In our Clients Creating Change series, we’re sharing inspiration and insights from some of the top digital influencers in the field.
Today, we’re talking with Director of Digital Engagement Mason Weintraub from Oxfam America, a long-time BSD Tools partner working to right the wrongs of poverty, hunger, and injustice.
Take the biggest risk you can get away with.”
Mason Weintraub, Director of Digital Engagement at Oxfam America
What can other organizations learn from Oxfam’s digital presence?
Regardless of the size of your digital team, invest in hiring people who can describe technology to less-technical audiences. Collaboration and buy-in are so much easier to generate when everyone in the room understands the concepts at play and can see their role in the digital strategy.
Oxfam’s digital presence is a direct reflection of the learning environment that we try to foster. We want people here to try new ideas, find new channels to reach supporters, and test relentlessly so that we can make informed decisions. More or less, if you can test it, you can try it.
Who do you admire?
Oxfam works with so many people I admire who fight poverty and injustice in their communities every day. In the past year, I’ve gotten to know the story of Joanna Manu, an activist in Ghana who stood up to mining companies and secured the rights to protect her land from encroaching gold mining activities. She went on to run for (and win!) public office in her community and she has continued to advocate for its interests in local government.
Also: Malala Yousafzai. Laverne Cox. Margaret Fuller. Leslie Feinberg.
What’s the best work-related advice you’ve been given?
When I was facing a big career decision several years ago, my former boss told me, “Take the biggest risk you can get away with.” As someone who tends to take more measured steps, this was hugely helpful to me. I learned that my next move doesn’t need to be a radical shift, but it should feel authentic to where I’m headed and what I’m trying to contribute.
What’s the first website you check in the morning?
Email newsletters are back and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have an entire stable of trusted media consumers to curate the wild and wonderful Internet for me. So, the first information source I check is actually Gmail. Current favorites: The Skimm, Vox, Talking Points Memo, Medium Daily Digest.
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For more inspiration, check out additional interviews with Freedom to Marry’s Michael Crawford, Center for Reproductive Rights’ Dionne Scott, NAACP’s Jamiah Adams, and Sierra Club’s Chris Thomas.