online giving

The Art of Activating Slacktivism

Submitted by Kari Dunn Saratovsky on Tue, 03/23/2010 - 11:23
Be As You Are Slacker
Today's guest post comes to us from Dan Morrison, Founder and CEO of Citizen Effect who is driven by the idea that anyone can make a real and significant impact in the world. Citizen Effect provides everyday citizens the tools and networks they need to work directly with communities in need around the world.
 
I love the word “slacktivism.” It is a classic oxymoron. The word conjures up the image of a male college student (sorry guys) sitting on his couch playing Grand Theft Auto and texting “90999” to support Haiti Relief in the five seconds between games.
 
And that is a great thing. When I was in college, the college quad was the realm of the activist who wanted to save the world. The dorm room was the realm of the slacker who could care less. Technology has now allowed slackers with a conscience to get involved in the causes they believe in but are too lazy to get up off the couch and support.
 
Slacktivists are an entirely new market segment that we, as cause marketers, are all salivating over, because so many slacktivists are so willing to procrastinate by picking up their mobile phone or going online to give and spread the word about our cause. Slacktivists are the definition of the long tail and cause marketers are going to bed every night trying to dream up schemes about how to get 1 million slacktivists to text them $10. Unfortunately, for most, that is never going to happen.
 
But I don’t blame the slacktivists – they are who they are, and are giving in a way that is comfortable to them. I blame marketers, like myself, who scheme about how to
change slacktivists into the fundraising juggernaut of the 21st century, rather than focusing on giving them what they want – an easy, effortless way to give and get on with their lives.
 
Slacktivism emerged because social media tools gave slackers with a heart an opportunity to get involved on their own terms. It is a mistake to think that slacktivists are just lazy. Some are too busy or uncomfortable getting involved with a cause in a public manner. Texting, tweeting and social media gave them the ability to give during the limited time they had or provided the social cover they needed to get involved. So I think we should ask not what the slacktivist can do for us, but what we can do for the slacktivist.
 
For the slacktivists that is more slacker than activist, we have to give them more easy ways to give. Texting for Haiti was simple and you can expect organizations, big and small, to leverage text-to-give programs at the next fundraiser you attend (check out Causecast’s mobile text2give program). And suggestion to the Greenpeace volunteers lining the streets of DC – ditch the long schpeel and just ask people to text you $10 to save the planet. And next time there is a global catastrophe, let’s make it even easier - “Tweet 90999.” The more tools we can develop to integrate giving into our daily lives, the more slacktivists will give.
 
But I cannot resist the temptation that there are slacktivists that are activists just needing the right excuse to get involved. They may not be many, but are a tantalizing segment because converting one slacktivist that texted $10 to an activist that raises $5,000 is well worth the investment. But how do we move from mobile and online giving to offline doing?
 
At the threat of stating the obvious, give slacktivists the same social media tools you use to entice them to give. Nonprofits spend too much time trying to figure out how to use social media tools to entice new donors to give them $10, when they should be figuring out how to empower their existing donors to leverage social media tools to raise money for them. It is the classic “don’t ask a man to give $10; teach him to fundraise $100” scenario. Because asking ten people to raise $10 from ten people ($1,000) is much more efficient than ask 10 people to give you $10 ($100). You win even if only two people achieve their goal ($200).
 
We can also learn a lesson from why texting 90999 worked for Haiti – it was easy, new and fun. People hate raising money – it is as stressful as moving and getting divorced. But if you give someone the control to choose their own project and empower them to fundraise while doing something they love, you can unlock the activist within. At Citizen Effect we have had people of all ages that never raised money before raise thousands of dollars with chili-fests, yoga workshops, cross-country bike rides, swim-a-thons, and simple online campaigns. How? By providing them a platform to market, promote and fundraise for the cause of their choice. And most importantly, allowing them to leverage their true social network – their trusted group of friends, family, and co-workers.
 
So what do we do with the slacktivist? For most, we continue to cater to their need for fast, easy ways to give. And for those few with the activist living within, empower them with the tools they need to engage their trusted social networks doing what they love to do. A Grand Theft Auto tournament for Haiti is a great place to start.
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The Case Foundation Invites You to "Gear Up for Giving"

Submitted by Kari Dunn Saratovsky on Wed, 09/02/2009 - 07:55

We’ve been busting at the seams a bit waiting to share with you news that the Case Foundation will once again be supporting a new America’s Giving Challenge this fall.  What’s more, throughout the month of September we will be helping individuals and nonprofits “Gear Up for Giving” through a series of online live streamed events, tools, and resources that will be available to all over on the Case Foundation site.

In case you missed it, during the foundation’s last giving challenge here’s how things broke down: 81,000 individual donations totaled $1.7 million for hundreds of nonprofits across the country – all told, with the Case Foundation’s challenge money, more than $2.5 million was committed to organizations making America’s Giving Challenge the largest online giving challenge of its kind (and it still is). 

As we gear up for this year’s Challenge, we recognize we are in a completely different place than we were even a year and a half ago.  Not only is nonprofit adoption of social media tools at an all time high, but the challenges associated with raising money in the current economy is also at a high -- making the need for nonprofits to get more strategic about raising money and awareness for their causes through smaller individual donors, all the more important.
 
