Fundly Social Fundraising Essentials – Webinar Series

Social media and networking sites are rapidly becoming the default channel for peer-to-peer communication across all demographics and as a result, fully leveraging these resources for donations and ongoing donor engagement is critical to any successful fundraising     campaign.

Fundly’s Social Fundraising Essentials Webinar series will introduce several key social fundraising tools and strategies. Moderated by non-profit social media maven Janet Fouts, the Social Fundraising Essentials series provides a terrific opportunity to learn from some of the most respected experts in social media and networking:

June 21 – 1 pm PT

Managing online communities – Rik Panganiban

June 28 – 1 pm PT

Video for Nonprofits – Evonne Heyning

July 5 – 1 pm PT

Digital Soapbox: Grassroots Advocacy on the Social Web – Lisa Truong

July 12 – 1 pm PT


Twitter Efficiency – Janet Fouts

To Register Click Here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/730428078  

Managing Online Communities – Tuesday, June 21, 2011 @ 1pm PST

Keeping an online community lively and exciting is a combination of psychology, sociology, social engineering, user interface design, and black magic. Here to share his knowledge about community management and working with volunteers to keep your community active is Rik Panganiban. He’ll show us how to get that engagement so the community flourishes and how to work with convert your online visitors and members into active volunteers that contribute to the community.

Rik Panganiban

 

   Rik Panganiban has over 15 years of experience as a nonprofit organizer and educator using digital media to engae the public on important global issues, from the International Criminal Court to Internet Governance to the UN Millenium Development Goals. He currently manages the online community of the Nonprofit Commons in the virtual world Second Life, which hosts 120 tenant organizations and an active volunteer base. Prior to that, he was the assistant director of the Online Leadership Program at Global Kids, where he created online communities of practice for teachers, librarians, museum curators and youth.
In 2007, Rik authored a report on “Best Practices for Nonprofits in Second Life,” still one of the definitive resources for public sector organizations working in virtual worlds. He also runs the website http://www.betterverse.org   a chronicle of the public good applications of virtual worlds for nonprofits, education and government.
To Register Click Here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/730428078  

Video for Nonprofits – Tuesday, June 28, 2011 @ 1pm PST
Do you use video as part of the social media outreach for your nonprofit? Evonne Heyning, interactive producer for Tech Soup will share her insights for using video to communicate your message and engage users.

Evonne Heyning

 


   Evonne Heyning     shares her gifts as a transmedia producer, educator and connector for causes and social enterprises. As a live interactive producer and consultant for global collaboration efforts from the US State Department’s Office of Innovative Engagement to Tech Soup Global, she creatively taps into today’s most powerful digital tools to bring people together. As an educator and creative visionary she has crafted movies, television, games, books, comics and booklets, public challenges, virtual environments, websites and live experiences that bridge the gulf between local insight and global participation.

As a lifelong social artist Evonne enjoys bringing people together to create, collaborate and grow new endeavors. Her work curates a common sense of thrivable community design, weaving a network of intentional mastery spaces designed for efficient global collaboration. At home she enjoys dancing and meditating in the garden where she’s been designing #seedsgame and writing a love strategy guide. Her favorite tools: iPad, paintbrush, smartphone, whiteboard markers, human touch.

To Register Click Here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/730428078  

Digital Soapbox: Grassroots Advocacy on the Social Web – Tuesday July 5, 2011 @ 1 pm PST
If your non- profit is not actively advocating your cause on the social web, you may be missing out on amazing opportunities to connect with potential advocates and supporters. Learn how one effort, Help A Mother Out, with a start up investment of $100 and in the span of two years, developed into a national-recognized grassroots non profit, primarily utilizing free and low cost social media platforms. Join HAMO co-founder and executive director, Lisa Truong, as she shares key learnings on how to engage the digital passersby through social media and grow your organization’s network of grassroots advocates and supporters.

Lisa Truong

 


   Lisa Truong is a social entrepreneur and grassroots advocate for women and children. She is the co-founder and executive director of Help a Mother Out, a nationally recognized grassroots non profit dedicated to increasing access to diapers for families in need, and advocating for long term change in the social safety net. Lisa has contributed writing in blogs including California NOW and Change.org, as well as books including #SOCIALMEDIA Nonprofit: 140 Bite-Sized Ideas for Nonprofit Social Media Engagement, and Open Our Eyes: Seeing the Invisible People of Homelessness. She has extensive experience leading diverse teams in non profit services and digital environments, including previous roles at Tides and Organic, Inc. She is a graduate of the University of California, at Berkeley.
http://www.helpamotherout.org    

To Register Click Here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/730428078  

Twitter Efficiency – Tuesday July 12, 2011 @ 1pm PST

Nonprofits tell us they barely have time to tweet much less engage on a regular basis on Twitter. Janet will talk about how to use Twitter efficiently to drive traffic to your website, promote specific initiatives and create a network of friends who can evangelize for you. She’ll also talk about using volunteers, virtual admins and tools and techniques to keep your Twitter stream flowing while maintaining the quality of the conversation.

Janet Fouts

 

   Janet Fouts is a social media coach, author, speaker and entrepreneur. Her books “Social Media Success!” #SOCIALMEDIA PR tweet and “#SOCIALMEDIA NONPROFIT tweet” draw on over 15 years of experience in online marketing and social media, working in the trenches with businesses of all sizes. In addition to her social media coaching practice Janet is founder of the Social Media Coaching Center and Sr. Partner at Tatu Digital Media, a San Jose Web design and development firm.

http://www.janetfouts.com    

To Register Click Here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/730428078  

Social Fundraising Video Contest

To celebrate the launch of our new product and website redesign, we’re having a Social Fundraising Video Contest      ! The purpose is to raise awareness about social fundraising in the nonprofit community. The Grand Prize is a $1000 to the nonprofit. Don’t think you have a shot at winning? That’s alright, everyone who submits an entry gets 60 days of free Fundly.

