What was once a bastion for teens and the tech-savvy to share photos of their feet at the beach, food porn and tall buildings shot from interesting angles, Instagram has now attracted a new set of users – politicians. According to The Hill’s Twitter Room, Congressmen and women are now jumping on the Instagram bandwagon. Since being acquired by Facebook …
Nonprofits, social media and fundraising: #GivingTuesday is a few of my favorite things
I know you’ve heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. To most, these are revered celebrations of online consumerism and the chance to stomp on strangers for the lowest priced television. In response to this, but also as a great idea in and of itself, #GivingTuesday has been embraced by the nonprofit and philanthropic world as an alternative to the …
How Groupon and LivingSocial are raising millions for charity using social media
Daily Deal sites have been getting slammed in the press, in the stock market and from businesses who claim they are destroying certain industries. The pros of using a Daily Deal site to grow your business, attract new customers and create social media buzz are many. But the cons are numerous as well. What if Daily Deal sites could be used for good – to collect donations …
It’s All About The Images, Baby – Pinterest and Instagram for Nonprofits
I decided today that I want to focus more of my time helping nonprofits understand, embrace and harness the power of images. The idea of visual storytelling is certainly nothing new or ground-breaking. Leaders in the nonprofit and social media field have been writing about it for years. It seems to me an indisputable fact – the nonprofit organizations that …
Pinning for Good: How UNICEF Uses Pinterest to Raise Awareness and Raise Funds
If you are like me, you have become hopelessly addicted to Pinterest. The uses, both personal and for business, are endless. Pin expensive, sparkly shoes and bags! Pin ideas for your Christmas party! Pin ideas for your child’s bedroom! Pin blog articles! Pin inspiring quotes! On the surface, Pinterest seems pretty shallow – an extension of our rampant consumerism. It …
How to Find and Engage Your Biggest Online Supporters – Part 3 of 3
Did you miss the first 2 posts in this series? Click to read Part 1 and Part 2. In the past two weeks, I’ve blogged about ways that you and your organization can find your biggest online supporters, as well as ways that you can engage them to spread the word about your cause. Today I will discuss the last, but most important, step in building relationships …
What do your donors experience when they give? #BeYourDonor
When speaking to nonprofit professionals, I always give them this one piece of advice: Make a donation to your own nonprofit, either online or via a check in the mail. Then see what happens. Do you get an acknowledgement? A letter? An email? A phone call? Or do you get a symphony of crickets? A must-read report was recently released …
How to Find and Engage Your Biggest Online Supporters – Part 2 of 3
Did you miss Part 1? Click here to read it! Last week I discussed ways that you and your organization can find your biggest online supporters, also called Brand Ambassadors. So now, hopefully, you’ve found some online supporters that are ready and willing to spread the word about your cause, your event and/or your fundraising campaign. What do you do with them? 1) …
How to Find and Engage Your Biggest Online Supporters – Part 1 of 3
The truth remains that even in the rapid-fire world of technology, the Internet, social media and mobile tools, the most effective form of fundraising is still the personal ask. People will not support your organization and your cause if they are not given a compelling reason to do so. And what better reason than because a beloved relative or trusted friend has asked them to? Consider …