Fundraising News Roundup

As summer heats up, so too are fundraising efforts across the country. From viral videos to national campaigns, here’s the latest on the individuals, groups and organizations that are using social fundraising to make a difference in their lives and the lives of others.

Outpouring of support for viral video victim

One particularly moving tribute to a woman in New York has gone viral through the power of social media and social fundraising.

A 10-minute video of an elderly bus monitor being viciously berated by the children she was meant to protect made its way onto the internet this week, sparking outrage and sympathy across the nation. A complete stranger, however, decided to make a difference by setting up a social fundraising effort to raise $5,000 and give the monitor a vacation.

As of June 22, with 29 days still to go, the campaign had vastly exceeded its goal, raising more than $517,000 from nearly 25,000 donors. A second social fundraising effort was started to reward the man who set up the original campaign. It, too, has already exceeded its goal.

Fundly campaigns to benefit America’s youth

Teach for America - Teach for America is putting a team together to compete in the Chicago Marathon. Each runner has an individual fundraising goal of between $750 and $1,250, depending on when they registered, and the organization as a whole is attempting to raise $125,000 through social fundraising on Fundly.com. Timeframe: ongoing until the race in October.

Youth Speaks - Young adult education and empowerment group Youth Speaks recently received a challenge gift of $150,000 toward its Future Legacy Campaign, which will fund 15 years of operations. To receive the matching funds, the organization turned to social fundraising through Fundly. Timeframe: If it can raise the funds by July 31, the group will be 75 percent of the way toward its overall goal of $1 million.

Teen pop sensation uses social fundraising to ‘make it better’

Music Makes it Better - Justin Bieber recently lent his star power to a new social fundraising campaign to benefit the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The hospital hopes to raise $25,000 to fund art and music therapy services for children.

Hope to Haiti 2012 - Charity organizations are still raising funds to help the survivors of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Hope to Haiti 2012 this week completed its goal of raising $200,000 to help rebuild homes, communities and lives by using crowdsourcing to reach donors.

FEC allows text donations to presidential campaigns

Presidential campaigns - Both candidates are using social media and other next-gen channels to bring in vast amounts of cash. President Barack Obama and GOP contender Mitt Romney are appealing to donors through text message. Donors to organizations like the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity have long been able to send money via text message, but the Federal Election Commission decided last week to allow campaign donations of up to $50 through text.

Youth making a difference through charitable donation

The Millennial Impact Report - A new report from young adult group The Millennial Impact found that 75 percent of people aged 20 to 35 gave to charity last year, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Not only that, members of this group were more likely to reach out to friends and family members to help raise money through social fundraising efforts. Roughly 70 percent of respondents to the survey indicated they were more than willing to solicit donations from loved ones.

Nonprofits Continue to Aid Victims of Natural Disasters

With Monday being President’s Day, we thought we’d carry the theme for one more post. Fashions, technology and industry may change, but the need to help one’s fellow man does not. Nonprofits and government programs will continue to exist until the basic needs of food, education and shelter are met. There will continue to be programs that were and are of particular interest to our presidents that continue to thrive as important issues today.

Somehow it seems like more natural disasters are hitting our world; every few months images of despair and destruction are flashed upon the television screen. Obviously these forces of nature are hardly new, and presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt and George H.W. Bush had to face the repercussions of earthquakes that hit the San Francisco Bay Area during their terms in office.  Add to that countless hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts and blizzards, and I’d account that just about every president has had to compensate to address various disaster assistance resources provided by the government. In recent history, from Japan to New Orleans to Haiti, thousands have had to start over as they rebuild their homes and their lives. Independent nonprofits have also made an impact for these individuals and communities who have needed help to travel down this difficult path of reconstruction.

Nonprofits have the incredible task of providing aid to clients while maintaining a current fundraising strategy. A good example of online fundraising success is a recent disaster relief campaign on the Fundly platform that has raised $82,379 of their $125,000 goal. For every 100 donations that were given, 3,878 impressions were made to the cause’s Facebook page within a 24-hour period.  This flow of web traffic brought a 15% increase in their donation yield during that period of time. This is the power of social fundraising.

Most importantly, through this site they have been able to serve hot meals, first aid kits and shelter to countless people. Fundly is proud to partner with incredible causes like these as their online fundraising platform and looks forward to aiding more organizations to achieve this success!

Create a movement, lead a tribe

Entrepreneur and blogger Seth Godin gave an inspiring TED talk two years ago where he pitched a new marketing idea. He calls the idea “tribes.”

