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ThinkSocial Awards: Invisible Children "Raising funds for and awareness about child soldiers in Northern Uganda"
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Name: Invisible Children
Nominated Category: Organization
URL: http://www.invisiblechildren.com
Area: Non-profit, advocacy and fundraising
About:
Invisible Children Inc. aims to bring global attention to youth affected by ongoing war in northern Uganda—and the organization does so with high-profile campaigns where supporters “abduct themselves for the abducted,” arrange mass sleep-ins in urban centers, and arrange screenings of its founders’ documentary of the same name.
Description:
One recent campaign, “the Rescue,” involved “rescue riders” biking between cities and was publicly backed by Oprah Winfrey and drew press from media outlets like CNN, with fellow riders and their supports kept in the loop via Twitter.
Twitter — for which Invisible Children as an organization has an account, as well as separate accounts for big projects and campaigns — is the social media tool Invisible Children is most reliant on, for communication and for relaying information about new and current efforts. It also has presence on Facebook, Myspace, YouTube, and other video channels that host the “Invisible Children: The Rough Cut” documentary.
Donation pages on the organization’s Web site benefit schools and outreach to “bring home” former child soldiers. The site also sells “Invisible Children” bracelets and apparel. With its foray into apparel and accessories, Invisible Children Inc. has made itself and its mission a brand; call it cheesy, but unisex Day-Glo tank tops and made-in-Uganda bracelets get the Invisible Children name out there.
It’s near impossible to measure how much impact Invisible Children’s campaigns can have on actually stopping child abduction, much less stopping a war, in another country. But the organization’s efforts have drawn considerable public attention, from media and U.S. legislators. It’s currently focused on continued pressure on Congress to put a Uganda-centric bill in play and winning President Barack Obama’s support. Shorter-term projects like Schools to Schools, where donations go toward education and schoolbuilding in Uganda, have shown tangible, brick-and-mortar results—which are necessary to convince supporters to continue backing the cause.
The Basics:
WHO: Invisible Children Inc.
WHAT: Invisible Children Inc. — a non-profit named after the documentary that inspired it – raises money and brings attention to child soldiers in Uganda and children’s rights violations around the world.
WHERE: Based in the United States, recipients of the organization’s aid are primarily in Uganda.
HOW to get involved: Via donation pages on the web site and opportunities to join in on different campaigns and projects. To execute these projects successfully, Invisible Children relies predominantly on Twitter as a communication vehicle; it also has a presence on Facebook and Myspace
What other people are saying:
General link to Invisiblechildren.com’s press exposure page
Founder Jason Russell in The Huffington Post
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Posted in: Conflict & Democracy, Human Rights, Non-profit, Peace Conflict & Democracy, awards, organization | Tagged: abduction, advocacy, children, childsoldiers, CNN, documentary, facebook, film, fundraising, government, myspace, Non-profit, obama, twitter, uganda, youtube
