Charities and social media
David Lawrance: guardian.co.uk, Thursday 28 February 2013
06.30 GMT
A recent survey showed that UK
charitable organisations have doubled their supporters on key social media
channels in the past year.
Social media can be one of the most effective ways for
charities to build supporters, boost donations, share success stories, network
with like-minded organisations, encourage people to sign up to campaigns,
recruit volunteers, or demonstrate the impact of their work.
With 80% of 18 to
24-year-olds and 73% of 25 to 34-year-olds using Facebook and Twitter
respectively, these platforms are especially relevant to charities keen to
engage with a younger generation of supporters.
While it's tempting to
throw yourself in and sign up to as many free accounts as you can, be aware
that you will need to interact if you want supporters to view your social media
stream as a reliable way to communicate with you. Keep your social media moving
– introduce news, provide usable content, stay active and regularly update your
information. Nobody is going to interact with an account that's been dormant
for six months, so stay relevant and topical where possible.
In addition, social
media gives your charity the chance to make emotional connections. Text on a
page can be great for getting information across, but images, videos and human
reactions are what really bring the scope of your charity work to life.
Potential volunteers are more likely to get involved if they can picture the
people they will help. Donations will be more forthcoming if people can
identify with the human angle – the idea that it could help somebody just like
them/their mum/their child/their pet/their friend. Human stories make charity
work real and help forge deeper, more emotional connections with supporters.
It's useful if you want to boost donations, publicise your targets and show
what donations will do in real-life terms. Use case studies to bring the work
you do to life.
Social media has the
power to personalise your work. It will also personalise your supporters.
Encourage supporters to "like", re-tweet, send links, write blogs
about fundraising events they've been involved with and upload photos and
videos to personalise involvement. Users of social media like to connect with
their peers and be part of an online community. Maximise this by having those
that support you tell their peers about how and why they do. Their endorsement
of your work will be far more powerful and valuable than anything that comes
from the larger organisation.
Viral Videos
http://www.reelseo.com/top-viral-video-charity-2012/
Campaigns
http://www.reelseo.com/top-viral-video-charity-2012/
Unicef
Like
Cadburys, who famously ‘own’ the distinctive shade of purple that adorns their
products, you too can be the proud owner of your own colour. Teaming up
with paint brand Dulux, Unicef is
offering everyone the chance to buy one of the 16.7 million colours that make
up the spectrum. For £1 donation, you can pick a shade, choose a name, explain
why you picked it, and give it a description.
FACTS
http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/wrap-reveals-uks-£30-billion-unused-wardrobe
http://www.wear2bank.co.uk/assets/documents/Textile%20Recycling%20Information%20Jan13.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment