Craigslist founder Craig Newmark has launched an experimental social media fundraiser.
Newmark will donate $1 to the National Wildlife Federation for each mention of the hashtag #Squirrels4Good on Twitter or his Facebook Page, up to 5,000 mentions. He’ll also give $1 for each new follower he gets over the next few weeks.
The Craigslist founder announced the fundraiser in aCraigconnects blog post Monday, describing his affinity for the “urban survivors” and posting a video of a squirrel on his deck.
“In the short term, I’m learning how to use social media to support the stuff I believe in,” Newmark toldMashable in an email. “I do most of my work in my home office, where frequent visitors remind me of a growing love of the natural world.
“Beyond that, I need to learn social media more effectively to support what I believe in the 20-year range and the 200-year range.”
The Craigslist founder chose squirrels, he says, because he’s a big fan of them, along with birds.
@Common_squirrel, a Twitter account tweeting from the perspective of a squirrel, will be teaming up with Newmark to spread buzz of #Squirrels4Good.
“I do most of my work in my home office next to some woods, where frequent squirrely visitors remind me of a growing love of the natural world,” Newmark wrote. “Through social media, I became acquainted with @common_squirrel. We share a love of the little critters and nature in general. It made for a great partnership to raise money for related causes and social media is the method of choice for us both.”
Newmark says he’s already set up a squirrel board on Pinterest for photos, videos, quotes and facts about the tiny creatures.
Are you planning on using the #Squirrels4Good hashtag to make a donation? Let us know in the comments.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, bartvdd
