Social Media in the Charitable Sector

The advent of Social Media as a form of communication provides an unprecedented range of opportunities for Charities. Never before have charitable organisations had such unfettered and free access to mass communication tools. Indeed, the biggest challenge facing most charitable organisations is where to start.  This article provides you with some advice on how you might use social media in a charitable organisation, why it works and where you might start.

Why Social Media? 

Social Media is a very simple concept. It is nothing more than a set of communication tools that allows a person to communicate with other people (either on an individual basis or to a mass audience) in a manner that was traditionally the exclusive domain of a handful of mass media organisations who control television,  radio and the press. As such, social media offers charities the opportunity to bypass the press and communicate their message straight to people. 

Social Media therefore provides a rallying point for charitable organisations that they can use at any time, if not all the time. No longer are charities dependant on time donated on mass media channels or an unreliable and expensive postal system to reach the people upon which it relies for donations and volunteers. With the advent of social media, charities can talk to people directly regardless of distance and geography. 

A richer mix of tools for difficult times

Of course, mass media and mail shots still have their place. Nobody is saying that charities should look to abandon their traditional activities and solely focus on social media as a communication channel, but social media is a valuable addition to the mix – especially in times when cash is in short supply - and it allows charities to think about ways in which they can do things differently and more effectively and often with a great deal less expense. 

There are many ways in which Charities can reduce costs, increase awareness and generally benefit from using social media. Here are just five practical applications that you may want to consider using in your organisation. 

1. Sourcing Volunteers 

Social media provides a great opportunity to source and communicate with individuals and identify volunteers. It helps break down some of the traditional barriers to volunteering through the inherent flexibility in social media. You can break work up into chunks and give small bits to different people. It also allows users to do volunteer work in their own time, in their own environment. It also helps you show your appreciation for volunteers publicly and make them feel valued. Similarly, you can hold volunteers to account, as any commitments undertake through social media are public and there for all to see.  

2. Organising projects and Collaborating over distance 

A lot of social media tools are designed to help people collaborate on projects and work together more effectively. These modern tools allow people to work on a project from multiple different locations at different times. Platforms such as Huddle.net, Yammer.com and Google Wave offer charitable organizations a great opportunity to collaborate, share resources and communicate on projects with great ease and minimal cost.  

3. Spreading your message 

Social Media allows anyone to create a video, an article, or a short statement on a subject and publish it to the world in no time at all. By listening to existing communities online you can target the people you need to reach with your message even more effectively. 

The important thing to remember when spreading you message via social media is not to sit on the fence. You need to galvanize opinion around you. People need something to identify with, or to react against. This can be a cause, or perhaps a person – it doesn’t matter - the important thing is that you give people a reason to talk about you and talk to you. 

The best examples of Charities spreading their message via social media are those that go viral. A viral message is one that is so engaging, people want to spread it on your behalf. The advantage that charities have is that their message is often inherently spreadable. 

4. Fundraising 

Social media offers many powerful and exciting ways of raising funds for charitable causes. Not only does it allow you to react to events in real time, but combined with online payment and ecommerce, you have a great opportunity to collect funds directly through this channel.

The best examples of social media fundraising tend to be sponsorship based or those that generate donations based on maximizing awareness of a particular cause. For example, there have been numerous examples on Twitter of people or organisations offering to pay a cent or penny in return for each new follower of a particular account, or for using a particular phrase or statement. These campaigns have the joint benefit of both maximizing awareness and generating funds. 

Online events are also an excellent way of raising funds. ‘Twestival’ is a global event on Twitter where volunteers organise parties in different towns and cities all over the world on the same day, and link the parties using social media. The events are organized, publicized and tickets all sold via social media, thereby generating revenue and awareness for the designated charity.

5. Delivering services

One area that is often overlooked by charities is the opportunity that Social Media provides for delivering services. Some services are already being delivered through social media. This is already happening to a degree but there are huge opportunities to provide social benefits and support to people who are vulnerable.  

One example of a beneficial service delivered by social media is Qwitter. A Twitter based social media tool to help you give up smoking. A social, health and personal life changing benefit delivered by social media. Another example is the presence of Childline on the teenage social network Bebo. Children on Bebo can communicate directly with Childline and get access to services that otherwise they may not feel comfortable with or able to access. 

Summary

Social Media offers many opportunities to charitable organisations and this article lays out just five ways in which you might consider using social media.  The challenge is taking a pragmatic and informed approach to this huge area of opportunity. Without a plan or a strategy it is all too likely that you may expend huge resources in implementing social media activity with very little return.  By defining clear goals and having a pragmatic and planned approach, Social Media offers a great  many opportunities for charitable organisations to undertake their traditional activities in new and more effective ways.