Four Ways Medium Is Workingfor Social Impact Organizations

A (new) non-profit + foundation primer

A small sampling of organizations on Medium.

Cause and advocacy-based organizations have taken Medium by storm since we published primer #1 over six months ago. We’ve quickly gone from being the educators to the educated, with dynamic use cases emerging so frequently we’re having trouble keeping up.

So it seems like the prudent move to share the best of what we’re seeing. Here goes.

I.
Creative Campaigning + Calls to Action

Donate now, learn more, join our mailing list: these are but a few calls to action non-profits are issuing. Possible Health, Charity: water and Team Rubicon have all recently tried it on for size [hint: to do it yourself, just insert a button as an image and hyperlink to it with command+K].

And as far as creative campaigning goes, check out what Malaria No More did just before Halloween:

DRESS AS SOMETHING TRULY SCARY THIS HALLOWEEN

II.
Sharing Stories From the Field + About Your People

This seems like an obvious one, but to do it well is another thing altogether — and orgs on Medium have done a magnificent job. Room to Read has created compelling publications around Girls Education, Literacy Matters, and Inside Room to Read. Human Rights Watch is adapting stories from its print publication, Dispatches. Global Health Corp is highlighting the work of its fellows (and recruiting new ones). IDEO.org is doing what IDEO does best: bringing empathy to the forefront. We’re also seeing the likes of Kiva and DonorsChoose highlight their work culture and the people within their organizations. And just recently Pencils of Promise started using Medium to profile its rock-star donors.

Left, a story from Room to Read’s Girls’ Education publication. Center, the Literacy Matters publication homepage. Right, a post from the Room to Read Insider publication.

III.
Op-Eds, Manifestos and Big Ideas

Visionary leaders are treating Medium as the op-ed page for the internet — Judith Rodin’s proclamations on resilient cities, Jacqueline Novogratz’s beautifully crafted journal stories, and Darren Walker’s bring-me-to-tears Ferguson manifesto (see below), to name a few. There’s also the International Justice Mission’s Gary Haugen, Heifer International’s Pierre Ferrari, 4.0 Schools’ Matt Candler, Girls Who Code’s Reshma Saujani, and many more.

A New Testament of Hope

IV.
Driving New Discourse via Publications

New America (formerly New America Foundation) has created a publication bringing together scholars, journalists, and thoughtful people to inspire civic connectedness and engagement [hint: if you want to apply for a custom domain like New America now has, go here]. The NRDC, the ACLU, and the Center for Public Integrity use it as a policy platform. The New Venture Fund in partnership with The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has underwritten Bright, a publication exploring innovation in education. The Clinton Foundation and The Knight Foundation are also experimenting on their own with publications.

“We are on Medium because its format, mission, and success resonate with our goal of being a networked civic enterprise with conversations in cities and across the country.” — New America President & CEO Anne-Marie Slaughter

As we mentioned in primer #1, Medium is designed for beautiful little tales and transformational manifestos. Clearly, though, you are all taking it in new and exciting directions — and the opportunities feel endless.

So please continue making this world a better place. Hopefully we can help along the way.

Here are a few links to check out:
+ How to Get Read on Medium
+ How to Start Your Own Publication
+ Stock Photos That Don’t Suck
+ Rockefeller’s Hatch for Good guide to Medium

You can also read about Medium’s features, and follow @medium on Twitter and Facebook for updates.