I owe much of my entrepreneurial knowledge to Seth Godin - I've read all his books and hundreds of his blog posts. This one Easy to type stood out, it's one of his shortest and most profound - today I got to put it into action.
Over the past five years I've made tens of thousands of photo buttons (yes me personally) I've messed up many and remade buttons before shipping - but this time I let them go - I should have known better. I screwed up, clearly. >>
The Westlake Chaparral Band of Austin TX deserved better ...and they are going to get it (see below)! Thanks Seth and thanks to the Westlake parents for sticking with me!
I don't normally make Behind the Button personal but this year is different. If you've read my blog you know I have written about hundreds of amazing people and their buttons. Elizabeth Fallon's story and friendship is very personal to me...I'll be riding my bike in honor of Elizabeth July 29-30 in the 24 Hours of Booty. (To benefit LIVESTRONG & local Charlotte cancer charities.) Learn more about the 24 Hours of booty here and about Elizabeth here! And please see Elizabeth talk about her beloved badges (buttons) in the video below!
Please consider the following DONATION request...thank for your donation and please help me spread the word on Facebook & Twitter!
Over the past six years Rhonda and I have spent countless hours on our bikes riding in honor of friends and family lost to cancer. We started in 2005 riding for our cousins Dale and Janie who sadly lost their battles with cancer.
Over the past six years our bike team MojoRiding has raised over $600,000 for cancer and multiple sclerosis charities....frustratingly these battles still rage on...
Some of you know that we came to know Elizabeth through her iconic “On the Road to
Recovery” buttons (badges as she called them) we met Liz on her trip from the UK to the US to walk in Charlotte Susan Komen Race for the Cure.
What a difference a year can make... Last July we rode in support of Elizabeth’s battle with cancer - this July we ride in her memory and honor.
If Possible please make your donation by Friday July 22 at noon!
Online Donate direct to Michael Gibbonsclick here http://www.24hoursofbooty.org/site/TR/Bike/General?px=1001974&pg=personal&fr_id=1150 Donate direct to Rhonda Gibbons click here
I made a single button today for a young woman (assuming she's young) she's embarking on a mission trip to Bolivia. I don't know the story behind the button or whether she knows this little boy? Hopefully she'll share her story when she returns.
This woman is on a mission and she has a story to tell...what's your story? what's your mission? Who's on your button?
Sometimes the simplest thing can turn into an amazing phenomenon. Here's the story of Elizabeth Fallon, a button and why this could change everything!
A friend of mine happened upon Elizabeth on Facebook and asked if I would make some buttons using her profile picture. In our wildest imagination we could not believe what would happen next...
After receiving the buttons (badges) as they're known in the UK - LIz asked friends and family for donations in return for a button. That’s when the magic happened...people started posting pictures wearing the buttons on Liz's Facebook wall (see some pictures at bottom of the post) - over 300 pictures from five continents buttons on celebrities, on babies, on dogs, on statues, on a coconut and even on the top of Kilimanjaro! The Road to Recovery buttons had become a global phenomenon on Facebook!
In liz's words "but it doesn't stop there" remember Liz used the buttons as a proxy for donations to her local cancer charity Harbour cancer Support Centre so far she's raised over $3500 far more then she ever imagined.
So what could this mean for Susan G. Komen for the Cure? First there are lots of Elizabeth Fallons out there eagerly looking for better ways to engage and motivate people to participate and/or donate! It’s not enough anymore to post a donation plea on Facebook or Tweet, Tweet, Tweet - you have to grab people with something different - it’s even better if you can offer them something tangible. Fundraising is about motivation, inspiration yes but also excitement and fun. Elizabeth’s cause awareness and fundraising success are due to giving people something fun to do, a task if you will - more than just mailing a check. When they order a button people think about where to take the picture and then start spreading it to their followers on Facebook* - at each step in the process they are fully engaged with Elizabeth and her cause. *And because of Facebook they are effortlessly spreading to hundreds and hundreds of friends!
