As Location is to Real Estate, Timing is to Social Media
Kim Cubine, Adams Hussey & Associates
[Ed. note: This article is part of NTEN's Member Appreciation Month spectacular. The most popular pieces will be featured in our newsletter. You can read all the details here.]
The nonprofit industry is all abuzz about social network - is the buzz worthy?
First, My Space and the lesser known Friendster were hot. Soon Second Life became the rage and then My Space exploded on the scene. And most recently everyone is all atwitter about, well, Twitter. But very few organizations have been successful using Social Networks to raise money in the past few years.
But is that about to change?
Yes, for those groups who are prepared and already engaged. In recent months two clients have had tremendous success raising funds through Facebook and Twitter. In addition to adding nearly 100,000 new supporters!
For years we have been working with clients to keep their social network presence updated and their content fresh and interesting. And it has finally paid off for two hard working nonprofits.
The organizations have unrelated missions,
the experience in the social network sites completely opposite – one
is a veteran user with a dedicated staff member and the other group
established their presence at the beginning of the summer.
Group #1 - When a tragedy struck that severely affected the core of their mission, their base looked to the organization to react and for a way to get involved. A low dollar premium was offered that tied directly to the issue. Wristbands were sold online and advertised on the Facebook and discussed on Twitter. The organization sold out of wristbands within the first week of the campaign. To increase the national visibility each wristband contained a code and donors went online and entered their code and a map was featured on the website which highlighted the nationwide support and commitment. This campaign produced double the budgeted results and was rolled out to the phones and direct mail campaigns. 78% of the online donations and from the social media alerts were from first time donors to the organization – not too shabby.
Group #2 - Capitalizing quickly on a hot issue as soon as it happens has big pay-offs, but maintaining that momentum is critical to maximizing results. This organization had a very public fight over budget cuts that would force closing of many state parks.
The organization leadership was committed to acting fast and engaging right away. Their commitment and foresight paid off. Within one week this group was able to execute a successful full scale multi-channel strategy to fight this budget crisis head on.
Facebook and Twitter campaigns were
bolstered by traditional media and the viral campaign took off. The
Facebook fan base grew 10 fold in the first 4 days of the campaign and
to date has grown to over 90 times its initial size. This social networking
engagement has garnered over 600 new members all on its own, many of
whom joined at over $100 each. The paid membership file has grown by
over 10% in two months and the email file has more than tripled.
So it’s true – social networking can be successful fundraising tool. When the opportunity arises find the best places online for your organization – where your supporters already are – and when an issue pops, timing, engagement opportunities and multi-channel integration can help you add another exciting tool into your fundraising tool box.
