Social Media: Understanding the Impact of Social Media on Online fundraising

Posted On: 2022-04-29 16:12:12

Do you know how many of your supporters use popular social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube? With 2.3 billion users, Facebook is the most popular social media platform today. 

 

YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat have more than a billion users. Twitter has a user base of over 16 million people. YouTube is the world's second most popular search engine. With those numbers, it's safe to conclude that a significant portion of your supporters uses at least one social media platform, right?

 

Social media, sometimes known as "social networking sites," is a collection of online applications. Even though they each have their design, interface, and method of connecting people, they are all online website apps that allow individuals to connect remotely at a faster rate and on a larger scale than anything else seen in recent years. 

 

Users can post unedited content for a large audience to see, as well as interact with what others share. Social media has a significant and growing impact on charity and public service. Crowdfunding, marketing, advocacy, and nonprofit promotion are just a few of the ways social media may help a nonprofit or social cause. 

 

Social media is available to people of all backgrounds who want to make a difference in areas that are important to them since it is free.

 

The nonprofit and voluntary sector has risen in tandem with the internet, as have generations of people who have never known a world without social media. It was just a matter of time before philanthropy got involved, as more people gained access to the internet and integrated its use into their daily activities. 

As social media grows in popularity, so does its impact on generosity through various channels such as crowdfunding and public relations for nonprofits. Social media, a relatively recent phenomenon, is a valuable tool to use in the charity sector. Social media is the new loud voice of the crowd.

 

 

Nonprofits and Crowdfunding platforms can and do use social media to promote events and causes, offer fundraising links, share statistics to demonstrate a donor's return on investment, and more. 

 

A distinct image and presence on social media can help a nonprofit stand out amid overlapping audiences, especially in an environment where the number of NGOs is expanding. Many charitable organizations, on the other hand, lack the time, finances, and training necessary to effectively use social media to their benefit.

 

As per nonprofits source the below-mentioned stats show the engagement of users on different social media platforms.

 

 

Facebook

1. 88% say they are likely to give through Facebook fundraising tools in the future.
2. 42% of marketers report that Facebook is critical or important to their business.
3. 93% of social marketers use Facebook advertising regularly.
4. More than 29% of mobile donation traffic on Giving Tuesday came from Facebook.
5. In an average peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, 15-18% of donations are referred directly from Facebook.
6. 84% of Facebook users share to show their support for a cause and highlight issues that are important to them.
7. Daily watch time for Facebook Live broadcasts grew 4x over the course of 2016.
8. Nonprofits share an average of 1.2 Facebook updates and upwards of 5.3 Twitter updates per day.

 

YouTube

1. In an average month, 8 out of 10,  18-49 year-olds watch YouTube.
2. Among millennials, YouTube accounts for 2/3rds of the premium online video watched across devices
3. More than half of YouTube views come from mobile devices
4. The most viewed brand videos are on average 31–60 seconds long (32% of all views)
5. In 2015, 18-49 year-olds spent 4% less time watching TV while time on YouTube went up 74%
6. 28% of nonprofits are on Youtube.
7. 57% of people who watch nonprofit videos go on to make a donation.
8. 68% of nonprofit video watchers view similar videos within 30 days.

 

Twitter

1. 36% of online adults ages 18-29 are on the social network.
2. 80% of active users access Twitter via mobile.
3. 60% of consumers expect brands to respond to their query within the hour, but the average is 1 hour 24 minutes.
4. 55% of people who engage with nonprofits on Twitter end up taking some sort of action.
5. Twitter users send 700% more visitors to donation pages on Giving Tuesday than on a typical day.
6. 77% of Twitter users feel more positive about a brand when their Tweet has been replied to.
7. Tweets with images receive 18% more click-throughs, 89% more likes, and 150% more retweets.

 

Instagram

1. 30% of nonprofits use Instagram to raise money and awareness.
2. 6 in 10 online adults between ages 18-29 use Instagram.
3. 75% of Instagram users take action, such as visiting a website or making a purchase after looking at an Instagram advertising post.
4. 26% of Instagram users make more than $75,000 per year.

 

 

General Social Giving Statistics

1. 55% of people who engage with nonprofits on social media end up taking some sort of Call to Action.
2. 59% of those people donate money.
3. 53% volunteer.
4. 52% donate clothing, food, or other personal items.
5. 43% attend or participate in charitable events in their community because of social media.
6. 25% contact their political representatives either by phone, letter, or email after engaging with a cause on social media.
7. 15% organize their own events in their community afterwards.
8. Nonprofits have claimed Facebook as the most important social media for their causes, with Twitter in a close second place, and YouTube in third place.
9. Nonprofits share a daily average of 1.2 updates on Facebook and 5.3 Tweets.

 

The nonprofit sector is connected to social media in a variety of ways, including public relations, accountability, and direct communication to the audience. The audience in the media connects well with the cause and helps in making the cause a success.

 

 

The quickest and most apparent way for social media to connect with the charity sector is through public relations. For a nonprofit, using sites like Facebook and Twitter for public relations is a quick and inexpensive approach to raising awareness. 

 

However, because the social media programmes are free, the organisation should factor in the time spent learning new applications, updating postings on a regular basis, researching efficient techniques for reaching out to specific audiences, and the time it takes to achieve all of these.

 

Furthermore, social media enables visibility and openness, as well as responsibility, for everyone working with or connected to the non-profit organisation, including volunteers, constituents, competitors, and other stakeholders. 

 

Nonprofit organisations are increasingly relying on web-based accountability to communicate with their stakeholders. This is an effective technique to communicate financial and performance information to individuals who want to see a return on their investment, or simply expressed, that their money is being well spent.

 

 

Ways to make your campaign a successful one:

1. Make a strategy where you can reach the specific target audience. Understand the need for the crowdfunding cause and have strong knowledge and base on it. Believe in the cause! This will eventually attract more engagement. You can then carry out your campaign strategy to target specific groups. 

 

2. The aim of your campaign should be to convince donors with a genuine story. Your story is the fundraiser’s voice, it should be heard and reached out. Describe the key elements of your story and respond to any appropriate questions on the campaign. Conclude with a proper Call to Action.

 

3. Gratitude should be expressed loudly and explicitly, so Thank your donors and provide them with updates on the campaign. Thank them for their generosity and contribution to making a good difference for your cause. 

 

4. On social networking networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, they repost and reshare posts from their personal handles and accounts. Tag them in your posts to invite them to celebrate your tiny successes with you. 

 

5. This will go a long way in terms of speaking and engaging with these donors. Incorporate these elements into your social media efforts to generate maximum traction for successful fundraising.

 

 

Communication on social media is a two-way street. Respond to everyone who uses your campaign. Hashtag as much as possible, and attempt to bring some levity into the dialogue. 

 

When used appropriately, social media may help charities reach a far bigger audience while also promoting their causes and cultivating long-term relationships with donations.

 

This is the " Digital Era", where almost everything and everyone is online. People check their phones more than ever. Stories are reached to millions where the crowd feel the need to support the cause. 

 

Campaigners' stories become donors' stories when they donate to that cause. There is this shift from connecting offline to connecting online to the crowd. Use Social media support to reach your goal and grow together for that cause.

 

Author : Lubdha Dhanopia