fundraisingonline's posterous http://fundraisingonline.posterous.com Most recent posts at fundraisingonline's posterous posterous.com Mon, 23 May 2011 15:53:00 -0700 Twitter Fundraising is Changing the Way Fundraisers Connect with Donors http://fundraisingonline.posterous.com/twitter-fundraising-is-changing-the-way-fundr http://fundraisingonline.posterous.com/twitter-fundraising-is-changing-the-way-fundr

Fundraisers are beginning to tap into the potential Twitter has to offer by connecting with people and developing relationships that matter.  Fundraisers can converse with potential donors, exchange ideas, listen to feedback and change the way they approach fundraising.  Twitter is a real-time people driven information network that connects you to the latest information about what you find relevant and interesting: a tool vital to fundraisers that want to raise money fast and effectively.

Before Twitter fundraising and social media, connecting with a global donor base was next to impossible, unless you had unlimited access to capital, or you were Michael Jackson.  Now, Twitter can bring your cause to a global audience all for free.  

Twitter creates an environment similar to your local neighborhood.  Next-door neighbors chat about the weather, politics; issues that matter to them.  The same conversations form naturally on Twitter.  It acts as a forum of ideas and promotes intimacy amongst people who would never have met.  A follower can respond to a tweet by a favorite musician and develop a dialogue with someone he’s admired for years.

Before social media a picture of Twitter on the street might look something like this: Type 140 characters, in large font, on a sandwich board and place it over your shoulders.  Pick a busy area like Times Square in New York – which doesn’t even come close to the numbers of people on Twitter today – and walk around with the hope that someone will read your message and choose to engage the guy walking around Times Square with the sandwich board on his chest.

Now that the sandwich board is virtual, the possibilities are considerable: ask questions, connect with interesting people, promote causes and websites, share links, swap news stories, raise donor awareness and recruit volunteers.  Twitter fundraisers give non-profit, political and community fundraisers instant access to all of these tools in the few minutes it takes to sign up.

You can use tools like TwitterFeed to automatically broadcast your blog posts over Twitter updating your followers automatically.  If a follower likes your post they can retweet your posts.  Tweeting and retweeting become infectious as others promote your cause.

In conjunction with Twitter, online fundraising platforms have developed to maximize the potential of a connected world.  People using social media are most often found on more than one platform.  Twitter users have accounts with Facebook and LinkedIn and engage in Internet forums, weblogs, social blogs, microblogging, wikis, and podcasts.  Online fundraising platforms create fundraising campaigns that connect all the different forms of social media.  And like Twitter, it’s all for free.

Twitter can help your cause further by:

  • People across the globe can be informed of your cause with a click of the mouse
  • Twitter is succinct, people voice their opinions keeping you up to date about what they are thinking
  • Follow other fundraisers to share ideas and receive real-time advice
  • Twitter gives you the tools to promote your website and cause

Virtual communities are developing every second and the world of interconnectedness positions the smart fundraiser to capitalize on its unlimited potential.  Twitter and online fundraising platforms are bringing the world to your doorstep and many in the world, are interested in social good.  Try connecting today.

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Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:52:00 -0700 Plays Well With Others: Socializing Your Fundraising Campaign http://fundraisingonline.posterous.com/plays-well-with-others-socializing-your-fundr http://fundraisingonline.posterous.com/plays-well-with-others-socializing-your-fundr

Often it feels as though something hasn’t happened until it’s happened online. And that’s as true for your fundraising efforts as it is for relationship statuses and your baby’s milestones (in excessive detail). People live almost every aspect of their lives on the web. It’s where they get information, do business, entertain themselves and most importantly, share with others.

Therein lies your fundraising success, an opportunity to maximize your efforts by reaching people through multiple platforms that have already laid the groundwork for you. But the pace at which these platforms are evolving is non-stop, inventing new ways to connect with people and increase your donor base. Still, one constant remains: human beings are social. They want to interact, to be engaged and acknowledged, and doing so, will spark the greatest reaction. Luckily, there are countless resources at your disposal to help you do just that. The trick is in knowing how to use them properly.

Twitter: no spam is good spam (unless you’re desperate. Then only on pizza.)

Twitter is great for quick updates and real-time campaigning, but you’ve got to be able to cut through the clutter to keep anyone’s attention. There’s a lot you can do with 140 characters to spread your message, but such limited space means each character needs to pull its weight:

• Strip your tweet. Keep it simple so the message isn’t bogged down by fluff, and room is left for others to re-tweet it. Include relevant keywords and stylize your tweet enough to sound human, but keep it short and sweet.

• Hashtag that puppy. Include Hashtags with topical nouns, causes, industries, etc that are associated with your message. This makes it more search friendly and helps to incorporate it as part of a conversation with users who are interested in that topic. Encourage others to re-tweet it.

• Follow tweeters carefully, and engage in a dialogue with them. If someone tweets you, respond back and re-tweet them. Ask your users questions, offer incentives and pass comments along. People are more likely to react if they feel like they’re talking with a human being, not a faceless organization.

