I highly recommend Bill Shore’s (Founder of Share our Strength) book, The Cathedral Within, where he talks about  moving beyond hand to mouth fundraising (annual fund, small donations) and truly invest in our communities, people and organizations to make a difference by changing the way we position our organizations and ask for money.

Nonprofits change lives and save lives.  Nonprofit work and the people/communities they support are worth more than $10. Social media needs to be a part of an overall marketing strategy – not an end unto itself. Tweetathons are points of entry for donors – how we engage them BEFORE they make their gift determines how much they will engage in giving AND thus engage others. Fundraising is not effective if we only ask for money and don’t educate and inform.

Let’s make it big – ask for what we want and need and get it to make a difference in the world for our friends, neighbors, communities. Because through that effort, we can change the world and must believe this is true – or there is no hope.

–Make social media an integral part of communications and marketing for any nonprofit.  Social media experts can work hand in hand with professional fundraisers to nonprofits to help them build a social media presence within the human and financial resources they have BEFORE they launch an online effort. 

–Create a social media campaign around each charity BEFORE the fundraising starts. Create the buzz of awareness for their current supporters and prospects out in the world you are giving them access to.

–Ask for what you want – $10 may be too little. In some donors minds they ask, “What could an organization do with $10?”  Equate the ask to something the charity can do with the donation.  

–People give to people – Social media folk have the ability to raise significant funds from their networks by helping raise awareness and money.  Make sure the organizations are able, have the skills and willingness to rally their supporters in the same way.