Our culture has always had and shared ideas, but the digital age has changed the way that ideas are shared. Once we thought that buying a TV ad was the best way to market. This “TV” marketing model requires average ideas and hypnosis of the masses. Not ideal.

Thanks to the Internet, the Tribes model allows for silos of interest to bring people together, even if these people are seemingly on the fringe.

Godin argues that Tribes can effectively change the world because they are comprised of passionate people who want to connect. They are not everybody.

Godin uses the example of Al Gore as someone who created a movement with a relatively small amount of passionate fans. You don’t need everyone in your tribe – just the right people. It’s not about the mass, Godin says, it’s about finding the true believers.

He highlights Steve Jobs and Bill Gates as two very different, though effective, tribe leaders. Their different visions have attracted different tribe members.  Godin challenges us too, to find something worth changing and form a tribe. As we lead, here’s what to consider:

• Who are you upsetting? If the answer is nobody, you are doing something wrong.
• Who are you connecting? Do they share a passion? Do they yearn for the same change?
• Who are you leading? Focus your efforts on this specific group. The Beatles didn’t invent teenagers, but they sure knew how to lead them.

Great leaders challenge the status quo, and they build a culture by connecting people and making them feel important. They are also committed to their cause.

What’s your movement? Who’s in your tribe? How are you inviting people to join your tribe?

Fundly’s social fundraising platform fits perfectly with Tribe model of marketing and leadership that Godin is talking about. Our Facebook app allows your tribe members to share their support of your cause with others every time they make a donation.

Check out all that Fundly has to offer, and re-commit to your cause and tribe today!

Twitter for Good: a non-profit must-read on how to change the world one tweet at a time.

Technology is changing us, and we now have the unique opportunity to find innovative ways to use technology to help change the world. Twitter is one tool in the process.  As a simple platform where open communication reigns, Twitter elevates the individual voice; the strength of its platform is the strength of the users. In this way, individual activism can change the world. 

– Claire Diaz-Ortiz

InTwitter for Good, Claire Diaz-Ortiz, the head of corporate social innovation and philanthropy for Twitter, gives non-profits a game plan to accomplish this vision of changing the world one tweet at a time.
Claire writes about a five-step framework for non-profits to be a force for good and shares the stories of groups and individuals such as Room to Read who use this framework. She calls it T.W.E.E.T. (Target, Write, Engage, Explore, Track).

Here’s what she says about each step:

(1)   Target – It’s important for non-profits to answer the essential questions, “Why is my organization using Twitter?” If you can’t answer the question and are on Twitter, Claire says you’re likely wasting valuable time and resources. Here are the three most common types of Twitter accounts held by non-profits:

• Informational accounts – tend to have a professional tone
• Personalized Accounts – take on the voice of a key individual within the organization
• Fundraising Accounts – have a specific fundraising purpose

(2)   Write – Tweet like Kanye.  Using the example of rapper Kanye West, whose un-edited and humorous tweets have gotten a lot attention, Claire advises non-profits to follow Kanye’s example when getting started on Twitter:

• “Bite the bullet” and get started with enthusiasm.
• “Let it all hang out” and  “err on the side of over-exuberance” as you begin a Twitter campaign.
• “Fail fast” and don’t be afraid to try new things to find your Twitter feet.

(3)   Engage – Use hashtags wisely, respond with @replies and use lists. Claire has tons of advice in this department. She warns that using too many hashtags in a single tweet will make it look like spam and that having way more re-tweets than tweets of your own will make it look like you have nothing to say. Asking questions in your tweets is a great way to engage your followers.

(4)   Explore – Keep your eyes open for new information and potential new followers. Don’t live in a bubble. Claire tells an exploration success story of Abby Falik, the CEO of Global Citizen Year and the connection she formed with author and New York Times journalist Nick Kristof.
(5)   Track – Measure your progress. Claire suggests several potential metric points, including the number of tweets per day/week/month, Percentage of tweets with photos, and the number of @mentions. She warns not to measure success by the number of followers you have. With a single re-tweet, your influence is potentially limitless.

Thanks for sharing your expertise, @ClaireD . We’ll see you on Twitter.

If you don’t have a Twitter account, get started using Claire’s T.W.E.E.T. framework today. Don’t forget to follow @Fundly to learn more about our social fundraising platform and for all the latest in the world of non-profits, fundraising and social media.

