Charity: Using the Power of Social Networking for Good

Social networking isn’t just for the young crowd any more. What started as a fad for teenagers and university students, social networking websites are becoming increasingly popular among people of all ages. Now, even charity and non-profit organizations are beginning to understand its power. Hundreds of charities have profiles on Facebook. The ability to reach far and wide through the Internet enables donations not only from local residents, but also from across the country and indeed the world. Social networking websites such as LinkedIn, MySpace and Facebook allow both individuals and groups to connect with each other through blogs, internet messages & website discussion and forum boards.
While searching for the benefits of social networking for society, I found very interesting articles on how social networking has proved to be a boon for not-for-profit organizations. Check out the links below to get a flavour of it:
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/related_reports/social_entrepreneurs/article6267010.ece
http://www.tictocfamily.com/articles/520_charities-making-the-most-of-social-networking
Charities have gradually evolved from the costly and taxing methods of sending direct mails, telephoning etc. to free-of-cost registrations and increased connection on social networking websites. These websites are free to join and most receive tens of thousands of visitors a day in both first-time and return visitors, allowing charities and organizations to spread their message and disseminate information without spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on the old-fashioned mail campaigns. And as more and more users connect using social networks, the more sense it makes for non-profit groups to follow. As stated in the Tic Toc Family article listed above, an excellent example of this is the success of “Dogs Trust” on Twitter. And many more are following the same path.
Social network websites also give these organizations an opportunity to upload photographs & videos helping them attract potential donors who are otherwise too busy or too lazy to read printed material. Another benefit of this increased visibility for organisations is the enhanced ability to connect with the youth who are otherwise not likely to bother themselves with philanthropic activities.
Charity blogging has also seen a big growth in recent times. Oxfam has its own blog on MySpace, while visitors to Second Life, Actionaid's networking site, can tour World Wildlife Fund's virtual conservation island. The links to these organisations’ blogs on social networking sites are also prominently displayed on their own website homepages, a sign of the increasing importance of social networking for these organisations.
There are a good number of instances of people using different social networking media on the internet to benefit charities. They're finding unique ways to raise money, things that have never been tried or even thought of before. My favourite example (from Mr. Evengelista's article) was how money was raised by selling a virtual crop on the popular Facebook game Farmville. Companies like Haagen-Dazs and people like Perez Hilton are pitching in to help.
However, there is still a big scope for non-profit organizations to expand and take advantage of this platform for future fundraising. Only a very small fraction of the potential of social networking has been harnessed. Although some charities and social causes have worked a lot with social media, they have not raised money in the same proportion. Things like recession and thinner wallet size sometimes create hurdles in the willingness of the people to support charities. Also, with the innumerable number of requests, games etc. coming to the users on social networking websites, they ignore charities’ voices without even giving them a thought. But we can still do a lot to help our favourite charities or causes we are passionate about through social media. The article below throws light on the way we can do this
http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/apr2009/pi20090424_937451.htm
Also have a look at this example of a new charity website (Charity Walks) below to see how these non-profit organizations are adapting to the latest trend of fundraising i.e. Social Networking.
http://www.everydaygivingblog.com/2009/11/new-social-network-to-support-charity-walks.html
Social media is about connecting people and providing the tools necessary to have a conversation. That global conversation is an extremely powerful platform for spreading information and awareness about social causes and issues. That’s the reason why charities can benefit so greatly from being active on social media channels.