Social Activism plus Crowds minus Guilt = Fun-raising?
Being all social work-oriented, my goal is bringing small elements of community service and social consciousness-building to the large, hilarious crowd events in NYC. I love and respect the free spirit of randomness that permeates events like Santacon. Adding a quiet option to donate, do good, help clean up after, or not, without guilt or politicizing, seems like it can only bring good press and positive community perception to the huge flashmob/urban playground-style events.
Santacon currently collects canned food at the start points. Collecting money throughout the day, with the distribution of information packets and donation bins to hosting bars, could help Santa raise money for a cause. Something entertaining and thematic, like penguin rehabilitation.
This is where it gets sticky: What cause do you choose?
Raising money for a local cause, like diabetes awareness programming for the poor and crappily-nourished children in East Harlem, may produce a negative reaction in the flashmobbers. Maybe there is a foundation of class guilt which goes along with being confronted with the fact that you, Santa, have the disposable income to buy a costume and drink all day, while others do not. Feeling guilty is no fun, and I don’t want to ruin someone’s good time. Fun is healthy and very worth supporting.
Raising money for animals is easier than for people. For example, Pepsi’s Refresh program, which distributes cash grants, crowdsources its selections. Three of the four Top Voted programs this month and last month, in each of the four funding levels, are to benefit animals. Twelve of the thirty-two programs funded in November, and elevent of those in December were for animals.
Helping animals is morally uncomplicated. Funding long-term, gradual changes which are not cute or amenable to pictures will be hard to raise for, especially when issues of class or race privilege arise.
To raise funds/donations at smart mobs or flash mobs, does a cause also have to be light-hearted and animal-related? How do we fun-raise without guilt or changing the character of the overall event?
