With around 30 percent of all time spent on the net dedicated to social media, it was about time someone used these powerful networks to make a difference. Enter I Am Action, a social media platform that empowers people to come together to do good in the world. Founded by Alex Haditaghi, the platform is a space for not-for-profits, companies and celebrities to use their collective voices to help tackle world problems. Let’s take a look at how they’re translating strategy into action to do good.
Appealing to the Millennial market
I Am Action is appealing to the millennial market who wants to help make a difference in the world. With a constant stream of information available to them, consumers of today won’t settle for products or services that aren’t sustainable or companies that don’t make a point of giving back. Millennials want to buy their products wisely, reduce their negative impact on the environment and support worthy causes, wherever they can.
This is true when it comes to where they buy, the company they keep and the corporations they work for. A Stanford Graduate School study found that as many as 90 percent of recently graduated MBAs in North America and Europe wanted to work for companies with a deep commitment to social responsibility. Rather than financial reward, today’s generation of workers are more motivated by integrity and ethics.
So, when a social media platform gives its users the chance to find out about real world problems, and corporations the opportunity to support them by taking real action, it seems like a win-win situation all round. Celebrities and influencers are also starting to get involved and using their voice and popularity to spread awareness for global issues.
Supporting real live causes to make a difference
I Am Action is delivering its users valuable information and letting them know about world problems, such as lack of drinking water in parts of Africa and Asia, or the killing of endangered species. They’re also giving those who want to contribute the perfect platform to do so, and the chance to donate and appeal for money. And they’re doing it in a highly measured and regulated way.
Jaded by countless corporate scandals and accustomed to demanding accountability, millennials expect nothing less than complete transparency from companies. Haditaghi’s platform makes no secrets about how donated money is spent, and gives donors regular updates and detailed explanations of where their money is going. On their water well and sanitation station program in Haiti, they provide exact milestones that they want to reach and updates and news when each one is funded. This is just one in hundreds of examples.
Creative ways to provoke action
I Am Action isn’t just another crowdfunding platform or social media site. As the name suggests, their very essence is about taking action. To highlight the threat to wild rhinos from poachers, they are currently offering a $25,000 reward to anyone who can help police track down French poachers, who killed a young rhino for its horns at a zoo in France.
They also allow their users to enter exciting, once-in-a-lifetime competitions, such as winning a dream trip to South America, or the chance to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. All while supporting a worthy cause, of course. Do you have to donate to be in with a chance of winning? Not initially, the first 10 entrants can enter without donations and then, after that, there are various levels of involvement. A $10 thank-you card, a $50 I Am Action bracelet and a $75 dollar T-shirt among them. For those with extra money to give, there’s even a special $1,200 builder’s brick.
Letting users be a part of the strategy
I Am Action further allows users to shape their strategy, as well as the causes they want to see supported. From the environment to poverty, conflict zones, health and wellness and sustainability. Celebrities and marketing influencers can use the platform to support causes that have been carefully vetted and are monitored at every stage. They empower such influencers to be the face and voice of key campaigns to reach a wider audience.
Fortune 500 firms spend more than $15 Billion a year on corporate social responsibility. This underpins the growing need to align themselves with greater causes if they want to attract millennials. With I Am Action, Alex Haditaghi is ticking all the right boxes to drive user engagement and propel world situations into the limelight, effectively translating strategy into action to do good in the world. May they go from strength to strength.
Originally published at medium.com