Online Fundraising & Social Media Terms for Beginners

Over the weekend I attended an event and met a nice older gentleman who worked at a nonprofit organization. While I was discussing some of what we do here at Fundly, a glazed look came over his eyes and he just stood there smiling. I realized that so many times we take for granted that people naturally understand, and are involved in, the world of technology these days. Since you may be new to the nonprofit world, social media, or online fundraising, I thought it would be nice to take a moment to briefly explain some commonly used terms.

Blog – an informational website that has a particular theme and consistent updates. It is an ongoing commentary on topics of interest that allows readers to interact via comments, likes, and shares.

Crowdfunding – enlisting individuals to network and pool resources via the internet to support a cause or organization. For example, in the fallout of a natural disaster, many people log on to a popular website and donate to an organization aiding those affected by the destruction, sharing with and encouraging their social networks to do the same.

Like – supporting or showing approval to a comment made on Facebook. A virtual thumbs up!

Microblogging – mini updates of what you are working on, sharing articles that you like, or attaching pictures that you would like others to see. What people “post” on Facebook or “Tweet” on Twitter.

Online Fundraising – raising money for a cause or organization using internet resources, such as social networking sites and e-mail.

Post  - status updates, comments, pictures, and shared content on Facebook.

Retweet – reposting what someone has already Tweeted for your followers to read.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – the process of improving the visibility of a website in a search engine’s organic search results, such as Google or Bing. SEO incorporates keywords into a website that will result in a higher ranking in search results and, ultimately, more traffic to the website. Think about what words people will type into the search engine to find out more information about your organization or topic and highlight those terms on your site.

Share – reposting others’ content onto your own Facebook Page to share with your friends or followers.

Social Media Fundraising – using social media networks (such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+) to raise money by sharing donors, updates, thank you’s, and supporters. This also entails encouraging donors and supporters to promote and share your cause.

Social Media Network – Facebook and Twitter are the two most popular social media networks. They allow people, businesses, and organizations to create a profile/account to connect with other people or organizations they know that are registered there. Once you approve of someone connecting to you on that site, you can read what they write and they can see what you write (also called a “post” on Facebook or “Tweet” on Twitter). Other popular Social Media Networks include: LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Tweet – comments that are made on Twitter.

Webpage – most websites have various links that are connected to the website. Picture the website as a book and each tab a separate chapter.

Website – the compilation of webpages that makes up a specific website.

Widget – “Widgets allow users to turn personal content into dynamic web apps that can be shared on websites where the code can be installed. For example, a “Weather Report Widget” could report today’s weather by accessing data from the Weather Channel, it could even be sponsored by the Weather Channel. Should you want to put that widget on your own Facebook profile, you could do this by copying and pasting the embed code into your profile on Facebook.” Wikipedia can say it better than I can!
If I’ve left any terms out that you would like to know more about, please leave a comment below. Also, if there is a relevant term that you would like to add, please post your idea in the comment section also.