Since the beginning of time, communication has been an important part of human history. The ability to speak across distances and support each other in a time of need has aided survival and improved our quality of life. Do you remember as a kid, connecting two soup cans with some string as you and your best friend dashed in opposite directions while leaving a circular impression on the side of your head? Fortunately for us, Alexander Graham Bell mastered a more complex version; changing the way we communicate and bridging gaps in which no amount of string could. Over the last 140 years the telephone has created value for individuals and people around the world. In 1952, for the first time ever Martin and Lewis Telethon combined modern technology and mass media to raise $1.1 Million for Heart Hospital. In 1955, beloved funny man, Jerry Lewis continued the outreach which raised awareness and financial support for muscular dystrophy. In recent headlines, the names and faces of popular culture, like have shown increasing support for nonprofits and global good campaigns. Celebrities like Oprah continue to support a new breed of entrepreneur has recently emerged, the “Social Entrepreneur”, who focuses their time, energy and expertise on how to use modern technology to benefit social and environmental causes.
To date, the Jerry Lewis-hosted-telethons have brought in a very respectable $2.45 billion. Celebrities continue to use the telethon as a single channel to reach out to people. When the devastating earthquakes rocked Haiti, George Clooney hosted a brief telethon that raised $58 million in just two hours! Fortunately, in this day in age, events happening around the world are made known faster than we can make a phone call. Thanks to the advancement in modern technology, the information of a tragedy in Japan can be received in the United States as fast as we can click a button, making reaching out to those in need that much easier. The recent acquisition of Jumo by Good Magazine is a step in the right direction. The evolution of combining technology, mass media and in the name of global good has become a key component in the speed at which knowledge and efficiency is gained. Tin cans and string just don’t cut it anymore. Making a positive impact on the world is far more than mere child’s play.