[Ed. Note: As you probably know, the Case Foundation, together with Facebook Causes and Parade magazine, is going to award $750,000 to charity. To help illuminate the process and generate discussion and ideas, the NTEN Connect Blog will be posting occasional updates from actual participants in the Challenges. You may want to read Ruby's first post, as well.]

Ruby Sinreich, Fellowship of Reconciliation

First, an update: My attention to Facebook recruiting fell off during the holidays and has not recovered much since. In addition, the realization that we not going to win any prizes has been demotivational. Our cause, "Peace and Justice through Nonviolence", is now up to 81 members and $235 in donations. As Beth Kanter recently pointed out, social networks are often not as effective for fundraising as they are for awareness raising.

This week, I bring you some advice for marketing your cause on Facebook, or anywhere else: Write a personal note!

M+R Strategic Services is running a survey polling nonprofits about online monthly giving programs. If your organization solicits sustainer/recurring donations online, they'd like to hear from you. The survey is only a few pages long, and should take about 5 minutes to complete. You can help them out by taking the survey at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=1AWjY7_2buxf0pYSQ4X8kOYw_3d_3d

All individual answers will be kept confidential. Results will be shared in M+R’s upcoming study, which will include the survey results, along with data they've gathered about online monthly giving metrics. They expect to publish the study in early November.

More than 1,000 fundraisers will be convening in Washington, DC at the 2007 Bridge to Integrated Marketing & Fundraising Conference , July 8-10, 2007, at the Hilton Washington. NTEN is the educational partner at the conference, featuring several tracks focused on online fundraising and using technology in development. We are honored to share our network's vast expertise in using technology and the web in fundraising with the Washington DC AFP community.

Growth in online giving has seen a surge: $6.87 billion was donated online in the US in 2006, a 51% increase over 2005, driven by significant increases in online giving for both small and large organizations and the unprecedented use of the Internet by individuals for non-disaster and disaster support efforts.

“The Internet is fundamentally changing the way people connect with causes and is forcing organizations to re-think the traditional models for communication and fundraising,” said Gene Austin, CEO, Convio, Inc.

While online giving is still small overall, there is steep growth. A surge of interest in philanthropy and civic engagement, with people of all ages online, presents a huge opportunity. Generations X and M -- younger people -- are the next generation of donors. They have money and they're online. Smart nonprofit organizations that want to further their causes go to where their donors are. And they are online.

A joint press release can be found here. NTEN members interested in attending the conference are eligible for a significant member discount.