The Tricks and Treats of Social Media Fundraising

It’s no surprise that social media fundraising is the most effective way to go when trying to connect with new donors and keeping faithful ones abreast of your current projects. It also is a budget and environmentally friendly way to eliminate newsletters, donation envelopes and the ever increasing price of postage. Here are some of the tricks and treats of fundraising.
The Trick: The Time Vacuum  – The Treat: Using Time Wisely
Social Media can be a great time vacuum; by the time you check your e-mail, Facebook and Twitter accounts, an hour seems to have magically slipped away. Between clicking on links, responding to e-mails, deleting the spam and sorting through old e-mails that need replies, one can easily get swamped just maintaining an inbox. The trick is to delegate and delete. Have an assistant or media manager sort through the bulk mails and reserve a special e-mail for those who seriously need to contact you (this of course is pending the size and budget of your organization.) Another option is to check your e-mail, address the necessary problems, and then close that window. Every time a new e-mail pops up you won’t see it and you can focus on one project at a time. The greatest waste of time is going back and forth and never accomplishing anything while still feeling completely overwhelmed.

The Trick: Simplicity is Key – The Treat: Less is More

Choose your projects, your campaigns and your goals wisely. The more you have on your plate, the less success you’re going to have. If you’re trying to raise money for a new building, plus doing a holiday project, plus having a volunteer work day, plus sustaining the programs you have, you’re going to burn out yourself, your staff and your donors. This is obvious, but map out your year, get a feel for the capacity of your staff, and tap into different donors at different times so you aren’t always asking the same people for money.

The Trick: It’s All About Perception – The Treat: Gaining a Loyal Following

Positive word of mouth and a strong reputation are your strongest marketing tools. You can have the most artistic flyer or spot on website, but if volunteers and donors have had a bad interaction with your charity and post it on Facebook, all that publicity is for nothing. Your employees will pattern their passion and work ethic after you and that influence will flow to your supporters. The core of any non-profit is how people are treated; the people who are adopting pets, the people who are volunteering or the people who are being helped through your services.

The trick to a non-profit is always keeping your eyes on your goals. Why do you work so hard for so little money to have so much stress? It’s all because of the treat: you’re making the world a better place and changing the lives of countless others.

What to Look for in a Social Media Manager

Marketing is probably one of the most vital aspects to any organization and a huge portion of that time is usually spent in the social media realm. Where else can you reach hundreds of people in a limited amount of time with virtually no material costs? Many non-profits are choosing to hire a Social Media Manager to juggle these new technology tools, and that’s not a bad idea.

I found a good article on LinkedIn that discusses the qualities needed in an effective Social Media Manager. It was taken from Fundraising Success Magazine and the article opens up with an extremely valid observation: “Despite all the buzz about social media, the reality is that your social media campaigns are only as good as the human being(s) behind them. Going ‘viral’ on social media sites is extremely rare, and instantaneous success is a myth. Being an effective social media manager is both an art and a skill. Some personalities are more inclined to be successful at managing and inspiring online communities, but the vast majority of practitioners will need months, if not years, to learn to produce social media success through a process of trial and error.”

Once you determine the goals and proper expectations of this position, look for a person who has a passion for both social media and your cause. They have to have a heart and mind for both to be dedicated and inspired by either.

Next, “Effective social media managers enjoy engaging with and responding to comments on social media sites. They relish discussing ideas and issues online, and they do it with patience and kindness. They are attentive to their communities on an almost daily basis. They express gratitude for support, and they acknowledge questions and concerns. They have the unique ability to defuse troublesome (and sometimes obnoxious and rude) personalities with kind, but firm commentary. It’s a real skill to navigate and guide the online commons and know how and when to react.”

Your new social media manager also needs to be creative in designing campaigns that stand out, has experience in online communications (skills that are honed and not just used casually for personal use), learns quickly, thinks like a journalist and is mobile to write about your topic at any time or place.

So how do you find someone with all of these qualities and is willing to be paid at a non-profit wage? Advertise using social media and word of mouth and the right person with a passion for your cause is sure to come along (it just may take a little time.)

Pick the right social media marketing manager who will provide the most value to your social fundraising endeavors online, and you will experience a higher level of fundraising success and growth as an organization.

Social Media Brings Visibility to Non-Profits. Fundly Brings Donations

Craig Newmark founded Craigslist in 1995 and classified advertising was changed forever.
Today, social media is changing the world as we know it. Early this year, Newmark responded by launching craigsconnect to “link up everyone on the planet using the Internet to bear witness to good efforts and encourage the same behavior in others.”

