Social Media In Motion for Non-Profits

When we used to think of social networking we thought of all of these online profiles like Facebook and Myspace which have since expanded to Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ and so on. It was originally just social sharing among friends. It has since grown into an advertising tool for businesses with business pages and targeted marketing ads.

This newer evolution of social media platforms has been great for marketing. It’s been an asset for many businesses who have invested the time to market effectively through these online tools. Companies have used the platforms to add a personality to their business, target their audience, reinforce brand awareness and gain invaluable feedback from customers.

So now we know social media is great for socializing with friends and we have also found a lot of great ways to use it for advertising, but how else can it be used?

Recently I witnessed something that made me realize just how powerful social media is. Social media was successfully used to raise money for a local non-profit.

Tarantella’s Pizza Alley, a local pizzeria in the Montgomery community, often hosts fundraising nights where they donate a portion of the sales to a local charity. November 16^th was a fundraiser to support Boy Scout Troop 31 of Walden, NY. Five o’clock hit and the doors were almost instantly flooded with customers, the phone ringing off the hook. Employees scrambled to take care of everyone as fast as they could, but were still being overwhelmed with the unexpected flow of customers through the door.

It didn’t take long to figure out what had happened. Customers started presenting coupons at the cash register, which were sent out through Facebook and e-mail saying “Come Support Troop 31”.

Being the computer-savvy techies that today’s youth tend to be, they took the initiative to upload these coupons to their walls in the form of a picture and tag all of their friends in it. Under the coupon was a caption that said, “Print this picture and come to Tarantella’s to support my troop”. We have all had the Boy Scout or Girl Scout at our door with a candy bar or box of cookies and just could not say no. They have now figured out a way to get into our e-mail, onto our computer screens and into our smart phones.

This successful marketing campaign, via social media, created a huge benefit for everyone involved. Troop 31 was able to raise a ton of money to support their program and Tarantella’s was able to reach potential customers it may not have been able to reach otherwise.

Kudos to the scouts for schooling the professionals with a great way to use social media! And, to Tarantella’s as well. In the three years they have been doing these fundraisers, on November 16^th Troop 31 more than doubled the largest amount of money raised in one fundraiser night.

Green Initiatives Making Progress

Last week we celebraed Earth Day, and I can't help but notice that each year, that seems to mean a little bit more, as green initiatives become "the norm". I hope that everyone took the time to appreciate our planet on that special, rainy day and that you took special notice of the steps many businesses are making to be more Eco-friendly. Hopefully, everyone is doing their best to be "green", but we can always get good ideas from the leaders in the green revolution.

One thing I'm so happy to see is that venture capitalists are making investments in green technology even amid this recession. According to what I've read, in the first quarter of this year, 59 deals were made in green technology valued up to $836.1 million. Forty three percent of those investments made were in solar power, 15% were in battery/energy storage, 10% were in the automotive sector, 11% were in bio fuels and 7% was in wind energy.

If the investments in environmental technology continue at this pace, investments could be up to $3.3 billion by the end of this year. If you are in any way involved in efforts to advance environmental technology, make sure to spread the word throughout your community. There may be volunteers willing to help out, or investors willing to help fund your advancements.

June Bisel

Partner, BBG&G Advertising and Public Relations

BusinessCardContacts.com

845-695-1880

Acquiring Charitable Contributions in a Sluggish Economy

With incomes hurting, and bills and responsibilities mounting, both businesses and individuals have less money for their own expenses. This, in turn means that they will have much less money to give to others. These are facts that most nonprofit organizations are wrestling with in this harsh economy. And, unfortunately, one-third of consumers are planning to give less to charity in 2009.

One method to keep contributions coming your way is to use fundraisers with very specific purposes and to communicate these purposes to the public. Sixty percent of people prefer to give "designated gifts" to non profits as opposed to simply giving money to an organization in general. Let the public know that you are raising funds to build a 4H Park, to feed the hungry, or buy new medical equipment for a free clinic. Whatever the purpose of your fundraiser is, make sure it is clear, specific, and worthwhile to potential donors.

Use the internet to your advantage, as well. People who use social networks to follow their favorite charities are commonly the most engaged. The majority of them specifically discuss charitable causes, which usually means good word of mouth for your non profit organization.

Use your listing on BusinessCardContacts.com to spread the word about your latest fundraising effort to potential business donors in the Hudson Valley.

June Bisel
Partner, BBG&G Advertising and Public Relations
BusinessCardContacts.com