Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Reaching Out to People Surfing for Charities

Obtaining working e-mail addresses is only one component of building an active base of online donors. Regardless of how many names you already have, you want to reach out to as many potential donors as possible.

Fortunately, a growing online trend is opening the door to millions of socially conscious Internet users. Social networking is a form of socializing through virtual communities. Some of the most recognizable social networking sites started with a focus toward entertainment, dating, and fostering friendships. Today, however, many social networking sites, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, have a much wider audience and are often used for business (and nonprofit!) purposes. Even so, a derivative group of social networking sites is geared toward charitable giving and philanthropy in general. These sites connect individuals, or large groups, who share an interest in various causes. In addition to highlighting current nonprofit news and topics of interest, members can share their experiences in community message boards. Social networking sites also allow members to create their own personal pages (for free) to discuss the causes in which they're active, to create and circulate online petitions, to donate to featured organizations, and to learn about different types of nonprofits.

Check out the sites in this list:

• Care2: With more than 16 million members, Care2 (www.Care2.com) is one of a growing number of sites that are proliferating ...