Not for profit organisations and social media

It is a fact that social media is a powerful marketing tool. Likened to word-of-mouth social media is extremely powerful when it comes to spreading information and creating awareness about social issues and causes. Social media tools are the fastest and simplest way to connect with almost anyone, yet few South Africa not-for-profit organisations (NPO) utilise these tools.

A good example of a South African NPO utilising social media tools to their benefit is Breadline Africa. By using channels like YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook the NPO raised over R100 000 through their Blogger Bake Off competition and later this year a Twitter competition involving a sophisticated API will go live. Breadline Africa has in the past utilised social media platforms such as Twitter primarily for PR purposes and to communicate with the community but now hopes to raise funds through the launch of a new competition in December.

According to Marianna Boguslavsky, Online Marketing Manager for Breadline Africa, social media is a great tool for charities to raise awareness about their cause, encourage people to learn more about the projects and get people involved. Early next year Breadline Africa will launch a national SMS campaign involving a number of South African celebrities to increase awareness for their cause. Their digital efforts paid off and Breadline Africa was one of the finalists for the SangoNet NGO web awards this year.

Donate an Hour is ‘a private initiative of supportive collaboration for social change’ and calls on participants to donate one billable hour’s equivalent to the cause at hand. Donate an Hour chooses a different cause every year and aims to make a difference by utilising various online channels to create awareness for the cause and ultimately raise funds. This year (2009/2010) Donate an Hour will support Huis Luckhoff, a home for the aged in desperate need of funds for general maintenance, food and caring staff.

As individuals there are a few things we can do to create awareness for causes close to our hearts that doesn’t involve money. If you have a blog, spend some time and write a blog post for your cause. You never know who might be touched by your post and decide to make a donation. If your cause has a blog, add them to your blog roll. If you can find your cause’s Facebook fan page, join and keep an eye on the page to stay up to date with their needs. Small actions and a few minutes of your time can bring about big (and much needed) change.