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Harnessing Social Media for Impactful Storytelling in Crisis

• Taylor Shanklin

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About the Guest(s):

Amit Meredith is the Head of Marketing at GoFundMe and Classy, a GoFundMe company. With experience in leading marketing strategies for impactful platforms, Amit specializes in utilizing social media and digital storytelling to amplify causes and campaigns globally. Amit focuses on leveraging innovative tools and community engagement to empower individuals and businesses during crisis situations and beyond.

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Talking Shizzle - Taylor Wilson has a deep conversation with Amit Meredith, the Head of Marketing for GoFundMe, about the powerful role of social media in crisis management and storytelling. Are you ready to jump on for this ride folks? The two talk about the critical impact of platforms like GoFundMe during natural disasters, Amit shares insightful strategies on leveraging social media to create meaningful change and build community resilience in times of need.

The discussion emphasizes the importance of authentic storytelling, especially for platforms like GoFundMe that are at the forefront of crisis response. Amit provides a deep dive into how GoFundMe utilizes innovative technologies and collaborations with impact creators to amplify voices and drive donations. They discuss how Gen Z is rapidly sharing causes they care about, highlighting emerging trends in the philanthropic space. The episode is a testament to how social media has transformed the landscape of giving and community support.

Key Takeaways:

  • Effective Storytelling in Crisis: Emphasize authenticity and clear communication of your story, especially in times of crisis, to engage and move audiences.
  • Impact Creators and Social Media: The rise of impact creators is reshaping how causes are shared on social media, making a significant difference without the need for extensive audiences.
  • Technology and Innovation: Leveraging AI tools can help individuals and brands tell their stories more effectively across social platforms.
  • Community and Brand Engagement: Brands like GoFundMe are pivotal in supporting communities during vulnerable times and facilitate direct support through verified fundraisers.
  • Generational Trends in Philanthropy: Gen Z and Millennials are leading the charge in sharing causes on social media, demonstrating the era's shift towards digital-first philanthropy.

Resources:

In this episode, discover how social media, combined with innovative storytelling, is revolutionizing the way we respond to crises and make impactful change. Tune in to the full episode for more insights and stay connected for future episodes of Talking Shizzle. 

0:00:00 Taylor Wilson: Hey, hey, hey, all you lovely people out there. I know you’ve got a lot going on in your day and you have big dreams for your brand. Are you ready to talk some shizzle and learn some shizzle from entrepreneurs, leaders, change makers, and overall interesting people who. 

0:00:23 B: Like to shake things up? 

0:00:24 Taylor Wilson: I’m your host, Taylor Wilson, founder of Creative Shizzle, and I’m stoked to bring you a fresh episode of Talking Shizzle today. This show is all about helping you think differently so that you could grow your business or your cause. Check us out on the web at creativeshizzle.com now. 

0:00:46 B: Let’s get into it and talk some shizzle. 

0:00:51 Taylor Wilson: All right, it’s a lovely Friday, and I’m here with Amit Meredith. She is the head of marketing of GoFundMe and Classy, a GoFundMe company. I hope I got that right. I’m super excited to talk to you about social media today and also get into some sort of just, like, relevant topics around using social media for good and for driving change when we are in moments of, you know, natural disaster and really trying to get people to come together as a community. 

0:01:25 Taylor Wilson: So. Hey, Amit, how are you? 

0:01:27 Amit Meredith: Hi. I’m doing great. Thank you so much for having me, Taylor. I’m really excited to talk about all the incredible work that’s been happening and especially in light of, you know, what is going on in Los Angeles right now. 

0:01:38 Taylor Wilson: Yeah. So let’s just dig right into it. So you’re the head of marketing, which means you do all sorts of things. And we had, like, kind of said we wanted to talk and go deep on social media today and storytelling on social media. But, like, first, let’s take a step back. Give me sort of like, where things are, because we are in a big moment in time right now, and GoFundMe is a platform that so many people use. 

