Over the Wire

A Social Media Tsunami for Nonprofits

Share |

 

Post by Justin Greeves, Senior Vice-President, Public Affairs and Policy Research

Those of us who are on Facebook and other social networking sites know that many of our friends have “friended” their favorite cause or non-profit and have asked us to be friends as well.  Many of us chalk this up to a fun activity that allows us to learn a bit more about our friends, their likes and dislikes, and to hear about interesting new causes.  However, some non-profits are taking great advantage of this growing population and are starting to count the money, the friends, and their growing online influence.  While still, other non-profits remain on the sidelines, unsure if this new reality will have any actual use or payoff. 

Our recent DonorPulse study reveals the growing power of social media for non-profits, advocacy organizations and others.  The numbers are staggering and show how many organizations are leveraging this new national pastime into real support toward their missions.  Our survey shows that just less than half (48%) of adult Americans engaged in philanthropy have done something passively to support a non-profit through social media.  This includes “friending”, encouraging others to act, showing support generally, and posting stories about their favored non-profits. This adds up to about 76 million Americans and that is quite a base of potential new donors, advocates, volunteers!

However, we all know that being a friend isn’t just about passive activity.  A small but growing proportion of active social networkers represent the leading edge and true power of this pastime.   The results from DonorPulse reveal that, of those who already use social networks as a way to keep up with their non-profit friends on social media, an amazing 85% have taken meaningful action as a result of what they have seen or read about those non-profits in social media.  This includes making a financial contribution, recommending to friends and family, volunteering, attending events and other such directly supportive  behaviors.  This leading edge group represents about 10 million adult Americans, many of whom are highly engaged in giving, networking, influencing, and recommending other things to their friends.

Social media outlets of all types represent a new bounty for non-profits and those that support them.  The costs for social media are incrementally lower than for other media forms and the returns appear tantalizing for those that have the right people inside the organization to properly leverage this growing media form.  One day soon, organizations that used to measure their influence in dollars spent may start telling us instead how many friends they have on Facebook.

For up-to-the-moment news about DonorPulse and other Harris surveys, follow Harris Interactive and the Harris Poll on Twitter.

Share |

'Tis The Season...To Help The Poor?

Post by Kathy Steinberg, Research Manager, Public Relations Research

Following up on Laura's post last week about toy giving this holiday season, a survey we recently conducted on behalf of World Vision, the international relief and development organization, also found that a majority of U.S. adults (57%) will spend less money on holiday presents in general this year as a result of the current economic climate. The news isn't all bad however...

Though more than half of Americans plan to spend less on holiday gifts this year, this is a considerable decrease from last year, when about 7 in 10 adults (71%) said they would be spending less on presents as a result of the recession. Could this mean that we've reached an inflection point -- is the economy re-bounding, along with consumer confidence? And if so, who will benefit?

The World Vision survey suggests that perhaps those most in need will be helped first:

• The vast majority of adults (95%) feel it is especially important to help children during the holiday season, with nearly 4 in 5 (78%) strongly agreeing (maybe Laura's daughter will get that puppy after all?).
• More than 9 in 10 Americans (92%) believe it is especially important to help the poor during the holiday season, and about 2 in 3 (67%) strongly agree.
• Nearly 9 in 10 (89%) think charitable gifts can make a real difference in meeting the unmet needs of those living in poverty, and about 3 in 4 (74%) say they plan to increase their charitable giving once the economy improves (more than 1 in 3 (35%) strongly agree).

So, while the recession has affected both holiday spending and charitable giving in general, perhaps the worst is over. What do you think? Have we started the climb back from rock-bottom? When the economy eventually does improve, do you plan to make any changes to your charitable giving?

What's a Nonprofit To Do?

Post from Michele Salomon, Senior Research Director for Public Affairs and Architect of Donor Pulse research conducted by Harris Interactive:

Last week, we talked about support for nonprofits, why support is given, and how the economy and web 2.0 are altering the landscape.  Recently, we hosted a webinar on these topics and received, by far, the most questions about social media:

• How can I get started?
• What exactly should I do?
• How much effort should I invest?
• How can I make the most of those 175 million Facebookers?