A recent craigsconnect infographic looks at how the top 50 non-profits use social media.  Craigsconnect particularly wanted to see if high-earning non-profits outperformed lower-earning non-profits in the arena of social media. The verdict: a non-profit’s income does not increase their visibility and social media interactions.

Here are some other interesting facts:

• 92% of non-profits have at least one social media button.
• Only 12% of non-profits use LinkedIn (Lots of untapped connections here!)
• 90% of non-profits have a Twitter share button on their sites.
• The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is low on the income list but boasts an impressive 97,000 fans on Facebook.
• PBS has the greatest Twitter following. (PBS is also low on the income list.)

You can view the infographic by liking Craig’s Facebook page (smart way to boost fans, Craig!) and can keep connected by checking out craigsconnects.

Fundly’s social fundraising platform is keeping up with these top non-profits. We understand the importance of staying connected in this fast-paced, web-based world. Our Facebook fundraising application makes it easy for donors to share their support for your cause with their friends Facebook every time they make a donation.

Keep social, keep connected and thrive.

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.

Standout CEOs share keys to success: create, reflect, persuade and collaborate

Sixty percent of CEOs identify creativity as the most important leadership attribute for the future.
The “Business in Uncertain Times” video produced by Good Worldwide artfully animates this statistic and other results from a recent IBM-sponsored CEO study.

Here are some other interesting facts revealed by the study:

• 74% of standout CEOs take an iterative, ongoing approach to developing strategy. The best leaders are continuously evaluating what works and what doesn’t, and change plans accordingly.

• 58% of standout CEOs prefer to persuade and influence than to command and control. When the goal is to influence positive change, things fall into place. Persuading and influencing takes skill and strategy, but it’s amazing how easy it becomes when there’s good and compassion at the core of it all.

• 78% of consumers are willing to collaborate with businesses. There’s so much untapped potential and wisdom in the consumer. Smart leaders will embrace consumers and make their wisdom a part of the business plan.

The video also emphasizes that great leaders are able to embrace ambiguity. They capitalize on complexity and grow gracefully with the future of business. I couldn’t agree more.

Check out Fundly’s social fundraising platform to see how we can help your organization capitalize on complexity and grow gracefully in the 21^st century. We offer an innovative platform and take an iterative approach to strategy. We also value our users – let us know what you think!

For Today’s Customer and Donor, a Social Approach

I just finished The Social Customer by Adam Metz about how brands can use social customer relationship management (CRM) to acquire, monetize, and retain fans, friends and followers.

Social media has transformed the way people interact with each other. Metz encourages business owners to respond appropriately and to consider their brand as a “social object.” Metz describes how some of the most successful businesses today have recognized and embraced the power of the Web-based “social customer.” Almost 75 percent of customers are social customers, Metz says. (The figure goes up to 90-95 percent for customers under age 25).

Metz outlines two types of social customer management strategies: structural strategy, which is goal-oriented, and tactical strategy which develops a humans-and-technology infrastructure that supports the structural strategy.

Using examples of businesses such as Comcast, AT&T, Tropicana, and Apple, Metz outlines different models and approaches to customer engagement.

Metz recognizes that making your brand a social object is a decision, and he talks readers through this decision early on:  Does the company want to be able to talk to its customers immediately without a third-party intermediary? Does the company want to be able to engage with customers daily? Does the company want the responsibility of living up to its “personality” everyday?  Does the company have the human resources to engage with the social customer? (Metz suggests that basic social media programs require 5,000 to 30,000 worker-hours each year.)


For a company to become a successful social object, Metz says they must accept the six foundational premises of Social CRM as established by Paul Greenberg in CRM at the Speed of Light:

• If customers like you, they will stay with you.
• If customers don’t like you, they will leave you.
• People want to control their lives.
• People are looking to fulfill an agenda.
• If you help people control their lives and fulfill their agendas (and you’re unobtrusive and provide memorable experiences), they will like you.
• If you don’t help people, they won’t like you.

The rules for social fundraising and social media in the non-profit world certainly don’t fit many of Metz’s models and approaches. For millions of thriving non-profits out there, the core foundational premise is not that people want to help themselves but that they want to help other people.

Nonetheless, like the successful business that must recognize and embrace the social customer, the successful non-profit must recognize and embrace the social supporter, the social donor and the social advocate.
Fundly has made it easy for organizations to do just that. Our social fundraising platform makes it easy for non-profits to engage with supporters and for supporters to make donations.  We think Metz would approve.

To learn more about the social customer, you can meet Adam Metz at Diesel Books in Oakland on Thursday, October 20 at 7 p.m.