0:02:01 Taylor Wilson: I was affected by Hurricane Helene, so I live in western North Carolina, right where the hurricane impacted us. And a lot of the ways that we started finding out who in our area needed help and supported other people in our community was on GoFundMe pages and through GoFundMe fundraisers. So let’s talk a little bit about how you guys think about how to sort of, like, drive change and impact in natural disasters or moments of moments of need. 

0:02:29 Amit Meredith: That’s such a great question. And I hope that everything is starting to recover really well where you are. I know it’s. It’s a long road. Having grown up in Florida, I’m very familiar with Hurricane and aftermath and rebuilding. And I think what was actually interesting about Helene and tying quickly to social media there is our head of social and community, Brian Reese, actually did a Reddit AMA with the mods there to be able to answer some questions that people had about GoFundMe in a crisis situation and how to utilize the platform and how to bring attention to what it is that they needed or to be able to find fundraisers that they could support. 

0:03:10 Amit Meredith: So one of the things that we do at GoFundMe around any crisis like this is we actually stand up a hub, and that allows our trust and safety team and our comms team and our marketing teams to have a centralized place for fundraisers that are verified, meaning they’ve gone through our complete trust and safety process. We know who the beneficiary is. Everything is connected, everything is legit. So that gives that extra bit of faith that any bad players are caught if they are on the hub. 

0:03:44 Amit Meredith: We really make sure that we go through that process for the ones that we find and put there. That the beginning of the resource, what we’ve seen in Los Angeles is that that has also become a resource for people who are building out sports spreadsheets and kind of having that collaborative community feeling where here’s the qualifications for this spreadsheet, anybody can add to it, and then they will go through and find their fundraisers, see if they’re on the hub, make note of what is happening there. 

0:04:18 Amit Meredith: And so we’ve really been paying attention to the ways in which people are gathering that and feeling in community around these specific purpose or the audience that they want to support. And so that’s been really beautiful to see, actually, you know, with the recent wildfires, is how much the different social audiences are showing up, engaging with the fundraisers that are both for individuals and on behalf of nonprofits through the GoFundMe hub. 

0:04:49 Taylor Wilson: Yeah, well, it’s, you know, I mean, within a day or so, I mean, it’s incredible how quickly people can get up and running with things like GoFundMe. I just think it’s. It’s really changing the nature of how people come together and like time in those moments of disaster and times of need. And within a day, I mean, I had my cousin, one of her friends had lost their family, had lost their home pretty quickly in the wildfires. And so they start passing around a GoFundMe link and we’re able to help support and give to that family. And it’s just really. 

0:05:26 Taylor Wilson: And it’s all through social media, all of it’s being sort of, like, passed around through social media, through DMs, through stories on Instagram, and I just think really, really powerful. So I want to talk a little bit about your thoughts and what you see taking off and what you see working really well when it comes to using social media to. To engage a community in, like, a time of cr. 

0:05:52 Amit Meredith: That’s such a great question and so timely, truly. Like, I’m. I’m actually really thankful that we’re talking about this because we have been so immersed in it, you know, since pretty much, you know, midday Tuesday of last week. And I think, similarly, I had one of my, like, best childhood friends who lived in the area, and I checked in with her on Tuesday. I was like, hey, are you okay? Like, everything good? She’s like, we’re getting ready to evacuate. 

0:06:17 Amit Meredith: And they did. And then, unfortunately, their home was also completely destroyed by the fire, though their smoker survived, which is, like, kind of ironic in the whole very weird, very ironic wooden box thing. I don’t know. That was in their backyard. And she’s like, how did this thing make it? You know, and so kind of finding some humor in, you know, the chapter that they’re in right now and really facing it together. But what was remarkable about her story and many of the stories that I’ve seen, you know, being shared in social media is that in addition to the actual value of the fund and the money that they were able to through GoFundMe, what also really impacted them was seeing how many people, some people they don’t even know, some people they haven’t seen since high school, and, you know, or even, like, knew that they were paying attention to, you know, really kind of showed up in whatever the donation amount was, you know, not even the most significant part. It was just feeling supported and feeling really much in. Very much in community there. And so how that has shown up in the social spaces, it’s taken on so many different shapes and forms. Like, there have been. 

