iBrilliant

I come today not to bury a charity, but to praise one. The group is Keep a Child Alive. They're based in Brooklyn and their mission is to provide lifesaving AIDS drugs to those who are suffering from the disease in Africa. Their spokesperson is Alicia Keys, they spend almost $2 million a year, and until this morning, I'm not sure I'd ever heard of them.

So why am I praising them? Because believe me, I've heard of them now. Today, I've seen them on national TV, I've heard their spokesperson on the radio, and I've read at least 10 articles in which they're mentioned and quoted.

What did they do to get in my face today, and take their cause to every person in America with a television, a radio, or an internet connection? They were smart and they opportunistic. One of their PR people, a guy named Johnny Vulkan, decided to get in line at the Apple store in Manhattan on Tuesday, effectively becoming the first person to queue up for the iPhone. Vulkan had no need for the new creation from Steve Jobs; he just wanted to raise attention for his group.

And has he. Since Tuesday, 80 volunteers from Keep a Child Alive have taken turns holding the top spot in line. With the store mere blocks from the headquarters of every media outlet in the country, the staff has done a ton of interviews, and has managed to sound smart, relevant, and connected the whole time. Said staff member Mia Riddle of the decision to get in line, "It's about using the media frenzy around the iPhone to communicate things that are a little more important," she said.

Their plan is to auction the iPhone to benefit their group, and as a result of their savvy PR utilization and their articulate advocacy of their cause, corporations and celebrities are lining up to give them other items for their eBay auction. ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live sent tickets to the show and access for four to its green room to auction off. So did Rachael Ray and Six Flags. Virgin Atlantic gave them airline tickets, Aliph provided headsets that work with the iPhone, and Netflix is giving movies. eBay themselves saw the media crush and offered to match the iPhone's auction price and donate the amount to the charity. With this much media attention flying around, there will be others who want to get in on giving the charity items, at least until the cameras turn off.

Keep a Child Alive, today's winner for savviest non-profit. They showed that you don't need a huge advertising budget to get your story out, if you have articulate advocates on your side, and know how to seize the moment when it's presented. I'd say even more, but I'm jealous I didn't think of their idea first.