5 Tweets to Sum Up Social Media for Nonprofits in Seattle

We sponsored another hit event with Social Media for Nonprofits — this time we brought the fire to Seattle!  The energy and the group was awesome… Twitter traffic was off the hook.

Out of an endless stream of great tweeting, we pulled 5 tweets for #SM4NP that share some of the key takeaways from what we learned:

• “Social is in front of media for a very obvious reason: sociology, then technology.”  |  @NPTech_Ash tweeted by @katieshuck
• “$300 BILLION bucks given by individuals to cause annually.” Wowza. Oh, and of course it’s moving online at a huge rate!  |  @davidjboyce1 tweeted by @SeattleWorks
• “The way we digest information is through the context of our friends.”  |  @Charlesporch tweeted by @SM4Nonprofits
• “Volunteers become spokespersons when recognized and have a sense of ownership in the cause.”  |  @matthewmahan tweeted by @terryloving
• “If you want people to engage in your community, your staff better be willing to invest in it.”  |  @ntenhross tweeted by @sjmildren

If you haven’t attended the conference yet, definitely check the site for the next Social Media for Nonprofits conference in your area…  Next up, 11/4 in San Francisco!

Happy fundraising!

In a Sea of Charities, How Do You Make Yours Stand Out?

In 2009 there was a reported 1.4 million charities in the United States. Add to that fact that 2011 was the costliest year on record for natural disasters and there are a lot of people and organizations vying for dollars. So how in the world do you make your organization stand out?

I was reading an article on community.NASDAQ.com by Michael Statford entitled “6 Things You Need to Know About Giving to Charity.” I thought I’d flip this story a bit to try to figure out what people want to know about your non-profit in order for them to give. When there are so many people knocking on the door asking for funds (your kids included), how can you make your donor ask stand out?

I think the first thing that is needed is sincerity, integrity, and honesty. In this world of hype and neon, I find the truth quite refreshing. How much does it cost to run your organization? How much of your donations go directly to those in need? Let your donors come into contact with the people you are helping, the land that you are protecting or hear the symphony you are promoting. Results speak louder than a CEO at a hotel banquet.

Find the people who already have a passion for your cause. If a person doesn’t like animals, no matter how many times they see puppies in a cage it won’t cause them to open their wallets. On the flip side, if a person already has a soft spot in their heart for the homeless, it will take a lot less time and effort to get them interested in the cause. Connecting donors who have friends with a like mind is probably the best way to reach your target donors. Likewise, hang out with parents if you have an educational program. Visit local nurseries if you support botanical gardens. Go to a dog park if you are the president of the SPCA. Go to where your potential donors hang out.

Finally, get a great website up. Your donors probably won’t visit your offices or may want to research your company before they give a dime. Spend the money to create a professional, informative, easily navigated website. Have several different people outside of your office test it out. Can a non-computer literate person use it? Are your graphics clean and precise? Do your photos pull at the heart strings? It is easy to find out how to give online? Also, make sure the web address is easy to remember.

With genuine passion, honesty, and professionalism, you can have your charity stand out. You just need to know where to find your donors and make it easy for them to find you. Good thing for you and your charity, Fundly provides an easy to use social fundraising platform that will enable you to reach and engage your donors online, while gaining new ones throughout any one of your charity fundraising campaigns.

Learn more today about Fundly’s social fundraising tools.

Spread the love with social media, but don’t forget to mind your manners

In the Age of Facebook and Match.com, it’s no secret that relationships have gone digital. Two popular classics have followed suit.

Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People (first published in 1937, now with an “in the Digital Age” appendage) and Emily Post’s Etiquette (first published in 1922, now subtitled “Manners for a New World”) have new editions with new advice.

Carnegie’s text, now co-authored by Brent Cole, still maintains the same premise as earlier editions – that developing strategies to “deal” with people is difficult but important. In an excerpt recently published in The New York Times, Carnegie states that learning to interact with others is more challenging – and relevant than ever.

He quotes the presidential speechwriter James Thume: “The art of communication is the language of leadership.”

The best leaders, Carnegie writes, improve relationships with every word and action on a daily basis.  When we do this, we become better, more compassionate people. The kindness is contagious. Aren’t we all moved by altruisum? Carnegie asks.

Social media offers us a variety of tools to spread the love. For non-profits, social media offers (1) a meaningful and immediate opportunity to connect with their donors and supporters and (2) a variety of rich tools to advocate for their cause.

