Thank you

This semester has been wonderful. As a class, we have raised money and awareness for Safe Harbor, taught others about domestic violence and how to seek help, applied our social media skills to promote Safe Harbor, and learned how to work together to accomplish amazing projects. I am proud of these students and all they have done. Thank you all for producing:

• A fundraising evening at Chick-fil-A in Clemson
• Purple-ribbon promotion and an education/outreach booth during Clemson's Homecoming
• A fundraising evening at Fratelli's restaurant in Easley
• An educational speaker event on campus
• A social media guide to help R.E.P., Safe Harbor's education program for high schools

This class' enthusiasm and hard work were inspirational. I will miss you all. Have safe, happy and healthy holidays...and please keep in touch.

Guest Speaker

This week, we'll Skype in guest speaker Vanessa French (and possibly her business partner Casey Kincheloe) from Pivot Point Communications. Based in Alexandria, VA, Vanessa and her team provide marketing and branding strategy services, with a particular focus on social media. She started the company a few years ago (in the middle of a recession, no less) and it has become quite successful. Vanessa and I worked together, and I was always impressed by her passion and interest for all things PR-related.

Class, be sure to visit Vanessa's website, or follow her on Twitter at VanessaFrench. Be sure to come up with some questions about strategy, campaigns or job hunting. She's a great resource!

Last Event tonight!

Please join the class for dinner tonight at Fratelli's restaurant. Ten percent of all proceeds made between 6 and 8 p.m. will be donated to Safe Harbor. Fratelli's is located on 123 in Easley, behind the Ace Hardware. The class has been working hard to promote an event in the Easley community,so come eat Italian for a great cause!

Discussions for Class Today

We are now working through the book The Networked Nonprofit, by Beth Kanter and Allison H. Fine. The book discusses how nonprofits need to give up control of their organizations and make them truly networked, influenced by free agents, discussions, engagement, and full interactions with people around the world. Nonprofit's causes are often better spread through social media than traditional operations.

Students, as you write your blog posts today, please think about these questions, which we'll discuss in class tonight:

• What is the difference between posting and engaging? How do organizations listen?

• Regarding the Ladder of Engagement (pg. 69): Where are you with some of your favorite companies/nonprofits? What actions/campaigns have made you move up (or down) the ladder?

• In past internships you've had, were the companies Fortresses, Transactionals or Transparents?

Education Event Tonight!

Our class is a co-sponsor (and the PR team) for tonight's domestic violence education event on campus. Join us at 8pm in Daniel 100 to learn about Safe Harbor's mission and how to help yourself or a friend in an unhealthy relationship.

Professional Meets Personal

It is hard for a class that is handling such a difficult issue like domestic violence to not get personal. It's even harder when a incidence of violence occurs in our community. I posted about this on my personal blog, as well as some of my feelings about this class, if you'd like to take a look. Thank you, students, for taking on such an important issue.

A Break Well Deserved

It's Fall Break for Clemson, so the students are all taking a few days off to relax and recoup. I wanted to take this moment to thank them for their hard work and dedication to this class. Homecoming was a great success; Chick-Fil-A, while not as big of an event as we had hoped, brought in money and attendance that pleased Safe Harbor; and the plans for a campus education event on Oct. 25 are coming together wonderfully. It has been so exciting to watch the class come up with their own projects and execute them with professionalism and passion. Thanks for a great first half of the semester, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what we all will accomplish next.

Eat at Chick-fil-A!

Clemson-area folks: please eat at the Clemson Chick-fil-A tonight, Wednesday, Oct. 5, between 5 and 9pm. Tell the cashier you are there to support Safe Harbor, and a percentage of the proceeds will go to Safe Harbor. The more people who attend, the higher the percentage of sales go to Safe Harbor, so please come eat with us!

The class has done a great job getting the word out about this event. Their Facebook event went to about 1200 people, and I've seen plenty of Tweets and emails going around. We hope this is a successful start to Safe Harbor's month of raising awareness and funds during October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Media Release for Homecoming

The Homecoming group, who will be promoting healthy relationships and awareness for domestic violence during Clemson's Homecoming activities, is starting to get the word out. We worked together to write a media release, and several groups on campus and in the community are pledging to help us spread the word. You can read the release here, at Safe Harbor's blog. We are so excited to get the whole Clemson family involved in raising awareness.

Also, it's now officially Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October). Let's all help bring attention to this important but often-ignored and misunderstood issue. Check out this website for more information and helpful resources.

Group Projects

Last week, the class broke into groups to accomplish a variety of projects. They are:
1. Campus promotions centered around Clemson Homecoming festivities (Oct. 8)
2. An on-campus education event (likely a guest speaker, co-hosted with other organizations)
3. A fundraising event linked with a restaurant in Easley (bringing more awareness to Pickens County during October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month)
4. Assisting with the rebranding and social media/outreach plans for R.E.P. (the new name for Megan's Project, Safe Harbor's education program for high school students)

The entire class will also be working together to promote a fundraising event at Clemson's Chick-fil-Al on Wednesday, Oct. 5. Please visit Chick-fil-A between 5 and 9pm, tell them you're there to support Safe Harbor, and 10% of the proceeds will go to Safe Harbor. If more than 100 people attend, then proceeds increase to 20% of sales. The class will be spreading this message throughout Clemson this week.

A Terrible Top 10 List

SC was just ranked the 7th-worst state for instances of men killing women. This story from the Charleston newspaper links the murders to domestic violence. Sadly, though, many of the readers' comments on the story are insensitive and, well, horrible. This is a lessen on why it's occasionally appropriate to close comments.

Violent Story from USC

Safe Harbor just posted on their blog this tragic story out of the University of South Carolina. As the blog mentions, this murder is a humbling reminder that domestic violence crosses boundaries of class and education level. This victim was clearly smart and well educated, but she didn't get the protection she needed.

Generating Ideas

Last week, the class traveled to visit one of Safe Harbor's shelters. We listened to our client tell us about the organization's needs and wants, and some of the projects they currently have underway. We also toured the shelter and learned about the clients they serve and some of the struggles and challenges victims of domestic violence experience. I think we all walked away with greater understanding of this difficult issue and a strong desire to help.

This week, members of the class will be posting their ideas about projects we may take on, and other members will be commenting on them. Hopefully, by next week, we will have a great pool of project ideas to choose from and can start moving forward on the details. I am excited to see what we can accomplish!

Field Trip

This evening, the class will be traveling to Greenville, SC, to meet with our client contact at Safe Harbor. We will be granted access to tour one of the shelters as we learn more about the organization, their mission and their needs. I am excited about being able to make this personal connection. During last year's class, only one of the groups visited a shelter. They came back transformed and truly moved by the people they met. I am humbled and excited that the client has asked the whole class to come for a tour this time. I think we will all feel more connected by seeing the shelter and witnessing the services they provide.

To prepare for our visit, I asked the class to do some background research on domestic violence. You can read the striking statistics and harsh facts they found on their personal blogs (linked on the right). One stat that really jumps out at me is that intimate partner abuse most often occurs among people age 16-24; in other words, my class is the target audience for Safe Harbor's outreach, education and services. Combine that with the fact that 1 in 4 women will be abused in her lifetime, and the odds are very high that someone in the class, or at the very least someone a class member knows, has experienced abuse. This inspires me, as I hope it inspires the class, to help Safe Harbor however we can. This is not just about other people; it's about our class, our campus, our community.

First Day

Welcome, Class, to our first meeting. I look forward to adding your blogs to our Blogroll and following our progress throughout the semester.