Everyone's debating the effectiveness of social networking tools for fundraising campaigns. A new social networking site, Razoo, seems to want to cut to chase: they're going to give $10,000 to a nonprofit organization that signs up at least 100 new members by September 15th. And it's not just a numbers game, as the winning nonprofit organization will actually be selected from the community based on their social change projects. Here's more from their site:

"Any social change organization that creates a Razoo Group and recruits at least 100 members to join by September 15th will be entered into the Change Your World Contest. The Razoo community will then vote for its favorite organization to select the winner of the contest. The prize is a $10,000 donation to your organization, and a high-profile online campaign built around your issues and work."

You can find out more about the contest here.

It's about you.  That's what's important to remember about harnessing the power of Web 2.0 for social change - and fundraising for your organization. 

This week NTEN hosted a webinar, What Kevin Bacon Knows about Web 2.0: Six Degrees of Person-to-Person Fundraising, that demonstrated the tools available to individuals and organizations to turn everyone into a celebrity fundraiser.

Dan McQuillan, Amnesty, a friend and colleague in London, UK, was inspired by an NTEN post a while back on Social Networks Redux, and wrote this:

It's hardly a surprise that large NGO's are starting to experiment with social networks, given the sheer numbers of people using them and their high media profile. But, judging by comments on the eCampaigning Forum wiki , there's some uncertainty about how non-profits should approach social networks, and especially how to get an effective return for the time that has to be invested in these relationship-spaces. NGOs are also anxious about the loss of control - in a participative space, what happens to the brand and the carefully crafted messaging?