Entering is simple.

1) Shoot a simple video (up to 90 seconds) telling the world about your favorite non-profit and how social media tools can help boost fundraising       for your cause.

2) Upload your video to YouTube and tag it with “fundlysocial”.

3) Let us know by filling out the form on the contest page      .
We’ve already received some great entries, and we’ll continue to post them here on our blog as they come in.

Social Fundraising 101 – Part 1: If Not Now, Then When?

This is the first in a four-part blog series.

Fundly enables non-profit causes to harness the collective energy of their supporters and volunteers and direct that energy toward specific and measurable goals, particularly fundraising goals.

Traditional CRM and donor management systems support a flat, one-to-many messaging structure.  In contrast, Fundly allows causes to rally supporters and volunteers in structures that match the cause’s organizational setup and maximize the likelihood of achieving desired goals.

Social platforms, such as Facebook, are great for generating awareness and initial engagement and, combined with an organizing structure and tools to hold supporters and volunteers accountable to their commitments, allow causes and their supporters to leverage their existing “social graphs” to achieve specific goals for the cause.

Fundly provides a platform that engenders a sense of community, gives supporters and volunteers the opportunity to personalize their message and communicate with each other, and enables them to use the communication channels they want to use, including social networks.  It allows this energy to be harnessed towards a common goal and allows the cause to measure the effectiveness of the effort at every level and across every channel.

Why social?

 

Fundraising is, and has always been, inherently social – people asking people for money.

A personal message from someone you know is more effective than an impersonal message from a faceless cause.  For example, a person is more likely to donate to help a friend meet his or her personal fundraising goal for completing a marathon than to meet the cause’s overall fundraising goal, even though the money ends up in the same place.  Human beings have trouble connecting with large problems or large fundraising goals in the abstract.

Furthermore, from a practical standpoint, de-centralizing fundraising and taking a social approach enables a cause to massively multiple the amount of fundraising activity.  The key to effectiveness is to have an effective organizing structure, to provide tools that help people reach their goals and to monitor and guide the effort.

Why now?

 

Most causes have only dipped their toes into the social networking waters.  Recent surveys show that most causes’ use of social networks is limited to awareness building.  However, as many causes have discovered, the number of fans on Facebook or followers on Twitter does not translate to real engagement and activation of supporters.

However, the raw statistics of social networks are impossible to ignore.  Facebook has over 500 million users.  The average Facebook user has 130 friends.  1 out of 5 Americans plays games such as Farmville on social networking sites.  Zynga, the largest provider of these social games, has 47 million users daily.

So, it is no longer a question of whether you have to engage via social networks, but a question of how.
Fundly allows causes to engage with their supporters and volunteers through social networks but to an end – driving specific actions, rather than merely increasing awareness.

Tomorrow we will look at: The Social Fundraising Maturity Model.

Making some tough digital decisions? Remember: sharing prompts caring

Mark Zuckerberg’s “law of sharing” states that the amount of information shared digitally will double every year.

One of social media’s most powerful and influential women, Sheryl Sandberg (chief operating officer of Facebook) shared with The Economist exactly what she thinks this means.

The internet has evolved from a place where people search for info to a place that powers – and empowers – the individual. In recent years, the individual has engaged in a new sharing experience online.

Increasingly, there is a convergence between the virtual self and the actual self. As Sandberg explains it, technology enables the individual to share themselves. The individuals shares information because they care – about what they are sharing or about who they are sharing with. A single act of sharing, in turn, can cause others to care. It’s this positive dynamic between sharing and caring that has ultimately created a culture that encourages sharing online.

Fundly embraces this sharing-caring relationship. We’ve created a social fundraising platform that allows donors to share their support for a cause with their friends.  When these donations are shared digitally, donations grow. The world thrives.

Sandberg says that launching of the Facebook timeline in 2012 will further enable and encourage individuals to share a 3-dimensional version of themselves online.  Only time will tell the full impact of this timeline, but it’s safe to say that it will be profound. With more than 800 million users worldwide, Facebook’s timeline will directly shape the virtual identities and lives of more than 800 million individuals.

Choosing to share your support for a cause online might be one of the most influential decisions you make.

Online Fundraising is the Future of Fundraising for Causes

In the modern times, many things can be done via the internet. Doing things online is fast, easy and convenient. Online fundraising is something that is growing in popularity. Yes, it is very possible to raise money online.

After filing with the proper organizations, anyone can set up a website to solicit donations for whatever cause it may be for. Online fundraising provides a much broader demographic for promotions, and increases the likelihood of donations. In addition, there is no need to spend money to set up events for the purpose of fundraising, nor will there be a need for seeking donations on foot.

Before starting the actual fundraising, several preparations must be done. First off, the means of fundraising must be legalized. This can be done by contacting the state of the location of the fundraising organization to find about any requirements for fundraising. After legalizing everything, it is time to promote your cause. Since the fundraising will be done on the Internet, using the Internet to promote is the best idea. You can utilize social networking sites to get out the word for your organization.

Since social networking sites are so widespread, generating interest in your cause can be as simple as setting up a Facebook page. Creating a website is also a good idea. The website should have an attractive design, but also be easy to read and navigate. In addition, there should be a “donate now” button on the website. It need not be large and distracting, but it should be conspicuous to the visitor of the website.

