The other day I was listening to KUOW and heard a story about how social media is impacting donations to charities. Given our work with a variety of nonprofits and my past writing on the topic, I quickly reached over to turn up the volume on my radio. (My past blog posts include “Tools for Fundraising” published on Sept. 15, 2010 and “Social Media and Fundraising” published on June 4, 2010.)

According to the story, social media is having a big impact on how people are giving to charities. Marketplace Money Reporters Tess Bigeland and Jennifer Collins explained that, “last year social media accounted for more than $2 billion in donations,” and it is now changing the way nonprofits operate. This was not a surprise to me as several of our nonprofit clients have successfully and cost effectively secured donations by leveraging social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. However, I did enjoy learning more about the specific campaigns that nonprofit organizations like The Salvation Army and ShelterBox USA are using to raise money.

The Salvation Army, for instance, has recruited virtual bell ringers. In addition to their holiday tradition of volunteers standing in front of department stores asking people to donate change, they now have a group of people asking for donations via Facebook and Twitter. This seemed really clever to me as people are increasingly spending more time online and it allows them to reach a new demographic.

I am not going to rehash the details of the entire story here. However, if you’re interested in this topic, I would encourage you to listen to the story, which appears to have originally aired on Dec. 31, 2010. This story just might give you some ideas for your next fundraising campaign.