According to Dwight Garner’s recent review of the books published in Tuesday’s edition of The New York Times, both texts offer advice that is commonsensical. Etiquette, rewritten by Post’s great-granddaughter in-law Peggy, offers this advice according to Garner:

DON’T send texts in a theater because the light disturbs your neighbors; don’t scoop your friend’s good (or bad) news on Facebook; remember that your boss owns your e-mail; don’t sync your posts on Twitter with your Facebook page unless you really know what you are doing. Rapid-fire tweets annoy Facebook users the way Jet Skis annoy those in canoes. 

DO check out Fundly today to learn about friendly social fundraising that makes a lot of sense.

Top Seven Ways to Make Sure Your Non-Profit Succeeds

Of course you want your non-profit organization to thrive and expand. The more money that comes in, the more ways you can help and the closer you are to achieving your mission. So why do so many charities struggle with their very existence hanging in the balance?

I found an interesting article on MeasuredOutcomes.net entitled “Top Seven Reasons Why Non-Profits Fail – and How to Avoid Them.” If you are a new non-profit, once you know what pitfalls can trip you up, you’ll know how to avoid them.

1)     Poor Management – Many small beginner charities see the cause but don’t really comprehend how they are going to get from Point A to Point B. The leadership lacks business acumen, management experience or accounting skills. You also need to be able to read people as you assemble a group of savvy, underpaid workers who have the same passion and dedication as you do.

2)     Insufficient Capital – For some reaso, many people tend to underestimate their costs and overestimate the donations when first starting a non-profit. They can’t comprehend that everyone doesn’t feel as generous and compassionate about their cause. Even in a small for profit business, it is said that it will take four to sixth months to start making money.

3)     Diversification of Funding – “it is vitally important to have a diversified portfolio of funding in order to weather market downturns. Many nonprofits establish establish relationships with a limited number of funder, or funders in a particular sector of the economy.

“This can be disastrous when, for example, the bank that has been a major funder of your organization is acquired by another institution and decides that you are no longer a priority area. Just like in the stock market, it’s important to have a well balanced funder portfolio that touches many different areas of the broader economy.”

4)     Location, location, location – Here are some factors to consider: where are your clients located? Are there other agencies with a similar cause nearby? Is there ample parking and is it easy to find? Is the building in good shape or does it look like a lost cause? There are a ton of factors to consider before signing your name on the dotted line.

5)     Lack of Planning – This can be tied into the first point. A good manager plans ahead and counts the cost. How many employees will you need? How will you market your organization? Who is the competition and how great is the need?

6)     Overexpansion – I can’t help but think of Starbucks a few years ago. All of a sudden it seemed like the black and green circular logo popped up on every city block. Overexpansion put a limp in their company, but it could be the silver bullet in a smaller sized one.
“A leading cause of nonprofit failure, overexpansion often happens when managers confuse program success with how fast they can expand their services. A focus on slow and steady growth is optimum. Many a bankruptcy has been caused by rapidly expanding organizations that drift into areas that are outside their core mission.”

7)     No Website – The internet is one of the fastest and most cost effective ways to spread the word about your agency, keep donors updated, and increase your funding. Also, online giving is one of the fastest, easiest ways to increase your bank account.

Being a leader of a non-profit organization means that you are probably the hardest working, most underpaid professional that you know of. However, you are probably one of the most fulfilled and excited people, too. Through keeping these tips in mind, you can stay on the path to success to truly make a difference.

At Fundly, we understand that you would prefer to do the things you love doing the most and that fundraising does not need to be difficult. This is reason why we have developed and continually innovate on our easy to use online fundraising tools that will help your non-profit raise the funds you need for operations and projects. Learn more at Fundly today.

For a healthy heart: be happy, be helpful, be connected

According to the health and lifestyle website RealAge (started by celebrity doctors Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen) new British research   shows that the happier you are with your life, the lower your risk of coronary heart disease.

At the Mashable Social Good Summit, Yossi Vardi spoke about the joy that comes from doing good. Vardi’s prescription for happiness: helping others without expecting anything in return. Dr. Oz agrees and weighs in on the happiness conversation with six other prescriptions for a healthy life:

1. Be nice to yourself. Don’t beat yourself up!
2. Connect with others. The benefits are huge!
3. Be grateful. Keep a journal to write down what you’re thankful for.
4. Be active. At least 30 minutes of physical activity a day.
5. Meditate.
6. Help others.
7. Go outside.