While promoting for online fundraising, it is important to not be too rigorous. You do not want to become a spammer and send unsolicited emails. In order to raise money online, it is also a good idea to do promotions elsewhere as well. Handing out business cards and flyers, or even placing an ad in a publication are great additions. Also, you should decide how you will receive donations on your website. There are several options. You can use another company to collect the donations, or you can set up your website to be able to do credit card transactions. Another website can do this for you as well.

In addition to taking donations online, you can use your website to get donations in other forms. Supporters should have the option to donate online or through other means, such as by mail. The website should also promote the cause for the fundraising. Visitors should know exactly why they are donating. However, it is not always necessary to do everything independently. Several websites allow users to set up accounts solely for fundraising. People seeking to donate, as well as people seeking donations themselves visit such websites. This is a great method for those who have a small project to raise money for.

By using a third party fundraising websites, you will not be responsible for collecting donations or creating an entire fundraising campaign. Using the internet for online fundraising is much more convenient than traditional fundraisers in that it greatly simplifies the act of getting donations. Soon, it may even replace traditional fundraisers altogether.

Online Fundraising is the Future of Fundraising for Causes

In the modern times, many things can be done via the internet. Doing things online is fast, easy and convenient. Online fundraising is something that is growing in popularity. Yes, it is very possible to raise money online.

After filing with the proper organizations, anyone can set up a website to solicit donations for whatever cause it may be for. Online fundraising provides a much broader demographic for promotions, and increases the likelihood of donations. In addition, there is no need to spend money to set up events for the purpose of fundraising, nor will there be a need for seeking donations on foot.

Before starting the actual fundraising, several preparations must be done. First off, the means of fundraising must be legalized. This can be done by contacting the state of the location of the fundraising organization to find about any requirements for fundraising. After legalizing everything, it is time to promote your cause.

Since the fundraising will be done on the Internet, using the Internet to promote is the best idea. You can utilize social networking sites to get out the word for your organization.

Since social networking sites are so widespread, generating interest in your cause can be as simple as setting up a Facebook page. Creating a website is also a good idea. The website should have an attractive design, but also be easy to read and navigate. In addition, there should be a “donate now” button on the website. It need not be large and distracting, but it should be conspicuous to the visitor of the website.

While promoting for online fundraising, it is important to not be too rigorous. You do not want to become a spammer and send unsolicited emails. In order to raise money online, it is also a good idea to do promotions elsewhere as well. Handing out business cards and flyers, or even placing an ad in a publication are great additions. Also, you should decide how you will receive donations on your website. There are several options. You can use another company to collect the donations, or you can set up your website to be able to do credit card transactions. Another website can do this for you as well.

In addition to taking donations online, you can use your website to get donations in other forms. Supporters should have the option to donate online or through other means, such as by mail. The website should also promote the cause for the fundraising. Visitors should know exactly why they are donating. However, it is not always necessary to do everything independently. Several websites allow users to set up accounts solely for fundraising. People seeking to donate, as well as people seeking donations themselves visit such websites. This is a great method for those who have a small project to raise money for.

By using a third party fundraising websites, you will not be responsible for collecting donations or creating an entire fundraising campaign. Using the internet for online fundraising is much more convenient than traditional fundraisers in that it greatly simplifies the act of getting donations. Soon, it may even replace traditional fundraisers altogether.

Easy Fundraising Online Starts With Social Media

We were sitting around discussing online fundraising and social media fundraising strategies when I thought back to when I was drawing a picture of a dollar sign on my notepad when I was in the 6th grade, my dad made a point that relates to social media fundraising.

”Making money is not as much about what you know as it is who you know.” It didn’t make as much sense that day as it did when I was in high school, and it definitely makes lots of sense these days. Online fundraising as well as social media fundraising are vital tools for the “who you know” approach to fundraising. Social media plays a very important role in the strategy.

Most often human beings are a gregarious bunch and social media fundraising can grow its success once you know how to expand your successful use of appropriate strategies.

In many cases a nonprofit organization will close its doors, even when its mission is vitally important to millions of people. Some, in fact many will thrive, however, many more will hit the wall and die. And many times it is the most vital service delivery focused organization that folds first. And the reason is not because their keystone celebrity has abandoned them. It is also not because of a lack of trust. The guilty party to the demise of a charity is often an unknown character, at least in today’s economic climate, the guilty party is commonly known.

We’ll call the perpetrator, the unengaged party of the first part. What this means is the nonprofit’s fundraisers and volunteers and all of their supporting staff, have failed to engage themselves with the public in a way that meaningfully engages the nonprofit with its audience of supporters. And that’s were the role of social media can make the biggest bang.

When we talk about social media fundraising, the name Facebook comes to mind in a big way. After all, when it comes to major players in the social media game, there are no champions that are more likely riding the top of the wave as well as Facebook. However, it is important to know that social media has lots more reach than FB could accomplish on its own. Technology, like blogging and micro blogging and tweeting, also play a vital role in the world of engagement of people and good causes.

Let’s expand this idea with a few tips about how to use social media as a robust fundraising tool:

1.  For your online fundraising fans and friends to help support your cause, you’ll want to lead with your message by sharing it with your social media fans and friends. Your targeted market must understand what you will deliver better with their support.

2.  Fundraising is an ongoing pursuit and you’ll want to use your best efforts, and testimonials from your most senior or high profile supporters to help you build trust.

3.  When establishing a base using social media fundraising, unless your message touches the emotions of your audience, your cause is lost. Even if your pet project is raising money for a pet sanctuary that uses a freeze drying process to preserve departed pets, you must find a way to make you message both sincere and sensitive to your potential donors.

4.  Keep your party hat on standby. It is important to understand that people are gregarious by nature and like to mingle in a fun atmosphere. Find or create a team of pros at presenting parties with a purpose. Your fan base will explode and your nonprofit will be well on its way to a remarkable growth spurt.

