[cross-posted from radicaltrust.ca]
Raising funds for this year’s Terry Fox run or Pink Ribbon campaign is no longer limited to your door knocking abilities. From Facebook apps asking you to “chip in” to crowd-sourcing real-world solutions, the ability to tap the wealth and knowledge of your social network may just be the solution you’re looking for. Social media inverts the “old” mantra “think globally, act locally” and elevates it to a new world of potential. Think locally, act globally.
Welcome to the world of social responsibility, brought to you by the makers of results. You.
Here are a few examples of what can happen when social media meets philanthropy:
Idealist is a project from Action Without Borders, a non-profit organization founded in 1995. It’s a social network of individuals and organizations who exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives.
Quick Stats: Population: 264 676, Nonprofit Jobs 8100, Volunteer opportunities 12 540, Organizations 74 219, Idealist Groups 656, Consultants 1008, Internships 1765, Programs 1709, People 140 029, Volunteers 75 436, Materials 7222, Speakers 3557, Events 684, Campaigns 589.
JustGiving provides fun and easy-to-use online fund raising tools to help ordinary people raise extraordinary amounts of money for causes they care about.
Quick Stats: 4 828 705 people have helped raise £252 669 650 for 4690 charities using JustGiving
Tell them what you’re collecting money for, how much you want to raise and when you need it by; embed the ChipIn Widget on your favorite web site or create your own ChipIn page at yourname.chipin.com; let your social network (via Facebook, MySpace, Typepad, Netvibes, Blogger, Xanga.com, Tagworld, WordPress, Google, etc) contribute via ChipIn’s secure service; and lastly collect your donations via PayPal, direct deposit or cheque.
Quick Growth Stats (per month, average): $300K raised, 2000 events, 7500 contributors, 1700 new users.
Greedy or Needy
Each week, this site’s parent company, Cambrian House, provides a $100 prize for the top ranked Greedy wish, and a $100 prize for the top ranked Needy wish.
Take heed of their warnings:
“DO NOT USE the word DESERVE. It will turn your voters off faster than a naked man in an ice bath.”
Feeling empowered? Act.