Fundraising often gets a bad rap. And you know, even though it’s what I do for a living, I’ll admit that copious mailings, endless telethons, and phone calls that inevitably come during dinner can be quite annoying. But fundraising is a necessary part of the life of any healthy ministry or nonprofit. And with the advent of so many new technologies, it’s exciting to see how the fundraising landscape is changing.
Social media (like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.) is obviously a huge part of “the ask,” because of the ways it allows you to build relationships. But for many nonprofits, the thought of doing all these things on the Internet is utterly overwhelming, and many donors are scared of making online donations. Enter: Twive and Receive.
Twive and Receive is a really avant garde competition that is forcing nonprofits to dive headfirst into the social media world. It’s a 24-hour online giving challenge among over 200 organizations nationwide. Each city has one representative, and I’m supporting Atlanta’s contender, Buckhead Christian Ministry. The top 3 fundraising organizations nationwide receive a share of a $30,000 grant and the unofficial title of Most Generous City. The goal is to rally your “tweeps,” your Facebook fans, any bloggers you know, the local news media, etc. to spread the word about your cause and drive traffic to your donation page. (Of course, that’s the goal of fundraising in general, but this is a highly focused campaign because it’s limited to those 24-hours.)
After weeks of getting ready and planning strategy, Twive is finally here! You can view the full list of participants here to find the city nearest you! I am, of course, biased, and I’m hoping to see the donation widget below fill up by the hour.
If you’d like to join me, every donation goes toward helping BCM provide financial assistance to families so they can keep their lights on, stay in their homes, put food on the table, and dress for success. We’ve adopted the hashtag “ATLCaresMost,” and it’s seeing people care for “the least of these” and serve unselfishly that reminds me how much people really do care.
I’ll end my telethon (blogathon?) here, but I’m curious: How do you decide what charities to support? Do you feel comfortable making online donations?
