This week has been a heart-wrenching week for many people around the world. Haiti, one of the poorest nations in the world, was practically destroyed by a series of severe earthquakes. One must search
long and hard to find the silver lining in a tragedy such as this. Although, the silver lining in this tragedy already seems to be the world's response with money and aid. Nothing pulls a community
(even the world community) closer during harsh economic times than working together to help our brothers and sisters in a vital time of need.
The opportunities to help the Haitian people are
numerous, but one technique stands out to me as the "ultimate participation opportunity" for Gen Y. But before I reveal what this brilliance is, we must first identify the problem that existed in Gen
Y's willingness to give (and I don't mean the earthquake).
The problem: how can a charity make itself easy to give to? The cause itself rarely is enough. And although Gen Y gets a bad rap as
an apathetic generation, we are not. We have a better understanding than most generations when it comes to viewing the world as "one big community."
But, often times, charities aren't
meeting the "needs" of those it asks from. No one writes checks, and even online giving isn't doing the job for Gen Y. The fast-paced, multi-tasking nature of Gen Y often is a hindrance when it comes
to charitable giving.
The Red Cross figured it out (or at least I'm giving it credit for figuring it out). It is allowing mobile phone users to simply text the work "Haiti" to 90999. By doing
this, it has cracked the code to Gen Y giving.
The good people of Gen Y average 740 texts per month, according to a study conducted by Participatory Marketing Network and Pace University. Now
Gen Y (and everyone else) can type in 10 characters into their mobile devices and affect a tragic situation in another part of the world. That, my friend, is what technology, marketing, and ingenuity
is all about.
As marketers we all know that Gen Y uses alternative forms of communication (although they really don't seem that alternative anymore). But the Red Cross should serve as an
example of an organization that puts lightning in a bottle. The right process met the right generation at the right time.
Here's hoping that this program has continued success. God knows
that Haiti needs it.