Perpetual Giving

Earlier this week I stumbled across a fascinating infographic which mapped the impact of social media upon charitable fundraising.  Some of the most remarkable figures were:

·         98% of non-profit organisations utilised Facebook, 74% were on Twitter, and 66% used YouTube.

·         Online presence translates into massively increased donations. Organisations which used Twitter raised more than 10 times the amount of those that didn’t.

·         One Facebook like equates to around NZ$190 in fundraising revenue.

·         And if people see that their friends on a social media site have donated, 39% would donate as well. 

Facebook has done a lot to facilitate the giving of donations on its website, by allowing charities to have a ‘Donate’ button.

The platforms for giving are growing too. Think of crowd-funding sites such as GoFundMe or Givealittle (for New Zealanders). These websites allow people and organisations to share their story online and collect online donations. GoFundMe is the biggest crowd-funding site in the world, and specialises in helping people cope with personal causes and life-events. $25 million is raised each month by its users for a variety of causes. Another crowd-funder, JustGiving has raised 2.6 billion since its inception in 2000. That’s impressive.

I think all these trends speak volumes about the viral nature of social media, and also the importance that charities tap into these tools to maximise their fundraising. The best ways to guarantee social media success are:

·         Come up with a detailed social media strategy

·         Make social media a priority – post high-quality content regularly

·         And dedicating a position specifically to social media


View the full 'Social Giving' infographic here. http://ow.ly/v0XJq