Social Media

Ted Hart speaks with Stephen Nill, founder of the oldest and largest online network of nonprofit professionals, CharityChannel, about online networking for nonprofit and fundraising professionals.

Ten ways you can gather feedback, before your next event, while your event is still taking place and after it's all over.

Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist and craigconnects, released an infographic detailing the use of social media by leading nonprofit organizations.

"How the Top 50 Nonprofits Do Social Media" is a fact-filled, comprehensive look at which leading nonprofit organizations are most proactively and effectively using social media channels of communication like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, LinkedIn, and RSS feeds.

Social media is becoming an essential part of charity fundraising, according to a paper from the Institute for Philanthropy.

Philanthropy and Social Media gives advice to charities and funders on how to use social media for activities including fundraising, connecting with supporters and delivering their services.

It says social media is beoming increasingly important in driving donations. "There are organisations, groups and individuals who are using these tools to great effect," the report says. "Some have completely revolutionised their work by using social media.

According to industry benchmark reports, the majority of nonprofit organizations have yet to reach the level of social marketing success that the mainstream business community enjoys. Data shows that nearly 90 percent of charities on Facebook and other social networks have raised less than $1,000 each on social networks in the past year.

Recognizing the pressure nonprofits face in meeting their 2011 goals, Social Edison opted to launch the BluCard this week by donating the proprietary application to a select group of charitable organizations. The technology allows organizations to build enduring, one-to-one relationships with their social network supporters.

Fundly, a leader in social fundraising for nonprofits, announced a $5 million round of financing led by Morgenthaler Ventures, bringing the total investment in Fundly to $7.5 million. Existing seed investors, Kapor Capital, Correlation Ventures, Seraph Group, and Accelerator Ventures also participated in the round. Mark Goines, a partner at Morgenthaler Ventures, has joined the Fundly board of directors.

Facebook is making big changes in how it organizes and displays information about people who create profiles on the site. And nonprofits stand to benefit from the new format.

Facebook this week said it will soon roll out a different format that will rely heavily on algorithms to decide what gets the most attention on a profile page. The change will also provide smoother integration with applications like Causes, a fundraising tool many charities use.

This is expected to help nonprofits stand out more.

Your social-media campaigns are only as good as the human beings behind them. For your nonprofit to succeed on social-media sites, make sure your social-media manager has most of the following qualities:

Here are eight ways to amp up your e-mail marketing and fundraising with social media.

How can you best spread awareness about your special event to as many potential supporters as possible when you have limited budget and resources? Leverage social media to get the word out quickly and efficiently throughout your nonprofit's network.