Are trendy Web tools helping charities? Social media's fundraising power.

[Walt Esquivel]

Hi friends,

This article isn't necessarily about "social business", but it does
pertain to ways nonprofits should study and integrate to help raise
funds. In fact, in addition to nonprofits, I can see the fundraising
methods described below working for many businesses and government
entities.

Enjoy,
Walt



http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/09/07/0907philanthropy.html

ANDREA BALL: PHILANTHROPY
Are trendy Web tools helping charities?
More nonprofits are turning to the Web

By Andrea Ball
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Sunday, September 07, 2008

Last month, Tyson Foods pledged to give the Capital Area Food Bank 100
pounds of food for every comment left on the company's hunger relief
blog.

So the charity turned to the Web community for help. Staffers posted
the challenge on Twitter, Facebook and the nonprofit organization's
blog (austinfoodbank.word

press.com). Food bank supporters added the information to their
Twitter accounts, Facebook pages and blogs. So did their friends.

Food Bank staffers figured that it would take about a month to get a
mass amount of signatures.

It took six hours. In less than a day, Web readers had scored the
group 35,000 pounds of protein products. That's the equivalent of
43,750 meals.

"The local social media community has really embraced the food bank
and become a champion for us," spokeswoman Kerri Qunell said. "With
the Tyson blog challenge, they helped us accomplish in six hours what
traditionally might have taken days or even months."

These days, nonprofit groups are linked into social media more than
ever before. They use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and MySpace. They've
refined their blogs, adding new technology and clarifying their
message.

But do those outlets actually attract more donations, increase name
recognition and lure more supporters?

Obviously, they can. The key is setting reasonable expectations for
what each medium can provide, said Thon Morse, president of Kimbia, an
Austin software company that develops online fundraising technology.

"There are all these things you want to do, but some are more
appropriate than others," Morse said.

Every day, millions of people hit the Web to catch up with friends and
tell the world what they're doing. Facebook and MySpace each have more
than 100 million active users. Twitter is thought to have more than 1
million users.

"A lot of nonprofits want to know, 'How do I use this to make money?'
" Morse said. "The question really is, 'How do I reach people?' "

KLRU is a good example of how social media can work well, Morse said.

The public television station uses Twitter to tell people what's on
the air. Its blog provides the whole schedule and a prominent donation
button, as does its main Web site. Its MySpace page includes video of
its shows, as does its YouTube site.

Meanwhile, during pledge times, the station places an on-screen Web
address that allows viewers to donate money to the show airing at that
moment. Those combined efforts are designed to generate buzz about the
nonprofit organization, which can make fundraising easier.

"The idea is not just doing e-mails that point people to one spot,"
said Gary Thompson, an Austin business strategist for social commerce
and social media. "It's about harnessing a large network of folks."

In December, KLRU (www.klru.org) raised 10 to 12 percent of its money
through the Internet, said Shane Guiter, the station's membership
director. In March, after installing donation-friendly software on its
Web media, that figure jumped to 29 percent. Plus, the station
exceeded its fundraising goal.

Guiter attributes the overall success, at least in part, to the
additional fundraising power of social media and the general growth of
online giving.

But the station can't rely solely on Facebook and MySpace to make its
money, he said. It still hosts on-air pledge drives, sends e-mails and
mails fundraising letters.

"It's about integrating all our fundraising efforts together," Guiter
said. "We don't need to raise $1 million from Twitter because we're
doing many, many things."

ab...@statesman.com; 912-2506