Chasing Connor’s Cure

We’ve made a pledge to help and support up to 60 small charities, social enterprises, voluntary organisations or community groups with their social media marketing over the next year.

These organisations are run by volunteers who put their time and effort into tirelessly promoting their cause. By supporting them with their social media marketing we can help them spread the word and get much needed support.

We’re starting by offering free places on our Social Media Strategy Online Workshops. This 4 week workshop will help the organisation put a social media strategy in place as well as look at how to improve their presence on social media.

In this post we talk to mum of three, Clare who makes time in her busy day to run the social media channels for a charity very close to her heart.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family

I’m Clare, Connors auntie. We live in Hildenborough, Kent and I have three children, Joseph, Amalie & Carlotta. My big bro, Matt, and his family live just round the corner from us. All the kids go to the same school and enjoy being pickles together.

What is your charity?

Chasing Connor’s Cure is a charity which was formed after my nephew, Connor, was diagnosed with Duchenne a few years ago. Duchenne is an awful life limiting condition. Its a muscle wasting disease and is the most common genetic killer of children worldwide. There is currently no treatment or cure.

In the UK there are around 2,500 boys affected. Children will be totally paralysed by their teens and won’t live beyond their 20s. It’s torturous. Connor will slowly loose the use of his arms and legs meaning he’ll rely on a wheelchair. Beyond that is the unthinkable and something I still today struggle to comprehend so I tend not to go into detail about what happens next. The charity gives me hope that by raising awareness and money we are making a fundamental difference to accelerate medical research into finding a cure. Not only that but the charity also provides a bit of escapism of what the future holds.

What inspired you to get involved with their social media marketing?

We have a fantastic community of people around us who all help out. When I say that, I really mean it. Suzie (who’s son is Connor’s best buddy) and I run Chasing Connor’s Cure social platforms. We have a great social media following which is continuing to grow with all the great fund raising events we’re doing. Just last year we managed to partner with a number of local corporate sponsors who have been wholeheartedly supportive.

Social enables us to promote our active charity work. I have a marketing background so it only felt right to get involved and as I say, it helps me focus on something positive.

What social media platforms do you use and why?

Instagram, Facebook & Twitter….Instagram tends to have a younger demographic and is a lovely visual way to showcase our charity work as well as reaching an audience through hashtags that we wouldn’t necessarily reach. Facebook tends to be where our biggest following is – fab for hosting events such as our Sportive and brill for real time updates which we utilised well when the Duchenne dash took place. Facebook live functionality was used to communicate the teams progress on their gruelling bike ride from London to Paris in just 24 hours. Twitter is great for reaching more of a B2B audience, great for thanking our sponsors.

How has taking part in the Social Media Strategy Online Workshop helped you?

The social media strategy course has given me confidence and knowledge to optimise our platforms and get the very best out of them. I’ve also learnt loads about different apps you can use to create content and get stand out.

Where can we find you on social media?

Find us on Facebook here

If you run a small charity, social enterprise, voluntary organisation or community group and think you could benefit from this workshop and would like to be considered for a free place, please email us on hello@socialmums.uk