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Podcasts worldwide – including my podcast – are coming together to support charities through a coordinated effort called Podcasthon. The concept is simple yet powerful – podcasters dedicate one episode of their show to a charity of their choice, releasing it during a specific week in March.
The initiative aims to have 1,500 podcast episodes released simultaneously, creating a wave of inspiring audio content supporting various causes.
What makes Podcasthon unique?
“It actually would be the first edition in English, but the third in French,” said Jeremie Manie, the founder of Podcasthon. The initiative emerged from a simple brainstorming session when his nonprofit organization, Altru, was exploring ways to create charitable events in the podcasting world.
The beauty of Podcasthon lies in its simplicity and accessibility. Podcasters don’t need to create additional episodes or incur extra costs – they simply dedicate one regular episode to highlighting a charitable cause.
For podcasters concerned about production costs, consider livestreaming your episode. My approach involves minimal editing – typically just trimming the intro before publishing. This keeps production costs low while maintaining quality.
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How to participate as a podcaster
Joining Podcasthon is straightforward and free. The process takes just a few minutes:
- Register your podcast at pw.podcasthon.org
- Select a charity to feature
- Schedule your episode release during the designated week in March
- Create and share your episode
For podcasters unsure about which charity to support, Podcasthon maintains a directory of hundreds of registered charities from 50 different countries. These organizations have proactively registered and are hoping to be featured on podcasts.
“We have a small team of highly motivated volunteers, and they’ll be there to try to find out which charity could be interesting for you,” Jeremie explained. They can help match podcasters with causes that align with their interests or values.
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Making your charity episode stand out
One question I’ve wrestled with is whether the featured charity needs to align perfectly with my show’s usual content. The answer is no. While some podcasters might choose charities that fit their editorial line, Podcasthon is also an opportunity to step outside the usual format and highlight causes. That’s what I did, and I’m planning to highlight Horizons.
Jeremie emphasized that the initiative isn’t primarily about fundraising: “It’s really not about asking for donation. It’s really about raising awareness because you have this audience.” The goal is planting seeds for long-term relationships between charities and potential supporters or volunteers.
Benefits for participating podcasters
Participating in Podcasthon offers several advantages:
First, your show gets exposed to new audiences through the initiative’s promotional efforts. Podcasthon promotes episodes and the initiative as well.
Second, all participating podcasts are featured on the Podcasthon website, where visitors can discover new shows based on their interests or randomly explore the diverse lineup of participants.
Previous editions in French-speaking countries saw many podcasters reporting their highest audience numbers of the year, partly due to the cross-promotion and increased visibility the event provides.
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Tips for featured charities
For nonprofits featured in Podcasthon episodes, this represents a unique opportunity to share their story with engaged audiences. Podcasting excels at conveying emotions and telling compelling stories, making it an ideal medium for charitable organizations to connect with potential supporters.
While some podcasters might send questions in advance, I prefer more organic conversations. Nonprofits should focus on authentically sharing their impact rather than delivering overly scripted responses. The key is finding the balance between being prepared and maintaining a natural, conversational tone.
At its core, Podcasthon represents something larger than individual episodes or charitable causes. It’s about leveraging the intimate nature of podcasting to create meaningful connections between audiences and organizations, making a difference in their communities.
“Podcasting is probably the best medium to convey emotions, to tell stories,” Jeremie noted. By participating, podcasters can use their platform and storytelling abilities to amplify important causes while potentially discovering new audiences for their shows.
Want to hear my Podcasthon episode? Subscribe to The Business Storytelling Show on your favorite podcast platform. The episode will air during the week of March 15-21, featuring a local nonprofit making a difference in my community.