Mom blogging. In the last decade, the joys of motherhood have gone digital in a big way and the digital network that wired moms have created to share experiences and pro tips remains one of the most vibrant sectors in online self publishing and community building. It's a way of extending the village that it takes to raise a child - and providing some much-needed support and solidarity to harried moms around the country.
Now, add causes to the mix. With a network established over a decade of discussions around child-rearing, finance, health and nutrition, careers and all the gear that goes into family life these days, mom bloggers are increasingly active in supporting charity, raising money, and organizing for social causes.
We sat down with Jennifer James, founder of the Mom Bloggers Club, one of the world’s largest sites for moms who blog, and editor of Mom Blog magazine. Her newest venture, launched last year, is Mom Bloggers for Social Good - a network of writers and activists using their digital connections to support a variety of causes. The network brings together human capital - in this case, super-wired, ultra-networked mothers - to work on areas like clean water, education, diseases, maternal health, civil rights for women and girls, and workers' rights. At the core of the effort is the "Global Team of 200," a highly specialized group of mom bloggers who focus on maternal health, children, hunger, and women and girls. Clearly, this is a group with a future - as James made clear in our interview:
Q: In the year and a half since you created Mom Bloggers for Social Good, what have you learned about building and managing large networks for social causes and change?
Since starting Mom Bloggers for Social Good early last year I have learned that people (in this case, moms) are excited about being a part of a forward movement that has an overall message and sustained purpose that helps others in a variety of ways. I've learned that in general people want to be a part of a team for good that's bigger than them and enjoy being a critical part of the overall success of the movement. A "we're all in this together" sentiment becomes strong when building a large network for social causes and I believe that has been one of the major points of impact for Mom Bloggers for Social Good.
I've also learned that you have to meet people where they are and provide a variety of ways for people to become involved in online philanthropy and social good. Essentially, you have to customize the experience for them and allow them to participate in the ways they feel most comfortable whether that is using social media for good or blogging about and donating to causes.
Q: What's been the impact to date - can you share some numbers?
Our impact has been felt in a variety of ways - in sheer volume as well as influencing a movement of mothers for social good. In a short time, through social media, blogging, and media and NGO partnerships we've been able to reach more than 50 million people globally. What is particularly key about this number is we are largely reaching people who don't always think about issues like global hunger or maternal health, for example, on a regular basis. Mom Bloggers for Social Good brings messages about big issues to those who aren't already invested in or routinely follow global development issues.
Breaking out of the echo chamber has been a key driver of engagement from the beginning for Mom Bloggers for Social Good. More members join every day and that provides a unique opportunity to reach even more everyday people with actions and opportunities for them to make change in their way. Additionally, we are not only reaching people in the United States, but globally as well. We now have members from over 30 countries from Romania to Brazil. We believe in reaching parents worldwide with ways to do good.
Q: What do mom bloggers in particular bring to the table in terms of experience, ability, world view, and skills that gives them the opportunity to form a network with real impact?
I have been a part of the mom blogging community for nearly ten years and ever since the beginning I have always known that our impact can make real, lasting, measurable change. Mom bloggers are influencers with their audience, with their blogging peers, with brands and nonprofits, and with entire industries - fourfold impact! I knew that harnessing that impact would be huge and it has been. Mom Bloggers for Social Good has wholly changed the way in which the nonprofit sector views the digital mom community and the ways in which digitally-connected mothers can move the needle and scale conversations.
Mom bloggers are able to bring real, authentic conversations and stories to their readers about big issues in ways nonprofits and PR cannot replicate. Mom bloggers intimately care about social issues and have empathy for those who need help here at home and a world away. That authenticity and empathy are powerful.
Q: How do you choose your nonprofit partners? What kind of parameters do you use before introducing them to the network?
Various nonprofits reach out every day to become a partner with us and now that the voice of Mom Bloggers for Social Good is getting even louder the number of interested nonprofits is increasing. Nonprofits are chosen if their mission fits into any of our action areas from child health to women and girls' issues and if we're not already working with a similar nonprofit we'll consider partnership. Partners are also chosen if they want to work with the network rather than use the network. There is a difference.
Q: What are the long-term goals for Mom Bloggers for Social Good?
The long-term goals for Mom Bloggers for Social Good are easy: to continue to grow and scale authentic conversations with global impact and also to continue to innovate in engaging ways to reach more socially conscious moms and new audiences.
