Conference Notebook

May 05, 2008

The Power of 'Viral Movements'

Nonprofit groups, the media, and businesses need to rethink the traditional model of charity and begin to collaborate more, said presenters at a panel discussion called Viable and Viral Solutions for Social Change.

With traditional charity, “there’s a person who gives and a person who gets, as opposed to all of us being a part of the same story,” said Eve Ensler, who wrote “The Vagina Monologues,” which led her to create the V-Day Foundation, which campaigns against violence against women.

Ms. Ensler’s play started a viral movement, growing from one performance in 1998 to more than 4,000 this year. Over the past 10 years, celebrities such as Glenn Close, Oprah Winfrey, Rosie Perez, and many others have performed the monologues, bringing star power to the issue. Typically, colleges and other community organizations perform the play on Valentine’s Day, and donate the proceeds to anti-violence groups of their choosing. Overhead costs are low, and participation is high. Ms. Ensler said that in addition to raising funds, the play transforms how the actors, audiences, and the public think about misogyny and women’s issues.

“In order to shift the culture, you have to shift the mindset,” she said. “It’s why I believe so much in art.”

Another presenter, Tonja Brown, director of strategic integration at CNN, said that the network’s involvement in philanthropy began as she noticed the trend of celebrities becoming more involved with various causes. She also noticed viewers were contacting CNN and asking how they could help with various causes.

“We would be missing out on opportunities if we didn’t go in that direction,” she said. “It’s expanding our brand because the world is expanding and changing.”

CNN’s Web site offers ways that viewers can donate to a variety of charities, vetted by Charity Navigator, that are linked with current news events. For example, donors are directed currently to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Food Programme, which are assisting victims from the cyclone in Myanmar.

“Every single day there’s an opportunity for people to something,” she said. “Why not build it into their lifestyle?”

Caren Yanis, executive director of the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, said that even without a lot of media attention, social-change movements can spread virally. She pointed to the “O Ambassadors” program, which she said has been “under the radar” of media outlets, and has not yet been highlighted on the Oprah Winfrey Show. The program consists of student clubs in schools across the United States. Students learn about and raise money for worldwide issues of hunger, poverty, and limited access to education. There are now 1,200 such clubs and Ms. Yanis said word is spreading via educators and participants.

At the closing of the session, Ms. Brown issued a challenge to each attendee: “Partner with someone you haven’t partnered with before. Before you leave, make sure you reach out to someone you traditionally wouldn’t reach out to and create a movement.”

— Cassie Moore

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The Power of 'Viral Movements'