As chairwoman of Enable-USA, I have been wondering how to use social media for our non-profit and what impact social media could have on our organization. Great info. Thanks so much.
Richard Lewis
· 8 months ago
I worked for the Youth Federation for World Peace for 12 months as the Director, New Media and Partnerships and new media marketing really helped us to gain awareness which was one of our primary goals. The Youth Federation for World Peace has 60 chapters and 15,000 Young Ambassadors for Peace around the globe.
On the funding side, we found that most traditional funders do not feel as comfortable donating online. One good tip for non-profits is to make sure that you include information about how to submit checks and a printable donation form along with your online payment system.
I currently own my own marketing company and am working on a project to develop a global new media capability for the High Cloud Foundation.
Please feel free to contact me regarding consultative work on New Media.
Best Regards,
Richard Lewis
zohaibusman
· 8 months ago
Such a great research and the results are very satisfactory and i am amazed actually to see that the young people got so much trust on social networks, above 60%. Need to build more and age 50. Well they trust less but donate more :)
Jennifer Paterson Dempsey
· 8 months ago
Two years ago The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada established a presence on Facebook and incorporated guidelines for our Chapters to establish their local groups. This integration has lead to lead to 7 Chapter groups communicating local news to their community and a national group with over 3,400 people sharing their stories and experiences.
Since then the Foundation has ventured out to many of the social sites, spreading awareness about our cause and connecting with supporters. We have experienced great success with wishes granted, funds raised and ultimately; relationships built.
Find your supporters; engage them, create trust and your organization will reap the rewards.
Myriam
· 8 months ago
Thank you for those datas, very much appreciated!
Lisa McClure
· 8 months ago
Just recently I asked for help within my social network at Twitter to spread the word about something I am very passionate about, Braille Literacy. I used a cli.gs link http://cli.gs/sccm so I could track traffic to the link.
People were really responsive and helpful to our cause to save a very special and unique school which provides blind and visually impaired children music education with a full braille curriculum (the only school of it's kind in North America).
Our requested donation of $25.00 is a small investment and we provide links to student performances which really speak for themselves.
It's offensive that we have to beg for money to save the only music school for blind kids which provides braille music and GM, AIG etc etc etc get bailouts.
Gwen Bell
· 8 months ago
Well-researched & written. Thank you, Qui, Beth & Geoff for putting this together. I'll be passing it along to non-profits & organizations that I'm sure will greatly benefit from the time/energy you put into it.
Marito
· 8 months ago
The results have been great for many non profits and I've been suggesting to my friends in many of them to settle something like this. Great article by the way!
Geoff Livingston
· 8 months ago
Glad to see everyone is finding this information useful. We found it to be tremendously compelling.
anon
· 8 months ago
you should keep your chart colors consistent. one used red for social networks and blue for the other. that's disgraceful and confusing.
Barbara Kelly
· 8 months ago
Hi Geoff, Qui and Beth: Very impressive and important study, great work. My colleague in Chicago shared it around with ammado's development team worldwide. Lots of valuable information for all of us. Hope to see you (all) soon. Barbara
This is a great study to share with those in the nonprofit space. It's so simple to see that social media can help nonprofits, but having hard data to back it up really helps to sell it to management, the board, etc...
Seeing real life examples really helps also. Here are some great examples from Twitter: http://bit.ly/8y7Y
Jonah
· 8 months ago
Thanks for this wonderful information!
Richard Lewis
· 8 months ago
I worked for the Youth Federation for World Peace for 12 months as the Director, New Media and Partnerships and new media marketing really helped us to gain awareness which was one of our primary goals. The Youth Federation for World Peace has 60 chapters and 15,000 Young Ambassadors for Peace around the globe. On the funding side, we found that most traditional funders do not feel as comfortable donating online. One good tip for non-profits is to make sure that you include information about how to submit checks and a printable donation form along with your online payment system.
Great survey and gret information, I wish that this had come out a year ago.
I currently own my own marketing company and am working on a project to develop a global new media capability for the High Cloud Foundation.
Danny
· 8 months ago
The 12for12k project - http://www.12for12k.org - has been successful at attracting all kinds of donors, with $1,000 coming from at least one corporate sponsor. We have also had great gifts donated for giveaways and that has helped us achieve fantastic support and awareness. We are also about to announce a new corporate sponsor who will be donating a percentage of every sale they make.
