Comedian’s responses to ‘When is International Men’s Day?’ raise funds for Refuge

Comedian Richard Herring's annual response on International Women's Day to the question "when is International Men's Day?" is this year raising funds for domestic violence charity Refuge. Followers on Twitter have pledged to donate to the charity for each tweet he posts in reply to the question. Refuge is "the country's largest provider of specialist services for women and children escaping domestic violence". https://twitter.com/Herring1967/status/839458449117351936 Since March 2014 Herring has been seeking out those who post this question on Twitter on International Women's Day and responding with the answer, usually with an acerbic put-down. https://twitter.com/Herring1967/status/839449575475851264 He recognises that the question is usually asked in a point-scoring vein, to question or undermine the need for a day which recognises and celebrates the lives and work of women. He calmly points that, yes, there is indeed an International Men's Day, and it is on 19 November. https://twitter.com/Herring1967/status/839457622604541952 Writing in The Guardian on International Men's Day in 2015, Herring said: "I love it when people try to manufacture an injustice out of a position of clear superiority. "It’s all so transparently self-centred. It’s the impulse that drives your kids on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day to whine: “When will there be a Children’s Day?” Incidentally, he took that opportunity of International Men's Day to promote Target Ovarian Cancer because the charity was "highlighting that men matter too and saying thank you to those husbands, fathers, brothers, partners and friends who have also been affected by ovarian cancer." He manages to keep a calm tone throughout as he hunts through Twitter for more people asking the question. https://twitter.com/Herring1967/status/839465388672966656 Refuge Herring has suggested that his followers might want to make a donation to Refuge, and some have confirmed that they have done so. https://twitter.com/davidrhscott/status/839065304399511552 https://twitter.com/mad_scientistuk/status/839459752853843969 Refuge spotted his support and thanked him: https://twitter.com/RefugeCharity/status/839176735136567297 And did so again: https://twitter.com/RefugeCharity/status/839460061235793920 https://twitter.com/RefugeCharity/status/839460456238579713   Herring has done his homework and answers related questions seriously: https://twitter.com/Herring1967/status/839461715783856128 His solo Twitter campaign is now looked forward to by some of his Twitter followers, with some tweets starting yesterday: https://twitter.com/Herring1967/status/839056567177707520   Fundraising from the trolls There are other examples of raising funds from trolls online. Twitter donation tool for those 'rage fundraising' moments (March 2017) Hillary Clinton campaign fundraisers with every tweet by Donald Trump (November 2016) Donate the Hate turns hate comments into donations (February 2016) TrollAid ensures abusive online posters promote fundraising for refugees (January 2016)  

from UK Fundraising http://ift.tt/2mXTkq2