Why are we afraid?

I had great conversations with two clients this week about leveraging Facebook to increase engagement and giving. During both discussions, I mentioned using Causes in Facebook as a possible way to increase exposure and giving. Both clients expressed reservations about using Facebook to promote a giving message, yet both were interested in using Facebook to increase engagement. After doing a quick search for a cause for my alma mater and others, it looks like many institutions share the same reservations.

I'm not sure that we should throw out the idea altogether - I think it's worth exploring why we are afraid and how we can temper those fears. With over 300 million users and more than 10 million becoming fans of pages daily, Facebook is a powerful tool for fundraisers. Your constituents - young and older - are using Facebook, and by maintaining a presence on the site for your institution with updated content, event info, and other links, your institution will build engagement. So why not include a way for "fans" to support the institution? Are we afraid of invading a social tool with a giving message? Or that asking for support will lead to decreased engagement? Don't misunderstand my questions - I believe these are valid concerns and that further discussion will resolve them and pave the way for more effective fundraising through this medium.

The first concern - that Facebook is a private social space that should remain separate from the fundraising arena and that mixing the two will be seen as an invasion of privacy - is a valid fear. But let's do a quick reality check - this is already happening. Causes has already signed up 11,000 non-profit partners and Facebook cites over 35M monthly active users of Causes. That means it's highly likely that your constituents have received a petition to support a cause and are petitioning friends to support causes already. Causes can be initiated by individuals as well as non-profits themselves, and they range from well-known non-profits like Habitat for Humanity to small, community causes around a community library or a local school drive. Facebook members are participating in Causes every day – why shouldn't they have an opportunity to join your cause?

The second concern - that asking for support on Facebook will turn people off - is also a valid fear that I believe can be resolved with a better understanding of the way Causes works. The premise behind the application is to help individuals start a campaign for collective action through social networks. Through Facebook, individuals can set up a cause and designate a 501(c)3 beneficiary. Individuals can then petition friends to support their cause. Charitable organizations can also start a cause to benefit your organization. When you do this you will be best served if you become an official non-profit partner with Causes so that you have access to a personal dashboard that tracks donation activity to your causes. Through your dashboard, you can send petitions for support as well. (We can get into the ins and outs of petitioning in the next post.) Before you jump into petitioning, add the cause to your fan page. Don't worry, there's no blinking arrow pointing to a donate now button on your page - it's simply another item on your wall. If you're afraid of turning people off with a giving message, just leave the petitioning to your fans for now.

What next? Test it out! Start slowly by establishing your cause and linking it to your Facebook page so that fans can support your institution through Facebook. As you become more comfortable, consider approaching alumni leaders to join the cause and send petitions to friends. Once you have some experience under your belt, you can begin to develop more complex strategies that include things like setting up multiple causes for specific initiatives (i.e. senior class giving), fundraising invitations, donor matches and birthday wishes that will further enable fans to support your institution.

I welcome your feedback – comments and questions – and I hope that you will consider how your institution can use Facebook and Causes to grow engagement and dollars.