As one of the co-leaders of non-profit research at Harris who also provides financial support (albeit modest) to the nonprofits I care deeply about, I have both a professional and personal investment in this topic.

Early in my career, I took a sales course founded on one key piece of advice…

• in every single interaction, always ask clients for a “commitment” step to further the sales process along – get the client to schedule another call, send an RFP, or introduce you to someone else on the senior team.  

A similar mindset would be useful here and is one of the reasons President Obama’s campaign worked so well. I am among the millions on his mailing list, and every email I received asked me to make a commitment. Okay, so they all asked for money, but they also all asked me to take an action (e.g., watch a video, make a phone call, attend an event, etc.) that kept me engaged, beyond financially. 

I think I would do more for the organizations I cared about if they would only ask – for something other than money.  And I’m not alone – nearly two-thirds of engaged adults (that is, volunteers, donors, or advocates) would like to become more involved with the nonprofit or charity they support the most. And, while the most common reason for not actually doing more, cited by 51%, is lack of time, roughly one in ten simply don’t know where to begin.  

Keeping people engaged is critical, especially those who care about your issue.  They’re already talking about you to friends and family:  61% of engaged adults have recommended a nonprofit they support.  And, they talk about your:

• mission (78%),
• achievements (53%),
• opportunities to donate (42%), and
• opportunities to volunteer (35%). 

Web 2.0 makes these conversations that are already taking place even easier to accomplish for both you and your supporters.  Note: I am newly aware of several causes because my Facebook friends care about them. 

So, if I were you, here are a few things I would do:

• Let supporters know how to find you by having an “official” organization group on Facebook and other social networking sites… and ask them to invite their friends.
• Encourage discourse by providing opportunities for supporters to talk about why your issue is their issue.
• Get the “front lines” (e.g., the social workers, educators, community organizers) engaged in the conversation.  And involve beneficiaries of your services to tell their story.
• Identify creative, straight-forward ways that supporters can help you (beyond the obvious financial investment) from disseminating information by email to volunteering time.
• Explain clearly how your issue impacts the larger political agenda of legislators, policy-makers and the public.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

From Wednesday’s post, we know it’s important to 91% of parents that their teens hear from them about the value of charity and giving to others.  Note to self: who are the 9% who don’t?

And, according to the same survey for World Vision conducted earlier this year, 46% of adults say they have actively volunteered their time (for example, serving food at a soup kitchen, participating in a race or event, or protesting against certain groups or practices).  But guess how many kids (ages 13-18) say the same?  56% (!)   That’s right… more teens appear to be volunteering their time in support of charities than adults (including many parents who tell them how important it is). 

And just one more tell-me-something-I-don’t-know dot to connect…  The #1 reason why teens volunteer (according to their parents) is because they follow an example set by grown-ups (84%).  So, get off your butts, turn off American Idol and set an example by volunteering. 

Data Snapshot

According to their parents, 24% of teenagers who volunteer (or support charities in some other way) say the last presidential election was a key reason they started.  --- commissioned by World Vison and conducted by telephone between January 29th and February 2nd, 2009 among 2003 U.S. adults 18+, of whom 177 are parents of teens 13-18 who volunteer or support charities in some way.

That Newsletter is SO 1999!

Last I heard, 175 million people (!) were on Facebook… I personally haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, but it looks like it’s only a matter of time…

I bring this up only because I can’t imagine a bigger phenomenon that impacts non-profits than the move to social networks.  Of course, online social networking affects everything about the way we live and do business. 

And, the non-profit world is no exception – even compared to one year ago.  Among engaged Americans (defined as those who have volunteered, donated or advocated in the past year):

• 64% say it is important for non-profits to use social media to communicate with supporters (more so than a year ago), and
• 47% say they would be interested in keeping up with the non-profits they care about through social media (only 6% already do).

The “engaged” public wants to consume everything and anything using social media from heart-wrenching news stories and notable achievements to practical opportunities to volunteer and contribute financially… and… they want to hear more from the front lines, e.g., the people in the soup kitchens serving and eating the meals, not the back-room fundraising and communications staff.