0:07:27 Amit Meredith: We’ve seen what we will coin, like, impact Creators, which is someone who has a following, who is doing good with that following and who is trying to make an impact on other people’s lives. In this case, we’ve seen so many people almost, like, take that on and say, like, hey, I found this fundraiser. It only has this much. Let’s rally around it. And they will just share that fundraiser until that fundraiser hits their goal. And that strangers, it’s not someone they know. It’s someone that. 

0:07:55 Taylor Wilson: Yeah. 

0:07:55 Amit Meredith: Hating for. And I don’t know if you’ve seen that. But that’s one of the found just really, really beautiful. 

0:08:01 Taylor Wilson: I saw someone who I have known in the marketing world for a while post something recently on LinkedIn about a good friend of his who was just having a hard time due to like a layoff and then the job market is rough and their family was in need. I have no idea who this woman is or her family, but I know the guy who posted it thought, I’m going to go give them a little bit of money. And so I think it’s. It is really interesting when you see how it’s. 

0:08:34 Taylor Wilson: It’s sort of like changing the face of impact. What I like about it is you feel like you can give directly to the person that you’re like, oh, like this is the story I can directly read about, relate with maybe in some way and give to them. And for us in Helene, it was helpful because we started doing, figuring out as a company, like, what could we do? I’m right here in the thick of it. Some of our team members are from this area too, but don’t live here. 

0:09:05 Taylor Wilson: What can we do around it? And we started a T shirt business very quickly that we spun up and like started selling get mountain strong T shirts. And then we thought, well, where are we putting the money? And I started going around and finding like, campaigns with individual families and small businesses in the area that had GoFundMe campaigns to donate, you know, our efforts to and our fundraising too, from our T shirt sales. And so it made it easier to do than going and like having randos hit me up on Facebook, which sometimes you feel like, I don’t know if this is legit or a scam. 

0:09:42 Taylor Wilson: And so, you know, having a lot of GoFundMe options, fundraiser options, was really helpful during that time. 

0:09:49 Amit Meredith: Oh my gosh, that’s amazing. And you know what I think is so special about that is like, there’s very few brands that people turn to in times of vulnerability and crisis. And we take such responsibility and care that people look to us in these times and really, you know, hearing that we showed up in the right way is just, you know, phenomenal. So thank you so much for sharing that. That is really touching. 

0:10:16 Taylor Wilson: Yeah, I like what you guys are doing. Okay, so let’s get back a little bit around. Okay. I’ve got all these bullet points, all these notes that we wanted to talk about things like Gen Z on social media. We did. We planned this episode a while ago before everything, you know, in the world started happening as it is. Right now. So I do like that we’re able to talk about the relev. Relevant thing going on. 

0:10:35 Taylor Wilson: So you mentioned impact creators, and I want to talk a little bit about an audience that is on so many brands and people’s minds and how to better engage, particularly as we think about, like, giving an impact and, you know, how companies like GoFundMe come into the mix. But what are some trends that you are seeing that you think, like, marketing leaders should be tuning into when it comes to engaging these age ranges on social media? 

0:11:06 Amit Meredith: I love this question so much because we actually explored it from more of a research and academic perspective earlier this year. And now seeing how it plays out, you know, and what we thought would happen, if you kind of look at, you know, the way the culture moves, we were like, oh, well, this. This might be, you know, the thing that we start to see and. And it’s absolutely come to life. And what that is is really like Gen Z, they are sharing almost on a weekly basis something that makes a difference in the world. So some kind of, like, cause or nonprofit or person, something that is, like, making change that they want to see. 

0:11:49 Amit Meredith: And millennials, not far behind, are sharing about once a month or so on different social platforms. And then as you get older in generations, obviously that social first sharing behavior is a little bit different. But there’s still a lot of ways that brands as a marketer, you know, with that lens, can engage this audience about their cause and really empower them to, you know, take it on in their own voice and in their own way. And, you know, one of the things that we do at GoFundMe to help support that is actually, like, adopted AI tools and innovation to be able to, like, help you find the words when you don’t have them. 

