Haiti Relief in Second Life: A View from the Nonprofit Commons Collaboration

The Virtual Haiti Relief campaign in Second Life has become a fascinating experiment in engagement here for us at Nonprofit Commons — I hope we can learn from this endeavor for future work. Over a dozen avatars actively shared their skills by creating interactive experiences, events, fundraisers and outreach campaigns to help raise support for the people of Haiti over 6 weeks this winter. Many hundreds of avatars visited campaign spaces, from the Benefit Music Festival to the Help Haiti Hub aid distribution center.

Haiti Benefit Festival at Nonprofit Commons

This campaign took off when Rhiannon Chatnoir and the Virtual Haiti Relief group was able to take the scripted code from the Relay for Life kiosks and create a specialized Haiti relief kiosk that was spread throughout Second Life. Let’s look at the fundraising numbers and rank of monies raised by this community on our four sims:

2) Health Commons $760 or L$197619
24) Plush Nonprofit Commons $83 or L$21440
28) Aloft Nonprofit Commons $68 or L$17541
72) ECO Commons $16 or L$3910

Total raised from NPC: L$240,510 or nearly $1,000USD (thanks to all of you for contributing!). This campaign as a whole raised L$2,000,000 or over $7,200USD. Together the Nonprofit Commons sims raised more than any other single group working in Second Life.

Much of the money raised was passive — beyond the organized music and arts festival events there were many thousands that came in just by making the means of donation available in public spaces around the sims. There are also over 40 musical acts that donated their time to come play for the festival on Aloft Nonprofit Commons, including LabGraal that packed the sim on a Saturday afternoon.

LabGraal

Lessons Learned:

* Events are essential! Most of our visitors and new guests came for the music festival (hundreds over the course of one weekend)
* Advertising is helpful: It helps to have friends on other sims who will get the word out for us
* Music & Entertainment draws crowds better than most other activities, especially if the band has a following
* It helps to make simple agreements quickly with one organization vs. longer route with foundations/coalition-building
* Offer content that informs as well as entertains — many guests appreciated our speakers and detailed information on how to get more involved in grassroots efforts

Special thanks to those here who supported these events/efforts including Rhiannon for building the kiosks and festival stage, Katydid Something for organizing the music festival, Mia Kitchensink, Brena Benoir, Ninlil Xentiltat & many others here at NPC for building various elements on our sims…thank you for your efforts to make this possible. The Help Haiti Hub will continue to exist for some time to allow us to process how aid and information flows across these spaces.

Dancing at the festival

We are finding that what works inworld connects closely to what works on the ground in Haiti:

HuffingtonPost article on Haitian Solidarity and Giving by Beverly Bell

From this HuffPo article:
“In the meantime, what saved many during the earthquake, and what is keeping them alive today, is a culture and economy of solidarity, or mutual aid. Solidarity is an essential strategy through which on-the-margins communities, and their individual members, can survive and thrive. Today the generosity is on overdrive.”

“Gifting and solidarity are time-honored traditions in Haiti, as around the world. The non-monetary transactions of services, care, and goods are both spontaneous and organized. They honor human relationships and attention to the well-being of the whole, not just oneself. They minimize the role of profit in economic and social relations, and thus keep respect, cooperation, and ethics thriving.”

Haiti Benefit Festival at Nonprofit Commons

We learned a lot by bringing in speakers from Ushahidi, Partners for Others, Sustainable Haiti and many other organizations working with the people on the ground to rebuild and renew.

In the spirit of giving, there are a few organizations where you can be more directly involved:
http://www.sustainablehaiti.org
http://www.crisiscommons.org
http://www.ushahidi.org

Following Ushahidi will show you up to date reports of where issues are noticed and addressed. There are many creative groups solving issues around rebuilding, permaculture and food security, water purification and medical care in remote areas. There’s a long way to go and volunteers will also be welcomed by many groups if you are interested in traveling directly to the region to help rebuild this country.

