Social Misfits Media publishes guide to fundraising on social media
Howard Lake | 25 November 2014 | News
“Friends with Money: a guide to #fundraising on #socialmedia” is a new free publication from Social Misfits Media. It’s the third in a series of practical guides for charities large and small, featuring case studies and advice for charities from some major technology companies including Facebook and Google.
The 34-page guide aims to help charities and social enterprises in the UK move beyond thinking of “fundraising on social media as simply asking their followers for donations – the digital equivalent of shaking a bucket”.
Produced in association with social giving platform JustGiving, it features four case studies, and five pages of practical resources.
It begins by reporting that in 2013 £2.4 billion was donated online in the UK, according to research for mobile operator Three. Yet fundraising on social media channels is still unrealised for many charities. The report cites research by Blackbaud in June 2014 that revealed “only 2% of US nonprofits raised between $10,000 and $25,000 USD on Facebook in one year, and only 1% generated between $25,000 and $100,000 USD”.
Social Misfits Media recommend charities see social media tools as offering four key opportunities to fundraisers:
1. identification
2. cultivation
3. solicitation
4. acknowledgement
It concludes its introduction saying:
“By providing social media toolkits, engaging with your fundraisers on social media and encouraging them to share pictures, videos and blogs about their experience, you’ll be reaching new potential supporters at an exponential rate. You’ll be identifying new prospects with whom you can start the fundraising cycle all over again”.
Case studies
The case studies feature Rotary Global Swimarathon, Child’s i Foundation, Cancer Research UK and Cystic Fibrosis Ireland. Each is designed to exemplify the four key opportunities and stages in digital fundraising already mentioned.
Each appears with “three takeaways” in which Social Misfits share important lessons for other charities.
In the case of the Grantham Rotary Club’s success with the Swimarathon, for example, they point to the importance of searching for and finding key ‘interest indicators’ (like-mind people who are potential supporters), and tapping into existing networks.
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Interviews
Friends with Money features interviews with staff at major technology companies, namely:
* Lauren Van Horn, Strategic Partnerships, Facebook
* Claire Díaz-Ortiz, Head of Social Innovation, Twitter
* Charles Wells, Chief Marketing Officer, JustGiving
* Isobel Kenyon, Planning Manager, JustTextGiving by Vodafone
They are asked questions such as:
- What unique opportunities does Facebook give fundraisers that other platforms do not?
- How can people go above and beyond to say thanks to donors and supporters?
- What nonprofits have you seen using Twitter creatively and strategically to nurture relationships with their people – donors, staff, volunteers, or beneficiaries?
- How can Twitter Analytics help organisations measure and analyse the effectiveness of their messaging or campaigns?
- Is JustGiving only about the transaction – the back end of getting money from someone’s account into the hands of the charity?
- Where does mobile giving fit into the social media landscape?
Resources for fundraisers
JustGiving statistics 2013-14 in Friends with Money by Social Misfits (November 2014)
The final section includes advice from JustGiving on fundraising on social media on a shoestring, an array of statistics on how people are using JustGiving together with Facebook and Twitter, and a one-page checklist for online fundraising using the four-stage process highlighted above.
There is also a further reading list, linking to the charity-related services or content on the major social media channels plus other relevant blogs and resources, including UK Fundraising.
You can download ‘Friends with Money: a guide to #fundraising on #socialmedia‘ for free in PDF. Free registration is required.
Other publications in the series
Social Misfits Media has produced two other guides in the series:
* About That First Tweet
* Something to Tweet About
Launch of the report
The report was launched at JustGiving on 25 November 2014.
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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.