Social Giving and Non-profits
by Alix Bryan and Pat Germelman
Fahrenheit believes in giving back. In researching this post, it became clear that social media as a whole has a big heart, and its philanthropic spirit is a force to be reckoned with. It makes us proud to be part of an industry so young but yet so giving.
Perhaps more significant for the long haul, social media provides a new way for donors to discover and engage with nonprofits, to volunteer resources and donate money towards causes. Time and budget constraints, as well as the lack of solid ROI measurements, limits the development of a strong social media strategy for most non-profits.
Yet, last year nonprofits raised two billion dollars through social media alone. Another advantage of using social media for fundraising is that it is very measurable. It is easy to see what donations originate from the traffic and efforts you generate from social media activities.
Non-profits are incorporating mobile applications, utilizing geo-location check-ins, integrating Facebook platforms and pushing topics on Twitter.
Blackbaud, a leading non-profit software development company, has published that the most successful nonprofits are the ones with fully developed social media campaigns. Their research also showed that participants “who use social media tools set higher fundraising goals, raise more money, and reach more donors.”
Numerous social networks promoting social good, like Crowdrise, Jumo, and Change.org direct traffic to an organization, which emphasizes the importance of visible profiles across multiple platforms. There are also great, free resources for those who need help integrating social.
During this season of giving, non-profits receive as much as 40% of their annual donations during the month of December, and 40-60% of those donations are made the last two days of the year. We hope you enjoy the holiday season and we encourage you to give to the charity of your choice..
Resources:
Blackbaud
Change.Org Holiday Gift Guide
Crowdrise
Jumo
Zoetica
Comments
As usual, great production and insightful content. Thanks for sharing this info.
Excellent piece. I volunteer with a number of nonprofits and have really been getting them to embrace social media. it is the perfect platform for them to acquire, retail and engage with volunteers and supporters,
Hi! I just thought I’d suggest &you; to go with the other non-profit tools: its a free widget that helps you keep track of events and volunteer opportunities in whatever fields you’re interested in while non-profits can use it to find volunteers and get their message out there: http://andyou.jnj.com/
