by mysza831
How non-profits are using social networking to raise money and awareness — chicagotribune.com:
[Via Chicago Tribune]
This has some very nice insights. For example:
For non-profits, the power of social networks is engagement, not necessarily sheer dollar numbers.
“If you send out a direct-mail piece, you never know if people open it up or not, unless they mail a check back to you,” said Steve Byers, director of development and communications at Kansas-City based WaterPartners International, which promotes safe drinking water. “With the online community, we know which pages they’re clicking on. … They want to provide feedback and interact with the organization in ways that are very exciting and challenging.”
An online community is a conversation with a friend, not an ask by a charity. It fosters relationships that are both weaker and stronger than many normal connections with the community.
Some non-profits that have a presence on social networking sites have discovered a new relationship with users.
Carie Lewis, the Humane Society’s Internet marketing manager, said she finds herself responding to lots of mundane questions on pet care as a result of maintaining a presence on Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Flickr. More important, Lewis said she’s discovered supporters outside the organization’s traditional demographic of women in their 50s.
These tools permit people to connect with a charity or foundation in new ways, permitting them a range of interactions that are often difficult in a purely analog world.
“Traditionally, I think non-profits focus on high-value donors, and what MySpace provides is an enormous network of people who are able to get involved through volunteering, offline events and donating in smaller amounts,” said Lee Brenner, who oversees activism-related content on MySpace.
The money raised at the moment is small but the overall effect is fairly potent and will only become more enhanced as time goes on.
Technorati Tags: Social media, Web 2.0
