How the Haiti Earthquake Became Real to Me

Sometimes from the comfort of your home office, world events can seem far away.  If anything is true in marketing, is the importance to be in touch with your audience, or target market.  World events don’t always impact everybody, because they are not directly affected by them, or because there is little or no connection to a specific event.  Social media has changed this for me; specifically with last week’s earthquake in Haiti.  Let me explain.

How the Haiti Earthquake Became Real to Me

Nearly 15 years ago I met Stephen on board a hospital ship in West Africa.  We were there as missionaries, and he and his wife Belinda were team leaders.  That time in Ghana was life changing, and I had the privilege to get to know Stephen and Belinda along the way.  Having been out of touch for years, we reconnected (briefly) via Facebook last year, and yesterday I decided to email him to see how he’s doing.  He replied quickly.  He is in Haiti, serving those devastated by last week’s earthquake.  His email was brief, but he directed me to his Twitter account for the latest updates.  Reading those updates (more below) really hit home for me.

How Can I Help?

After I reading his Twitter updates, I wondered, what else can I do to help.  Of course giving money is good.  As I thought about how to be most helpful, I realized you can help me too.

My Offer – Encourage Stephen – $1 Per Comment Through Friday

Let’s help raise a bit more money for this cause, and encourage Stephen (and others) in the process. For every note left in the comments section to my friend Stephen or someone you know to be serving in Haiti, MarketingProfessor.com will donate $1 to World Relief for their continued work in Haiti (video).  Deadline: Friday 1/22/2010, 5pm.

There are Many Good Organizations Doing Work in Haiti

CharityNavigator.com is a  great resource for researching organizations that serve Haiti.  They also provide solid guidelines for evaluating an organization before donating.  See the “Tips For Funding Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts” section on that page. 

Why am I supporting World Relief? My personal connection to the organization through my long time friend, Stephen. Learn what they are doing and see how you can help here.

See updates below from Stephen and others I know serving in Haiti:

Chime In With Encouragement – MP Gives $1 For every comment below, MarketingProfessor.com will donate $1 to World Relief (ends Friday 1/22/2010, 5pm). Feel free to encourage Stephen or others you know there.

Technorati Tags: charity, haiti