Use Social Media to Help Boost Your Fundraising Efforts

3 Reasons Social Media is the Hottest Trend in Fundraising

If you’re using VolunteerSpot to organize your fundraisers and events, you’re already embracing the biggest trend in fundraising. Want to ramp up the dollars coming in without increasing the volunteer workload? Try Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media platform where your volunteers and their friends and family are active. The word-of-mouth marketing power of online social networks translates to new sources and increased donations for your school or charity.

Here's why:

- 24/7 Access to your audience

Just like VolunteerSpot, Facebook and other social networks are always on, and always working to help you achieve your fundraising goals at any time. It’s a lot more convenient to click a link to make a donation online than it is to open a door at dinner time and make a decision about peanut butter crunch vs. snickerdoodle cookie dough. The trick is pushing the message out over and over. People need to hear or see something multiple times before they really hear or see it.

- Can you say viral?

Remember that old Faberge shampoo commercial? “She’ll tell two friends, and she’ll tell two friends, and so on, and so on…” That’s the power of social media! Forward a link to your school and personal networks and ask those contacts to do the same. To up the odds that your links get clicked, use a site like PicMonkey to create a cute graphics with text that attracts the eye and send a clear, actionable message.Try a Facebook ad to increase exposure, too. Ads can be purchased for as little as $5 and significantly improve the odds of your post getting the attention it deserves.

- 6 Degrees of separation

You never know who your people know. Not all schools and non-profits are lucky enough to have an established, supportive donor base. A lot of donations trickle in $10, $20, $50 at a time. Using social media can quickly multiply those small amounts. However, online networks can also introduce your cause to others outside the direct circle of supporters. Someone’s long lost high school pal might just have cash on hand and the need for a healthy tax deduction.

Bottom line: Social media is an easy, inexpensive, and effective way to boost your bottom line. So get to posting!