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Fundraising with Second Life
Posted by Hsing Wei on 12-09-06How much money can be raised for social change in a virtual world? Save the Children will soon find out.
Save the Children is extending its fundraising strategy to Second Life. Building off its Children’s Wish List (that allows donors to purchase needed gifts such as seeds, mosquito nets, books, and even yaks to poor children and families around the world), the nonprofit has created a Second Life Yak Shack. Costing 1,000 Linden dollars ($3.5 US) a piece, players can milk, ride, and customize their yak, culminating to a competition on December 16th for best yak.
All the funds raised from yak sales will be given directly to Save the Children’s Wish List scheme. The hope is that this way to support will resonate with the growing population of young, creative tech savvy individuals. Given that video games are a $30B dollar industry, creating an identity for their cause in the game world seems like a forward-thinking strategy to build awareness and a relationship with a new generation of supporters. Moreover, the experiential opportunities to engage (like this globally accessible animal pageant) and immediately contribute are likely harder for nonprofits to mimic in real life. That said, just like in the real world, potential supporters must still find the Yak Shack against the myriad of other items vying for their attention on Second Life. Save the Children’s campaign is banking that after being found, the game dynamic will create the kind of engaged player who will contribute to moving their mission forward.