This project has been driven purely by the partners giving up their time for free, and the fantastic support of donors and supporters since the beginning.
As a long-tail project (12 months and ongoing awareness and support for the charities involved) it's proving to be a useful social media for good project.
Beth Kanter
· 8 months ago
Thank you everyone for sharing your experience and glad you are finding the data useful.
Ron Peck
· 8 months ago
As Co-Founder of The Blind Judo Foundation, I found this article just want I was looking for in furthering our nonprofit Foundation. We will be following and acting upon your thoughtful and timely suggestions. Today more than ever we need "Philanthropy 2.0". Being new to and optimizing social media for the benefit of blind and visually impaired children, young adults and returning blind and visually impaired military personnel Thank you Thank you!
DougJacquier
· 8 months ago
Firstly, let me congratulate the research group for bravely tackling a topic not for the faint-hearted and I will follow with interest (noting that I became aware of it via an email from a trusted source and not Facebook etc ;-) The outcomes are a great beginning but I have some reservations: 1. The sample is drawn from an already social media savvy group. The conclusions would benefit greatly from comparison with a random sample of (a) all givers to a particular charity or group of charities and (b) a random sample of social media users, irrespective of their giving habits. 2. The outcomes seem at times to blur the lines between email and social media and I note with interest the high percentage of even social media savvy types still using email/e-newsletters as their preferred form of contact. 3. Some cross-analysis of the most likely medium to generate trust in a message would also be helpful, as well as the relative ROI in various forms of fundraising as compared to level of social media savviness. 4. There also needs to be some consideration of the core elements of successful campaigns, that may have more to do with the quality and clarity of the message than the medium used e.g. see Jakob Nielsen's work in this area http://www.useit.com/alertbox/nonprofit-donatio...
The bottom line is that someone's doing the hard yards to research rather than speculate and more power to your collective arms.
Simon
· 8 months ago
Great data. How do indirect donations play into this data? I've recently viewed a presentation online from a company called onecause. Have you seen the social website onecause.com? Does this type of giving make an impact?
Mary Grace Alonzo
· 8 months ago
Its summer time here in the Philippines; last year we have our first volunteering summer class for the underprivileged children here in Zamboanga City, Philippines. We have choose three deserving students as our 3 scholars for schools year 2008-09. The other day Dina Alcazar graduated from Elementary level. We cannot continue her scholarship because she failed to meet the requirements of our scholarship criteria. This year we will award, 5 deserving student’s comes from our summer class and we will make sure they will fall under our criteria to become our chosen scholarship. We will have 2 Elementary scholarship and 3 from the High School level.
With regard to our summer class, we don’t have the typical classroom we can find in the school instead we have the open air or out door class discussions and fun games for the children. It was hard in the 1st few days, but we are enjoying the open air down the trees class groupings and we have done it, because the children for the first time they have experienced their summer time as fun filled experienced then.
Now it’s ambitious to have this 2nd time summer class, but it is our role and passion to be here for the children who brings joys to our lives. This $1000 proposes project is for the materials and activity like feeding during the break. We are a small group of volunteers who’s only wish and hope to help assist our underprivileged children in our society.
We have blogs (http://mheegay-wwwbloggercompassiontoserve.blog...) and facebook (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=21737&id=...), here you can find our other voluntary works like medicine assistant outreach and other more things we are doing just to help our society. This online fund raising will only take 25 days, if we already received pledges of contribution and it didn't reach the due date after 25 days, all the pledges will forfeit and will not reach the beneficiaries for our program. Please we are again appealing to you to help us raise this amount. I already lower the amount from $1000.
I have more than 450 friends in facebook, some who knew me personally, some my friends, and many whom I just met through this network. But, there are some who is in doubt about this fundraising even one of my friends, insulted me about this project we have. He mentioned that he needs proof and legal documents for these projects or for my past projects as well. He told that maybe I should pocket the money for this fund raise. I was hurt at first but then it’s my right to defend myself. I answered him that “IF I RUIN MY NAME JUST FOR $1000 THEN THANKS TO YOU. BUT, WE TALK ABOUT MILLINOS OF DOLLARS, THEN I MAYBE”…HEHEHE. It’s hard to please everybody, even the people you know still ignores your cause… Well, this is my volunteering life aside from struggles for funds, your services and intentions will also put to Questions??? And I am use to it. All I need is your understanding I how to run and project through volunteerism.
