March 19, 2010
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Help us: don’t let Haiti become “old news.”

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We need your help.

UNSHAKEN launches Monday, World Water Day. We're so excited to already have the support of Invisible Children and plenty of donors at South by Southwest (who got a sneak preview of the campaign over the weekend).

But if mycharity: water has taught us anything, it's that we can never underestimate the power of grassroots support. We believe people care about Haiti; now, we need to figure out a way to keep them interested.

How do we keep the general public focused on long-term relief for Haiti?

Email us ideas. Record a video, send us a picture, write us a note, leave us a comment. The more creative, the better! We'll share your ideas here on the blog.

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  • Maria Thompson

    The girl in the park was right. Your photos really share the message of Haiti. You could do a series of photos focusing on specific people that need water?

    What will really help is just keeping Haiti in the news, on Twitter and on peoples' minds. We need to send out photos and reminders for months to come to keep people involved.

  • Jesse Phillips

    This is great. I don't think you can keep stuff in the face of the general public for long. We, publicly, get tired of the same thing – or the news people get tired of reporting the same thing. I think when you involve a specific person, that's how you keep that person involved – getting them to commit to a project, like – let's build 1 well in haiti. Then if you get every person a project in haiti, they'll stay involved for that project. But you can't keep the media's attention for too long, unless you have something new & sexy related to the Crisis in Haiti.

    • http://www.charitywater.tumblr.com charity: water

      When there's a goal — an amount, a specific population to serve — that has definitely helped in the past. On the Unshaken (charitywater.org/unshaken) site, we'll share as many details as we can.

      What stories do you think resonate with people the most?

  • b_kate

    Put a face to the problem and be specific in who you connect with. I would reach out to civc minded groups (i.e religious organizations, civic organizations, college groups, et al) already interested in helping Haiti and ask them to participate in meaning fullways with the campaign. Also, if possible, when working with these groups, bring someone from Haiti who is working to help the country either here in the US or in Haiti itself. Get people to blog about it too. Let the people who volunteer or donate write why they do it. While keeping attention on Haiti is a challenge, I think personal networks and social media can play a big part and not just rely on conventional media to do a story whenever it suits them.

  • Lauren Knight

    This is in response to your request to keep Haiti in focus. What if you created a video once week ? If you have correspondence stationed in Haiti that can
    Document the help they are receiving and discuss the help that is still needed. Have short interviews if possible with people in Haiti and showing their daily
    Lives. To show the realness and the rawness of the situation and that continued support is needed for a long time to come. Then maybe take this video and bring it to Manhattan public access cable. They will accept videos even if you are not a public access volunteer. The Manhattan cable station has 3 million viewers. As long as the person who submits the program lives in Manhattan the station will review the program. I think they would definitely consider the program because they like to have programs where New Yorkers are making a difference in the world. You can also include what Charity water is doing and have short interviews with staff. Interviews with other organization that you have worked with and people that you are working with that are making a difference in Haiti . Maybe have a segment of the program where you ask filmmakers to make short films.

    They can go out and find people that are making a difference for Haiti. What they themselves have done. How they felt when they heard about the earthquake. Or ask filmmakers to make short films , animations ,videos that would inspire people to help. That could be a segment of the program. Go to schools and have children create art and though their art show how they think people could help Haiti. Then have a segment that shows the children's art work from different schools. That could be a short segment. Maybe see if the school would let you interview a few students. Let the children say how they would like to help Haiti or their ideas on how adults could help.

    Maybe have a segment of the show for musicians to contribute. Ask them to write songs about Haiti and then use one of those songs for the opening of the program. Every week you can create a montage about Haiti and use different musician song every week as a segment for emotional impact. These ideas can be short segments in the program to keep the audience educated and inspired to make a difference.

    You could offer the program air on Manhattan cable and put in on You tube and turn it in to a podcast.
    Getting back to the children art on Haiti idea maybe have the art made in to posters and can be put up in stores etc.
    Or made into tee shirts. Maybe take some of the photos that photographers have taken of Haitians and put them on tee shirts. I have seen the photo's
    that have been put on you twitter page. The portrait style photo's are moving and they show the people's resilience in the face of their difficulties which is inspiring.

    Regards,

    Lauren knight

    • http://www.charitywater.tumblr.com charity: water

      Short video segments are a great idea. Any artists out there willing to contribute? Just email us — media@charitywater.org. We'd love to post your music, animations, videos… anything you think will help spread the word about Unshaken!

  • Lauren Knight

    I had two other thoughts come to mind about unshaken.
    I thought a mural. If there was a mural in a propionate location. That would be a reminder. Also if you were able to talk with the public transit system. Maybe
    have a large poster maid like a movie poster that I see at when I drive past outdoor glass bus terminals. Then pedestrians would see it and drivers. Maybe
    talk with subway transit system and see if a mural or posters could be put down there then people taking the subway system would see it daily.

    Best,

    Lauren

    • Lauren Knight

      Last thought . Possibly getting a regular spot on internet broadcasting radio station. Or local radio broadcasting station, college radio station.
      I don't know, a flash mob for Haiti? Flash mobs seem to get a lot of hits on you tube. If that was a consideration thought maybe you could get in touch with Improve Everywhere. They are in New york and they have gotten a lot of attention with their flash mob projects.

      Lauren knight

      • http://www.charitywater.tumblr.com charity: water

        Flash mob! That's one we haven't tried! We did march through the city with Jerry Cans for WWD in the past. But a flash mob would generate attention, for sure!

  • Caroline Rodgers

    Developing the idea of “family” could spread across various social media platforms.

    How about using the song “We Are Family” as a soundtrack to videos featuring photos alternating between Haitian and donor portraits? The images could be shuffled the same way electronic photo frames shuffle photos, with new images of donors and recipients constantly added to the mix.

    Building a family theme removes the barriers between donors and recipients — it puts us all at the same table.

    • http://www.charitywater.tumblr.com charity: water

      Caroline, GREAT idea.
      Long-term solutions = long-term commitment, even with small dollar amounts. It really would keep Haiti on peoples' minds if it came that time of the month to donate…

      Thanks for the great idea!

      Do you think this type of “family” could be developed via Twitter or Facebook? Or do you see it as an email update/chain, maybe a community here on the blog?