What is HelpAttack?

HelpAttack! is an innovative social giving and cause marketing platform (HelpAttack! Overview, PDF).  Users can give small amounts for each Tweet or Facebook update to their favorite cause.  They can also give whenever someone else Tweets, or whenever a certain #hashtag appears on Twitter.   Donors and supporters also spread messages about their pledges, and help turn passive online support (slacktivism) into recurring revenue, and awareness, for their favorite nonprofit.

HelpAttack! is flexible.  We can work with you to create custom messaging and campaigns, involving your clients and brands as well as their audience.

What can we do for you?

You can present this innovative method of giving to your clients and causes as part of your offering.  We take care of the social network integrations, authentication, donation delivery, compliance, and messaging, so you can concentrate on building effective digital and social media campaigns for your clients and causes.  Contact us at partners@helpattack.com and we’ll get started!

Brainstorming?  Here are some ideas:

• Amplify Support: What if @LanceArmstrong asked his followers to give each time he Tweets about #livestrong?
• Get Someone’s Attention: A bill approaches a vote in the Senate, relating to exploratory oil drilling near a national seashore.   A public figure might ignore a petition signed by 75,000 people, but might take more serious notice if each Tweet from their account generated $25,000 for the Surfrider Foundation.
• Unite a Community:  When NBC’s The Biggest Loser airs, fans discuss, vent, comment, and react on Twitter while using #biggestloser to find one another. The show also has a cause marketing tie-in with Feeding America, called the Pound for Pound Challenge. Encouraging fans to give (and matching their donations) via these hashtags would be a great way to strengthen their bond with the show, and fight obesity on a personal, community, and national level, and turn advocacy into action.
• Empower an Event: Most conferences or events have a demographic who Tweet their experiences, and use a hashtag like #df11 or #ncvs to unify commentary. Event organizers could encourage attendees to give a small amount each time the hashtag is used.
• Harness a Trend: Some hashtags become extremely popular on Twitter, and become trending topics – the 10 or 20 most mentioned terms of the moment.  What’s missing? A way to quickly and easily convert this interest into concrete action! Text message donations resulted in more than $100MM donated to the Red Cross after the 2004 Tsunami, Haiti earthquake, and other disasters. HelpAttack! not only makes Twitter and Facebook into mediums for giving, but also keeps donors involved after the news cycle moves on.
• Fix a Mistake: What if @BPGlobalPR put up $1MM in gulf cleanup matching funds if people donate every time the company Tweets? The message spreads farther than if they simply wrote a check and issued a press release.  What if Bob Parsons had a change of heart about handling the fracas around his big game hunts, and encouraged everyone to give to the Best Friends Animal Society when @GoDaddy Tweets?  Accidents happen all the time, but how much farther would an apology spread – and how much more seriously would it be taken – if thousands of people were taking part?

Why is HelpAttack! good?

It feels good to give $10 to a great cause, and better to give $100.  But does it feel 10 times better?  HelpAttack! achieves a sweet spot where the donor regularly thinks about their cause, and their pledge, and how they are helping a little bit every day.  We don’t ask donors to change their habits at all, but through their pledges, giving will become a new habit as they form a long term relationship online with their cause.

HelpAttack! is good for causes because it raises funds and creates awareness at the same time.

What does it cost?

Our fees are usually derived from the donated funds – it doesn’t cost you anything to use.  However, if you need custom integrations, pledge types, or additional support, we are happy to provide these services.

What’s next?

Contact us at partners@helpattack.com and we’ll get started!