I had a quick chat in the office today with my mentor John, ran my current idea by him and he seemed quite fond of it - so I think we have a runner! All will be revealed soon - but for now, I must be off to the gym to get some blood flowing! I'll hope to come back with more details very soon on the project and next steps.

WatchThisSpace

@RozzaDonnelly @Microsoft @100minds Excellent idea from Rory, looking forward to seeing it come to life over the next few weeks! #impact

— John Lannin (@John_Lannin) November 4, 2014

Let's get cracking! @100minds pic.twitter.com/fdDWyNwc17

— Rory Donnelly (@RozzaDonnelly) October 28, 2014

Yesterday morning I cam up with an idea which I think I may stick with. Without giving too much away just yet, I think it's something which is both simple but also very scale-able!

All going well, I'll continue with this idea, and I plan to update in a lot more detail here soon, but at the moment I'm building a few simple branding tools I can use throughout my posts... Starting with an email signature - I noticed there hasn't been a cohesive one throughout the various mentor mails so far... So that could be a suggestion I'll bring forward!

I'll update with much more soon/!

#LightbulbMoment I think I'm on to something! @100minds @John_Lannin @Barnardos_IRL @BlossomIreland

— Rory Donnelly (@RozzaDonnelly) November 2, 2014

So I noticed a little while ago that in the emails from mentors etc. there was never really a professional or consistent looking email signature for 100minds, which I thought would bring a little extra bit of finesse to some of their comms - both internal and external.

So why not develop one myself, I thought! And off I went...

I went straight to Twitter, asking about font styling and colours. A little like Jobs actually, I've taken classes ironically in calligraphy, but that was well before I knew that Jobs did! Anyway... Looking for help, I got a really quick response, and Dec (Declan Egan, Founder) sent me on a mail detailing the various fonts and colour schemes info which was really handy. The support @100minds is really great!

@RozzaDonnelly @kevincassidy @John_Lannin Hey Rory forwarding you on some brand guidelines that have fonts etc :)

— 100minds (@100minds) November 3, 2014

One problem, however. Most of the fonts were selected from Mac, so I probed a little more, and came to what I think is a great Windows version equivalent. It helps to have styles to suit all formats anyway - right?

Into Outlook and start fiddling around with colours, fonts, sizes, buttons, tables and all that jazz, and well... here's what I came to - hope all approving!

Cheers,

Been playing around with bit all night, but very happy now with my draft email signature for @100minds! pic.twitter.com/zJY2l0B1Nu

— Rory Donnelly (@RozzaDonnelly) November 4, 2014

Technological colloaboration!!!

I was working on some high level plans for my project idea earlier on this evening... I'll update soon with where I'm going with this, but anyway...

I thought it would be a great idea to be able to collaborate w/ John (my mentor) in real time on plans and building them out, but it's not always easy to meet face-to-face. So then I got thinking - I can sync with him over all my plans in the CLOUD! - So where did I go? - ONENOTE!

Sharing a notebook online will allow John and I to easily collaborate remotely on ideas, developing plans at macro and micro level, and sharing info and materials of all kinds. I love when tech makes life so much easier...

Time to get productive!

Using @msonenote to collaborate with @John_Lannin on project planning and delivering impact for @100minds! pic.twitter.com/HzNU0V1Ksk

— Rory Donnelly (@RozzaDonnelly) November 5, 2014

Good weekend, now time to sit down with some green tea, toast and get cracking on some @100minds plans! #Impact

— Rory Donnelly (@RozzaDonnelly) November 23, 2014

I've had a good weekend so far - the rugby yesterday was a massive highlight! Now time to wind down and get into some nitty-gritty project planning!

Sipping espresso whilst building @100minds plans! Please check out my profile and DONATE! http://t.co/36WhojpAAu pic.twitter.com/HQVBLoWBfi

— Rory Donnelly (@RozzaDonnelly) November 9, 2014

It's been a little quiet on this front lately... I've been keeping my 100minds project ideas going in the background but escalations in work recently meant I had to prioritise! This happens to the best of us, so I'm not too worried...

Anyway, it's late and I really should get some sleep. I'll expect to be back here this weekend with some good progress and updates! :)

Bonne nuit tout le monde!

Things are moving fast at Microsoft!!

See below tweet from Stephen Howell, Academic Evangelism Manager @ Microsoft Ireland supporting our cause!

