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Hashtags; Networking in Quarantine by @lorisica #launchandfounders

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by Lori Sica

Hashtags; Networking in Quarantine by @lorisica #launchandfounders

The Quarantine Trend

Most folks in the United States indicate the month of  March as a turning point in the Covid19 pandemic. Other countries were already locked down in quarantine. Schools were closing. Public parks and beaches were off limits.  Some states went into full lockdown, some were in partial lockdown. In the absence of social gathering, women who connect and inspire always find a way to shine.

Enter Twitter

Seeing a need, an insightful and fully caffeinated entrepreneur connected a diverse group of women on Twitter. Tweets among the group were posted daily, sharing ideas and creative strategies. Some posts offered gardening and baking tips. Others included at-home work out routines and recipe shares. The twitter stream filled with supportive messages for a mom awaiting the birth of her child. Some even asked for advice to improve content for a new website. The views from windows, local neighborhoods and landscapes in participants’ home towns, provided a “local” backdrop. Posting photos of newly crafted work spaces inspired new ideas. The tweets became a 24 hour, daily check in across several time zones. It was amazing.

Real Connections

This was a time of hardship and real people get real about their feelings. Many folks were facing difficult issues, and needed a place to chat about it. Everybody was uncomfortable with the level of uncertainty of the future. Folks opened up about loved ones suffering from the virus, or businesses facing bankruptcy. Moms tweeted about the stress of having children at home, and on computers all day. In the same vein, people living alone, shared about the lack of contact and connection in quarantine.  In what felt like vast hopelessness, this thread provided good company, with  listening ears. It was a healthy outlet to share and express real feelings.

After three months of daily engagement, Jen Vallina, a photographer who possesses great branding skills, suggested creating a unique hashtag. After that, content marketer, Canva expert, and creative super star,  Nicky Pasquier drafted a logo to brand the hashtag. And just like that, a network of brilliance was born. Welcome to social media, #launchandfounders.

 

All Are Welcome

On any given Friday, multiple tweets and retweets invite people to follow folks. For example, one particular #FridayFollow challenge was to mention five people worth following. The tweet thread lasted six days, encompassing hundreds of tweets. Pretty powerful. It is not a members only club. Anyone can tweet and respond, using the hashtag.

Join The Conversation

In an era where social media is spreading fear and exclusion, #launchandfounders is spreading hope and inclusion. It is a hub of creativity and inspiration. There is no judgement. Thereby, it is safe place to share what matters. Also,  participants  support each other by engaging in twitter chats and live events, hosted by #launchandfounders. They are actively commenting on each other’s blog posts and subscribing to their podcasts.  The support is gracious and inclusive. Networking is happening every day. In conclusion, hashtags can be everything, or just one thing that brings the world a little closer together. Much like a great cup of coffee.

 

20 Ways to Give Back in 2020 by @DrRKayGreen

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by Dr. R. Kay Green | Featured Contributor

A common New Year’s Resolution, especially for businesses, is to “give back” to the community. But for as often as the concept comes up, few businesses actually follow through with it. Often, this is because the business has a base misunderstanding of what “giving back” is.

There are so many ways to give back. Here are just 20 of them for you to implement in 2020:

  1. Start a charity program. The most common one is where you pick a charity for employees to donate to, and after a certain amount of time, you match the donation as a company. This encourages charitable giving and supports a good cause.
  2. Give employees time to volunteer. Allowing employees to volunteer hours on company time does far more than help a good cause. It also encourages employee retention, as being able to give back is incredibly important for a lot of people.
  3. Reward employees for volunteering. For every employee who is eager to volunteer their time, of course, there are some that are more reluctant. Make volunteering more enticing for them by offering rewards if they hit a certain number of hours, for example.
  4. Start a scholarship. Scholarships are a great way to give back to your community. It encourages higher education in youth, and is a relatively simple way to show that you care. Making the scholarship a contest allows it to reach a wide audience.
  5. Get involved in your community. Never underestimate the power of simply being there when people need you. Whether it is to help clean a park or providing aid after a natural disaster, find a place where you can be of use and go there.
  6. Partner with a non-profit. Partnering with a non-profit allows you to give your services to those who are in need. An established non-profit will have an audience that you can provide for, making it easier to reach the people you want.
  7. Sponsor a food drive or similar event. Sponsoring events allows you to provide for your community in an easy, effective way. It gets important goods to the people who need it, and it allows you to get involved in a real, tangible way.
  8. Share your knowledge by running a class. Many people do not consider the amazing impact that sharing their knowledge can have on a community. An in-person class or a webinar allows you to educate people on what you are an expert in.
  9. Buy from local small businesses. When possible, buying local does amazing things for your community’s economy. It also encourages loyalty and improves overall morale. And, of course, it supports small businesses.
  10. Collect donations from customers. Many companies have a tip jar, and a similar process can be used to collect donations for the charity of your choice. Most people are willing to throw in a bit of change, and that sort of thing adds up.
  11. Turn volunteering into a team building exercise. Encouraging employees to volunteer as a group has several benefits. In addition to providing even more aid to people in need, you also encourage employees to get to know each other outside of a professional setting.
  12. Volunteer with causes that align with your core values. If you are going to donate time or money to a cause, do not just pick it at random. Instead, make sure it aligns with company values and how you want to present yourself.
  13. Sponsor a youth sports team. Again, giving back to the community is not just about charity. Sponsoring a youth sports team is a great way to give back to schools and the students in them who are trying to shape their futures.
  14. Hold a contest. This is a simple but fun way to get involved in your community. Holding a contest fosters a sense of fun and friendly competition between people. It will get people in your community interacting with each other, which is important.
  15. Offer your skills when appropriate. If you notice a small business or family struggling with a service that you are able to provide, do not be afraid to lend a helping hand! People will remember you as the person who came to their aid.
  16. Give free resources on your site. Want a less labor-intensive way to give back to the community? Offer free resources on your site—things like blogs or white papers provide valuable information to your community free of charge.
  17. Offer special deals for those in need. An example of this is a restaurant that allows patrons to purchase a second meal so that people who cannot afford one can have one for free. You will see this frequently at pizza places.
  18. Put a focus on “going green.” This does more than give back to the community — it gives back to the world by making it a healthier place to live. Making an effort to lower your carbon footprint and improve the environment is an important step in becoming a kinder business.
  19. Auction off things you no longer use, and donate the profits. Sometimes items outlive their usefulness to your business. But that does not mean that they cannot be useful to someone else. Sell them and donate the profits.
  20. Donate products that do not sell. This can tie into the action above. Simply donating the items you no longer need to people who could use them is a great way to give back. It also ensures that you are not being wasteful.

