Social Media

As Director of New Media, Bracken will work to advance informed and engaged communities through media innovation and quality journalism.

There are several different ways a crisis can be defined. In social media, a public relations crisis is particularly frightening. As best we try to avoid these types of issues, sometimes problems occur that are beyond our control. For companies and organizations that work hard to maintain a presence online, coming under attack from the opposition can start a firestorm that leaves more than your Facebook page in ruins.

The far-reaching Gulf oil spill tragedy has left many people feeling powerless to help out. But beyond the official Deep Horizon response, pockets of non-profits and people are starting to use social media tools to organize grassroots activities throughout the Gulf region. Here’s a quick look at four tools and efforts geared towards delivering aid and cleaning up crude oil in local coastal areas.

According to a survey ASI conducted around nonprofits’ IT challenges and opportunities in 2010, organizations have faith in social media. And for many, it is faith — that is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” — as opposed to experience.

The popularity of social media websites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube has given rise to promising new ways for event participants to raise money online for nonprofits. While some industry observers doubt the fundraising potential of these platforms, participants in special events continue to be an exception and have shown strong success by tapping in to the power of social networking.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - For actor Edward Norton, philanthropy and activism are practically in his genes so launching a website on Wednesday to encourage charity fundraising seemed natural to him.

Norton, 40, joined forces with a couple of Internet savvy friends to create Crowdrise (www.crowdrise.com) that gives people a free way to create their own fundraising pages to share through social networks, winning points and prizes along the way.

If you love thinking about how social media and technology can be used to raise money, increase visibility and create social change (and if there’s an app for that), then there’s no better place to be than the annual  NTEN Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC). After I got done oogling all the ipads people brought (I counted at least 5 just days after the product was released), tweeting, and searching for places to plug in my laptop, I actually had real conversations with a few breathing humans (no plugs required).

Check out any nonprofit Web site these days, and in addition to an About Us page, you're likely to see icons for Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. These social-media widgets have fast become wallpaper on almost all charitable sites. But does social media really work for fundraising?

These days, savvy fundraisers are looking for every possible opportunity to connect with donors and raise money. Web-based tools and social media offer possibilities that we’ve never had before. Blogs have been around for a while, mostly used in journalism and other fields. Now, blogs are being used for advocacy, awareness and even fundraising.

Social media, online fundraising, going to the dentist — these are all things that tend to scare traditional fundraisers regardless of age. It’s often believed that older professionals are reluctant to embrace new technology. But that shouldn’t be the case. This new medium is cost-effective and environmentally responsible. It gives nonprofits nontraditional ways to acquire, profile and cultivate donors and new constituents. When a fan/user/friend retweets you, promotes or fundraises for your cause, your organization has the access to his or her personal information, given the user's privacy settings allow for it. Social media helps you learn more than you currently know or have on your housefile from traditional direct-mail or special-event donors.