Giving reaches new heights via social media networks

MySpace and Facebook have much more in common than their rapid rise as online social networks. They and other web-based communities are also leading the social media trend in online giving networks.

Since Justgiving launched its application on Facebook in July 2007, the use of the tool has outstripped all other traffic the site receives, including that via Google.

“Facebook is now the most used channel for people to donate to charities via Justgiving, and in April we had 350,500 referrals via the site,” Simon Doggett, Justgiving’s User Champion, told Philanthropy UK.

“This equates to 6.4% of all our referrals, the largest we receive. It means that everyday 3,500-4,000 people click on the donate button.”

The trend for charities and charity support organisations to reach donors using online methods has grown beyond expectations, with the Community Channel launching ‘Your Charity Space’ in 2006 as a social networking resource and forum for people to blog and upload videos about charities or causes they are passionate about.

Facebook also has the US-based ‘Causes’ application that allows users to create groups that support non-profit organisations, and then invite friends to join and donate money to their chosen cause.

Another Facebook application, ‘ripple’, was set up by a group of Australian college students to direct users to online advertising. All proceeds from the advertising are then donated to one of four charities, depending on what advert is clicked on. The average person who clicks on an advert on ripple’s site spends 40-50 seconds looking at the interactive ads. The site averages between 4,000 and 5,000 users a day and raises funds for charities which its founders believe empower individuals in developing countries by providing clean water, food, education, or microfinance.

Meanwhile Flickr, the photo-sharing website, has just launched a ‘Flickr for Good’ campaign, offering non-profit organisations in the UK unlimited accounts with unlimited storage space to reach their potential donors.

“What we are seeing is a seismic shift in how donors are approaching their giving,” says Doggett. “Almost 89,000 people have installed the Justgiving application on Facebook since its launch last year.” Justgiving can also be found on MySpace and Bebo social networks.

Two donor profiles have emerged through Facebook for Justgiving: by far the biggest are those who have an individual story to tell their community and hope to actively raise money through the events in which they participate. The other is an activist community that wishes to campaign and share charity messages.

“We are speaking to users to see what will make their giving easier and more accessible, to help them communicate and make asking for donations easier,” Doggett says of the Facebook application.

“We are watching trends and not judging but we are shaping our products around them. Charities need to listen to donors and fundraisers. The trend is moving towards being less about guilt and much more about being part of a community and wanting to participate.”