@RozzaDonnelly Good luck with the fundraising for @Barnardos_IRL @BlossomIreland http://t.co/2PNwrvAtSo

— Stephen Howell (@saorog) January 27, 2015

Since starting the fundraising drive in work in the past week, we have already raised more than €500, and the amount of support across the company has been fantastic! I want to thank my fellow H&B participants for their support and all our colleagues who have donated so far. Let's keep donations flowing!

Tomorrow morning I have a quick meeting with our HR group to collect Microsoft t-shirts for the day, as we ready to cross that finish line as one team and displaying full colours on the day!

Hell & Back is approaching quickly, but we're feeling ready!

We have our Microsoft pop shirts sorted for tomorrow. Good thing they won't be the only layer we'll be wearing on the day!

The @Microsoft Ireland team getting their colours ready for @HellandBackRun tomorrow with @100minds! pic.twitter.com/AT0MCbHCce

— Rory Donnelly (@RozzaDonnelly) January 31, 2015

As we approach the final weeks before Hell & Back, I've reached out to family to kick start the sponsorship drive. Responses have been with fantastic so far, with aunts and uncles giving very generously. It's great to see such support and kindness, especially during January which can't be the easiest financial period for everyone.

Great family support as we get close to @HellandBackRun, raising funds for my @100minds campaign! Please DONATE! http://t.co/3CT2E6VihG

— Rory Donnelly (@RozzaDonnelly) January 19, 2015

I really appreciate every donation so far, we're off to a good start ad hopefully this will help drive further sponsorships in the coming week or so as I reach to colleagues at Microsoft!

I know it's been a little quiet here lately. There has however been some working in the background.

#Microsoft group ready for @HellandBackRun Feb 1st to help @Barnardos_IRL & @BlossomIreland. Donate now! http://t.co/3CT2E6VihG @100minds

— Rory Donnelly (@RozzaDonnelly) January 10, 2015

Updates coming soon.

Cabin fever at home sick at the moment, trying to be as productive as possible, but I'm aware of my limits today...

I am currently building out plans for leveraging social media. Being an internally Microsoft-focused initiative, I will be looking to social media and other mediums with the different perspective than many of the other participants...

Not a great day being at home sick. I hate not being productive... Doing what I can by adding further to my @100minds project plans!

— Rory Donnelly (@RozzaDonnelly) January 14, 2015

I have recently reached out to a number of owners of Microsoft external social media accounts regarding support in the future for our group of participants as we get ready for Hell & Back. Responses have been positive so far, so i ma expecting to get some publications on Microsoft Ireland social media soon! Looking forward to seeing what impact this may bring!

@ Microsoft, we also regularly use Yammer.com as our social network for open questions and communication across the org - which is useful when yo're connected to over 100 thousand employees! I am still unsure for the moment how I will go about leveraging this medium in the best, but I am meeting with my mentor John at the end of this week, s maybe he could advise me better on this with some ideas :)

Many thanks to my long-time karate club for their support of my 100minds campaign! OSS!

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Post by St. Pauls Karate Club.

After completing @HellandBackRun with the @microsoft gang for my @100minds campaign, we're still making #impact! pic.twitter.com/sc7g8pnPMj

— Rory Donnelly (@RozzaDonnelly) February 9, 2015

Today was tough. Really tough...

2x hell-raiser? Good. The impact this makes to children in need? So much better! @100minds http://t.co/buL45it9Fc pic.twitter.com/ghOe5IiLRn

— Rory Donnelly (@RozzaDonnelly) February 1, 2015

The image above says it all really. There were icy waters, mud swamps, electric shocks, air-rifle wounds, and more! A particularly memorable moment came when atop the mountain, nose drippings began to freeze suspended in thin air.

I'd completed Hell & Back previously in the summertime, so coming into the day I had a good idea of the obstacles we'd be facing, however I never could have anticipated that feeling of cold. In good Hell & Back fashion, the event organisers ensured we were soaked head-to-toe from the outset, and every gust of wind shook our bodies to the very core. Onwards we trudged up the not-so-baby Sugarloaf, jogging when we could, crawling when needed, and sprinting through the frightening environment of Sniper Alley!

Frozen, exhausted, the Microsoft team stuck together as we drove ourselves through the course. Miserable at times, the cold dampening our moods, but there were always laughs and smiles at ourselves with each stumble, shiver, and flat-faced-fall into the mud. Broken bodies, yes indeed, but our spirits were the one thing which didn't crack!

