Jyl Johnson Pattee: Changing the world one mom at a time

Me: Please tell my readers what your websites name is and what it's all about.

Jyl: http://momitforward.com/ (Mom It Forward). Mom It Forward is a community of women whose purpose is to change the world one mom at a time by helping each other out, building each other up, and assisting those who can not help themselves. Each member has the opportunity to interact with thousands of other members through blogs, Twitter parties, and other forums. What started as a Twitter tutorial in September 2008 has grown into a top-trending weekly “girl’s night out” (#gno) Twitter party and recently into momitforward.com, where women learn about topics and products that help them achieve success and greater productivity in their personal lives and in their role as a mother/influencer. This active community socializes, shares, and supports each other both on and offline.

Me: What inspired you to start Mom it Forward?

Jyl: In mid-September 2008, friend Carissa Rogers and I, were wanting to learn the Twitter ropes. We talked two other women into joining with us and we had a "girl's night out" to learn the Twitter ropes real time together. We had such a great time that we decided to meet the same time, the next week for another "girl's night out." The following week, we had 15 people. The third week, we applied the hashtag #gno and had 50 people. #GNO has happened every Tuesday night since then.

Me: Since starting MIF, what have been your greatest accomplishments and most challenging obstacles?

Jyl: The greatest accomplishments, other than the personal relationships I have formed (which absolutely takes first place), have been the impact I have learned from individuals or organizations. One girl recently told us how social media has made such an impact in her life personally and professionally and had it not been for #gno and the amazing community of women that take part in it, she never would have delved in as deeply as she has to the various social media spaces. Yehu Micro finance (http://yehu.org/) gained $15,000 in donations and tripled the traffic to its website because of online and offline Mom It Forward/#gno events. People in it Kenya branch as well as one recipient of a micro loan were able to tweet with our community. Bridging the cultural, socio-economic, and distance gap through Twitter has to be one of the greatest accomplishments to me.

The biggest challenge? Keeping the content relevant, the members feeling included and cared about, the energy high, the ideas fresh. I work very hard to ensure this. When a well planned out event falls through at the last minute, it is an exciting challenge to find replacements that offer the community a great evening.

Me: Tell my readers what GNO is and how they can get involved in all of the fun.

Jyl: #GNO is a weekly Twitter party that meets every Tuesday from 9-11 p.m. EST on Twitter. The parties give women a wonderful, virtual gathering place and allows Mom It Forward the opportunity to choose monthly themes, weekly topics, bring on guest panelists, and introduce products through giveaways that focus on strengthening and supporting women individually, as moms and influencers, and in their quest to make a difference.

Me: What events do you currently have going on? What's coming up?

Jyl: We are currently doing a summer event called The Summer of Service. It is a challenge to perform one act of kindness a week from June 2 to Labor Day. Each week has a different challenge with 10 suggested ideas for meeting that challenge. You can also come up with one of your own. Because every challenge should come with a reward, each week also has a giveaway. This week we are giving away a Kodak digital camera. Next week, we are giving away a $100 gift certificate to Alice.com, etc.

Me: What or who has inspired you the most in your life?

Jyl: I come from a long line of strong, service-oriented, and inspiring women. Closest to me are my grandma and my mom. They modeled the importance of taking care of self, being the best mom or influencer you can be, always with the goal to give back and help others when at all possible. They made me feel as if I were the most loved child and granddaughter and that their love for me extended beyond what I did in a moment, even if they disapproved of it. They also taught me to have confidence, be resourceful, ask for help, and be grateful. Hopefully, I can achieve all that some day ;).

Me: What is your favorite social media site:)? How can someone follow or find you?

Jyl: I love looking at our custom tweet grids. There are lots of great sites out there, but I feel like I've come home when I'm on the grid watching all the fabulous women in the community comment and share their lives. I wouldn't rather be anywhere else on a Tuesday night. OK... maybe at the beach once and a while LOL!

Me: Do you have a blog? If so, what is it called and how can we find it?

Jyl: I have a personal blog called http://mommygossip.blogspot.com/. I write about once a month. It's been a fun way to document personal and family experiences. I love that blog, because it is what got me into social media.

Me: Does Mom It Forward or GNO have a Facebook fan page?

Jyl: Yes... Mom It Forward has many Facebook Groups and one Facebook Fan Page. Here's the main group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=45872861859&ref=ts. The fan page is: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mom-It-Forward/112902215537?ref=ts. You can also join the LinkedIn Group, the Flickr Group, the YouTube Channel, and connect with us on our site at http://momitforward.com/ where we update #GNO party information each Sunday evening.

Me: What advice would you give someone trying to start a charitable organization?

Jyl: Make sure you have clearly identified your mission, vision, values, goals, objectives, and milestones. All decisions will be easier once you have identified the building blocks! And also, don't discount awareness. Sometimes it feels like it needs to be all about the money or you're not achieving success, but awareness and personal investment other than financial is huge!!!