Impact Stories

Alia McKee-Scott is a leading thinker in online fundraising and is a co-conveners for this year's Web of Change Conference.  In this blog post she outlines some of her most innovative thoughts on how fundraising is evolving to adapt to a more transparent, open Web 2 world.

The Social Tech Training and NetChange Week 2009 have come and gone, but after the dust settled what remains is a strong and growing community of emerging leaders filled with new ideas for innovation in their digital campaigns, tools, and programs, and maybe even something a whole lot bigger.

That’s the current count for the viral success of US NGO MomsRising.org’s Mom of the Year Video launched earlier this month. Leveraging great production value and clever customization that features Byonce, Brad Pitt and President Obama, this overwhelmingly successful viral campaign lets anyone give their own mother the nod for Mom of the Year in a television style “news” clip.

How did they do it when most non-profit videos fizzle out after a few thousand views?

Jeff Regen is a pioneering leader in online strategy who has built a formidable digital program at Defenders of Wildlife in Washington, DC. Since 2004, their online community has grown to more than 800,000 e-supporters, tacks one million yearly advocacy actions, and brings in $5 million-all on the back of an innovative online model that embraces the best of emerging web tools, and which formed the foundation for this year's Social Tech Training.

Web of Change launched the 2009 season with Designing for Democracy — a multimedia presentation by social entrepreneur, technologist and artist Favianna Rodriguez at Vancouver’s stunning 319 Theatre. In our follow up interview, we asked the Oakland native about her business model for change, and how she has grown her social mission through a unique relationship between her web agency, TUMIS, and the Eastside Arts Alliance, the community non-profit she cofounded in 1999.

Innovation is the most challenging type of work to be involved in. By nature, it pushes you out of you comfort zones and into an exploration of the unknown. There's great risk, but also great reward.

Web of Change deserves a lot of credit for pushing both myself and my organization to be far more innovative, creative and bold in our online advocacy. Thanks to this community, Rainforest Action Network has launched some of the most effective campaigns in our history.