Help Haiti Hub

We are learning that there’s a lot we can do remotely to help, from fundraising to connecting organizations who are doing good work to collaborate in times of great need. Please share the lessons you have learned here so that we can begin to build better campaigns together at NPC.

Written by: InKenzo

AVATARS RAISE MONEY FOR HAITI THROUGH VIRTUAL EVENTS, GOODS, CAMPAIGNS

2/26-2/28 THREE DAY EVENT in SECOND LIFE

Virtual Haiti Relief with TechSoup Global’s Nonprofit Commons to help Haiti

Avatars from around the world are coming together to honor the Haitian people with a cultural festival designed to raise money for Haiti relief and rebuilding efforts.

From February 26-28th the virtual world of Second Life will play host to a festival highlighting organizations on the ground in Haiti using emerging technologies for rebuilding and aid efforts. Events will include a live music festival led by Kathey Fatica (Katydid Something in Second Life) along with nonprofit organizers of TechSoup Global’s Nonprofit Commons and Virtual Haiti Relief, an online organization formed by volunteers and nonprofit staff members within the virtual world as a response to the devastation in Haiti.

Nonprofit Commons is a four-island cooperative community with representatives from over 100 charitable organizations in ten countries organized by San Francisco-based technology provider TechSoup Global. Avatars can visit the Nonprofit Commons islands in Second Life to the Help Haiti Hub where they can take action, make a donation and visit a makeshift aid distribution center (SLurl to location in Second Life: www.tinyurl.com/teleporttoNPC). Events on Friday February 26th at the Nonprofit Commons will include speakers from real-world organizations giving aid and a virtual goods auction to raise funds for Haitian relief.

”The Music & Arts Festival for Virtual Haiti Relief will be an example of the rich environment that Second Life® offers. Featured throughout the area will be a number of exhibits and artwork, a sculpture garden, and stage. Users can walk their avatars through a 3-dimensional exhibit depicting interpretations of the devastation of Haiti with a map, examples of broken landscape, and a field hospital with only rudimentary equipment. In addition, the event includes informational exhibits and speakers from organizations working to restore a balance to Haitian life, along with a general art exhibit and 40 consecutive hours of Live Music for our world audience to experience,” explains Kathey Fatica, Virtual Haiti Organizer and Creative Director at Needham Fatica Advertising Agency. “It’s our goal to create not only an environment of entertainment but also of education and empathy.”

A charity ball for avatars in Second Life will be hosted by Brenda Bryan (Brena Benoir) of the national nonprofit organization, Preferred Family Healthcare, from 7-10 PM PST/SLT on Saturday February 27th. This virtual Second Life® event will feature live music and dancing on the water while raising money for the Virtual Haiti Relief campaign.

Live music will be featured around the clock beginning at 5AM PST/Second Life Time (SLT), Saturday February 27th, and continuing through to 10PM PST/SLT on Sunday February 28th. Performances celebrating the diversity of music in Second Life® include folk, rock, jazz, and classical music from international performers based in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America.

The Music & Arts Festival for Virtual Haiti Relief is being produced with the support of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life and TechSoup Global. Visit the web for more information on TechSoupGlobal’s activities to help Haiti.

Linden Lab, creators of Second Life, have lent support to organizing and fundraising efforts within the Second Life community, providing space for memorials and outreach support. To date, dozens of events to help Haiti have been hosted within Second Life and throughout other virtual worlds.

Virtual Haiti Relief’s campaign in Second Life sends 100% of donations toward seven charities on the ground in Haiti:
The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund: www.clintonbushhaitifund.org
United Nations World Food Programme: www.wfp.org
Oxfam America: www.oxfamamerica.org
Partners in Health: www.pih.org or www.standwithhaiti.org
Red Cross: www.redcross.org
UNICEF: www.unicef.org
Yele Haiti Foundation: www.yele.org

Virtual Fundraising Success
Volunteers have already raised over $6,000 U.S. dollars in the short time the campaign has been live. The Virtual Haiti Relief Donation Package includes information on the charity, a Donation Kiosk to raise funds, a Donation Vendor to raise funds by selling items, a informational notecard explaining more details, and a Virtual Haiti Relief t-shirt for avatars to wear. Avatars share fundraising tools with others through gift bags or group gifts created by Joyce Bettencourt (Rhiannon Chatnoir of Global Kids).

