You can’t seem to go anywhere these days without someone asking you whether you are on Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn. If there is such a huge community interacting via these social networking sites, what opportunities does this create for fundraisers? Ted Hart takes a look
Those who will successfully raise money in the internet age are those who learn online fundraising is not merely an electronic version of direct mail. Successful charities will learn a whole new set of techniques and deploy a whole new generation of tools to inspire donors.
Whether it’s Myspace, Bebo Nation, Facebook or LinkedIn (or many scores of other social network sites), it is becoming more important to develop a strategy linking the digital life of donors and supporters to the charities they care about. The true powers of online-based methods lie in their ability to do more than simply function as a novel way to raise money. It lies in the areas of communication and the relationship building promise of Web 2.0. In fact, these are the real drivers of fundraising success both off and online. The internet is an ideal platform from which to inform and engage with potential donors, many of whom may be beyond the reach of normal fundraising channels. Communication and relationship building are key components to the successful use of these techniques.
Giving donors the chance to participate and to contribute beyond the gift is proving to be successful. While proving a serious area of growth, the use of these new techniques challenges the traditional top-down, ask-give relationship charities have traditionally had with their supporters.
Through the harnessing of advocates and donors, charities can develop communities of support far beyond their direct mail lists or even email lists. Online social networking has become one of the most important differences between what is traditionally practical offline and what is now possible to access online.
According to the Wall Street Journal, donors and volunteers are satisfying philanthropic urges on the internet, turning to blogs and social-networking sites to spread the word about their causes.
Members on several websites are beginning to tap into the power of the social networking model for charity/cause networking. Such sites may prove successful for connecting otherwise fragmented groups of interested and passionate users. Users benefit by interacting with a like-minded community and channeling their energy and giving.
For example, SixDegrees.org is a site launched by the actor Kevin Bacon, with the aim of bringing a conscience to social networking and for it to be a force for good, rather than just a game or a gimmick.
SixDegrees.org harnesses two important online trends: 1) the growth of social networking sites and 2) the increasing interest in using the web for inspiring people to raise money from others for causes they care about.
The online encyclopedia, developed and maintained using Web 2.0 tools, Wikipedia, has developed a list of social networking sites around the world, which can be found directly at:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites
Donors are spreading the word, even faster than charities are themselves. However, organisations from start-ups to long-established organisations are starting to catch up by launching profiles on sites such as MySpace and
Facebook that provide an opportunity for people to connect with a community of supporters. Facebook already had a popular “groups” application, and many social causes have posted content and started groups. Facebook Groups, developed by Project Agape, allows users to create causes, take donations, and recruit members. Whenever someone creates a cause or joins one, it shows up in their news feed for their friends to see. Information about the cause is also included in the profile itself, including total amount raised by that user and new users recruited. Facebook has a huge and active user base (20 million users, each viewing 50 pages daily), and they are a demographic that is highly likely to want to become involved actively in causes they believe in. Since launch the programme has attracted more than 2.5 million users and raised approximately US$300,000 for the organisations involved.
In late 2006, MySpace launched its Impact Awards in which users vote to recognise individuals and non-profits that have successfully used the site to make a difference. Change.org enables visitors to join ‘virtual foundations’ of peers committed to specific causes and to fundraise for them.
Charities should approach the Internet as a communication and stewardship tool first and a fundraising tool second. Any seasoned fundraiser will tell you that when you can build and enhance a relationship with a prospective donor, you have a much higher chance of successfully soliciting a gift.
We can now say, Web 2.0 and social networking techniques of online giving are no fad, but are tools and techniques that have already and will continue to change the way charities communicate with their supporters in the online world. However, as a charity is introducing these new social behaviors they should note it takes time to establish communication and fundraising norms.
Regardless of the cause, those who support nonprofits tend to be passionate about them and many can be called upon to become advocates, forwarding and recommending content to family, friends and colleagues. This important reality forms the basis of understanding the great opportunity that can be had by harnessing the passion of its supporters.
A website is the 24/7 advocacy and education hub for charities, but it is the legions of supporters, and the networks they represent that make the promise reality.
