How Social Is – and Isn’t – Working for Charities
In this month’s Lightspan Digital #MarketingHop chat, we talked about the benefits and challenges of using social media for charitable fundraising.
Storified by Mana Ionescu· Tue, Mar 26 2013 17:24:11
In 2007 I was sitting on the board of a small family services charity in Wisconsin. When I brought up the idea of a Facebook page for our organization, I might as well have been speaking Mandarin. I had to bring my computer to our next meeting to try to make sense of it for them.
(This was back when open computers weren’t a staple of meetings.)
Today charities are investing tremendous resources and money in social media. They’re growing a presence, but at
Lightspan Digital, we wanted to know if it was working, and if it is, then how.
We gathered together some great minds for a
blog hop on Social Media for Social Good, then hosted a
#MarketingHop Twitter Chat on the topic March 19. We began with the question everyone’s board of directors will ask eventually: Is social media helping us raise money?
@MylesPulse A1# when social media is integrated into a larger fundraising strategy, it can help. it’s no "magic bullet". #MarketingHopKeidra
That’s Keidra Chaney (
@kdc), a Google Analytics expert and social media manager who has worked with all types of businesses and organizations. Throughout the conversation she voiced the frustration all social media managers experience: the idea that social will do everything that other channels can’t. The consensus was that social media is a base-building tool, a crucial ice-breaker that becomes a donation weeks, months or years down the road.
RT @kmrivard: Q1 social media is a means or tool, not necessarily an end-all-be-all strategy. It’s useful, when used right. #MarketingHopGoBrangus
But the board room wants results, and they want them today.
@MylesPulse A1: I see orgs want the presence right away, as soon as FR campaign launches. takes much longer to build support #MarketingHopSophia Madana
In traditional fundraising, saying "hey, write me a check" 5 minutes in to a convo doesn’t work. Same with social. #marketinghopKeidra
Ahh yes, the cold call technique. This got a unanimous thumbs down from the Twitter audience. The consenus: use social media to connect, make it about your audience and their desires, not your organization and your needs.
@mylespulse Social media that ONLY asks for money doesn’t work..simply blasting out tweets/posts without engaging is futile #MarketingHopMS Run the US
A2: Remember, people out there love your cause as much as you do. Get them to do a "why I donate" type post. #MarketingHopSophia Madana
@mylespulse We’ve seen tremendous growth on Facebook. One post alone received 55 shares! That’s not $$ but it’s def awareness #MarketingHopMS Run the US
There are great ways to connect your community to donations, however. Lightspan Digital founder Mana Ionescu is looking at new
Facebook fundraising features, and Ashley Kumlien (
@MSRuntheUS) is exploring ideas with Pinterest.
A2: Facebook is testing donation and event rsvp features. It may become a renewed channel for fundraising #marketinghopMana Ionescu
A2: I’m a huge fan of Twitter for recruiting fundraisers. As @manamica calls it, it’s a great "people search engine". #marketinghopMichelle Laing
Richard Freedlund (@ggfundraise) points out that channels are best when used in collaboration, one tool leading to another. Twitter, he says, is great for opening the door, “Facebook is better for engaging once the door is opened.” Chaney points to Twitter’s strengths in rallying around or diffusing a crisis.
In the digital media community, we’re biased toward wanting social media to work, but to produce results you must also identify what doesn’t work. We asked our audience for their “don’ts,” and as one might expect from a social media crowd, we got a little snarky.
@MylesPulse Once saw folks try to use Quora….yeah. It…yeah. #MarketingHopKelly Rivard
Q3: Also, the usual "pictures of people eating" is done a lot for NPO fundraising events, and that never does a thing. #marketinghopKeidra
@kdc @MylesPulse I’ve got one: linking from FB to your online giving page daily w/o ANY focus on WHY people should give. #MarketingHopMelissa Ripp
A3. The assumption that all channels are built for your campaign/org is one of the biggest misunderstandings re: social media. #MarketingHopAndrew Kirschner
@ANKirschner So true. It’s not about your org. It’s about everyone else you’re trying to get to donate. #MarketingHopSophia Madana
@MylesPulse – charities and causes need to empower their staffers to capture and create stories on their behalf. Make space! #MarketingHopalexandra bezdikian
@smadana @MSRuntheUS It can’t be about guilting people to get involved. It has to be about proving the need and value. #MarketingHopMyles Dannhausen
Before we signed off, I wanted to hear from our audience what they thought a nonprofit should ask themselves before investing in social media. Not surprisingly, their suggestions mirrored the types of questions a leader should ask before any major project.
This chat confirmed once again that there’s no secret sauce to social media success for nonprofits: it takes great storytelling, nimble feet and persistence. Sounds familiar doesn’t it?
A5: Do our supporters/donors want to hear from us on social media and what kind of information are they hungry for? #marketinghopKeidra
@MylesPulse A5: Do we have the time to commit to it? Seen way too many orgs fail with SM because there’s no time invested. #MarketingHopMelissa Ripp
A5) why are we doing this? what are our goals? what is our story? #MarketingHopalexandra bezdikian
How can we use these tools to share our stories, our passions, our successes to build supportive relationships? #marketinghopRichard Freedlund
@mylespulse Before you jump, ask what’s the overall goal and what specific void can social fill in your strategy! #MarketingHopMS Run the US
If you have thoughts to add, please add them in the comments or tweet at us @LightspanD with the hashtag #MarketingHop. We’d love to hear from you!