This week we highlight how Lion Aid responded to the social media outcry over the death of Cecil the lion and how Mencap celebrated friendship.
Lion Aid calls for #NoMoreCecils
UK charity Lion Aid has been tapping into the online outrage over the death of Cecil, a Zimbabwean lion who was shot by an American dentist earlier this month, to attract support for its campaign to end trophy hunting.
Using the #NoMoreCecils search term on Twitter to urge people to support its campaign to change European Union law to ban the imports and to urge African countries to ban all hunting and has set up a text donate line to raise money.
The charity had already arranged a fundraising concert in London for later in the summer and is now encouraging people to buy tickets and by using the event as a way to pay tribute to Cecil and others like him.
Lion Aid says the response it has received to Cecil’s death is “humbling” and hopes that this can be a turning point in its campaign.
A post on its Facebook page, showing the trophy collection of another US hunter, that was made shortly before the Cecil story erupted on social media, has been shared by 11,500 people.
Why we love it: you never know when something will happen to propel your charity into the limelight and Lion Aid’s quick response, alongside encouraging new supporters with retweets and replies is a text book example of how to react. A group of Scottish dentists has even set up a Twitter account, @Dentists4Lions and a JustGiving page.
Mencap and #Friendshipday
Yesterday was international friendship day and to celebrate Mencap produced a video to raise awareness of the work it is doing to change attitudes connect people with learning disabilities have the opportunities to connect with others and form friendships.
The video was published on YouTube yesterday and in one day has been viewed more than 13,000 times. And the Facebook post has been shared more than 800 times.
Why we love it: aside from the fact that Spy’s attention was drawn to the video by a tweet from fellow charity Scope and it’s great to see charities supporting each other, you can’t help but smile after watching the video.