5.  Understand the high impact of a emotion charged, hard hitting story. If you think about the Komen group or Pink Is Powerful or any successful and growing nonprofit organization, you’ll find that they have a compelling story that fuels their mission through the use of social media fundraising.

Establish your own online fundraising success, hand in hand through the use of effective social media fundraising practices. And let your story and weld it

Fundraising Online Increases Revenue more Successfully for Causes

Charities and organizations are beginning to catch on to the fact that raising donations online is quick, easy, and very profitable. Charities have discovered that it is very easy to raise money online using websites, social media, and ad campaigns. Donations are rolling in at rates they could never have imagined.

Ever since the recent economic downturn many charities have struggled with getting enough donations just to keep their doors open. Donors have become hard pressed for extra funds and in turn can’t pass on quite as much to the charities they have faithfully supported.

Fundraising online maximizes earning potential because you can reach more people. When people can’t donate as much at once you can still get more funds by getting smaller amounts from multiple donors. Many charities who’ve chosen to raise funds online have noticed massive increases in the amounts they receive even if the individual donation amounts have decreased. It truly is a win-win situation.

There are so many sites that offer valuable options for fundraising for charities. Facebook offers charities their cause pages a nifty way to reach potential donors by word of mouth or rather word of post advertising. Charities can track their donors; run advertising campaigns and more at very low rates. Fundraising options that used to only be available to larger organizations can now be used by smaller organizations with fewer resources.

Online fundraisers are becoming more and more popular as charities see the success stories other charities have shared. You can’t ignore many of the stories that are circulating as charities are even using YouTube videos and other similar media to spread the word. Videos are going viral and generating income from sources that they would have never dreamed were possible.

No charitable organization can afford not to maintain an online presence to generate funding. Without these resources now charities would lose a huge chunk of financing and those who have yet to avail themselves of these methods are missing out on so much. Ignoring this opportunity is extremely detrimental.

Churches and other entities are jumping on the bandwagon of online fundraising.  Nonprofit organizations are quickly learning that this is the next big thing in reaching potential donors. Businesses focused on assisting charities in maximization their online fundraising campaign efforts are popping up everywhere in response to the great need for this service.
Online fundraising is a veritable cornucopia of opportunities for charitable organizations, individuals and schools. Raising funds online has never been easier. You don’t even need a merchant account t anymore to accept donations. You can use services such as Fundly to collect donations for a fee.

It’s amazing how many look to raise money online and how it has evolved as the internet grows. Social media is having a huge impact on fundraising efforts and I foresee that many more interesting developments for online fundraising are on the horizon. People are innovative in getting much needed funds for organizations and causes they care about. You see interesting new methods in the news and online almost every day.

Sоmе Things tо Learn Аbout Non-profit Fundraising Tools

Fundraising events аre аmong tһe main approaches nonprofit organizations raise funds. Веcause fundraiser requires еnоugh preparing аnd involves generating money, іt’s very imроrtant that the coordinators obtaіn solutions tо secure tһe event. Тһаt іs wһу good non-profit fundraising software сan bе great fоr non-profit establishments.

Fundraising software programs are avaіlаblе іn dіffеrent types

You’ll find several fundraising platforms avaіlablе fоr several computer operating systems. In addition, thеrе іs an online charity auction software thаt operates оn Internet servers, tһаt іs great fоr individuals wһo want to һave easy access to thе dіffеrеnt software applications wһerеver thеy maу bе. In case уоu arе thinking оf investing іn fundraiser software, bе surе yоu check thаt requirements are compatible with уоur computer.
Their price аnd аlsо payment schemes mаy vary

The fee for non-profit fundraising tools will vary depending оn thе characteristics іt prоvіdes аnd also the number оf user permit аvаilаblе. Numerous fundraiser software program sellers give prospective clients а free trial period so theу саn decide if the software meets tһe organization’s requirements. Тһеre arе also severаl payment schemes. Ѕеvеrаl vendors apply a subscription-based payment аnd others charge а portion of thе income.

They improve fundraisers for non-profit organizations

Fundraising applications mаy function а variety оf functions depending оn tһe kind and how management applies іt. Tһеу also provide functions tһаt arе ideal fоr organizing and doing fundraiser activities. Ѕome software applications аre mаde tо be a safe channel for cash transfers. Тһіs is а valuable tool fоr non-profit organizations who wіsһ tо accept contributions on tһеir site or over thе phone. It may hаve аn accounting suite which helps monitor revenue and charges. Тhe software program could hаve a contact characteristic that enables interested individuals and contributors tо contact management with questions аbout the affair or сause. Тhey сan аlso bе set tо immediatеly mail thank-you emails and reminders to donors.

They сan be integrated with Web technology

You will find businesses tһat provide Internet-based online fundraising tools. Tһis allows members оf tһe agency access to tһe software. It alsо makеs a lot of іmрortаnt processes оf the institution mоre effective. For instance, management can usе the software program on tһе organization web site for gеttіng new associates. Interested folks nо longer nееd tо file documents or wait іn line аt the organization’s office, all they neеd іs аn Internet connection to subscribe. Contributions аs well аs оther monetary transactions maу аlsо bе made tһrougһthe Internet eradicating the nееd tо set up third-party accounts fоr processing credit card transactions.

They gіve rеlated іnformatіon and suggestions

A number оf different fundraising tools provide details and аlsо suggestions wһісh arе helpful for fundraising. Тhese details mау include trends and аlso tips on whicһdevices management саn purchase to mаke the fundraising event morе efficient аnd relevant.

