched as the protestors in Hong Kong make their smartphones part of the protest.

Watched (on my smartphone) live footage of the police reaction in Ferguson, Missouri to public protest. And then watched as the people of Gaza sent advice on how to deal with tear gas via their smartphones...

There are of course more examples of how mobile and social media have been the catalyst for change and protest, last year in Turkey, the Arab Spring and the whole Occupy movement.

It's all very exciting stuff for someone like me who gets inspired by acts solidarity. 

And inspiring for the day job which in part is to help the charities and campaigning organisations I work with make the most of the opportunity mobile phones offer.

We should connect people and causes all over the world. 

We should live stream the impact of donations to the people who make them. 

We should enable conversation between the people giving and those who are receiving support. 

We should make that conversation drive real change in behaviours everywhere.

The technology is here, its use is growing, so we just need to get on with it.

Ferguson October

This from the USA.

SMS being used to update activists on the Ferguson October campaign.

Amplify your voice...

This is a great idea. And bit irritating.

Great because for a small donation Amplifyd will pick up the phone and lobby on your behalf.

Irritating because I had a really similar idea and the internet has just informed me that it is already being done! Though only in the states it would seem...

I read lots about how email campaigns and online petitions have become another 'thing' for MPs to manage, I wonder how much of an impact phone calls to the right people could have...

Lots more info here.

Always listen to Fiona...

Fiona has been banging on at me for ages to watch this.

I've been refusing to do so as I'm not a massive fan of Mr Branson.

I relented today and I'm glad I did. What a fantastic way of drawing attention to your campaign.

And it worked. According to Fiona, WDCS had been writing to Virgin for years with no response. Within a day of releasing this film they had a response from Virgin.

Moral of the story? Always listen to Fiona.

Yet another brilliant #savethearctic action from Greenpeace

Less than 2 minutes. Priceless.

27 AUGUST 2013 UPDATE: It would seem that Shell or Bernie Ecclestone didn't approve so YouTube have taken it down. But you are a resourceful bunch, I'm sure you will find it...

OH! Seems it's here for a while...

The video Shell doesn't want you to see from Greenpeace on Vimeo.

And here.

What will you do?

These six women took my breath away. I was heading to a meeting one morning in July when Twitter told me that 6 Greenpeace activists were climbing the Shard in London. So when I emerged from the tube, near the bottom of the Shard and saw the huge police and media presence, it brought a huge smile to my face. And I knew it was real!

Lots of media led frothing of the mouth ensued. Why bother, why 6 women, blah blah blah.

The reasons were simple and uncomplicated...

To highlight Shell's contribution to the destruction of the Arctic.

To raise the profile of the campaign.

To inspire people to get involved. In any way that they wanted.

As a moment of activism it's brilliant and breathtaking and I'm sure more successful than Greenpeace could have ever imagined.

I love Greenpeace. I forgive them anything because their passion for their cause is real, genuine, infectious and runs deep through the whole organisation.

I love it when they piss the establishment off. It means they are getting heard and making it uncomfortable for business, media or government.

Every time they do something like this - it makes me give them money. It's like I want to pay the bail of those who put themselves out there to cut through the nonsense that gets reported day to day, the people that make it impossible to ignore Greenpeace.

A couple of days after the successful climb, Victoria Henry 'sent' me an email which included this video.



I've been very busy lately and have only just watched it today. It's fabulous. I urge you to watch it. The bravery of those 6 activists brought a little tear to my eye. It made me very very proud to call myself a Greenpeace supporter.

The 6 climbers were Ali from the UK, Liesbeth from the Netherlands, Sabine from Belgium, Sandra from Sweden, Victoria from Canada, and Wiola from Poland.

The final point in the email from Victoria, for me, sums it all up.

"We don’t have the slick, multi-million dollar PR machine that Shell has. But we have something I think is far more powerful: you and more than 3 million of the most dedicated activists on the planet. It’s time to show Shell that people mean more than money."

I am one inspired supporter right now.

Amnesty again: this time mobile & street art.

I love this from Amnesty. They do outdoor awareness raising really well.

This time in Frankfurt, Germany. Collaborating with street artist Dan Witz they placed a series of images around the city highlighting the stories of 8 political prisoners around the world.



Mobile, QR codes, a petition and a mobile optimised map. No fundraising ask it would seem, but still a smart campaign from an organisation that understands that how to interest and engage a younger generation in their cause.

The lovely Miriam at Open told me about this one.

Cassetteboy & Amnesty International vs The Arms Trade

And this is just brilliant from Amnesty...

The speech we want all our leaders to make.

There is enough food in the world...

I like this from the IF campaign. A complex issue reduced to a simple solution.




There is enough food in the world for everyone. But not everyone has enough food.

It's a disgrace that this is a situation tolerated by the G8. We all have a duty to make a noise about this, politicians need to hear our voices and recognise that irrespective of the tough financial situation we are in, we won't tolerate this basic injustice.

There are loads of simple things that you can do to show your solidarity with this campaign. You could start by signing up here.

And talk about it. Online and in real world. The message is simple. There is enough food in the world for everyone. We need to share it around.

This won't go down well in North London #dumpshell

I've just got back from a trip to Berlin & Prague. While I was away I kept myself up to date with Greenpeace UK's latest action. This time highlighting the Waitrose and Shell partnership.

They made this film. It's awesome.



Take the action.

Only we can change this

MIDWAY : trailer : a film by Chris Jordan from Midway on Vimeo.

I've just watched this. A mate on Facebook tagged me in a post to make me aware of it.

If any one needs a reminder of the impact we have on our planet. Here it is. I don't know much about the people making the film, but I'm going to find out.

The film shows the impact on the birds of Midway Island of the tons of plastics we use in our everyday lives. This stuff ends up in the sea, ends up in the stomachs of birds and then kills them. The footage is horrible. It should make you angry. It's made me very angry.

Their blog is here. On the blog there are lots more films. I also watched this one.

MIDWAY - Plastic Beach from Midway on Vimeo.

The scale of the problem is huge. We created it, so only we can fix it.