• For the love of canned meat, don’t spam. Keep tweets relevant and engaging, not a barrage of useless information. Talk with your users. Don’t give them a rambling monologue.

Facebook: You like me! You really, really like me!

Facebook is all about community, to establish a link between you and your donor base. Once you get people to officially “like” you, they’re privy to all the great content updating your page. It offers a space for more in-depth conversation than Twitter and a richer atmosphere for your cause (with photos, profile information, associated groups and so on). But to avoid a moot Facebook profile that just sits there, you’ve got to create an experience for your fans:

• When creating your profile, define a vision or purpose for your page. Consider it from your fan’s viewpoint. What does you audience get out of “liking” your page? How can they interact with the cause and feel more connected to it?

• Update regularly with statuses and wall posts that are applicable to your cause and will get people to act upon seeing them: whether it’s just checking out your page or following a link through to a full donation. The spam rule, as always, is in effect here. Avoid hyperbolic statements and excessive capital letters that make people feel as though someone’s yelling at them.

• Be generous with your information, time and resources. Offer incentives that compel people to move forward and respond to comments quickly and keep a conversation flowing on your page. Make it so that people feel acknowledged and rewarded for helping your cause, be it with interesting linkable content or documented credit for donating that they can share on their own profile.
Piryx: the Swiss Army knife of social media.

While Facebook and Twitter are the most highly used networks, they’re only a sampling of the myriad of options for marketing your cause. In fact there are so many, that undertaking a complete social media campaign can feel daunting. Piryx understands this issue, having built a fundraising platform that gives access to countless social media sites and the tools to easily manage them, from one online hub.

A free account offers links to your online fundraising page through email, Facebook and Twitter, along with a simple analytics dashboard to help you keep track of your online influence and donations. Information and tips to master your social media campaign and spread your content throughout the web allow donors to market your cause for you and multiply your audience. Piryx makes the process as simple and manageable as possible so you can dedicate your time to raising money and championing your cause, without getting lost in tedious details.

Embracing the marketing potential of social media is necessary for any fundraising campaign that wants to make an impact. While door-to-door canvassing and bake sales are good for fresh air and a sugar rush, operating online is the best way to reach your donor base and maximize support. And learning the nuances of social media now, puts you in a greater position to adapt to the constant evolution of online marketing. So, hop online and master the fundraising campaign of 2011. Before we start quoting Bob Dylan.

By using the Piryx online fundraising platform, you can create and track as many facebook fundraising and/or twitter fundraising campaigns as you wish. Increase your causes’ reach worldwide, gain new supporters, donors, and donations with ease. All you need to do is create a free account at Piryx today!

By: Hayley Mullen

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Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:20:00 -0700 Twitter Fundraising – How to Raise Money by using Twitter http://fundraisingonline.posterous.com/twitter-fundraising-how-to-raise-money-by-usi http://fundraisingonline.posterous.com/twitter-fundraising-how-to-raise-money-by-usi
Twitter fundraising is a new concept in the world of raising money for various causes.  While it is a new method of doing so, it is quite an effective way to raise awareness, money and bring people together and work together to achieve a common goal.

Twitter is a web-based platform for micro-blogging.  You have 140 characters to be able to send your message across.  You can equate it to text messaging because of the short and concise posts.  Those posts are the answers to the question “what are you doing now?”  However it further evolved to a platform that can launch conversations, questions, promotions and marketing, and other stories that can be of interest to the general public.

With that, Twitter has now been changed to a platform in the internet that can be a way to raise funds.  Twitter fundraisers are sprouting from one end of the internet to another because of the many natural disasters that they world is experiencing right now.  With the green revolution, there has also been an increased use of Twitter fundraising.

Twitter is a great way to engage your target audience and potential donors and sponsors to supporting your cause.  Through Twitter fundraising not only can you tell them that you are indeed doing a Twitter fundraiser but you are also starting to build and maintain a relationship with them.  You can answer their queries, share stories, provide links, show photos and videos that are related to your cause, and all these visuals will help them realize that there is a need for a great sense of urgency to answer to your call for Twitter fundraising.

With Twitter fundraising, all you have to do is set up the Twitter account and start typing away. This seems simple enough and it really is!  Imagine the time and effort that you get to save compared to organizing a dinner party or baking a thousand cookies for a bake sale.  Think of the convenience that Twitter fundraising brings.  You can just sit in front of your computer and check your account and communicate with your donors and see the funds start pouring in.

Another great thing about Twitter fundraising is that you can update everyone on your fundraising efforts.  You can create countdowns to your big cash handover if you are working for a charity or a project with a poor community.  You can let them know how to donate and alternatives to send money.  Most importantly, you can thank you donors in real time.  There is nothing like an immediate gratitude to let your donors know that you are happy with their contribution.

There is so much potential in using Twitter in your fundraising efforts.  It is a product of the internet that can greatly help different individuals and organizations in rallying or their causes to make this world a better place to live in for everyone.

Utilize the popular social networking website, Twitter! Learn more about Twitter fundraising today.

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