There arе many packages availаblе for fundraising online, be sure tо researcһabоut tһem аnd compare tһеir differences bеfore уou mаke аn investment.

Need To Raise Money? Why You Might Consider The Ease And Efficiency Of Fundraising Online

Fundraising online is a very easy and effective process especially when compared to the traditional forms of fundraising.  This is actually a new trend that has actually grown by more than 30% each year.  Many people enjoy fundraising online since it is very easy and simple compared to other methods.  Find out a few reasons why.

First of all, with something that is online, it’s much easier to go to friends and family who are not part of your local area to raise funds.  While traditional fundraising tends to do well locally, it’s not good whenever you want to simply allow someone you might know who lives outside of town to easily donate to the task or project.  With online tools for fundraising this is no longer an issue.

Many people find websites easier to interact with.  Whenever they can read about the project and press a button to start giving funds, it’s simpler than filling out the paperwork that is associated with normal fundraising techniques.  There are also those who may be more prone to give funds whenever they fully understand more information about the project.

The data is saved more efficiently with online fundraisers.  You can have multiple individuals collecting funds from others and keep all the information of who gave and what amount in one area without having to type it into a computer or compile lists of data.

Online fundraising also has the huge advantage of being able to tap into social networking accounts like Facebook and Twitter.  This alone is a huge advantage since many people as well as their friends will see the fundraising project and have a chance to give more money to it.  Traditional fundraising does not have this advantage and won’t be as effective.

If you aren’t sure where to go for online fundrasing, you could try fundraising online at Fundly.com.  It offers a good system to help with online fundraising projects so that you can get started with the many advantages that have just been discussed.

Fundraising online is tried and true and you will effectively raise money online for your cause whether big or small. You do not need massive marketing budgets and millions of fans or followers to reach your fundraising goals. You just need the right tools that enable social fundraising online to accept donations via multiple social networks, websites, blogs, and allow organizations to engage, retain, and grow their donor base, while motivating and empowering each one of their donors to become active fundraisers on behalf of the organization.

So, when you need to start a successful fundraising campaign, you should think about using Fundly – the leader in online social fundraising for causes.

For organizations that need to raise money, fundraising online is the way to go. Using the right social fundraising tools is essential to your growth in donations and donors. That is why Fundly, is the go-to leader in online fundraising, because they make it easy and fun to raise money online for all causes big and small.

Fundraising Tips: Reaching Out to Younger Donors

It is vital to any charity to have a broad donor base. The more diverse your support base is, the more people you will be able to reach.

On Linkedin.com, Holly Hall explores this issue and gives examples of how two charities are reaching out to donors in their 20’s to 40’s. The Salvation Army and the New World Symphony have created strategies to incorporate programs to tie in younger donors.

Halls explains that, “In December the Salvation Army, with support from Universal Studios, held a free concert for teenagers in Los Angeles called ‘Rock the Red Kettle.’ The concert, which featured seven bands and tried to make the iconic fund-raising kettle more hip, drew about 2,000 young people. Another 18,000 watched it online… The concert was a success even though it raised only about $5,000 from attendees, says Major George Hood, the Army’s national community-relations secretary.

“It was not a significant amount, but every kid who watched it will not be able to walk past a red kettle and not put something in,” Hood said. “The whole purpose was to expose young people to the Salvation Army in an environment they enjoy.”

The New World Symphony also is creating concerts accessible to the younger crowd. Among their outreach program are $2.50 half hour concerts, free concerts in the park, fellowships for young musicians and a “friends group” which allows young donors to participate in concerts designed for them.

Another proven successful strategy is the implementation of technology and social media. What 20-something doesn’t stay connected to the world through e-mail, Facebook and texting? Keeping up with technology trends, such as utilizing social fundraising tools  is one of the most successful and easiest ways to reach and engage a younger and influential set of donors.

Fundraising Online is Easy When Using Social Fundraising Tools

As more and more households get online and use the internet every day this has spurned a lot of nonprofit organizations to start fundraising online. Although, a good share of these nonprofit organizations have websites of their own containing their mission statements it is just not as easy to get donors to donate to them. Nonprofit is a much more competitive industry than most people realize. Nonprofits have to foster trust among their donators and be completely transparent when it comes to the disbursement of donated funds.

A lot of people have become irate at the use of online fundraising sites because this concept is new and seems to not have the personal touch or flair that many people are used to. It is important that nonprofits have their own identity in the industry or else they may be overlooked for another nonprofit who is promoting the same cause but has a better look. Are you a supporter of a nonprofit that is working for them and trying to help find better fundraising alternatives?

Maybe you’re a non profit representative should also be on the lookout for more social fundraising platforms that are a cost effective way to raise money online. This article will enlighten you to the ways to raise money for your nonprofit organization.

A large part of why nonprofits choose online fundraising tools is because it is extremely cost effective. The invention of charitable online giving websites has also blown away the myth that the internet is too cold and sterile and doesn’t allow for the personal touch. A connection between the nonprofit and it’s donators are all created by the website that can highlight their mission through pictures, videos, and even letters from the people they have helped. All of the things that would not be accessible though a mailed newsletter or flier.
Fundraising in the traditional way can drive up costs by having to rent venues, town halls, or hotels. Smaller nonprofits that were usually left out and had to scrape by here and there, are now able to compete and reach a wider audience. Any nonprofit who is not using online mediums for their efforts are creating problems for their campaigns by only reaching a small local community. Fundraising online is a vast medium that can produce stellar results.

There are many online websites that offer a hand to nonprofit organizations by helping them collect donations. One company named, Fundly, has raised millions for nonprofits that are using their easy to use social fundraising tools. A nonprofit organization that has a status that has been IRS approved are listed nearly instantly by websites such as that. They want a nonprofit to succeed as much as the donators and founders do.

