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As I wrote in a recent post, my opinion is that Twitter is a great tool for “friendraising,” for developing relationships with "a younger, more educated demographic" that may eventually yield donors. Even with only 7% of Americans using Twitter, those that do use it are a potential resource – now, as volunteers, and later, perhaps, as financial supporters.
So, I was surprised (to put it mildly) as I reviewed some additional research at philanthropy.com and found that 42% of charities use Twitter as a top tool for online fundraising. That means that in America, 500,000 charities, give or take, are using Twitter to reach the same 22 million people.
Just 44 individuals for each charity using Twitter.
Obviously, some charities are going to do better at fundraising with Twitter. But the reasons are going to be wildly dissimilar – a big news event about the cause, an issue that hits that “younger, more educated” demographic smack between the eyes, a catastrophe somewhere in the world. Whatever the case, Twitter, it seems, is currently a pretty narrow band to really have impact on a charity’s bottom line.
The question is not whether Twitter is an effective social media tool. It is. And it will likely get better. As I’ve said, better to be there with a strongly managed message strategy than to not be there at all. But the messaging needs to be strongly managed, or you risk a dissipation of your brand.
So, Twitter is a good idea for messaging and friendraising. But, is it the right tool for fundraising? A pattern emerges, as you dig deeper into the research and connect the dots.
