For Nonprofits, Time to Face the Facebook
The thank-you note is a staple of fundraising, a document nearly as vital to a nonprofit as its mission statement. A brief missive acknowledging a donor’s gift, thanking her for it, and telling her a bit about what her generosity helps to support is not merely polite, it’s also smart — it helps to continue the relationship the organization has developed with her and fosters more goodwill, leading, one hopes, to future gifts.
I’m not telling you anything you don’t know, right?
But according to the NonProfit Times, institutions are lagging in thanking benefactors for online donations that come through Facebook’s Causes application.
On May 1, The NonProfit Times made $25 contributions to 10 different Causes on Facebook, selecting the top five Causes (based on number of members) as well as five national organizations in a range of categories. While an immediate generic notification is sent by email to the donor from Network For Good, which processes donations for a cut of 4.75 percent, none of the nonprofits corresponded directly, by email or regular mail, at presstime, some six weeks after the donation.
Granted, technological changes happen extraordinarily swiftly, and keeping up when resources are limited can be tough. But, goodness, the opportunity that Facebook presents is so golden. Once limited to college kids, the social networking site is gaining greater traction with people in their 30s and 40s — an important demographic nonprofits love to reach. By failing to do something as basic as send a thank-you note, organizations risk letting those high earners donate their money elsewhere and contribute their time and expertise to other causes. | 501(c)
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POSTED IN: Fundraising, Technology
1 opinion for For Nonprofits, Time to Face the Facebook
Justin Dove
Jul 16, 2008 at 5:34 pm
I know from experience with FirstGiving that we did not receive any donor information with the gift. Then when I tried to find our organization’s name on the website (through the search function), I received no results. This could be, and I’m not sure about all Facebook groups, that the donor information is simply not passed on. Plus, with third-parties handling donations, there should always be a lag in relay time.
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