Social Media

Ashton Kutcher, Kanye West and other big-name celebrities don’t do as much good for charity on Twitter, Facebook or other social networks as less-famous people, a new study finds. Actors, comics, singers and bloggers with deep personal ties to causes and potential donors raise far more money for charities.

The report, released this week by the consulting firm Zoetica Media and PayPal, the online donations portal, studied six major online fundraising campaigns.

As the world becomes more digital every day, online fundraising continues to grow in importance and volume. But it's unrealistic to expect donors to give online if you don't engage them first. That's the name of the game in e-philanthropy: engagement.

Connect with FS online, go to tinyurl.com/FRSdiscussion for the LinkedIn discussion group, twitter.com/#!/FRSuccess for Twitter and 
facebook.com/fundraisingsuccess for Facebook.

By creatively utilizing outlets like Facebook and Twitter, fundraisers can expand their reach and grow their donor bases — efficiently and cost-effectively.

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.