What a incredible sensation as we crossed that finish line - accomplishment. Throughout those few hours it took to complete the course, I thought about the children that our fundraising endeavours were going to help out. The few hours of discomfort for us are nothing compared to the hardships many disadvantaged children throughout Ireland experience on a daily basis. I just hope our efforts are able to make a difference!

Last week passed with an increasing need for a good sleep - that previous weekend really took it out of the body!

Building the bones of my final @100minds email drive in the office! #Impact #Inspire #Educate http://t.co/buL45it9Fc pic.twitter.com/ZFfpxi75w4

— Rory Donnelly (@RozzaDonnelly) February 9, 2015

I'm coming to the end of my Microsoft-targeted sponsorship drive, having completed Hell & Back last week. It's now time for one final push to hit that target!

I will be using various internal channels in the office, particularly email marketing and leveraging our private social network, Yammer, to drive awareness and further donations for the campaign.

Next week, following the end of that last Microsoft-focused push, I will place my application to the Micorsoft mathcing funds program, which once approved, will DOUBLE the contribution value and make double the impact!

Very significant meeting today went really well.. Major contribution to come for @100minds! #watchthisspace

— Rory Donnelly (@RozzaDonnelly) February 19, 2015

Coming to the close

As we come to the end of the 100minds window, I have spent the past two weeks closing out the final donations from colleagues across the org at Microsoft.

Some of the support our little troop have has received for our efforts at Hell & Back has been phenomenal. One thing which resonated with me was how without asking, our colleagues were willing to share our stories and the cause with their wider networks and teams, further driving donations. I even had colleagues in Singapore and Washington donating to our cause - so this was really special!

Email marketing efforts

Personally, I put a lot of time into my email marketing and social media communications. Throughout the campaign I built out emails with complex structures and targeted them at different groups within the Microsoft community. I quickly identified the different interests and tactics which triggered follow up from different audiences. The graduate and intern pools for example responded well to large images and testimonials of their fellow grads and interns who took part with us, due to their close ties with their peers. More senior groups across the organisation were more impacted by the story when told briefly of how we were helping out children in need. One would assume in many cases this response was helped by the parental mindsets of some of our more experienced colleagues, who feel a connection to the story with their own children and families. Again, I identified how a different message would impact a certain audience, and I worked it! Yes, you could call this somewhat manipulative, but when you're creating the impact that 100minds looks to achieve - does it really matter! I have no ethical doubts about this one...

One final trick

Per my tweet above, I had a meeting this past week with some Microsoft colleagues about a final way for Microsoft to get behind our efforts and make a real difference to children in need. In the meeting we told stores, threw around ideas and celebrated the memories of crossing that finish line. I don't want to give anything away just yet, but I hope to be able to announce a final major contribution around Wednesday next week. Keep your ears to the ground folks - and your eyes on the cloud!

#WatchThisSpace

As if Microsoft hadn’t supported me enough!

The big one has been received; myself and the Microsoft gang could not be more delighted. This afternoon, Microsoft Ireland formally agreed to match the amount raised by my intern & graduate group from our ventures Thru Hell & Back, as part of 100minds! With this contribution, we will be raising an additional €1,137 for Barnardos & Blossom Ireland. Simply, incredible.

The Big One has landed! Read about the incredible support from @Microsoft Ireland for my @100minds campaign here! http://t.co/3SLYFMZmvM

— Rory Donnelly (@RozzaDonnelly) February 24, 2015

I would like to thank the great support from all of our colleagues across the company. The support our little band of fundraisers has received from all areas within the organisation has been simply phenomenal. Microsoft, even for a company of its size, has a fantastic connection to the local community, and that is represented in the news of their donation today. The generosity we have seen from colleagues first and foremost has been astounding – there is rarely a moment when I can stand at the coffee dock in the office and not get asked how we ‘made it thru’. Separate offices, floors, buildings, cities, and even continents were not enough to block word spreading throughout the ecosystem of our efforts, with donations coming from as far as Seattle & Singapore! It is those moments when you see the kind hearts of your friends and colleagues shine, those are the moments that keep you going.

@RozzaDonnelly Wow amazing support from @Microsoft @John_Lannin. Rory has been so great. Approaching €200k @Barnardos_IRL @BlossomIreland

— 100minds (@100minds) February 24, 2015

I would also like to thank Microsoft Ireland community affairs for their continued support in driving my 100minds initiative and awareness across the organisation. Without them, it would not be my pleasure to announce the kind generosity the company has expressed today. Whether an intern or senior exec, Microsoft is a family, and in the past few weeks that family is responsible for raising over €2000+ for charity. Without 100minds, none of this would have happened.

