In addition to raising funds, nonprofits are finding that social networking pays off in terms of advocacy. Social networking sites reach a worldwide audience of millions on a daily basis. Through the right mix of strategic content (news, inspirational stories, video, and photos) and engagement (participatory activities and viral marketing), charities can create powerful campaigns on a limited budget that speak to the hearts of their supporters. Social networking for good is a win-win situation.
A quick tour of some of the many charities that are raising awareness through social networking clearly illustrates that there’s more than one way to use social networking as a viral marketing tool.
OurPlanet. (www.myspace.com/ourplanet) has designed a compelling MySpace presence with more than 150,000 friends dedicated to stopping global warming. The site includes news, numerous videos, and informational tips, as well as content from other related nonprofits.
Friends of the Earth. (www.youtube.com/friendsoftheearth) hosted an international green film competition on YouTube to raise awareness of worldwide environmental problems.
Presidential candidate Joe Biden. (www.joebiden.com) highlights his social networking connections in a Get Connected box that appears on every page on his website, linking to his pages on MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr.
24 Hours for Darfur. (www.youtube.com/24hoursfordarfur) developed a grassroots video advocacy campaign on YouTube. Ordinary citizens and celebrities created and posted their own short videos speaking out against genocide in Darfur. In addition to the YouTube exposure, the campaign emailed the videos to politicians and played them at a UN rally.
WildAid. (www.myspace.com/wildaidsf) offers an extensive MySpace presence filled with blog entries, viral marketing banners, celebrity endorsements, slide shows, shopping and donation opportunities, shareable fundraising widgets, a newsletter, pledges, and petitions. This busy site offers something for everyone and encourages participation on many levels.
Save the Children. (www.savethechildren.org and www.savethechildren.org.uk) uses social networking extensively as both an advocacy and fundraising tool. It maintains a presence on all the main sites (MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube) and has an innovative campaign on Second Life (www.secondlife.com). Save the Children created The Yak Shack on Second Life, where people can buy a virtual yak (yaks are critical to families in places such as Tibet) and actually donate the amount to Save the Children.
It’s obvious that a social networking campaign is a must for any charity hoping to raise awareness and funds online. But there’s more to success than just creating a page on MySpace or Facebook and waiting for supporters to join your cause—and for the money to roll in. You need to be strategic to succeed.
Mallory, for example, is the executive director of a small nonprofit institute dedicated to protecting marine wildlife. Although she has achieved a lot of publicity in the coastal town in which the organization is based, she would like to spread the word and receive support from people around the world. She is already an active user of MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube and feels that a social networking campaign is the best choice for reaching out to likeminded people.
Mallory has done some research into what makes a social networking campaign successful and has decided that her campaign must break away from the cookie-cutter mold of all the competing animal and environmental organizations. She also knows that inspirational stories help your supporters get up close and personal with your cause. Developing a strong emotional connection with potential supporters is a key part of Mallory’s strategy.
Because she has extensive experience with videography, Mallory decides to make video a major component in the institute’s social networking presence. Her first video emphasizes the plight of dolphins and combines a fact-filled voice-over narration with captivating video images of the dolphins. Mallory feels that this is just the type of video that could spread thanks to viral, word-of-mouth marketing.
To start her campaign, Mallory posts the video on YouTube and other video-sharing sites with links back to the institute’s main website. She also creates a presence on MySpace and Facebook as well as other relevant niche social networks, keeping in mind to match the institute’s profile with the personality of each site. To further emphasize the visual component of her campaign, Mallory posts still images of her close-up photos of dolphins and other marine mammals on all her social networking profiles as well as on Flickr. By joining numerous groups of likeminded people and encouraging tell-a-friend links, Mallory’s social networking campaign starts generating strong buzz as well as media coverage.
But her goal isn’t just to spread the word. Mallory also wants to raise more funds for the institute. To do so, she adds fundraising badges to each social networking profile and encourages the institute’s growing number of supporters to do the same on their own sites. Within several months, Mallory’s well-executed campaign is paying off. Site traffic and fund donations have tripled, all thanks to Mallory’s emotional imagery shared with the world through social networking.