Fundly   is grateful for the support of its users and for all of those dedicated to helping others. We’re proud to offer an easy-to-use social fundraising platform   that allows people to connect with each other to help others.

Have you considered using Fundly to boost support for the cause most important to you? Check us out. We think you’ll be happy with what you find.

The rewards will be great.

How the new Facebook can help your non-profit

The new Facebook just might be your non-profit’s new best friend.

In a recent blog post for socialbrite.org  , social media expert John Haydon highlights how features of the new Facebook “subscribe” button have the potential to make your non-profit more open and accessible to the public than ever.

Fundly, too, understands the importance of using social media to your advantage; our social fundraising   platform has an application that allows people to link an update to their Facebook and Twitter profiles after they’ve made a donation. This creates a ripple effect that increases funds raised by up to 52 percent!

John also recommends that non-profits allow fans and supporters to connect with individual spokespeople within the organization to increase “organizational touch points.” This will also give a personal touch to your outreach and will ultimately give people more chances to connect with each other, John says.

In addition to explaining how to identify top supporters, John’s piece also advises how to enhance your brand transparency and search profile.

We like the way you think, John! Looking forward to more words of wisdom.

Non-Profit Groups Unite to Have Greater Influence

I mentioned in a post earlier this week that there are a lot of similarities between non-profit and for profit organizations. Marketing goals, increasing funds, and having a loyal following are just a few examples. However, non-profits have a strong pull at helping the greater good and uniting with groups who have a similar interest can create a greater impact.

There is a press release on PRWeb that shows when groups with a common mission unite, more people are able to be helped and their effectiveness is more widespread. “Since 2006, the nonprofit Sarcoma Alliance has maintained a directory of U.S. and international sarcoma organizations, including their mission statements, accomplishments and contact information.

“The directory helps nonprofits cooperate and collaborate. Sarcoma patients and their families and friends also can use it to find organizations that serve their needs. People may find one nonprofit that does everything they want. Others will seek different things from different groups.”

Sarcoma is a rare form of cancer that touches the lives of about 15,000 people per year. “A peer-to-peer network, live chat room, blog, Facebook page, YouTube channel and discussion board to let people support one another and share information.”

Non-profit groups tend to be well versed in collaborating with one another. I’ve noticed that if one organization has a surplus of supplies, they tend to know who can help distribute the goods to those in need. Other benefit to cooperating with a larger group of non-profits is idea sharing, comparing fundraising strategies and discussing where to find the best vendors or resources.

Social Media is one of the easiest ways to stay touch with others of like interests. From Facebook to LinkedIn, you can communicate and update your colleagues and donors alike. This is also a great place to encourage online giving and test the potential of your website.

During this time when many charities are trying to increase (or even maintain) their donations, uniting as a group can be one of your greatest assets.

If your non-profit fundraising   campaign is looking for creative ways to reach and engage a larger audience, gain new donors, and scale your organization, you should check out Fundly’s online fundraising tools for social fundraising   today.

How to Help Your Non-Profit Group Thrive in a Struggling Economy

It’s no secret that many non-profit organizations are feeling the bite of a starved economy. It’s terribly ironic that as the funds seem to decrease, the number of people who need help is vastly increased. So how are some agencies able to not only keep their doors open, but expand?

The Huffington Post reporter Gabrielle Cannon wrote an interesting article concerning how the recession is impacting many charities. Cannon explains, “In a new study released by the Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF), an organization that surveyed nearly 2,000 nonprofit organizations, 87 percent report the decline in the U.S. economy continues to impact their operations… This figure is largely attributed to the increase in demand for nonprofit services, as an upswing in unemployment, poverty, and government budget cuts, resulting from the recession, have put added pressure on nonprofits.”

There are several ways that non-profits are readjusting their spending and fundraising to accommodate these changes. “According to the Guidestar report, nonprofits facing limited resources to meet looming increases in demand have had to find new strategies, like partnership, to increase efficiency… [They also] diversify funding streams, focusing on outcome based programs that are more attractive to foundations,” writes Cannon.

Another way that organizations are continuing to bring in funds is through online giving. Last year alone online giving increased by 77%. With natural disasters such as the tsunami in Japan and the earthquake in Haiti, online giving was highlighted as the best way to aid the victims in these tragedies. Cannon reports that, “The study showed that peer-to-peer fundraising   and social media shaped this growth, in addition to increases in online response for disaster relief.”