Bravo Microsoft. Bravo 100minds!

@RozzaDonnelly @100minds @BlossomIreland incredible result! So amazing and so much appreciated here

— Barnardos Ireland (@Barnardos_IRL) February 25, 2015

INTRODUCTION

Being a part of 100minds has been a fantastic experience. It is somewhat incredible to think that it was only 100 days ago that we were kicking off the campaign! At time of writing, the 100minds team has raised over €217,000 with my own efforts contributing over €000 of that. The valuable funds that our campaigns shall bring to Barnardos and Blossom Ireland shall enable them to sustain their services and the brilliant support they provide for children in need all over Ireland. I look back now on the past few weeks, reflecting on what I’ve learnt, the people I’ve met, the fun I’ve had and the difference it will all make for the future!

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

In a short term, 100minds offers an abundance of opportunities for its participants to learn a variety of skills and perspectives, from running our own creative events and project campaigns, to attending sessions in web design, digital marketing, mindfulness, entrepreneurship and more. For me, a major learning over the course of the campaign was in relation to audience targeting and email marketing. These were particular tools I used from end to end during the campaign from sourcing participants to join to, to driving donations and support within Microsoft to telling the story of our successes.

100MINDS ACADEMY SESSIONS

The Academy sessions were also particularly engaging part of 100minds, and I can see them becoming an even greater selling point in the future. I was able to attend all but the session in marketing with HubSpot, but delighted I was able to make the others! The standout sessions for me was in Web Design @ Twitter and Start-ups/Entrepreneurship @ Popdeem. Following these sessions I’ve developed my own website (currently under development) to reinforce my own personal brand in the digital environment, and also further explored a number of project ideas I may take kickstart a little further down the line. I really connected the way Richie Whelan spoke about his experiences in running a tech start-up and the story of the emotional roller-coaster that it becomes, and I can’t help but find such a line of business so compelling!

NETWORKING & NEW PEOPLE

THE PARTICIPANTS

100minds enabled me to connect with a number of highly driven students and young professionals around Ireland, and provided a great platform for sharing entrepreneurial ideas and giving support to new friends looking to create a positive impact in the community. I witnessed first-hand how quickly a group of like-minded participants when put in a room together will begin to share their thoughts, resources and capabilities to achieve a common goal… Helping people. Getting to know some of the participants and working together on our projects has been an exciting experience, and I shall look forward to connecting with that team again on further ideas down the line!

MENTORS & THE 100MINDS TEAM

Despite being only a handful of years on average senior of the participants group, the 100minds teams and mentors are the symbol of young professionals in the midst of launching very successful careers. What’s even more impressive? Despite doing this they still manage to invest their time and energy to give Irish students the opportunity to have real impact in society and learn valuable skills for their future careers. I had a particularly convenient scenario with my mentor John, working only down the corridor from each other at Microsoft! John was consistently a great support to me throughout the campaign, offering some great feedback and input idea brainstorming and conceptualisation to project delivery. John’s input helped me level my excitement with every new idea, and guided me in identifying next steps to get on track. Thanks again John for all your time and support! Getting to know the wider 100minds team was also a massive plus. These fine ladies and gentlemen are the cream of today’s young professionals, working in massive multinationals in tech, finance, law, and sciences, while other are already some of Ireland’s leading young entrepreneurs. The 100minds team has roles models in abundance, and I’ll be sure to keep in touch with a few of them for the future! Most importantly, they’re all really nice people!

GOING FORWARD

So what’s the plan for me now? I will be continuing my internship at Microsoft until the summer time, while keeping up some side projects in my spare time. With a passion for digital media marketing, I have a number of short term objectives I plan on completing to expand and enhance my digital presence and profile online, while consolidating my information and ‘personal brand’ across multiple platforms. I feel the learnings from 100minds will enable me to manage my time for these side projects more effectively, feeling confident each weekend brings a completed milestone for some of my plans and objectives.

CONCLUSION

Being part of 100minds has been a great experience and I am thankful for the opportunity to create real impact in the community and meet some great new people. I’ll miss 100minds but for me that’s a wrap in this space! Feel free to keep up to date with my on social media and at my website; all details found in the “About” section!

All the best and thanks again!

Rory