Image courtesy TEDx St Peter Port Facebook
At the TEDx St Peter Port event held last month, we heard from Mike Dickson, Founder and CEO of Rainmaker Foundation. The foundation was launched to match-make individuals with the charities where their skills are most effective. We spoke to Mike about the event and what’s next for Rainmaker Foundation.
How did you enjoy TEDx St Peter Port?
It was an excellent day – well organised with a fascinating and interesting collection of speakers. I know it’s in its second year – I helped co-create a TEDx in Exeter and every year it increased in size and impact. I think next year TEDx St Peter Port will be even bigger and more influential.
What potential do you see for projects like Rainmaker Foundation in the context of Guernsey?
We’re actually discussing Rainmaker in Guernsey next week; the initial idea is to have an event with Marc and three Guernsey charities. Charities make presentations to an invited audience and then we see what the audience can do to help.
We have events like this in London called ‘Rainmaker Stories’ – we had one about three weeks ago with three completely contrasting charities – small to medium sized. They made presentations to about 100 people about the work they did, the opportunities they have, and the challenges they face – then they asked the audience to help them and it was just amazing. Obviously part of it involved money, so they got money, but two people also became trustees of two of the charities, and one lot signed up to create a digital communications strategy for another charity.
As I etched in my talk: if you make 100 people aware of the work organisations do, and say ‘look, we want you to help them grow or provide something they don’t have’, it becomes philanthropy for everybody – it’s hugely powerful. I’d like to do one of those in Guernsey in the next two months.
How can islanders get involved?
At the moment we have to establish ‘basecamp’, but not hesitating in creating an event and getting people to attend it once confirmed. In simple language we want to ‘just do it’ and then ask afterwards how the audience are able to make a difference to three Guernsey charities. That’s our measure of success.
You mentioned a charity was assisted in creating a digital communications strategy. How instrumental have those tools been on The Rainmaker Foundation and how charities communicate?
We’ve got a significant number of Rainmakers who are techies, and very up to speed about spreading generosity and help. We’re using their talent and contacts to devise our own strategy and improving the way we spread our message.
We helped 90 charities last year with funds, marketing etc., and communication is an absolute essential for each of them. How they communicate their message (whatever it might be) is an essential part of its ability not least to raise money.
I was talking to someone the other day who said how important it is to have a group of young people involved in every charity, who understand digital communication and ‘get’ it. It’s now an essential part of any charity’s management skill set – you just have to have it.
When are you next on the island?
I suspect we’ll [Rainmaker] be down there by May at the latest.
We’ve got four Rainmakers on Guernsey already, so I’m keen to bring more to the island. We’re going to approach Guernsey gently, see how it works and learn. The end result is to encourage everybody we can on the island to get involved and help some really fabulous causes.
Thanks to Mike Dickson for the interview. You can find out more about Mike and The Rainmaker Foundation on their website. Videos from the TEDx Event will be available later this month.