July 20 2009
Help your local charity during hard times
This article is not really about search engine optimization, but it is definitely intended for anyone in the SEO community who has the means to help out struggling non-profit organizations. Like many of you I have been aware of California’s budget crisis. In fact, other states are struggling to adjust their budgets due to revenue short-falls but California gets the most attention from the news media.
However, I haven’t been paying attention to all the little organizations that are suffering because state and local funding has suddenly dried up. That changed just this weekend.
As many of you know, I’m a big science fiction fan. Most of you may not know that actor Kevin Sorbo (”Hercules” and “Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda”) has been a spokesperson and board member for an organization called A World Fit For Kids. This special program helps find alternative interests for Los Angeles children in an effort to guide them away from joining the hundreds of street gangs that recruit new members from among the city’s younger residents.
Kevin recently made an open appeal for new 6$ donations to A World Fit For Kids. And because Kevin’s fans love to support his charitable work I heard about this appeal through the grapevine. “Hey,” I thought to myself. “I can help spread the word about this.”
In fact, I am sure there are other charities that need help, too. And perhaps their celebrity advocates are out there making similar appeals. But these appeals can only reach so far unless people in a position to do something help spread the message. Many of you are influencers in search and social media — more so than me. If you have not been helping your favorite charities find alternative funding, now is the time to take action.
Use your blogs, your Twitter accounts, your facebook pages — everything where you express your personal feelings and interests — to remind people that there are good organizations out there needing help. The taxpayers have been funding thousands of small organizations for years. Those organizations are now being cut off from state and local government funding because the money just isn’t there any more.
If you can make a difference in some community by posting a few public service announcements on your sites, why not do so? There is nothing great about The Great Recession of 2008-2009, but we can still work together to make great things happen.
What do you say?
Written by Michael Martinez
I agree. The local charities do a lot more than we know, and they are doing it voluntarily. They should get some more spot light in terms of the economic crisis being at present.