Next week we’ll begin a series of live streamed Q&A events with nonprofit social media experts we have deemed as the, “Giving Gurus.” The gurus include folks like Beth Kanter of Beth’s Blog, Geoff Livingston at CRT/tanaka, Holly Ross CEO of NTEN, Allison Fine author of Momentum, and other esteemed colleagues and friends of the foundation. For a complete list of the gurus and to mark your calendars to participate in the sessions visit the Gear Up for Giving landing page over at Case.
 
In the meantime, we want to give you an opportunity to engage with the gurus – what are some of the most pressing problems you have incorporating social media into your nonprofit? Below are a few of the questions we expect will come up during the giving guru sessions, but we want to give you an opportunity to help shape the conversation. Please add to the list below or submit your own questions to - you'll also have the opportunity to engage with the gurus via a live chat function during the sessions.
  • Do you think that online engagement leads to deeper offline engagement?  Are there any specific examples of this?
  • What’s the best way for an organization to adopt a social media strategy?
  • What are three tips you’d give to organizations who are just getting started?
  • What are some examples of integrating microblogging, social networking, blogging and video sharing into your social media strategy?
Stay tuned for much more information about America’s Giving Challenge and Gear Up for Giving in the days and weeks ahead.
 
 
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Good Reads Pulled From Our Feeds

Submitted by Kari Dunn Saratovsky on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 22:28
GOOD Buttons Up Close

Here’s a roundup of some of the stories that caught our attention, got us thinking, and were worthy of passing along.  What's a "good read" in your feed right now? Please share with us in the comments. 

Crowded Roads Ahead for Charity 2.0:Caroline McCarthy over on CNet explores the impact of the rapid growth of social networking and the sustainability of online fundraising. If you don’t get enough fodder from her great interviews with Scott Harrison from Charity:Water and Toby Daniels at Think Social, Beth Kanter continues the conversation by focusing on the recent epidemic of “cause fatigue” on her blog.
 
Social Media and the Shifting Power Dynamics of Philanthropy: In a new post, Nathaniel Whittemore takes a closer look at this week’s announcement of the  NonProfit Times annual "Power and Influence Top 50."  A special shout out to my boss, Jean Case, who is among the list of the 50 people driving and shaping the world of philanthropy and civil society. As Nathaniel notes, “while the list is full of amazing people, there is one type of person conspicuously absent: bloggers.”
 
Diary of a Social Venture Startup:The good folks over at GOOD Magazine have a new series of posts documenting what it takes to start a social venture. This week they focus on a key element vital to getting your business off the ground: the right team. If you enjoy Joe’s post, you should check out the series.
 
Would the real social network please stand up?: While this post is actually from last week, I didn’t read it until this week so I’m including it for those of you who are behind like me. It’s another terrific and thoughtful post by danah boyd and Bernie Hogan. They distill three distinct ways of looking at social networks – and explore how these different social networks relate to one another (or don't) and what they can mean when measuring social capital. I promise it will get you thinking.
 
 
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Facts, Figures and Fodder: Online Giving

Submitted by Kristin Ivie on Fri, 04/03/2009 - 19:15
Samsung NC10 size comparison

As online donations continue to grow and traditional fundraising, like direct mail, seems increasingly wasteful and environmentally unfriendly -- the emphasis on online giving has improved. There's a lot of food for thought out there right now about online donations, and we have enjoyed seeing a group of insightful studies emerge in the last few weeks. We hope the following articles and studies help you understand the tips, tricks, patterns and potential of engaging your donors in fundraising online. Would you agree that these are the trends you're seeing emerge in your organizations?

  • Study Shows First Time Online Givers Often Do Not Return
    The bad news is that a study of 24 nonprofits reveals that most nonprofits are having trouble getting online donors to give more than once. The good news is that the attractive demographics of online donors makes continuing to engage them using social media is definitely worth the effort. 
  • Attracting Young Donors 
    Fundraising consultant Derrick Feldmann talks to the Chronicle on Philanthropy about why nonprofits should be aggressively working to involve people in their 20s and 30s and how to best get them onboard. Even if young donors don't have deep pockets, they can be valuable parts of the cause in the longterm. His advice to nonprofits (basically): make it interest-related and substantive, make it a networking opportunity, make it social, and make it easy.
     
  • New study on Donation Usability
    In an effort to learn how charities can increase online giving, this study tested 23 nonprofit websites to see how attractive they were to potential online donors. The report highlights both what pieces of information users want to be able to find easily (mission, goals and objectives of the organization being an overwhelming favorite) and how to lose a potential donor. A potentially helpful read for nonprofits who are puzzled over why they aren't seeing much online income.
  • Social Media for Social Causes Study: The Results
    Not surprisingly, social media savvy folks are generally younger and less likely to be big dollar donors BUT within the group of 30 and older social media users, there is a huge opportunity for engagement and advocacy through interaction with group social media tools. This interaction, in turn, can lead to donations. 
  • Convio Unveils NP Sector's Comprehensive Study of Online Trends
    Convio's extensive study of nonprofits and online marketing shows that online engagement - including giving, advocacy and membership - has grown despite the tough economic times.  The report also helps to set metrics for success, so nonprofits can evaluate how effective their online efforts have been.

 

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