Network for Good has released a new study, "The Wired Fundraiser: How technology is making fundraising 'good to go'" (PDF). Based largely on Network for Good's experience (and data) from offering some of the first charity widgets, the key findings are, in brief:

• When Wired Fundraisers Talk, People Listen: The messenger matters even more than the message.
• Not Every Wired Fundraiser Is a Champion: The successful Wired Fundraiser has a relatively rare combination of true passion and a means to lend a sense of urgency to their cause.
• Technology Makes a Difference: Widgets and social networks make existing personal fundraisers more effective.
• Smart Charities Embrace the Wired Fundraiser: And they find their own, “inner” Wired Fundraiser.

In an examination of the 2nd point, authors Katya Andresen and Stacie Mann bring up the importance of a catalyst. Wired fundraisers often have catalyzing moments in their lives, providing them with the passion and the personal story that can make them effective boosters for a cause. But events in the world-at-large can also jump-start a fundraising drive:

[An] example of a catalyzing event was when the Michael Vick dog abuse case dominated the headlines. Soon after this news broke, animal rescue organizations were among the most successful users of Six Degrees charity badges, blanketing MySpace, their websites and email inboxes of people concerned about animal rights with their message. Five of the top six fundraisers in August and September 2007 represented dog rescue groups.

Given the ease and speed with which fundraising widgets can now be deployed -- another key point of the study -- the occasional excesses of the media can be used to engage, or even create, a constituency. While it's not technically a widget, a Facebook Cause raising money in relief of the wildfires in SoCal has already collected more than $5,000 for the American Red Cross. And study co-author Katya Andresen points to another example created with code provided by the Network for Good.

Disaster relief is one thing, turning these flash-point donors into sustainers something else entirely. The report's authors do us a favor, then, by ending with a list of suggestions to wired fundraisers and charities alike. It's well worth a read. (PDF)