However, online solutions don’t stop at fundraising web sites! No, they can also utilize social media such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In to name a few. These sites make it easy for nonprofits to track performance, set up donations, and review their charity, as well as polls and much more.

With so many huge successes of online fundraising tools used by charities all over the world it is becoming harder and harder to ignore the online medium. While in the past traditional fundraisers have had the best results, you should at least attempt online fundraising. With it you will raise more money faster, maximize how many people you spread your message to, and have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Raise money online in the most effective way possible! Use online social fundraising tools, like the ones provided by Fundly, and your cause will be very successful in fundraising online right away.

Social Fundraising Online is the Trend. Get with it Non-Profits

As technology continues to get more and more advanced social fundraising is on the rise. With more and more non-profits realizing the potential of social media to advance their fundraising efforts they have to step in to the future or get left behind. Right now social media is about letting friends and family stay connected.

But many organizations have seen the light and marketing potential in using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to promote themselves and their charity events and drives. This way non-profits can reach a massive amount of people who could become donors to their cause. If you are a non-profit or just researching a way to leverage your online fundraising potential here are just a few tips in helping you reach out in social media that can benefit your social fundraising efforts fast.

Build A Strong Following of Supporters

A strong following or community in many sites is very important for you before you attempt to inject your fundraising in to it. Getting a lot of people involved in your cause and than asking for donations is better than setting up a community and asking for donations right from the start. Without the element of trust your fundraising efforts may go largely unnoticed.

Make Your Mission Statement and Reason For Fundraising Crystal Clear

The way you word your cause and what donors donations will be used for is as important to your donors as it is to your cause. Your statement should be concise and give people a positive first impression of you. It should also tell about what happens after the donation effort and if your community or group will continue monitoring the progress after the fact. If people cannot make sense of your cause than they are most likely not going to back you in it.

HYPE! Create Hype Around Your Cause and Event

There is a multitude of marketing strategies available on the internet and social media helps you to create hype about your cause. Catchy tag-lines, colorful ribbons, or some other eye catching feature that will set you apart from everyone else! This helps create a sense of community as well as an identity for your group and yourself.

Build Relationships Offline as Well As Online

Social media just gives your non-profit or organization a way to communicate and spread your message. You might have a tag-line that is catchy or other interesting new ways to get people interested, but everything you do for your organization is probably going to fall flat on it’s face if you don’t have a physical presence! Usually people are interested in knowing more about the background of an organization before they give away any money to it. So, rent a building, send out fliers, do anything to bring your cause and organization out of the internet and in to the streets!

Keep Donors In The Loop with What You Are Doing

Giving updates regularly about your cause or non-profit is another way to keep your donors informed. You have to let donors know how the money they donating is being spent and who is benefiting from their donation(s). Keeping sponsors in the loop is just another way of letting them feel like they are a larger part of your cause and charity instead of just another dollar.

Using Online Fundraising Tools

A great site that has helped raise millions of dollars is Fundly, they are the leading social fundraising platform around. With this site you can easily add a plug and play donation form. Raising awareness for your cause is hard enough so collecting donations should be easy.

No matter how big or small your non-profit, school, group, or cause is, social fundraising is the easiest and most effective way to raise money online, especially when compared to traditional fundraisers. Start fundraising online today the right way, by promoting a social fundraiser via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google, and email!

Political Fundraising Online will Heat Up in 2012

Moneybomb was a term coined to describe the grassroots political fundraising campaign created to support Ron Paul’s running for President. It was meant to be an explosive term to create a buzz in mass media and marketing. This generated a ton of media buzz as well as excitement. It also is set up to make a massive amount of money in only one day.

The anniversary of the Boston Tea Party back in 2007 many volunteers took part in a massive moneybomb. Their effort raised nearly 7 million dollars in only one day. That to date is the largest one day political fundraiser ever.

While there are many different ways to raise money when your candidate is running for President you have to do more than hold a bake sale. Finding new and inventive ways to reach out to the voters in a lot less time than other political fundraisingefforts have in the past. In this way more and more people have been reaching out to voters through online media. Social media is now the ideal platform to reach out to voters and keep people up to date on efforts, fundraising, and much more. It also allows you to donate to your party with just a few mouse clicks.

Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook proclaim that they have millions of registered users and not like traditional ways of political fundraising that used to include mailing out campaign fliers, sending out email updates, knocking on doors, taking out television spots, and connecting to the community at large. With the use of social networking many of these steps are simplified. With a few mouse clicks you can update everyone at once, show them a video spot, ask them to donate and much more. You can also discuss political topics with your followers in real time.

The more passionate your community is about the events the larger the chance that your campaign will go viral. Facebook has the largest amount of users as they claim to have 700 million users. Now that online fundraising sites are evolving to meet the demands of the many there are limitless opportunities to get your message to the community.

Did you know that President Barack Obama is projected to raise over a billion dollars in donations for his political campaign? Republican candidates such as Cain, Huntsman, Perry, and Romney need to begin utilizing online political fundraising in order to compete! Fundly is a site that also caters to political fundraising needs for all political candidates..

With all of these fundraising platforms online they empower politicians, and political organizations ways to compete and create their own fundraising efforts. With a hosted donations page and the functionality to integrate it in to your website or customize it. That alone would be worth the effort.

Another key feature to political fundraising is scalability. Whether it’s getting the word out about your grassroots campaign or about competing with another politician for states. If you do not have an online presence your fundraisingcampaign may flounder behind the competition. So, get started today!

