Social Media

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).

Ephraim Gopin has worked in the nonprofit sector for the last decade, in every position and department from CEO, PR, marketing, event organization, fundraising, grant writing and everything in between. He currently works with nonprofits and businesses to help them craft social-media strategies and get out there engaging the masses. He also recently was a session presenter during our third annual FundRaising Success Virtual Conference & Expo. Following are some insights and musings from his session, "A Fresh Look at Social Media."

Scott Pearl, the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ (AFP) new chief marketing officer, has been named to Social Media Marketing Magazine’s list of the top 100 CMOs on Twitter around the world. The list identifies the top 100 chief marketing officers who provide useful content; engage with followers; and “get it,” according to Social Media Marketing, when it comes to the best ways to use Twitter. It was Pearl’s first appearance on the list, and he is currently ranked 80th.

The goal of social media needs to be engagement, not solicitation. And that means real conversation, listening as well as talking. Getting someone to "like" your page and then disappear into the woodwork is just a numbers game — not true engagement.

FundRaising Success talks with Paynter about best practices that nonprofit organizations can learn from Care2's tremendous growth.