Thursday 16 February 2012

Blogging for Charity - Blog it Forward

Regular readers will know that I regularly blog about charity, in particular Tommy's and Bliss . More and more, charities are finding that using bloggers is a fabulous way of getting their message across, it has become the new "word of mouth", blogging, liking, sharing and tweeting are the buzz words that help charities raise awareness and funds.

When I first started blogging, I really wanted to work with charities in my area of blogging and had absolutely no clue as to how to go about it. The turning point was last year's Cybermummy conference, when I attended a workshop about "Blogger Activism". The main focus was Save the Children, and the work they do with bloggers, which is truly inspirational. Their current campain is #nametheday, which is a fantastic way to get started with charity blogging.

I put up my hand to ask how I would go about contacting charities like Tommy's, because I really wanted to work with charities who I felt a connection with. A representative for Tommy's just so happened to be sitting there, and we had a chat, and from then on I have worked closely with Tommy's. It's been amazing, and I've had some fantastic opportunities like going on ITV's Daybreak and national BBC radio. Never in my life did I think blogging would lead to such places.

I'd really urge any blogger who is wondering how to go about blogging for charity to visit Britmums for ideas and support.

If you just want to dip your toe in, join a linky like Typecast's #dosomethingyummy for CLICSargent, where you post on a topic then link it to her blog. It's a great way of getting started, and giving something back.

Charity is more than just fundraising, although that is essential, it's about engaging people and informing them, it can also be about entertaining them too. The CLICSargent campaign has been fantastic, and some of the posts, particularly this week, have been so much fun and very heartwarming.

I would like to make another special mention about Tommy's. Vicky, the PR I work with, is just the loveliest person, and so easy to deal with, and I now consider her a friend. I have so enjoyed blogging to help Tommy's with their aims and objectives. I am so proud of the work we have done around "Having a Premature Baby", and the Healthy Pregnancy Plan. I am sure Vicky would love to hear from other bloggers too, who would like to be involved.

I would urge any blogger to get involved with charities, and if you have a favourite charity look them up on twitter or Google and just reach out. I am pretty sure they will snap off your right arm, and the beauty of it is you can get as involved as you want, even one blog post, or bake sale, or run will make a massive difference.

Blog it Forward! 


11 comments:

  1. Just lovely to hear of your experiences but also seeing that term "Blog It Forward" getting a mention. Thanks so much for this post and nobody can argue with you about the great work these charities do

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  2. Interesting post, I am so glad that I have visited your site. Thank you for useful information.

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  3. Love the post :) So much to think about! Thanks!

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  4. Nice blogging for charity. Impressive

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  5. Thank you, the work you are doing is great, I think a lot of bloggers are not sure where to start with charity blogging, and some charities are still finding their way too. Blogging is such a powerful thing for charities to use, a very effective way of getting their message across with minimum outlay, which is essential.

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