You can see why I think this could be so HUGE for Susan G. Komen for the Cure - imagine over a million of your fundraisers doing what Elizabeth has done! Thousands of their friends, family and co workers spreading the word on Facebook ...well the numbers would be staggering! If 1000 fundraisers made buttons they could reach 130,000 friends...of course those people, have (130) friends too so...well do the math (16.9 million) - OK that may be a little hyperbolic but you get the point! **average person on Facebook has 130 friends
I’ve always felt making custom photo buttons one a time with no minimums (you really can order one custom button) was a simple yet powerful way to engage, motivate and inspire people to do remarkable things. My friend Elizabeth Fallon is but one of I think millions of people ready to do the same!
So here's some more really cool stuff about ELizabeth's Road to Recovery...
We set up a button gallery just for Elizabeth where people can order their buttons (a gallery like this could be set up for any Susan G. Komen fundraiser) http://budurl.com/LizFallonButtons
In Elizabeth's own words...she captures beautifully what Buttons of Hope is all about
WBTV's Molly Grantham has been one of Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Charlotte's biggest fans and advocates. It shows in her wonderful interview of Elizabeth Fallon on day one of her Charlotte visit!
Just some of the over 300 Raod to Recovery button pictures from Liz's Facebook wall...
Elizabeth Fallon was a stranger; a friend of a friend of a friend on Facebook. Then came "the button, the badge" and Elizabeth became a customer and then my good friend!
Scott Helms asked me to make some buttons for Elizabeth who is battling breast and now liver cancer in the UK - Scott wanted to surprise Liz after coming to know her story through his Mom and a crazy purple wig. Suffice to say all this changed everything for Buttons of Hope and as you can tell for Elizabeth too!
Liz asked friends and family for donations in return for a button. She didn't expect people to take pictures wearing the buttons and then post them to her Facebook wall (see some pictures below) - over 300 pictures from five continents including celebrities, babies, dogs, a lonely coconut and the top of Kilimanjaro! The thing is with each button, each picture Liz' spirits are buoyed and of course the word gets out about her cause! If that weren't enough Liz has raised over $3500 for the Harbour cancer Support Centre
I didn't know it at time (November 2006) but Elizabeth Fallon was the reason I started Buttons of Hope - if I had known her then she would have been the inspiration now she is my muse. I always believed people would do amazing things with these buttons - here's proof!
Elizabeth took these little buttons and she changed things.
I could go on...and...on but I think I'll let Elizabeth tell you why "these little buttons really can change the world"...thanks Liz!
Diana Wiles is what Buttons of Hope is all about...she took on a big fundraising challenge - the 2009 Avon Walk! She became an inspiration to herself!
I met Diana a few weeks ago preparing for the Avon Walk,
Washington DC - actually I did not meet her in person but I'm not sure
that matters because we have become fast friends. Diana stumbled
upon my Buttons of Hope website and sent me an email with a pretty
common request...read the rest of the story here
If you'd like to help us refresh fundraising then please vote* for us in the Pepsi Refresh $250K grant competition May 1 though May 31 - click on the pink button or this link http://www.refresheverything.com/buttonsofhope *feeling inspired? yes you can vote 31 times - once each day for Buttons of Hope! THANK YOU....
"When Erin visited the Buttons of Hope website - she was a stranger now
her story(s) and her passion are out there for everyone to see. Erin
tells me she loves her buttons - but it's really not about
the buttons so much as its about what those buttons say about the
powerful stories she has to share. I love it when the light goes on and
someone finds the photo button fundraising idea. When I see someone like
Erin proudly wearing her buttons I know that while they are a powerful
fundraising tool more than they are helping her be the change she wants to
see in the world...wow" read the rest here
If you'd like to help us refresh fundraising then please vote* for us in the Pepsi Refresh $250K grant competition May 1 though May 31 - click on the pink button or this link http://www.refresheverything.com/buttonsofhope *feeling inspired? yes you can vote 31 times - once each day for Buttons of Hope! THANK YOU....
This is the first Behind
the Button story -- I will let Valerie's words speak for
themselves.
"Merry Christmas Daddy! This is the third Christmas without you now and
it has NOT gotten any easier to be without you on what was your
FAVORITE time of year!... how we used to read the story of Christmas
from the Bible and then sing carols and drink egg nog..." read the rest of the story here
If you'd like to help us refresh fundraising then please vote* for us in the Pepsi Refresh $250K grant competition May 1 though May 31 - click on the pink button or this link http://www.refresheverything.com/buttonsofhope *feeling inspired? yes you can vote 31 times - once each day for Buttons of Hope! THANK YOU....
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