23 Jul 2008 5 Comments
Good for a Laugh
My favorite college professor would tell you he is an entertainer, not a lecturer. His point is that he isn’t going to hold your interest or get you to learn much if he can’t effectively communicate why Jonathan Swift’s writing was so daring or why T.S. Eliot’s grasp of the English language was so incredible. He uses intellectual stand-up comedy to stimulate and engage his students’ minds.
I was reminded of the power of communicating information through humor when I came across Matt Harding’s wildly popular series of videos on YouTube. Thanks to Conor’s Fundraising Blog for the heads-up on this.
Matt has gained something of a following for his travel videos, in which he records himself doing a characteristic dance for his viewer’s entertainment. The backdrop for these videos is the landscape of dozens of countries from all 7 continents of the world. The best way to understand how amusing this project is would be for you to watch one of his videos yourself. I watched one this morning and I’m still laughing about it.
Where the Hell is Matt 2008
Recently, Matt has decided to use his self-termed quasi-fame to raise money for laptops for the world’s poor population.
We think Matt is really on to something here. He is engaging people with something highly entertaining and creative and then mobilizing his social network to fundraise for a cause he is passionate about.
At Firstgiving, we think we have some of the most creative fundraisers on the web, and we want to give them the tools to unleash their creative spirit!!! That’s why we created a “Use your imagination” fundraising page category:
Are you thinking about entertaining an audience and fundraising for an NPO? Here are some other creative fundraising ideas to get your brain storming:
Chelsea Barrett’s Headshave Campaign for Student’s Partnership Worldwide
Trabant Trek: Germany to Cambodia (15,000 miles!) in “a vehicle never designed for a trip of such mammoth proportions” for Friends International.
Matthew Wormald’s A Drop In the Bucket giving up to give fundraiser for WaterAid America
The point: Be Creative! This is a social media marketing best practice.
What is the most creative fundraiser you have ever participated in or supported?
Susannah
Jul 23, 2008 @ 14:13:45
I love this guy! Great article :-)
USpace
Jul 23, 2008 @ 23:05:22
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Great post, good causes. Matt is cool, it’s good to see that he’s still out there cruising around. Leave him a comment about his evil dancing. LOL! I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.
Great job Matt! Stay safe out there! Keep dancing!
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absurd thought -
God of the Universe says
outlaw ALL dancing
moving bodies to music
must be seen as evil
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Matt Was In New York City!
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Philosophy of Liberty Cartoon
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USpace
:)
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The Online Fundraising Blog » On the Road
Jul 25, 2008 @ 12:36:23
[...] do something you’ve always wished to do but never had a reason or purpose to do it. Like Matt (see blog below) who has chosen to dance around the world, on all seven continents and 48 different countries to [...]
BethP
Aug 25, 2008 @ 11:00:21
See Chris Brogan’s post on the topic:
http://www.chrisbrogan.com/the-importance-of-being-funny/#comment-131956
jess123
Nov 29, 2008 @ 17:24:08
Love it! I saw this great video on SF Iam where the reporter goes to Seattle to try and track down Internet and You Tube sensation Matt Harding of Where the Hell is Matt.com? Fame:
http://www.sanfranciscoiam.com/videos/cb1dfa714335
Find out the origins of Matt Harding’s fancy dance that has become a global InterWeb craze. Man, this guy has been fancy dancing all around the world for 3 years now, spreading happiness!
Also, SF Iam has a lot of other great videos you should check out.