Social fundraising tools for online fundraising campaigns

Social fundraising online is an effective way to raise funds for any social cause through the World Wide Web medium. With the rise of social networking sites and their growing publicity among the people has encouraged those fighting for specific social causes to spread the word faster through the medium. The reach has been so wide that social fundraising has had great successes in limited time. It is viral spread of information about the various causes supported by friends, which gets shown to those in the group and from them to the extended friends and so on.

With smart phones and other such hand held devices becoming an house hold item, being connected to one another is actually simple. Things have become so simple and easy that many people choose to read the morning news via their ipad rather than the regular news paper. Listen to the radio is done en route to office or college in the train or bus with ear phones intact. Therefore, choosing the online medium for social fundraising is the smart choice so that you reach a larger scale of people directly via social networking channels or automated messages to phones and email addresses.

It is almost like gossiping but for the well being of other, for a change. When you send a social fundraising message to the people you know, a majority of them will definitely pass in on to their friends and family and from there the reach goes farther and farther. The unity amongst human beings, going past all the barriers and hurdles built around, has grown stronger with the eternal bond called friendship. The world has indeed become a global village joining all human beings as one in supporting and helps in social fundraising activities where ever they might be.

Now that everybody has one or even more than one jobs in their hands, the conscious choice to donate a portion of their earning to charity is a noble action found in many good hearts. Whenever there is a social fundraising event somewhere, people from all over the globe supporting the cause give whatever they can as their part. Though social fundraising is about collecting enough money, offering to volunteer in helping to organize any event is also welcome. So, in case you feel you can’t give money for charity, give your time and make those indeed as well as yourself happy!

Successful Fundraising Ideas for Easy Fundraising Online

Nonprofit organizations need to raise funds on a regular basis and what better way to do it than fundraising online?!

In this era of facebook, twitter and so on, passing the word on and reaching a out to seek help is quite easy. No language barrier, no dividers among nations and no discrimination. We are in a good place now where we are confident about our opinion and also we respect other’s opinion regardless of whether they are support or are against our point of view. This is indeed a great time to do some fundraising online.

To properly reach out to the millions out there and spread the word about a certain cause and request some fundraising online, there has to be a good donation page in facebook. You may customize the page according to the cause you support with adequate information on the subject for people to read and understand what it is all about. This should be so good that whoever reads the information on the page should want to donate and help with fundraising online in their own way. But this alone is not enough. You need to work on cracking tough cookies for nudging them to donate.

Reach people beyond your horizon by setting up campaigns and running them simultaneously in various portals at the same time. This would give you good exposure and you can expect to get overwhelming responses for fundraising online, when done right. There are cost free ways to promote your social cause even you are not a computer wizards who know all the nuances of working on a computer like an expert. In case this is too technical for you, then you may take the help of a professional to set up everything for fundraising online in the most effective way.

Another thing you could do to speed up fundraising online is to join hands with well known corporate concerns. The idea is to convince the business owners on the importance of the cause and how associating with them will help in fundraising online. It can be beneficial to both parties. Apart from that you may organize concerts, shows and such by connecting with popular figures and get donations from the audiences coming to enjoy the show. These are just few of the many ways to easily do fundraising online with minimum expense and maximum response for every social cause there might be.

Social Fundraising Savvy Non-profits will grow Donations 10x faster than the industry average?

Social media engagement and social fundraising for non-profits are so new that it is hard to know exactly how big its impact will be on the bottom line. Time will tell, but many leading non-profits believe that social media will be transformative: that it will change the way they connect with and empower its supporters and ultimately, how and from whom they raise money.

One of our interns at Fundly interviewed 13 non-profits on the topic of social media fundraising. All organizations interviewed were early adopters of social media. We asked about their expectations for growth in online fundraising supported by social fundraising tools.

All of these organizations look to social media to engage more frequently and more deeply with volunteers and supporters, without adding additional burden to an overworked staff.  Several of these organizations are turning to social media to form the backbone of massive capital campaigns to the tune of $50 million or more.

For the purpose of our thought experiment, we excluded these “XXL non-profits” from the below calculations, leaving us with non-profit fundraising predictions from nine non-profits. While the data collected from these nine is of course not statistically significant, the results do raise interesting questions for further research. So we decided to share the results with you here regardless.

On average, these nine non-profit organizations interviewed raised $302,800 online in 2010.  The median online raise in 2010 was $216,000.

The nine non-profits all predicted dramatic growth for their online fundraising efforts in 2011: an increase between 94% and 156% in 2011 as compared to 2010.

The industry average increase in online fundraising is 16% to 56% per year, as reported in the 2010 Online Giving Report, by Blackbaud.  This means that the social-media-savvy group could be growing its online fundraising efforts between two and ten times faster than the industry average.

Of course this is only anecdotal evidence at best and a broader sample and survey are required to draw any conclusions, but I am left to wonder: will social media savvy organizations indeed outperform their peers in 2011?

Fundly is the leading online fundraising platform for causes such as non-profits, politics, schools, groups, and teams. Check out Fundly today for the best and easy to use non-profit fundraising tools.

The Most Common Fundraising Challenge Plaguing Non Profits

Non profits have a lot to worry about! For starters, many of them are on a shoestring budget with mammoth goals to achieve. With a long to-do list, one of the first and most difficult challenges all non profits face is getting people to volunteer and help out with fundraising. Today, convincing someone to do something without any reward, in kind or cash, is a huge issue. I guess that’s what they mean when they say “there are no free lunches anymore?”

When people think of volunteering or philanthropy in general, I suppose their first instinct is to hold on to their wallets. I suppose the common notion is that charitable giving is for those who have spare cash or for the incredibly rich and famous who can donate hundreds and millions of dollars at fundraisers. Obviously, such a mind-set is tough to overcome. Very little, do people stop and think that the world has billions people, while hundreds of millions of people that can afford to give maybe $10, $30 or $50 more frequently and that there are less people out there who can afford to contribute huge amounts of money to fundraisers.

