Social media has become so widespread in the modern age that it’s easy to overlook the many ways in which it affects our everyday lives. In terms of philanthropy, Lincoln Strategy Group can definitely attest to the sweeping changes social media has made to how we give and how effective a charity’s efforts to raise money and awareness can become. Just how much influence does Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms have when it comes to the nonprofit realm?
Self-Organization
Rather than individuals and small groups having to go through a specific charity or organization to raise money for efforts they’re passionate about, they can do so on their own. Special apps like Facebook Causes Birthday allow users to raise money for their favorite charities by using their birthdays to ask for donations instead of gifts. Not only does this make giving easier for individuals and smaller organizations, it makes it easier for charities to empower their advocates and supporters.
An Accurate Way of Measuring Efforts
Social media sites are a great way to boost the signal for a cause, but there are some causes and charity structures that are just too intricate and expansive to accurately describe with a single tweet or Facebook post. Sparkwise is a web platform that allows charities and nonprofit organizations to share statistics, news, videos, images, media coverage and graphs as a concise and effective way of showing potential donors and supporters their main goal and how they’re progressing in achieving that goal.
Effective Listening
Social media has also made it easier for nonprofit and charity organizations to make effective changes to their fund and awareness-raising campaigns by connecting them directly to their audience. Even though these groups have positive intentions, those intentions can become muddled or skewed by the public. Listening strategies provide immediate feedback and a solid public connection, which allows charities to know where they need to improve and how they need to improve.
No matter if you’re giving or the one asking for others to give, social media makes for a powerful medium. Just as social media continues to change, so too will the ways in which it can be used.