Nonprofit Fundraising 101

Chapter 17 Social Media and Crowdfunding for Your Cause

“We’ve entered a world where everyone is smarter than anyone.”

—Anonymous

Introduction

Social media is changing the way we interact with each other and with the causes we care about. People of all ages and generations are using social media to connect with nonprofits in unprecedented ways: identifying new causes to support, tapping their social networks to raise money on their behalf, and actively engaging them in dialogue. Facebook is now the equivalent of the world’s third largest country—almost a billion and a half people logged on in the last 30 days, including 71 percent of American adults, according to Pew Research—and it’s not just “the kids” who are tuning in. In fact, women over the age of 45 are Facebook’s fastest growing audience.

By embracing social media and meeting people where they’re at, nonprofits can take advantage of the huge opportunities the digital landscape provides to attract and engage supporters, while generating tremendous exposure for your cause. Without a robust social media strategy and audience, your organization will never have its own ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which tripled a nonprofit’s annual budget in just eight weeks, nor a Kony2012 video, which reached 100 million viewers on YouTube faster than any video in history and was produced by a small nonprofit in San Diego. Moreover, you will miss out on a vital opportunity to deeply engage younger generations who will become future donors. ...