Navigating Facebook and Fundraising

Recently, I was talking with the director of development for one of the organizations we serve, and he expressed that he was feeling fed up with social networks making changes that hamper organizations. Why should an organization continue to put resources into tools that could easily change the rules and your ability to be successful there?

I understand his pain in this—social network management requires a large amount of content and changes pop up unexpectedly that require a constant adjustment of strategy and tactics. This takes a significant investment of time and staff. But can you really walk away from Facebook?

As someone who spends a lot of my life on the network for the organizations we serve, I can attest—reducing your nonprofit’s investment in Facebook would be a big mistake. And there are three main reasons why:

• Facebook is often the first step to finding you.
• Your current donors are on Facebook.
• Your future donors are on Facebook. (Our social media donor acquisition campaigns have had an average ROI of $3.30 and an average gift of $126.85)

The reality is that social media does take time—but there are many reasons why it is still a critical investment for your organization. Change is the only constant here, but if your staff works to engage your followers, provides them with good stories and content, and uses social networks as a form of donor relations, it will create stronger relationships and a steady stream of new advocates, volunteers, and donors for your organization.