To learn more about Virtual Haiti Relief events at the Nonprofit Commons contact Kathey Fatica, festival event producer (katydidsomething@virtualhaitirelief.org) or Evonne Heyning, Nonprofit Commons Interactive Producer (evoamo@gmail.com).

Social Actions for Virtual Haiti Relief

You Can Help by Fundraising
Pick up a Virtual Haiti Relief Donation Package in Second Life:
Put out a kiosk found in any blue Haiti gift bag to help collect donations or drop some Linden dollars in a kiosk near you.
Kiosks and Virtual Hait Relief Donation packages may be found in Second Life: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Vesuvius/100/164/25
If you are a content creator, use the vendors to sell items where proceeds go toward fundraising
You can pass along the Donation Package to others that might be interested in raising funds for Haiti relief

Other Ways to Get Involved:
Blog, tweet/retweet, post on Facebook to help share with others outside of SL, follow @VirtualHaiti on twitter and join the VirtualHaiti Facebook group
Distribute the Donation Package through your Second Life groups
Beyond the events planned here by Nonprofit Commons and others involved with the larger Virtual Haiti Relief group, you can plan your own events towards Haitian relief and awareness. Events ideas include talks on Haitian culture/history, dances, candle lightings, music or DJ performances, art exhibits and shows
For Second Life event listings, photos, blog posts, or social media posting beyond Second Life, tag with: VirtualHaiti
For more information visit http://VirtualHaitiRelief.org; IM or email us contact@virtualhaitirelief.org

Written by: InKenzo

Digital Storytelling Drive-In TONIGHT 7PM in San Francisco & inSL!

How to Participate in the Digital Storytelling Drive-In Events hosted by TechSoupGlobal inSL or in San Francisco:

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 21, 2009 7PM PST
TSDIGS Drive In Sign

See and hear the stories live in San Francisco

Visit us live at 525 Brannan Street Suite 300 on Wednesday October 21st at 7PM or skip the travel and meet us in Second Life at the Health Commons Drive-In at Nonprofit Commons. We will be sharing snacks and popcorn at the TechSoupGlobal office as we watch and give awards to winning entries. To RSVP visit
Meetup
: or Facebook:

If you cannot make it live, send your comments and questions on Twitter by tagging #TSDIGS or checking Tweetchat: www.tweetchat.com/room/tsdigs

To view all of the extraordinary entries to this challenge visit the playlists on YouTube and Flickr and please leave feedback comments for these organizations.
View video and photo entries in the sidebar here at nonprofitcommons.org.

You may also view and submit comments/questions via Second Life:

1. If you are not already registered with Second Life do so here: https://join.secondlife.com/.
You should be taken through the process to verify your email address, download and install the Second Life viewer. If not, do the following:
– Check the email account for the address you gave when registering with Second Life. Click on the long URL in the email and you should get a confirmation and download instructions.
– You can download the Second Life viewer for Windows, MacOS or Linux here: http://secondlife.com/support/downloads.php

2. Once Second Life is running and you have signed into the virtual world, you can teleport directly to the event with video and discussion:
– Go to the DRIVE IN teleport map: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Health%20Commons/133/39/20/
– Click on the orange “teleport now” button.
– The Second Life viewer will show you a small map of the location. Click on “Teleport” in the Second Life window.
– Use your arrow keys to guide your avatar to the video screen:
– Right-click on a car seat and choose “Sit Here” to sit down.
– Push play on the bottom of the screen next to the movie camera icon to start video.

3. Please direct your comments/questions via text chat or IM to TechSoup Staffer “Penguin Kuhn” and include your name and organization.

We hope to see you there!
~In Kenzo, Chief Architect & NPC Interactive Producer

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Written by: InKenzo