4 Reasons Why Non-Profits Should Love Social Media

In 2005, the United States boasted over 1 million nonprofit organizations with an income of $25,000 or more.  That is huge!  So if you are currently a part of a nonprofit, how are you staying applicable?  How do you keep people interested?  Every cause and organization is important to someone, but with so many non-profits to give to, how do you help people choose you to donate to?  Social media marketing is a huge help in this area.  It costs nothing but time.  Here are just a few examples of social media outlets that can help your nonprofit:

1. Twitter: Lets say you are with the Memphis Humane Society and you need people to come participate in a pet adoption fair this Sunday.  Since you have already set up your twitter account, it's time to follow some people who are looking for pets.  Using the search bar, you can find people talking about "pet adoption", "want a pet" or "dog lover".  Once you follow these people, you can listen to what they have to say about your topic and there is a good chance that they will follow you back.  Something to keep in mind as a nonprofit is the vehicle you are using to spread you message.  Tweets need to be fun and lighthearted the majority of the time.  If you beg for money or share depressing facts everyday people will most likely stop following you. 
2. Facebook: Fan pages and groups are a free way to get news and events out to the public.  Also Facebook has "causes".  This feature can collect donations.  People can use this to ask for donations on their birthday as a present.  Pretty cool.  Another helpful tool Facebook offers is a group called Non-Profits.  This connects nonprofit organizations with others, which can provide you with partners.  Collecting donations online can get pricey for non-profits due to fees taken by the hosting site.  With Facebook, there is only a 4.75% fee on all donations which is a huge improvement from the generally high percentage taken out through consulting companies.  Non-profits for Facebook has raised over $5 million since 2006.  You can't argue with those numbers.
3. Social Bookmarking:  Sites like Digg, Reddit and NewsVine allow non-profits to get their blogs, press releases and websites noticed for free.  These sites can serve as a distribution service as long as your information is important and useful. 
4. YouTube: YouTube reaches 21% of Internet traffic daily.  51% of YouTube users visit the site at least once a week.  I would say that is an influential website.  In late March of this year, YouTube announced a new feature for non-profits called "call-to-action".  This will allow people to donate directly to your cause after viewing your video.  Television commercials don't offer that type of immediacy.  YouTube allows for more creativity and less of a time limit (you get up to 10 minutes a video).  Non-profits should take advantage of this vehicle because it is a free way to promote a commercial on a worldwide scale.  

Nonprofit organizations have many different ways of advertising and promoting their cause for free.  Social media should be the number one marketing initiative for most volunteer based organizations, because it does not take up much time.  If this blog applies to you or you have suggestions for non-profits, tell us about it in the comment section.