In order to have a successful charitable organization, it needs to reach a lot of people. And not just once, but many times over and over again. In fact, running a charitable organization is a lot like a Fortune 500 company with many different moving parts, while also hitting necessary goals to keep the organization up and running.
As much as we would like to think that non-profit and charitable organizations are just out there helping everyone in need, there is actually a lot more to it. In order to help those in need, there needs to be an endless supply of volunteers, financial donations and incoming resources to get the word count, and ultimately getting those resources to the ones in need.
The good news is, the internet and social media has completely changed the way charitable organizations can launch, grow and scale their awareness and reach. And with more people now online and connected than ever before, it’s the perfect topic of discussion for today’s article.
To learn more about how charities are using the power of the internet and social media to reach more people than ever before, be sure to read on through our three main reasons below.
Social Media is Where Everyone Wants to Be
Just like everything else in the world, the internet is changing all the time, and what was popular yesterday might not be popular tomorrow. A perfect example of this can be seen with search engines and how people find information online and connect with brands.
More than half of the world’s population can be found on social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and LinkedIn, to name a few. Less people are using websites and searching through Google, and more people are simply using social media.
This is especially true when you also factor in that more people are using their mobile devices to access the internet as well. And even more important when you think about how easy it is for people to make financial donations with a click of a button on their mobile device.
For charitable organizations of all types, it’s so important to not only have a website, but to also be extremely active on social media as well. This is something WE Charity has done an excellent job with, as they’ve amassed more than 3 million fans and followers across the most popular social platforms on the internet today.
And the benefit of this is massive! WE Charity, or any organization with such a following and reach in place, now have the ability to send out messages to millions whenever they want, and not have to spend a ton of money on paid advertising, tv ads or print flyers.
Influencer Marketing and Authority Rules on Social Media
Another reason why social media has been a godsend for many charitable organizations, is that they now have the ability to leverage the reach of any partners, sponsors, celebrities or influencers on social media as well.
This is something we have commonly seen with charitable organizations like PETA, as they have worked very closely with many celebrities over the years, as you may have seen in print or television ads.
With such partnerships in place, it’s not just about putting a one time ad out there, but using the reach of other celebrities and influencers to potentially bring them back to your social accounts and keep them as a new fan or follower as well. Imagine the impact it could have on a charitable organization if a celebrity or influencer with 10 millions followers wore a shirt or tweeted a link for their latest fundraising efforts. It would be massive!
To scale this up even further, there are always numerous crowdfunding campaigns and charitable auctions and events taking place online as well. Even if you aren’t an influencer or celebrity with millions of followers, a simple social share to your own community can make a big impact for each charity and the ones they are supporting.
Scaling with Social Media and Growing Your Community
As important as social media is, it’s not enough to simply focus 100% of your efforts in this area. Charitable organizations also need to make sure they have a website, a blog and are making sure all of their company information is updated and accurate on charity review and information sites.
At the end of the day, before someone is going to make a big commitment to volunteer their time, associate their name with a charity or even make a donation, they are going to want to learn more about the organization.
This is where Google, ranking in the search results and being found across all social media platforms is key. The more professional your non-profit organization looks, the better off it will be in reference to bringing in new donors, volunteers and getting the job done.
The Future of Charitable Awareness is Online
As you can see from each of the highlights and data points mentioned above, more charitable organizations are focusing their efforts online more than ever before. And it’s not just because of the high costs associated with print and television advertising, it’s simply that it works much faster, is more affordable and much easier to track performance and ROI at the end of the day.
With all of that being said, now would be a great time to take a moment to start following your favorite charitable organizations online — both through social media, and on their websites. The more help and awareness each nonprofit foundation receives, the more likely they are to help in getting resources to those in need.