I also would like to thank Mohd. Shahid Akhtar, my journalist friend from India the first person who shown interest in this fundraising which he already later pledge $30, to Ms. Nina Uddin my translator friend from Finland, first donated $10 and to Angelica Sarmiento my friend through facebook from the Philippines, Thank you very much from the bottom of our hearts. May God shower you with more blessings!
This coming Monday, April 6, 2009, the summer class will start in two selected chosen communities in Zamboanga. The first class in urban community where the mirror of poverty is very obvious in their day-to-day living, our second beneficiary is a Muslim populous area, where different tribes lives in the area and majority of the children in not going to school.
I you ask why $1000? This is after our summer class; we have to pay the tuition fees and school things for our 5 chosen scholarship for this year 2009-2010. Your name and contribution will be posted in our legal local newspapers as our press release. In this regard, I am asking your little contribution to make these things impossible for the children of Zamboanga City, Philippines. You can see again all our works by browsing our blog.
We know that throughout the world, we have difficulty of money because of the financial crisis hitting us; developed countries also declared they are into recession as well. What more developing countries like Philippines? We are here asking your little blessings to share with us this coming Holy Week. We will welcome any intentions of your good deeds for this Holy Week. Our profile picture is the graduation day of our 1st summer class last year...
Please we need your help for this great cause. Also my advance apology for taking much time in logging in to PayPal? We need your understanding for your contribution in helping humanity especially the underprivileged one's as well.
This is bs-- while some stats here "may" paint a picture of some sort of benefit...social net sites and the whole phenom is simply a further demonstration of the kind of very sad actual de comunizing of a small portion of society---- there is little real personal relating in this jargon ridden cliche invested dull-normal mess--- non profit leaders like the one who directed me here from his highly weal blog no zip about relationship---- sad but true-- the emporer has no clothes--- just more tech bs...
jay
· 7 months ago
Hi Geoff et al. - this is great research! A quick question for clarification: for the preferred social media tools chart, were respondents given the option to select multiple options as their preferred option? (So that someone could have selected both social networking and email as their preferred option?) I'm noticing the numbers don't add up to 100 and want to understand why. Were there other options that respondents could select from?
This is really helpful information to have. I look forward to seeing further reports and knowledge from the group.
jennanderson
· 4 months ago
Hi Geoff: Thanks very much for an insightful summary of findings. You mention that the full report will be released this spring. Can you point me to it?
Nancy M. Brown
· 2 months ago
I appreciate your post, but am "offended" that you think it is offensive to beg for money. First, fundraising is not begging. The number one reason people give is because they are asked. You cannot expect someone who does not know or interact with a blind individual to have any interest or inclination to give money to something as specific as braille music. It is your job to educate and empassion them about your cause. Fundraising is an honorable and noble profession when you provide people with the opportunity to align their values with a cause that is meaningful to them. You sold yourself short by asking for $25.
All Comments
On the funding side, we found that most traditional funders do not feel as comfortable donating online. One good tip for non-profits is to make sure that you include information about how to submit checks and a printable donation form along with your online payment system.
I currently own my own marketing company and am working on a project to develop a global new media capability for the High Cloud Foundation.
Please feel free to contact me regarding consultative work on New Media.
Best Regards,
Richard Lewis
and i am amazed actually to see that the young people got so much trust on social networks, above 60%. Need to build more and age 50. Well they trust less but donate more :)
Since then the Foundation has ventured out to many of the social sites, spreading awareness about our cause and connecting with supporters. We have experienced great success with wishes granted, funds raised and ultimately; relationships built.
Find your supporters; engage them, create trust and your organization will reap the rewards.
People were really responsive and helpful to our cause to save a very special and unique school which provides blind and visually impaired children music education with a full braille curriculum (the only school of it's kind in North America).
Our requested donation of $25.00 is a small investment and we provide links to student performances which really speak for themselves.
It's offensive that we have to beg for money to save the only music school for blind kids which provides braille music and GM, AIG etc etc etc get bailouts.
www.klementovich.com
http://www.atstarschool.com/WP/
Seeing real life examples really helps also. Here are some great examples from Twitter: http://bit.ly/8y7Y
Great survey and gret information, I wish that this had come out a year ago.
I currently own my own marketing company and am working on a project to develop a global new media capability for the High Cloud Foundation.
This project has been driven purely by the partners giving up their time for free, and the fantastic support of donors and supporters since the beginning.
