I recently spoke with someone who had to close-down a nonprofit organization because of a financial crisis they just couldn’t overcome. “The crisis just hit us so suddenly”, this person said. “If we only had time to put together a fundraising campaign I’m sure people would have responded, but we just didn’t have time”.
That got me thinking about the potential speed of fundraising today. Could a well-executed social media fundraising campaign have saved this organization?
The fastest way to do crisis fundraising, of course, is to get on the phone to board members who have the capacity to write a check on the spot. But a mass market campaign takes time to execute. Or does it?
I actually think in many ways social media is particularly well-suited to take advantage of a sense of urgency to achieve emergency fundraising goals. Part of what makes social media unique is the speed with which individuals can tap their personal network: if there’s something that I think is incredibly important, I can reach my entire Facebook and LinkedIn networks (500+ people) with a few clicks. If you reach just 1,000 people like me and incite us to action, then your message can reach hundreds of thousands of individuals within a matter of hours (or even minutes). That’s precisely what makes social media so unique.
The keys to making this work are (1) As always, make the message clear, urgent, and compelling; (2) Get that message out to well-connected people with a direct “ask” for donations and for them to help you to spread the word; (3) lower the “giving friction” with an online donation processing method that makes it incredibly easy for people to donate.
Recent disasters (e.g. the Haiti earthquake) have actually raised more money than charities could effectively use, proving that people respond to urgent fundraising campaigns, through 21st century media.
Now, don’t be like the boy who cried wolf – don’t go launching “emergency” fundraising campaigns every week. But do remember that instilling a sense of urgency, with a clear-cut, tangible goal, can be very effective in fundraising, and that social media is particularly efficient for getting your message out quickly – especially when you include low-friction methods for individuals to respond to your call to action.
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