“Non-profits in the US raise over $300 billion a year. Only 13% of this is being raised online, but large non-profits are growing online fundraising 56% per year. Plus, social media platforms like Fundly   enable non-profits to turn donors into fundraisers for their cause, which has the potential to grow this even more”, said Darian Rodriguez Heyman, co-producer of Social Media for Non-Profits  .

The best way to keep the funds flowing in a tough economy is to make it easy to give, get your message out using social media and use specific examples of how your organization is changing lives. Most important: never underestimate the generosity of your donors!

10 Tips on Using Facebook to Your Non-Profits Advantage

Facebook is a force to be reckoned with. Here are some incredible statistics: there are more than 800 million active users. More than 50% of these users log on to their accounts every day. The average user has 130 friends. With these mind-blowing numbers, it would be ludicrous not to tap into Facebook to reach more donors with your cause.

Fortunately, Facebook has posted “10 Tips for Non-Profits on Facebook  ” to help organizations use their resource effectively. For those who are new to the social media world or if you want to make sure you are using this tool effectively, take note!

1. Create a Facebook Page – “First off, Pages allow you to publish directly into the news stream where you can engage your fans with a variety of different media, such as videos, polls and status updates. Secondly, Pages allow you to analyze how fans are interacting with your page via the Insights Dashboard, giving you instant feedback to help you adjust your method. You can also do things like buy advertising on Facebook for your Page to increase your number of fans.”
2. Use “Causes” – “Anyone can create a user-created advocacy group on Causes and administrators of those groups post announcements and communicate with members of that cause through email and Facebook notifications, foster discussions, share information, sign petitions and fundraise.”
3. Be Unique – You can do a simple link to your website, but a lot of people won’t take the time to click on it. Make you message timely, concise and specific to your cause.
4. Be Active – Let your donors know what happens on a daily basis. Ask for their opinions on news events or on polls that pertain to your subject matter. Interact with your Facebook following and allow them to share their stories and passion for why they choose to support your organization.
5. Reply – You don’t have to comment on every post, but it helps your donors feel more connected and invested if they know a real person is behind the text.
6. Create an App, Game or Quiz – Find new ways to engage your donors and give them reasons to come back to your page frequently.
7. Add a Store or Donation Box – Put these boxes on your front page for easy access. “There are all types of features you can add to your Page that allow your fans to feel ownership of your organization, like a fan badge or a sign petition box for their profile pages. The added bonus of this type of promotion is that, whether it’s published to your fan’s wall or their profile page, it also gets lots of new eyeballs to notice you.”
8. Consider Your Feedback – What is working and what isn’t? What is getting you a lot of traffic?
9. Segue into Other Media – Use texting, e-mail, Twitter and phone networks to fully get your message across. People use a variety of media so hit all your bases.
10. Try a Facebook Ad – “Facebook ads — displayed on the right-hand side of a user’s Page — are an easy, economical and effective way to increase your fan base or visits to your page. The self-serve advertising system allows you to place orders for people (or profiles) that match whatever demographic requirements you may have, mothers of children with a certain illness for example, and you’re only charged for performance.”

So obviously I summarized a lot of these points. I encourage you to check out their website
(http://www.insidefacebook.com/2010/02/12/10-tips-for-non-profits-on-facebook/  ) to read the full descriptions and to see the many examples. Facebook is virtually free and the audience it reaches is incomparable to other advertising avenues. It’s so important to keep up with the times, and this is one of the easiest ways to keep your organization at the forefront of technology.

If you need to raise money   for your cause, Fundly provides the leading Facebook fundraising   tools to help you fundraise with ease, not only on Facebook, but enbles you to reach new donors via Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and many other social channels too.

Learn more about Fundly’s social fundraising tools today!

Startups for Good Challenge singles out one special solar system

Congrats to the inspiring 19-year-old and Thiel Foundation Fellow Eden Full for winning Mashable’s Startups for Good Challenge! Full’s extraordinary system, SunSaluter, rotates solar panels to face the sun and has the potential to increase their efficiency by up 40 percent.

  

Full’s solar system outshined seven other extraordinary projects and was selected the winner by a panel of four distinguished judges: the U.N. Foundation’s Aaron Sherinian, Mashable’s Sarah Kessler, entrepreneur Yossi Vardi, and the Economist’s Matthew Bishop. Her award: $10,000 and a social good award from the U.N. Foundation.

Keep up the good work, Eden! We will continue to follow and champion you!

Note: Eden, we apologize for not getting the best picture of you at the 92Y, you were in high demand for attention!
Fundly encourages all of you involved in social entrepreneurship to utilize our social fundraising   tools to power your projects and campaigns for social good.