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Fundraising and Social Media - Ragan.com Article
On October 29, 2009, Ragan.com posted an article by Jessica Levco titled: "Boy’s cancer battle inspires fundraising via social media." It is the story about how one boy's battle with cancer ended up inspiring the development of an entirely new development program to raise money for cancer treatments for children. They are finding that their Facebook page has been an essential element in the success of the program.
I've had a number of fundraising professionals from hospitals, medical schools and hospital foundations attend my webinars and contact me over the last few months with questions about social media. My answer is always that I believe social media is an ideal tool for fundraisers. The social web is all about creating communities (or the spaces where communities can flourish online) of shared interest. Individuals come together to exchange ideas, revel in their passion for a given subject or brand, and feed off of one another.
So think about donors to your institution and potential donors (grateful patients, for example). Doesn't social media offer the opportunity for you to bring these individuals together in an environment where you can showcase your institution and all of the good things it does in the region and community? In the past I've often heard development people lament the fact that they don't have a better way to engage grateful patients. Well let me tell you, that day has now arrived. The social web now gives you that opportunity. Colleges and Universities are jumping on the bandwagon, forming alumni groups on Facebook, just as one example.
To check out the article on ragan.com go to http://tinyurl.com/yhztf3h. Read this article and get a glimpse into the potential power of social media in fundraising! On Twitter, Curing Kids' Cancer can be found at http://twitter.com/curingcancer. The organization's website is located at http://www.curingkidscancer.org.
Post by Dan Dunlop, The Healthcare Marketing Community & Blog
I've had a number of fundraising professionals from hospitals, medical schools and hospital foundations attend my webinars and contact me over the last few months with questions about social media. My answer is always that I believe social media is an ideal tool for fundraisers. The social web is all about creating communities (or the spaces where communities can flourish online) of shared interest. Individuals come together to exchange ideas, revel in their passion for a given subject or brand, and feed off of one another.
So think about donors to your institution and potential donors (grateful patients, for example). Doesn't social media offer the opportunity for you to bring these individuals together in an environment where you can showcase your institution and all of the good things it does in the region and community? In the past I've often heard development people lament the fact that they don't have a better way to engage grateful patients. Well let me tell you, that day has now arrived. The social web now gives you that opportunity. Colleges and Universities are jumping on the bandwagon, forming alumni groups on Facebook, just as one example.
To check out the article on ragan.com go to http://tinyurl.com/yhztf3h. Read this article and get a glimpse into the potential power of social media in fundraising! On Twitter, Curing Kids' Cancer can be found at http://twitter.com/curingcancer. The organization's website is located at http://www.curingkidscancer.org.
Post by Dan Dunlop, The Healthcare Marketing Community & Blog
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