0:12:28 Amit Meredith: We’re creating, you know, posters and even, you know, AI generated video. We’re kind of starting to play with to see if there’s ways that we can help people on our platforms tell their story on the social platforms and integrate into those spaces where storytelling, which you mentioned earlier, is really at the key, you know, at the. At the center of what is compelling for people is like, the human story behind the thing that’s happening. 

0:12:57 Amit Meredith: And so that’s a really remarkable thing that we as marketers are looking at and engaging with. And in fact, when again, kind of tying it back to the current, you know, fire situation is like, the creators that we’re working with, Mo O’Connor on our team, has done so many collabs and has been willing to really Engage with anyone who wants to be able to make a difference and use their voice in the social spaces. 

0:13:26 Amit Meredith: We have helped Kate Richmond, also on the team, do these collabs, but also help them understand how our tools can also share numerous fundraisers. So we have this launched in December of 24, so a month ago, maybe a little bit more. It’s called GoFundMe Profiles. You can find any fundraiser that you want to support, whether financially or just sharing it, which actually matters a lot, and you add it into your GoFundMe profile and then you have a single link that you can share into your socials that then brings anyone to the fundraisers that you care about. And so there’s a way to amplify numerous funds versus doing like five or six different posts and following up that way. And so I think the impact creators are emerging. I think it’s something we’re gonna see more and more of. It’s something that GoFundMe really wants to help lead the way with. So if you are one, you’re listening to this podcast, get in touch. 

0:14:28 Amit Meredith: We’re definitely here to build out the tools that support the creator economy in this way. And then I think the other things around, just really understanding how the platforms are sharing content and enabling that for people. 

0:14:42 Taylor Wilson: I impact Creator a new level of influencer. It sounds like. 

0:14:47 Amit Meredith: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. And it’s not even about, like, the size of your following or that, like, everything you do has to be in service of this. I mean, one of my other favorite examples is Sharon McMahon, if you follow her. Sharon says, so governors unite. And she’s just like a phenomenal sort of history teacher. And her community does rally often around different causes or rallying around medical debt. And she’ll partner with different teams to focus on an issue that’s important and make a difference to that issue in that moment. And that, to me, is just a great example of how we think about impact creators, that they can make a difference without it being the only part of their, you know, editorial view. 

0:15:38 Taylor Wilson: I think the creator economy is really interesting for brands to tap into more who. Who maybe aren’t yet. We worked with a client last year that did one very, very small influencer campaign and initiative. And it was like some of their best, I mean, some of their biggest reach of the year. And I’m like, let’s do more of this. You know, like, this is how you get in front of new people. Sometimes it’s like, you know, like borrowing other people’s audience by working with creators and influencers. And if you’re thinking in particular about identifying people who are impact creators in particular, I think that’s a really interesting strategy to be thinking about as people tend to live more and more of their lives on social media platforms. 

0:16:24 Amit Meredith: It’s so true. I mean, I think it’ll be very interesting to see what happens this weekend and where the platforms step up for some creators that, you know, maybe be impacted by what’s going on there. But I do think you’re right that, like, as a brand and for us, you know, it’s not always important to be so brand forward. We do want to lend our equity to the creators that we’re working with and believe in that, but it’s really their story and their view and the thing that they care about, and then that helps, you know, the people on our platform be successful. And that’s, you know, ultimately what we care about. 

0:17:00 Taylor Wilson: Yeah, I love it. Okay, so I know we’re. We’re short on time here today. I want to ask you, like, kind of one closeout question and then we’re going to share some links. This is a relevant episode when it comes to, like, current things going on in the world. Right now with the fires in la, we’re going to push this one out sooner than normal because of that. And so I’m going to ask you to send some links that would be helpful for us to share with our audience around how to look at, you know, look for fundraisers and relief efforts that GoFundMe is powering right now. 

