There’s no doubt about it: social networking has become an integral part of doing business- generating more buzz—and in some cases more sales—for practices worldwide. Yet a recent survey sponsored by NTEN, Common Knowledge and ThePort indicates that while for-profit business ventures are starting to use social networking platforms as a significant means of building revenue, nonprofit organizations rely on them much less and for different reasons.
Among the most popular social networks used by survey respondents—including Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, Change.org and YouTube—only Facebook and MySpace were used by nonprofits to generate $10,000 or more annually in fundraising revenue with just 1.2 percent of survey respondents falling into this category. Although this is a recently rising phenomenon, so far most nonprofits are bringing in less than $500 a year via their social networking profiles.
So why aren’t nonprofits thriving on social networking sites? The truth is they are; while they may not be multiplying their dollar intake, they are creating other powerful forms of support for their cause.
Though little direct fundraising happens on social networks, most members of the nonprofit community are becoming cognizant of their value as prospect generators. The power of social networks for non-profits is in engagement. Organizations can engage interest groups in further dialogue for their cause and track interest levels not by the amount of money received but by the number of contacts they create.
For example, when a nonprofit organization has its own Facebook page, they can use the “Causes” application to invite friends to publicize materials on their own profile. Individuals can add a virtual billboard to their profile page indicating their support. Camfed, a 501(3)c nonprofit organization working to provide education and opportunities to African women, has 321, 389 members on their Facebook Cause page at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/72910?m=5e8b17e0. The number of supporters increases every few minutes. Even if half this number invite five friends to the cause, that’s over eight million people who are now aware of this mission.
Note that while their overall donations amount to almost $130,000, Camfed is currently requesting donations to raise a mere $800 from their Facebook community for a specific project. Non-profits tend to focus on high-value donations but sites like Facebook and MySpace instead offer a large number of people the opportunity to donate small amounts and volunteer their time or spread the word.
The Humane Society is another great example of a nonprofit organization using social media to generate interest. Their profiles include videos, polls, blogs, and more. Explore their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/thehumanesociety
Of those surveyed with no presence on social networks, 44.3 percent site a lack of expertise and 20.5 percent specified lack of budget as the reason. Just 13.1 percent indicated that they did not believe that having a presence on social networks was a good use of funds. Most nonprofits are aware of the power of social networking but feel that it takes a degree of skill and time to manage. They’re right. However, all signs indicate that this is not a fad and that new technologies will make it even easier to build a social network.
For now, many nonprofit organizations are using social networking to enhance their relationships with established connections and discover new supporters outside the traditional demographic. As Sean Parker, who helped create the Facebook Causes application insists, “If you can activate a group of people and get some of those people to replicate the process, you’ve got the basis for a movement.”
By Shea Bergesen for 10percentsolution.com