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Dr. R. Kay Green – Marketing Expert from RKG Marketing Solutions Inc. from Atlanta, GA.

Dr. KayDr. R. Kay Green is the CEO/President of RKG Marketing Solutions Inc. With over 190,000+ Twitter followers, 35,000+ Facebook Likes, and the Top 1% LinkedIn profile designation, Dr. Kay, a self-motivated trailblazer, is the Quintessential “New-Age” Professional Woman, and PhD Marketing Pro. She earned a Doctorate of Business Administration in Marketing, and has completed PhD coursework in Leadership and Organization Change. She also holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Management, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, and an Associate of Arts in Marketing Management.

She is affiliated with several prestigious universities and has instructed over 350 courses online. A popular speaker on Marketing and Business topics, Dr. Green is currently featured on Huffington Post, Black Enterprise, Black News, The Network Journal, Business Review USA, Digital Journal, College View, Business New Hampshire Magazine, Bay State Banner, Reader’s Circle, North Dallas Gazette, Harlem News, Top News Today, One News Page, NE Informer, Women in Business PR News, Consumer News Today, Women PR News, San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, Chicago Daily Herald, The Miami Herald, and Book News Articles.

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10 Important Lessons 16 Year Old Gabrielle Posard Taught Me by Mella Noir

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by Mella Noir  | Featured Contributor

Ever met a 16 year old that started changing the world when she was 12?

I have, and her name is Gabrielle Posard. rsz_ddd_logo_soi_article_1

When she was just 12, she was inspired by her older sister Camille, who was a writer for a documentary on hunger.  She drew the now famous “Donate, Don’t Dump” logo of a fork, spoon and knife combined with recycling while discussing the documentary over dinner with her family.

Fast forward four years later, this teen is pushing for bills in Sacramento, has been featured in People Magazine, is a writer for Huffington Post, as well as running weekly community food collections that donate good food to hungry families in her community.  She has saved over 800, 000 pounds of food from going to waste, and also has inspired a whole new legion of children and youth in her community to follow in her footsteps.

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I had the pleasure of interviewing Gabrielle for my podcast “Clink, Chat & Catch Up!  and today we got back together to share a few ideas, so simple to Gabrielle, but so powerful for our adult ears, eyes and hearts.

Here are 10 important lessons a 16 year old taught me, and you should learn too:

1.  People rise to the occasion when you give them a chance.

2.  It takes one voice to initiate change, but a community to truly make something happen.

3.  Learn to pick your own personal values and prioritize what’s important to you.

4.  There’s no age requirement on making a difference.

5.  A phone call > an email.

6.  Don’t read off the PowerPoint.

7.  Public speaking isn’t nerve wracking when you know what you’re talking about.

8.  If you show people how passionate you are about something, they will more than likely help.

9.  The largest problems can sometimes have the simplest solutions.

10. Donate, don’t dump!

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What I also learned from Gabrielle, is that the initiative to help others can begin from a thought, turn into action, and can grow into a huge, life changing collective. Her feeling empathy at the dinner table and having the temerity to make a change happen meant that thousands and thousands of people in the community have gotten the food they need desperately, that would have gone to waste. She is truly a marvel and we will stay tuned for what she does in her 20’s! Inspiring all of us, and showing that above all, age has nothing to do with ability.

Thanks for the lessons, Gabrielle!