Cause-Marketing On Social Nets
We’ve been talking lately about using social nets like Facebook and MySpace as “enablers” that can equip a nonprofit’s strongest supporters – your missionaries – to help fundraise for your cause. In this instance, your nonprofit would be reaching out to its most committed supporters online and asking for help. The approach is grounded upon strong pre-existing relationships between donors and the cause.
Another approach is illustrated by an email we received from SocialVibe, creators of a social media platform for fundraising. Here’s their message …
Today there is a new vibe circulating all around us of social change and personal responsibility to help make our country and the world a better place … The social media landscape is primed to help millions of people make a difference, and celebrities are rallying more than ever to use their global influence and gather support to help a chosen worthy cause. Recognizing the impact and reach the social media world can have with the help of people of all ages, Linkin Park and their charity Music for Relief have partnered with SocialVibe.com to help raise $25,000 by the end of April to help in Haitian recovery initiatives.
SocialVibe.com is a new social media platform revolutionizing the way people use social networks for the common good by allowing members to earn donations rather than giving from their own wallets. This past August four hurricanes hit Haiti leaving hundreds of thousands homeless and without food and clean drinking water. Currently 5.1 million people do not have enough food. Music for Relief is participating in the long term recovery effort in Haiti and summoning the help of SocialVibe.com and their members to help accomplish its goal.
Linkin Park and SocialVibe.com today released a call-to-action video rallying people to help raise $25,000 for Haiti and the hurricane recovery efforts. The SocialVibe member with the highest number of friend recruits will be flown to Los Angeles to meet Linkin Park in their studio while they record their new album this spring.
Here’s the way this works for an individual "donor": go to SocialVibes; pick a corporate sponsor (like Coca Cola); pick a cause (like Music for Relief or WWF or the Red Cross); create a SocialVibe "badge" that links the two for your various social net profiles; and encourage your "friends " to click away on the badge. The more they do, the more your charity benefits.
I confess … I don’t know what I think of this. On the upside, anything that get’s new people involved as promoters of causes and charities is a plus. It’s a clever way to "empower" individuals to match-up their favorite brands and causes. And I have no problem at all with a band or sponsor enhancing its brand by endorsing a cause and connecting fans or customers to it.
But, from a fundraising and relationship building perspective, I do have reservations.
First, the entire concept is pitched as a way to “give” without opening your "own wallet.” The giving that occurs is SocialVibes allocating a percentage of its ad revenues from “Sponsors” in proportion to the charities or causes SocialVibe “Members” pick, and the extent to which Members then promote, on their various social net profiles, the Sponsors. So, at bottom, it is the Sponsors who are doing the donating. I don’t think much of a giving ethic is being cultivated amongst new donors by this approach.
Second, it would not appear that any relationship is being fostered between a Member’s cause and the Member. Indeed, as a Member, my charity – be it WWF or the Red Cross – will have no knowledge of me as a donor. Personally, I just don’t care much for this “wall” between donor and cause.
All in all, this is the most casual form of “giving” one could imagine. It’s cause-related marketing in the social networking environment. But I don’t begrudge the Coca Cola’s and Sprint’s of the world for marketing their brands this way, and I wouldn’t turn down the funds that came to my nonprofit via SocialVibes.
But it’s just not my cup of tea. I’m a control freak, I guess. I want to at least know my donors, if not own them!!
What do you think?
Tom
4 responses to “Cause-Marketing On Social Nets”
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
Read Full Answer
I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
Read Full Answer
Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
Read Full Answer
Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
Read Full Answer
There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
Read Full Answer
I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
Read Full Answer
Tom,
I agree with your reservations regarding the concept but I think there might be a way to mitigate the doing so would create a slightly different mode that Social Vibes but maybe it could be a good spin-off for someone else to do. Do you think it would work if the member and his friends had to make a donation ( of any desired amount) and then that donation is “matched” by the sponsor? So at the end of the day it would be the member with the most recruits and dollars raised that would be the “winner”. I think the approach addresses your concerns. Please let me know. Best,
Viet
Tom- great discussion, I think one important thing to consider is that with the disaggregation of media and content on the web millions of people, like yourself, create great content through on blogs, social networks, and videos. This has made millions of content producers influential and that influence is worth something especially to brands. So while our members don’t actually take money out of their pockets they are using what they have that is valuable to earn money for a cause that they care about. In my opinion many of our members are just as dedicated and in some instances even more dedicated to their cause then a wall street broker that just decides to write a check each year. Our members have to work for the donations by creating better content and getting more people to come to their blog, social network, or video which I’m sure you can attest to is no easy feat.
As for your point about driving a connection and relationship between the donor and the charity we would absolutely agree. Our biggest product initiative in 2009 is to not only improve the direct connection our users have with the charity they support but allow them to receive the same feedback and benefit that a single donor would receive. If you help earn enough money to build a fresh water well in Liberia than as a SocialVIbe member you will get pictures and feedback about the well and the people that you helped. The feedback and accountability will be similar to the other online giving platforms like Donorschoose.org or Kiva.org.
I appreciate the post and hope we can continue the conversation.
David
Interesting, I like the idea of matching donations. Let the users of the social network contribute time on the network, that time would be worth a certain amount of money to be donated by the sponsor and say, for every dollar they contribute, the sponsor donates $5, with a minimum donation by the users of the network.
I agree that charities need to have a direct connection with their donors if they are to build a longer-term relationship. But is it what the net generation want? It may be – but if Don Tapscott’s research is anything to go by, (‘Grown up digital – how the net generation is changing your world’) – they want to be the ones who make that choice.
We need to think about the paradigm we use to relate to donors, taking into account that different generations operate, interact and think differently. Maybe there is a whole segment out there who want to dip in and out with small gifts, and be respected and valued for that and given the right tools to do it effectively.
As an online fundraiser creating events promoted via peer-to-peer (enormously successful stuff – any charity that’s not in it is seriously missing a hot new medium) we see a huge enthusiasm for this kind of easy opportunity to support good causes.