0:17:31 Taylor Wilson: But close us out, Amit, with, like, your number one storytelling suggestion for 2025. 

0:17:41 Amit Meredith: I’m going two ways. I think the most important thing is what is tried and true is good storytelling centers on authenticity. It centers on, you know, really being able to share what’s happened, what it means to you, why it’s important, why right now. Give people an understanding of what you’re going through. Because I promise you, somebody who sees that is going to be moved and they’re going to be impacted and they’re going to be changed. 

0:18:11 Amit Meredith: And so really understanding that, that is the most powerful part of what you want to bring to the social spaces. And then the second part of that that I’m going to sneak in is if you don’t have the words and you don’t have the tools to really get that out, there’s so much in the space right now that can help you find that and that can help you learn to be great at getting that story out. And those are things like the AI writing Tools and also the videos that we talked about. But also just get in there and kind of play with whatever you need to help you in crafting that story, because it is so, so important. 

0:18:54 Amit Meredith: And then, you know, I think from there it’s just, it’ll draw in the community. Right. And you participate in that and then you, you know, get to reap the benefits as well. 

0:19:04 Taylor Wilson: And it’s kind of crazy. Like, anyone can be a good writer now, like, if you’ve got the idea and then you just like learn how to use AI to write well. Like anyone can be a great writer now. 

0:19:14 Amit Meredith: Absolutely. I think there’s so much education available at your fingertips and then there’s like the trial by with it and say, like giving the prompts and there you can find, you know, videos on how to use it even. And so I think there’s a lot there that helps in some of the barriers that we see of being able to ask for help and being brave and vulnerable. And I think that, you know, we just are so impressed and encourage more and more people to be able to tell those stories in times of crisis like this. But then also, you know, for a variety of other things that you can do on the platform as well. 

0:19:55 Taylor Wilson: Yeah, I love it. Well, Amit, thank you so much. It’s been a pleasure to talk to you today and learn a little bit more about what you guys are doing at GoFundMe. But really to like, talk to someone who’s leading the marketing there, because I see GoFundMe campaigns all over the place and I give to GoFundMe campaigns and it’s just great to connect and to chat with you and to talk a little bit about storytelling on social in crisis and impact creators. 

0:20:21 Taylor Wilson: Now I’m going to go a little deep sometime soon in the near future on Impact creators because I really like that concept. 

0:20:27 Amit Meredith: Oh, it’s wonderful. And I like, truly could talk to you all day because there’s so much. 

0:20:34 Taylor Wilson: We could go long today. Like, trust me, I want to talk more. So maybe we’ll do a round two or something. 

0:20:42 Amit Meredith: I would love that. Thank you so much. It’s just been a lot of fun and I appreciate you. Yeah. 

0:20:48 Taylor Wilson: And we’ll drop some links to get in touch with you to find, to find GoFundMe and classy. But if there’s the best way to just connect with you online. What’s that? 

0:20:57 Amit Meredith: I am on LinkedIn, so LinkedIn/in Amit Meredith hit me up there and you know, looking forward to connecting with folks and you know, just hearing more about your stories and how we can help. 

0:21:13 Taylor Wilson: Awesome. I hope this was a good episode and you learned a little bit of something new about either gofundme if you weren’t familiar with them and you know, rallying the troops in a time of crisis and how social media and storytelling comes into the mix. So we’ll see you next time folks. 

0:21:33 B: Well hey there. That was fun. I love how much mind blowing and mind opening Shizzle our guests bring to us with every single episode. We hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did. Make sure to hit that subscribe button on your favorite podcast player so that you don’t miss a beat of the Talking Shizzle podcast. And if you’re listening on Apple, be sure to let us know what you thought and leave us a review. 

0:22:02 B: We’d love to hear from our listeners so that we can bring you all the good juicy business growth Shizzle that you’d like to hear about. Be sure to get in touch with us and follow along at creativeshizzle.com or shoot us an email at podcastreativeschizzle.com now until next time, we hope you go get your big Shizzle done.