I’ve
only been on Facebook for a few months now, but already I’ve seen the potential
to connect causes with individuals. Do
your friends and family know what you do?
Do they know the daily impact your organization has on their community?
You
may mention what you do to your immediate friends and family occasionally, but
imagine the impact a posting on Facebook can have. Do you use it daily? Each time you post what you are doing, you
are sending a feed to all your friends – possibly hundreds of them. If one of your friends comments on your
status, not only do you and your friends see it, but all of their friends see
it as well, along with your original post.
This brings your post to possibly hundreds of people. What other medium will get your message out
daily with such precision – your message, exactly as you type it, to hundreds
of people who (hopefully) trust you or your friend (their friend). What would you say?
Many
people, even many of the nonprofit leaders that we work with, do not like to
evangelize for their organizations. But
how will you get the message out otherwise?
Many people talk about their professions. Your friends have probably invited you to a
Pampered Chef party or other money-making events. Many have probably invited you to a
fundraiser to benefit their favorite organization. Why are you so reluctant to talk about the
good that your organization does every day?
Facebook
makes it easy to do and even easier to multiply the impact of your message. Your message is received by your friends –
people who trust you. It is an easy and
non-intrusive way to educate them, daily and just a little bit at a time. Instead of posts like “Is it Friday yet?”,
how about “Brian is thrilled that the center served 80 meals today.” “A third grader thanked me for running the
program today – it makes it all worthwhile.”
And then invite participation when the time is right – “I am looking for
volunteers to work our fundraising event.” Or “I am thrilled to kick-off our
annual appeal today – can you help?”
So
go ahead – get on Facebook, build a network, and evangelize for your
organization! I bet your friends will
even thank you for it.
UPDATE: Just found a great article that compliments this... Click here to go to Fundraising Success!