Nonprofit organizations need people to support their cause, which is why they turn to social media to get the word out. TwitChange is a nonprofit organization that specifically exists to utilize change in the world through social media. That is, with the help of influential celebrities.
In 2010, Eva Longoria partnered up with TwitChange to raise money and help reconstruct the Miriam Center in Haiti, a home for children with disabilities such as cerebral palsy and severe autism. With the support of more than 100 celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Ryan Seacrest and Shaquille O’Neal, TwitChange was equipped with two powerful tools – fame and Twitter – to make a change in Haiti. Celebrities committed to auctioning off tweets on eBay, where fans could bid on the chance to be followed, mentioned or retweeted by their favorite celebrity.
You’d be amazed at how much people were willing to bid for a celebrity tweet. In just 10 days, TwitChange received over $500,000 in bids. One of the highest bids went to Justin Bieber, with 62 bidders and the highest bid at $2,325. Plus, using Twitter allowed this campaign to easily become viral. In just 2 weeks, the campaign had over 30 million hits and more than a 100,000 tweets and retweets mentioning the campaign. And the best part about this social media campaign? It didn’t cost a penny to follow, mention or retweet fans.
Which celebrity would you bid on? To see more nonprofits making a difference, check out the rest of my series, 10 Nonprofit Marketing Campaigns That Effectively Use Social Media.
