There is an old TEDx saying that goes, “Philanthropy isn’t billionaires giving away money. It’s loving mankind. Anyone can be a philanthropist.” Heather Geronemus proves this every single day. An advocate of volunteering and a fundraising pro, she uses her blog and social media platforms to bring much needed attention to important causes and nonprofits like Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Indeed, there is so much to be impressed with.
She recently had a Philanthro-party for her birthday, where she invited all of my friends to volunteer for Rebuilding Together Broward County instead of having a conventional party. And two years ago at Walk Like MADD & MADD Dash Fort Lauderdale (Florida), she introduced a friend and drunk driving victim, 2x Silver Medalist Paralympian Kari Miller, to a crossfit athlete, Natalie Bieule, who also lost one of her legs to a drunk driver. Before long, Kari & Natalie connected and Natalie was off to Paralympic training camp and will go to the Paralympics in Rio in 2016.
In fact, Heather Geronemus’ reputation as a people connector is what helped land her a coveted spot in the South Florida Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list for 2014. I have great respect for those who consistently use their status to make the world a better place. This is why Heather’s work deserves wider appeal.
How did you get involved in social media?
For years I was a social media enthusiast, using Friendster (yes that long ago), then Facebook to stay in contact with friends and family around the world. Over the years I adopted LinkedIn to build my professional network and then Twitter, mostly to aggregate news at first.
About four years ago I was inspired by a fellow CrossFitter who organized a CrossFit event with participants and sponsors from around the country, entirely on Twitter. I created a Twitter and Facebook account for Walk Like MADD & MADD Dash Fort Lauderdale 5k and found that I was able to leverage my personal social networks to engage with participants, sponsors and media to engage with the cause I am passionate about.
Since launching the first event in 2011 to overwhelming success and support from the community, we have grown exponentially in the last four years. This year we achieved 140% of MADD’s goal for the event, and I still attribute much of the success to the relationships we have created and maintained using social media. With all of the local success we have achieved, I am constantly inspired by the potential of social media, particularly when I look at the success of #GivingTuesday.
Tell me about what impacted your life to where you said, “I need to get involved with MADD.”
Five years ago my father was killed in a car on pedestrian DUI hit and run. After learning that my father died I went through all the motions and thought I could handle it all on my own. A Victim’s Advocate from MADD continuously reached out to me to let me know she was there to help. Until I received a letter in the mail asking me to appear in court for the arraignment of the man who killed my father I “handled it” on my own but in that moment I completely broke down and only wanted my Dad. That’s when it hit me that he was gone, but fortunately MADD was there.
I spoke to my Victim’s Advocate, Nancy, for over an hour the first time I called her. She provided me with resources, someone to talk to and a companion at the arraignment and subsequent court appearances. This is the kind of support MADD is providing to victims of drinking and driving, quietly, in communities all over the country with absolutely no cost or expectation of return.
At the time, MADD was providing victims services and educational programs in schools in my area but no one was raising awareness in the community about the very real dangers of drinking and driving. Back then, I didn’t have a plan but I knew I had a mission, to stop anyone I come in contact with, in person, with traditional media, social media, and at events, from drinking and driving, so no one has to go through the devastating pain my family endured. Since then I’ve chaired the Walk Like MADD & MADD Dash Fort Lauderdale event, raising close to $400,000 for MADD in Broward County but most importantly using it as a platform to tell everyone that drinking and driving is a 100% preventable crime we all have the choice not to commit. For a more detailed account of my journey with MADD, please see my blog post “From Victim to Activist…Taking a Stand Against Drunk Driving.”
You started a blog about philanthropy and social good perspectives. How do you see global giving evolving over the next 5 to 10 years?
Recently, South Florida, where I live and do 90% of my community work was ranked worst amongst 51 major metro areas for its volunteer rate. I find this very hard to believe, but I must run with a very philanthropic crowd. With my blog, Philanthronista, as a vehicle I hope make giving and volunteering accessible for everyone.
In a time when Sting & Michael Bloomberg make the news for making the amazing commitment to give most of their wealth to charity when they pass away its still important to make sure everyone knows that every contribution, no matter how small, matters. It’s important that parents and role models start the giving habit early. Recently, I began to give Kiva credits to my friends when their children are born. In my opinion giving someone the opportunity to impact someone they will never even meet at a young age will make a much more lasting impression than clothes that will quickly be grown out of.
The world of philanthropy, while amplified by traditional media and social media and online giving, is still most relevant because it’s all about the power of people helping people, in any capacity. I believe in the next five to 10 years we will see Corporate Community Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility programs be the norm not the exception as organizations realize that helping to create unique experiences for their employees to impact the communities they exist in has a tremendous impact on everyone involved.
Like anything, outlook on global giving requires a multi-generational approach. Millennials will have a huge impact on giving. The capacity of this generation to give will far exceed the Boomer generation but the demands of this generation are also different. Millennials’ demand for information will hold organizations to higher standards than ever before. I hope this will slow down the proliferation of Non Profit Organizations so the philanthropic community as a whole can start focusing on the issues that really matter.
How do you define success?
For me success is about helping people, non-profits and companies build better, stronger communities.
For more information about Heather Geronemus and her community work, follow her on Twitter and friend her on Facebook.
