Social media can help small nonprofits compete with big brand organisations, says Nick Allen
Howard Lake | 7 May 2010 | News
“Small nonprofits can and must compete with big name-brand NGOs in raising millions through online and social media.”
This will be the call to action from Nick Allen, chief strategy officer at US online fundraising agency Donordigital, in his opening plenary at IFC Online 2010, next week’s virtual fundraising conference from the Resource Alliance.
Outlining his plenary, Allen said: “In disasters like the South Asian tsunami, the U.S. Gulf Coast Hurricane Katrina, and now Haiti, the Internet and mobile phones enabled people almost everywhere to respond quickly, without waiting to get a direct mail appeal or a phone call. Donors are familiar with and open to this type of fundraising.”
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Although the bigger, better-known nonprofits and charities raised the most, Allen will talk about how small organisations and Internet savvy individuals and their Facebook and Twitter contacts raised millions for Haiti causes through web, e-mail, and social media. He will argue that social media works for many different kinds of organisations, not just those involved in international disaster relief, and explain how small organisations can translate the same techniques for their own local causes.
“If you’re a local animal welfare organisation, are you inviting your supporters to become fans (like you) on Facebook?” he asks.
“And are you updating your Facebook page or blogging when you get a new dog or cat, launch a new programme, or hire a new veterinarian? Are you collecting the email address and mobile number of every volunteer, client, event participant, and keeping them updated on your work and your needs via email or Twitter, or thanking them with an SMS?”
IFC Online 2010 takes place on 11-13 May 2010. It offers an opportunity for not-for-profit organisations, wherever they are based in the world, to access the latest developments, techniques and trends in digital fundraising and to gain a good understanding of online donor behaviour.
The cost to attend IFC Online is $US279 (€206 or £180) per organisation’s delegate site. Multiple staff or volunteers from each organisation can attend the conference on a single registration pass, providing that they share access from one central location, such as a meeting room or auditorium.
The first IFC Online last year was attended by an estimated total of 1,800 delegates from over 400 sites in 42 countries across the developed and developing world. The event was particularly popular in the US, attracting 58% of delegates.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.