With the holidays winding down, time is finally becoming available to reflect on the whirlwind that was the end of 2009. With the economic downturn and nonprofits stretching for every possible dollar, there’s one thing Holiday Season 2009 manifested…a great deal of solicitations for donations.
We’ve all run into the red kettles, the e-mails and the Facebook causes. While each and every one may be valid in its own right, many nonprofits are doing it all wrong. With the thousands of spam lists and free social media tools at their disposal, simply using these to solicit requests for donations will bear little result. Nonprofits have forgotten to develop a sense of community — a network of impassioned people who may, at some point, desire to make a donation to your cause. Chris Brogan uses the 12:1 ratio. Before you make a single promotion about something benefitting you, you should make at least a dozen promotions for others. Doing this establishes yourself as a committed and respected member of our social online community and builds your credibility with your network. Community first, ask thirteenth. It’s a simple rule that will help build your network of trust and make your online donation efforts all the more successful.
Filed under: Marketing, Social Media Tagged: | cause, community, donations, fundraising, Nonprofit, Social Media
