Social Media

As nonprofits have increasingly turned to social media, policies to govern their use have become the new frontier. It can be difficult for organizations to find examples that fit their needs. A good social media policy will provide clear guidelines as to what staff should and shouldn’t do when posting and interacting with the community on a day-to-day basis, freeing them up to think more strategically. But what’s involved in creating one?

A few years back, folks were talking about the possibility of fundraising in that weird, little world called Second Life. Thinking it might be fun, like the self-contained world of The Sims I was into at the time, I tried to jump in to that realm — without much luck. Here are my columns outlining that sad effort — one from July 2008 and another from July 2009.

The question today is not whether a charity should use social media, but how it should use the information that supporters are sharing on social media to attract more people to its mission and increase fundraising. The answer to the question lies in understanding social media constituents and identifying which ones are the most “social” — those who best interact with and influence others across their online networks — because, while each constituent is a potential donor, some are more adept at spreading the word and energising others.

If your organization’s retention efforts aren’t fine-tuned, this is the perfect webinar to help you focus.

When it comes down to it, crowdfunding is just a form of fundraising, reframed for the 21st century. Basic fundraising principles still apply: You have a cause or a project, you tell people about it, and they pledge their support. But there are some intriguing differences that make crowdfunding a very modern way of fundraising.

Ted Hart, CEO of Charities Aid Foundation of America (CAFAmerica) and CEO of P2P Fundraising, GreenNonprofits.org and TedHart.com, speaks with nonprofit trainer Beth Kanter, co-author of "The Networked Nonprofit," about social media in this archived episode of his Nonprofit Coach radio show.

Is your nonprofit considering using promoted posts on Facebook? With promoted posts, all you’re paying for is an increase in reach. There is no guarantee that you’ll get more comments, likes and shares, even though that’s what you want for long-term success. The more comments, likes and shares you get on a post, the more you’re leveraging true word of mouth.

In a recent whitepaper, "Fundraising With Facebook," online fundraising solutions provider Artez Interactive examined how peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns were affected when event participants using the Artez platform were given the option to share their fundraising pages on Facebook or register for event with Facebook.

Social networking and major-gifts programs are made for each other. In this article, excerpted from a three-part series that I wrote for the Passionate Giving blog, I outline how your organization can best use social networking to enhance both your program and your major donor’s experience.

This year has drawn more social engagement than ever by nonprofits, according to an MDG Advertising infographic. Social media fundraising has more than doubled in the last five years, the ad agency said, citing increasing usage of social networks and the likelihood that any online event will become an immediate viral sensation (see last month's #GivingTuesday).