How to Raise Money for Your Unsexy but Important Cause With Social Media

By Joe Boland

So how do you create this utopian community where people are asking to help fundraise for you? By actively engaging and communicating with donors in a true two-way forum:

A donor hears about your project through one or more mediums: blog, Twitter, Facebook, Causes community, e-mail, website, etc.
That person then donates to the project because it is important to her, and you suggest, "Tell your friends why they should donate too."
That donor tells her friends on Facebook that she donated.
Then she asks specific friends to donate too.
Finally, there is social recognition and interaction with the community on the Causes page, which can be further enhanced through other social networks.

It's a new spin on donor cultivation. Instead of focusing on just the top donors, social media allows all donors to be cultivated with the help of volunteer fundraisers (your fans, friends and followers who spread the word through social media).