Today, hopefully that challenge of getting people to work with your charity is a lot easier with fundraising online. Using the internet is definitely the most efficient way of getting your message across to a wide network of people, informing them of your cause and encouraging them to participate in your fundraiser. It can be tempting for non profits to work with just about any one who rolls through the door but it is important to make a distinction between those who are interested in the cause and passionate about making a difference in society versus those who just want something to put on their resume. This might seem like a ‘for profit’ approach, but really, if you think about it, for a non profit to be successful in their fundraising and overall goals, you need to hire people just like a for profit firm would. You want people with easily transferable skills, bring new fundraising ideas to the table and manage fundraisers with little or no supervision!

Usually, if a charity or a cause is able to tie up with a corporation, their volunteer problems are solved. Corporates like to encourage their employees to do some “time” and employees get to use it as work hours. Occasionally, you’re able to gather a group of people who are regular volunteers and from a for profit background who can then contribute some great fundraising ideas that can be very useful to the cause. To top it off, both the company and the employee get a tax break when a donation is made by the employee and matched the company!

There are great online fundraising tools available today that can be managed with ease and need very little prior experience or training. Today’s lifestyle has made it such that everyone shops online, so nobody is uncomfortable with using their credit cards on the web. Time is scarce and it’s an online world out there, so non profits should definitely keep this in mind and explore the gamut of online fundraising tools available to them!

Taking the time and effort to get savvy with fundraising online is definitely a good investment; it will solve your problem of looking for volunteers to approach people for donations, you can send out hundreds and thousands of outreach emails at a time and build your donor base, and you can host multiple fundraisers at the same time. So be sure to check out all options available online quickly so you don’t miss out on achieving your goals and doing good in the community due to lack of volunteers and participation!

Social Fundraising is Easy with Fundly’s Online Fundraising Platform

When we are involved in non-profit organizations like charities, churches, NGO’s, schools, groups, and others, you have to raise funds. It is because the nature of the group is “non-profit”. Meaning, unlike businesses, you don’t operate for profit. Here, you support activities for social well-being and development. Without some financial and time sacrifices, the ideals of the organization can’t continue. Without funds, it cannot operate its activities. That is why funds are essential in causes.

Fundraising is not as easy as you might think. That is if you’ll do it the old way like knocking to someone else’s doors and asking for donations. But with social fundraising, you don’t have to do all these hassles to raise money for your cause. You don’t have to get scolded or screamed at by irate people. Besides, the funds one can raise using the old way is less since you cannot knock every door in town to ask for donations; sometimes, not everyone is generous enough to give you any amount for a donation and you end up wasting your time and effort.

However, with an online fundraising platform, you can reach the most number of people possible at the same time. Billions of people visit the web every minute, let alone there being over 750 Million active users on Facebook alone. Your fundraising campaign can take advantage of this in voicing out your cause’s goals and aims that is beneficial to the society. A lot of people might be inspired by this and be encouraged to lend you a hand, and even better, donate money to your fundraiser.

Through Fundly’s online fundraising platform, you can use social networking that has always been a trend to everyone like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others. Using the power of the web and the strong idealism and goals your cause holds, you will be able to raise huge funds in no time. You will never know how much you’ll be able to raise everyday through this. And now that funds won’t be your problem anymore, there will be no worry of your activities being put to a stop.

Fundraising Ideas for Online Fundraisers

People from all over the world spend most of the time on the Internet therefore fundraising activities can be successful using this medium. Donors can give to charity or donate to organizations online without leaving their house. There are many fundraising ideas that can be done through the Internet that people in need can benefit from. The proceeds immediately go to organizations in a short period of time as payments are done via electronic transactions. These organizations do not need to make time-consuming and stressful inventories just like in regular fundraising activities that are done personally.

Fundraising online is possible through Internet auctions. Members of the organization can bid some of their stuff in websites that do auctioneering. They collect a portion of the proceeds to be given to charity. Non-profit organizations can also register their group in a certain website that has a charity program of their own. These groups will be able to get all of the proceeds from the items that they auction provided they open a seller’s account in the said website.

Another way for fundraisers to raise money for charity is to tie-up with local businesses. A specific amount of some of the items sold online by these businesses can be given to the fundraisers. For example, a company that sells baby clothes can donate 10% of the sales they make online to an organization supporting an orphanage. A cosmetic company’s website that sells make-up for women can also donate a percentage of their monthly sales to a women’s crisis center. A publishing company can also donate children’s books to a public school.

There are also fundraising websites that allow organizations to create a page of their own with them. The website manages the page while the organization is the one who asks for donors and does the fundraising activities by advertising the page to family, friends and supporters. All the proceeds that the organization will receive will directly go to them. This is a way for the fundraisers to help such organizations in their missions and goals for a specified time.

There are also fundraising malls in the Internet that help organizations raise funds for charity. To do this, an organization has to have a website where they will put a link to the online shopping mall. When a person buys something from the seller’s website through the link provided by the organization, the latter gets a portion of the sale made. The customer gets to buy something he really needs and at the same time would be able to give to charity. There are also online shopping malls that encourage organizations to create a web page in their websites for easier and instant access.

Online fundraising is easier to do than the traditional fundraising activity, which requires time, preparation, location, transportation expenses, advertisement, and inventories. Fundraising online just requires a web page and that alone can reach millions of people around the globe. There are just so many fundraiser ideas that can be implemented via the net that would benefit those who are truly in need.