When social media communication focuses on activating the audience for a charity purpose or organisation, on increasing reputation and on growing commitment, the creation of the marketing activity's strategy needs professional planning.

Besides the written and visual content of posts, we need to bear in mind the motivations and interests of the local target groups.

In this article, we describe the transformation of the Hungarian media system after 2010 and what civil organizations and activists can do in this centralised system. In the first half of the article, we will discuss the antidotes, while in the second half we will present the current situation.

The most important function of this highly centralised system is to effectively convey government (and pro-government) messages. It is almost impossible to find an effective and systemic antidote to this incredible volume, but it is worthwhile and important to speak out.

Testing and experiments can make a huge difference when it comes to results. The secret to great leadership in campaigning is to be open, and accepting of feedback; in other words: having the growth mindset.

In NIOK Foundation's latest podcast, we talked about the 1% of personal income tax that can be donated to nonprofits.

Every year in Hungary, more than 20,000 organizations compete for the 1% of tax donated by taxpayers.

The Theory of Change is a way to quickly check your assumptions and find the best strategy for reaching your goal. It sums up your goal, strategy and reasoning in one short statement, making the connection between them clear and easy to grasp.

If you want to involve more supporters and allies in your campaign or action, you need to learn more about them. The “Empathy Map” is a tool that helps you put yourself in the shoes of others and understand how they perceive the problem you want to solve.

It is easy to jump into problem-solving without critically evaluating the problem itself. The 4Ws method is a simple way to explore the problem space and formulate a problem statement, so you actually know what you need to focus on.

Your campaign pursues a specific purpose. So, you need to understand whether your actions make the intended impact. In order to do this right, you need the right kind of metrics.

In campaigning, the problems to solve are rooted in the power balance: who's got it and who hasn’t; who makes the decisions and who is affected by them.

When getting ready to design your online campaign, first, you need to understand the scope of the challenge you are tackling. You ought to figure out what IS the specific problem you should address with your campaign and what is its cause.

NGOs and activist groups often wish to involve famous people, influencers to their communication to reach a wider audience with their help. However, perhaps even the most open-minded organisations in Hungary would not have thought to ask "Pumped Gabo", originally known for his muscles and senseless partying, to be an ambassador for their cause. A coming of age story or the true face of a previously misunderstood celebrity? We looked at why the bodybuilder-turned-activist’s story works.

You think you don’t have the necessary resources or a sufficient budget to start a fundraising campaign? Yet, it's important for your organization to raise donations? Check out these smart & simple fundraising tips!

If your organization has run a crowdfunding campaign before, you are probably familiar with the basics of campaign planning and online fundraising.

We have collected a few tips that beginner fundraisers often don’t think of, but they could boost your crowdfunding success!

Hive Mind and NIOK's podcast is curious how active and socially aware Generation Z's young adults are. We caught up with two different organisations that have been successful in engaging young people: Greenpeace Hungary can proudly name many generations of activists and volunteers, while the Amigos for Kids Foundation has only been running for seven years but has already built a very strong community of student volunteers. Based on the podcast we have put together a list of key tips, communication channels to use and activities to organise in orther to successfully mobilise and involve young people.

What are the values ​​that as organizations and communicators we are promoting to build trust with our beneficiaries and our stakeholders? Building relationships of trust requires a high dose of humility, of seeing people and not just what they represent. Trust is earned by hand, not only by sharing timely and truthful information, but also by establishing permanent communication channels beyond the day-to-day news.

Nearly 100 years ago, on Easter Sunday, a group of women with cigarettes in their mouths walked down the most prestigious street in New York - Fifth Avenue, doing what women were not supposed to do – smoking in public, which back in the day was "not appropriate”.

Knowing your audience perfectly well is the cornerstone of every successful communication. So, there are three essential questions you need to get the answers to before you start crafting your campaign. The first one is about who you’re talking to, the second - about their behaviour related to your cause, and then the last one, to look for their motivation.

The second podcast of NIOK Foundation and Hive Mind focused on philanthropy as with Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching, another celebration has arrived: Giving Tuesday! Unfortunately the podcast itself is in Hungarian, but for those who are yet to learn this wonderful language, we have collected some tips and thoughts for NGOs from the conversation.