As a long-tail project (12 months and ongoing awareness and support for the charities involved) it's proving to be a useful social media for good project.
1. The sample is drawn from an already social media savvy group. The conclusions would benefit greatly from comparison with a random sample of (a) all givers to a particular charity or group of charities and (b) a random sample of social media users, irrespective of their giving habits.
2. The outcomes seem at times to blur the lines between email and social media and I note with interest the high percentage of even social media savvy types still using email/e-newsletters as their preferred form of contact.
3. Some cross-analysis of the most likely medium to generate trust in a message would also be helpful, as well as the relative ROI in various forms of fundraising as compared to level of social media savviness.
4. There also needs to be some consideration of the core elements of successful campaigns, that may have more to do with the quality and clarity of the message than the medium used e.g. see Jakob Nielsen's work in this area http://www.useit.com/alertbox/nonprofit-donatio...
The bottom line is that someone's doing the hard yards to research rather than speculate and more power to your collective arms.
With regard to our summer class, we don’t have the typical classroom we can find in the school instead we have the open air or out door class discussions and fun games for the children. It was hard in the 1st few days, but we are enjoying the open air down the trees class groupings and we have done it, because the children for the first time they have experienced their summer time as fun filled experienced then.
Now it’s ambitious to have this 2nd time summer class, but it is our role and passion to be here for the children who brings joys to our lives. This $1000 proposes project is for the materials and activity like feeding during the break. We are a small group of volunteers who’s only wish and hope to help assist our underprivileged children in our society.
We have blogs (http://mheegay-wwwbloggercompassiontoserve.blog...) and facebook (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=21737&id=...), here you can find our other voluntary works like medicine assistant outreach and other more things we are doing just to help our society. This online fund raising will only take 25 days, if we already received pledges of contribution and it didn't reach the due date after 25 days, all the pledges will forfeit and will not reach the beneficiaries for our program. Please we are again appealing to you to help us raise this amount. I already lower the amount from $1000.
I have more than 450 friends in facebook, some who knew me personally, some my friends, and many whom I just met through this network. But, there are some who is in doubt about this fundraising even one of my friends, insulted me about this project we have. He mentioned that he needs proof and legal documents for these projects or for my past projects as well. He told that maybe I should pocket the money for this fund raise. I was hurt at first but then it’s my right to defend myself. I answered him that “IF I RUIN MY NAME JUST FOR $1000 THEN THANKS TO YOU. BUT, WE TALK ABOUT MILLINOS OF DOLLARS, THEN I MAYBE”…HEHEHE. It’s hard to please everybody, even the people you know still ignores your cause… Well, this is my volunteering life aside from struggles for funds, your services and intentions will also put to Questions??? And I am use to it. All I need is your understanding I how to run and project through volunteerism.
I also would like to thank Mohd. Shahid Akhtar, my journalist friend from India the first person who shown interest in this fundraising which he already later pledge $30, to Ms. Nina Uddin my translator friend from Finland, first donated $10 and to Angelica Sarmiento my friend through facebook from the Philippines, Thank you very much from the bottom of our hearts. May God shower you with more blessings!
This coming Monday, April 6, 2009, the summer class will start in two selected chosen communities in Zamboanga. The first class in urban community where the mirror of poverty is very obvious in their day-to-day living, our second beneficiary is a Muslim populous area, where different tribes lives in the area and majority of the children in not going to school.
I you ask why $1000? This is after our summer class; we have to pay the tuition fees and school things for our 5 chosen scholarship for this year 2009-2010. Your name and contribution will be posted in our legal local newspapers as our press release.
In this regard, I am asking your little contribution to make these things impossible for the children of Zamboanga City, Philippines. You can see again all our works by browsing our blog.
We know that throughout the world, we have difficulty of money because of the financial crisis hitting us; developed countries also declared they are into recession as well. What more developing countries like Philippines? We are here asking your little blessings to share with us this coming Holy Week. We will welcome any intentions of your good deeds for this Holy Week. Our profile picture is the graduation day of our 1st summer class last year...
Please we need your help for this great cause. Also my advance apology for taking much time in logging in to PayPal? We need your understanding for your contribution in helping humanity especially the underprivileged one's as well.
You can visit this link: http://www.fundable.com/groupactions/groupactio...
Many thanks in advance. God bless you all
This is really helpful information to have. I look forward to seeing further reports and knowledge from the group.