Social Media Fundraising 2012 – Part I: Mobilizing Donors

Rarely can so much information be packed into one short hour as it was during a webinar that Fundly was excited to present on Thursday, January 12, 2012. With three expert panelists discussing how to accelerate fundraising in this upcoming year, invaluable information was shared that will definitely impact the giving numbers of your non-profit. If you were unable to attend, fear not! This three part blog series will make sure that you can have the tools you need to jumpstart your 2012 fundraising efforts. You can also check out SlideShare to view our presentation slides and GoToMeeting to watch the recorded webinar.

Since we had three experts discuss their expansive knowledge on major fundraising factors in the charity world, I’m going to break down each topic for the next few days. The basic catalyst for this webinar was based on the facts that $300 billion dollars is given each year in the United States by private individuals (so this number does not include grant monies, corporate giving, etc.) Furthermore, 13% of this giving was online with a 35 – 55 % increase over the past year. If all that money is transferring bank accounts, how do you get some of these funds into your organizations!?!

With this thought Darian Rodriguez Heyman, Co-Producer of Social Media for Non-Profits and former Executive Director of Craigslist Foundation, addressed the question “What role does content play in engaging and mobilizing a supporter base?” Basically, you need to know your audience and be skilled enough in your social media skills to properly address your donors. Here are some applicable examples that Heyman gives to maximize your donor interaction: when you post your comments on a social media network, there are specific times of day that you will get the most traffic and responses.

Try from 8:30 am – 9:30 am when people check their media accounts first thing in the morning, from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm during their lunch breaks, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm when they check their accounts before they head home from the office and 9:00 pm – 11:00 pm after they’ve put the kids to bed. Another easy strategy is to post a question rather than a statement. Usually this brings in ten times more responses.

Heyman also addresses the issue that many charities have about going viral on the internet. How can I make my videos, pictures and posts spread like wildfire and cause my donors to want to share our information?

There are three factors to consider:

1) It’s not about the what but the so what – why should people care about this and what would motivate them to pass it on?

2) How do you expect me to pass the word on if it’s too complicated?

3) Be credible. Compelling + Concise + Credible = Contagious

Finally, Heyman suggests that non-profits avoid the “Empty Store Effect.” Plan before you leap to keep a consistent presence on the web. Consistency is key to grabbing donor attention. Heyman also recommends that you recognize and appreciate every $20 gift as if it were a $20,000 gift to completely nurture the donor relationship. When you know what drives your donors to give, you can establish a strong partnership.

This is only the first part of this exciting series, so please check in tomorrow to learn more about maximizing your giving for 2012. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at Fundly. We would love to partner with you to strengthen your social media presence and to develop a successful online giving program for your future non-profit fundraising campaigns.