So, as if that wasn’t enough to prove my point… Here’s more (and the only fact needed, really): among those who have used social media to track the non-profits they care about, 80% say they have taken action (including financially) as a direct result of the social media outreach. 

Use of the Internet has the potential to be less expensive and less time-consuming than other endeavors (this blog notwithstanding), but seemingly more effective.  And how many things can you say that about?  So, bottom line, Web 2.0 is a fact of life.  If you are a non-profit and you are not using it, you need to.  And if you are, you should do more.

Data Snapshot

72% of Americans contributed at least $1 to charity in the past year, and about 20% have contributed $1,000 or more. --- Donor Pulse, conducted online by Harris Interactive between December 22nd, 2008 and January 5th, 2009 among 2,621 U.S. adults 18+

Empathy Is On The Rise (Something Has To Be, Right?)

According to a study we did in January/February for World Vision, 85% of Americans say it is important to support charitable causes symbolically (if not financially) – and 91% of parents of teenagers say they emphasize the importance of charity to their son/daughter(s). 

However, according to Harris Interactive’s Donor Pulse study, more than half of U.S. adults say they have had to lessen their charitable support, due to the recent economic crisis.  And, the two most common cutbacks are:

1) giving to fewer organizations and/or
2) giving less money. 

Side note: this isn’t as true for the highest-spending donors (those who give $5K or more to charity each year), but for the rest of us, I recommend free bumper stickers and heartfelt boycotts…

On the glass-is-half-full front, that darn economy (which seems to eke its way into every one of my posts) has done some good…  According to their parents,

• 69% of teens have become more aware of the needs of others;
• 25% of teens have become more involved in charitable causes; and
• 38% of teens who volunteer or support charitable organizations in other ways were compelled to do so…

… because of the recent economic downturn.

Have you talked to your kids about the economy?  We have – though it had more of a “Fancy Nancy meets Bob the Builder” than Wall Street Journal-type feel.  If so, how have your kids responded?

But What Does That Mean To Me?

Several eons ago, well-before I joined the dark side of corporate America, I worked for a string of non-profits. So, I have a personal and professional interest in the next series of posts on the state of the state of non-profit America.

According to Harris’ annual Donor Pulse survey, the engaged American public rates non-profits at a *74* on a 100 point favorability scale – up 6 points from three years ago when we first began following this trend (FYI, the engaged public is defined as those who have volunteered, donated or advocated over the past year).  Now, this uptick could be read a variety of different ways, but I’ll give you my take.  Not unlike every report card I received in high school, it is a strong score, but shows room for improvement… Really, who can feel completely ecstatic about a 74?

So, it’s imperative that we get a crash course on why, since non-profits are on a fast track to obsolete-ville if they can’t figure out how to shore up their biggest and most loyal donors.

Well, despite their (medium to high-ish) score of 74…

• 72% of America – and 22% of our engaged public – believe that non-profits are on the “wrong track”.
• About 40% of engaged folks don’t believe – or are not sure – if non-profits are honest and ethical.

This has to be a key consideration for supporters in making a decision about whether to start or stop giving – and to whom.  So, first and foremost, it seems like non-profits need to do some image management at the broadest community level.

And then, drill down to each individual…  Personal connection is the #1 motivator to become involved with an organization – and it’s even more important for the highest-spending donors (those who contribute at least $5K to charity in a calendar year).  I would bet this is tricky advice to give to a non-profit because what resonates with me is different than you, right?  But, I would hedge my bet that it is even more critical in today’s economic climate when funds are so hard to come by. 

Don’t you think?

Data Snapshot

Approximately 163 million adults* - or 78% of the U.S. adult population - participate in supporting a philanthropic organization (either through financial contributions, volunteering, or advocacy work). --- Donor Pulse, conducted online by Harris Interactive between December 22nd, 2008 and January 5th, 2009 among 2,621 U.S. adults 18+

*Source: 2000 U.S. Census