Social Media

A new platform that allows users to donate to charity via SMS and Twitter is launching in the U.K. 

The platform, called Givey, allows users to sign up for an account which then allows them to make donations to charity via a simply coded SMS or tweet. Facebook integration will follow soon. Each donation is tax efficient, as it allows charities to reclaim the tax on donations from U.K. taxpayers. 

Women are more passionate than men about getting involved in nonprofit causes and paying attention to them through social-media sites, while men tend to view supporting causes through social media as a fad, according to a study released last week.

The study, which analyzed responses to an online survey completed by 2,000 Americans, was prepared by Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication and paid for by Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide.

While both men and women put “feeding the hungry” and “supporting our  troops” as top causes, they differ on what else they consider important.

Here are 12 tips that will help you succeed with social media no matter what social-networking site you apply them to.

Not many charities are raising significant amounts of money through social networks, but the ones that are come in a variety of sizes, according to a new study.

Fewer than 3 percent of the 11,196 nonprofit groups that responded to the Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark survey said that they raised more than $10,000 on Facebook in 2010.

But of the 27 charities that reported raising more than $100,000 on Facebook, 30 percent had annual budgets of $1-million to $5-million.

Despite those who may write off social media as a fad, the numbers don't lie: Currently there are 100 million members on LinkedIn, 200 million members on Twitter and 600 million members on Facebook. And more importantly, the people engaging on social media networks are the same people that make up fundraisers' donor bases.

The Alabama Association of Nonprofits has launched AANsocial.com. AANsocial.com is a social network designed specifically for Alabama's nonprofits and nonprofit professionals. Through AANsocial.com, more than 227,000 nonprofit professionals working in Alabama have a platform to connect, network, share and learn.

AANsocial.com provides Nonprofits and Nonprofit Professionals the capability to network, share and learn from each other through social networking. The site also offers experienced and qualified companies, which provide products and services to nonprofits, the ability to use social networking as a way to connect and network with nonprofit customers.

Based on more than 15 years of experience in nonprofit communications and 15,000+ hours spent utilizing social and mobile media, "Social Media for Social Good: A How-To Guide for Nonprofits," by Heather Mansfield, is packed with more than 100 best practices covering Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0 nonprofit communications and fundraising. From building your e-newsletter list to finding your “Twitter voice” to launching a mobile website and texting campaign on a small budget, this guide presents a step-by-step strategic plan for launching and maintaining successful social-media and mobile-marketing campaigns.

Causes, Facebook’s social-media fundraising site, recently added three updates to help nonprofits raise money on Facebook, participate in marketing deals with companies and ask questions: Facebook Fan Page Integration, Give a Minute and user support forums.

The Fan Page Integration application can be set up to show your cause or a specific project. Give a Minute asks people viewing the Causes site to do something like take a quiz or watch a video in an interactive advertisement for the corporate sponsor. Forums allow nonprofits and donors to get help using the site from each another.

NFi Studios' James Ward shared five key strategies for social-media success during a FundRaising Success webinar held last month.

An innovative new social-media engagement platform launched by the United Nations World Food Programme is using the power of social media to raise the funds needed to feed tens of thousands of hungry children around the world.

WeFeedback engages supporters through an online “Feedback Calculator” that helps them work out how many children they could feed if they donated the cost of a favorite food item. Through social networks, followers of WeFeedback can track how many children their communities feed and what popular food items are being donated throughout the world.