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...

