Social media connects people like never before. With the average person spending 13 hours a week online, it's not hard to imagine why.
Being able to distribute information globally at the click of a mouse empowers advocates to quickly raise awareness and funds on a shoestring budget.
In February 2009, more than 200 cities around the world held Twestivals, which rallied the Twitter community together for an evening to raise money and awareness for charity: water. In total, they raised about US$250,000 and were able to provide clean water for over 17,000 people by using Twitter as their primary tool with additional information on Vimeo and Facebook.
According to a study by NetWitsThinkTank, an online resource for nonprofits, fundraisers who adopted integrated social media tools increased their fundraising by as much as 40 percent compared to their peers who weren’t using the available online tools.
The results are clear, online fundraising is clearly more successful and far-reaching than traditional fundraising techniques – and with more immediate impact.
30 October, 2011
29 October, 2011
How youth are giving back
According to a study by World Vision, an international relief and development group, "eighty percent of teens use social media and 44 percent say they’ve become more aware of the needs of others as a result of their use of social media like Facebook and Twitter. Furthermore, "34 percent “friend”, “like” or “follow” charitable organizations or causes they believe in."
In an age where fundraising income has dramatically decreased, I think it's safe to say public awareness about charitable causes has greatly increased with the advent of the internet and social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The Internet Generation and Millenials are generations who can spread news like wildfire using a tool even more powerful than their debit card: their social networking account.
Social media has empowered younger generations to have influence and a platform to contribute to good causes, even if they don't make a ton of dough, have a famous name or a prestigious diploma. In the twenty-first century, all it takes to make positive change overnight is a Wi-Fi connection, a Mac and a message.
Disclosure:
In the interest of full disclosure, I must state that I am employed by a company in the humanitarian and relief sector, however, my blog posts are not related in any specific way to my job, nor do they or will they convey proprietary information or necessarily convey the views of my employer. Advocacy and volunteering for non-profit is my passion both professionally and personally, but this blog does not relate to my professional job.
In an age where fundraising income has dramatically decreased, I think it's safe to say public awareness about charitable causes has greatly increased with the advent of the internet and social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The Internet Generation and Millenials are generations who can spread news like wildfire using a tool even more powerful than their debit card: their social networking account.
Social media has empowered younger generations to have influence and a platform to contribute to good causes, even if they don't make a ton of dough, have a famous name or a prestigious diploma. In the twenty-first century, all it takes to make positive change overnight is a Wi-Fi connection, a Mac and a message.
Disclosure:
In the interest of full disclosure, I must state that I am employed by a company in the humanitarian and relief sector, however, my blog posts are not related in any specific way to my job, nor do they or will they convey proprietary information or necessarily convey the views of my employer. Advocacy and volunteering for non-profit is my passion both professionally and personally, but this blog does not relate to my professional job.
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