Has your mind been swimming with cool ideas on how to use social networking and your major gift program?  Mine sure has.  Never before has it been easier to connect your donors to what is happening with your mission.  The possibilities are endless.
Many non-profits have been using social networking for fundraising for a few years now.  It’s been an extension of their mass communication program.
However, I think it can also be much more personalized with your major donors.  Let me give you an example:
Lets say you are on a view trip with a group of your donors in Sudan.  This group is funding 10 water wells in a very arid region of Sudan and they’re coming to see first-hand how their investment made a difference.  Because of the impact and the emotional nature of the trip, while on site, this group decides they want to fund another 10 water wells, by collectively putting up $50,000.
That’s awesome, right.  But wait.  What if you got them to use that as a match and sent out personal messages to 10 people on your caseload that had a similar passion for Sudan but couldn’t make the trip?
Imagine this group of donors visiting Sudan sends a video message to each one of those donors and personally asks them to help with the special matching gift challenge.
That personal message is sent to those 10 donors via Twitter, Facebook, e-mail or LinkedIn.  The next day, one of those donors in Sudan calls the donors in the U.S. to follow up.
You tell me how one of those 10 donors could not say no?  Okay, I’m not finished.
Now, three days later, waking up to their breakfast, the donor in the U.S. checks her Twitter account and reads a direct message from Sudan. It’s one of the donors in Sudan who sends a video link thanking them for contributing and busting the goal of $50,000, which now enables them to drill 20 water wells.  And, she receives a personal greeting from the tribal elders thanking them for their help.
Do you see how powerful this can be?  And, this is not some pie in the sky idea.  This is a very simple, cost-effective, yet extremely personal way to reach your major donors and inspire them to give.
Another example would be to use social networking for special mini-campaigns with a tight deadline or to use it at the end of a calendar or fiscal year end when you are trying to remind people at the last minute to consider a gift.
There are many more possibilities and we’d love to hear from you on some of the strategies you have used for your organization.
There is no better time to get started than NOW!
Jeff
Series details:

#1: Deepen the Relationship with Donors
#2: Cultivating and Reporting Back
#3: Fundraising using Social Networking
…or read it all in our free White Paper: Social Networking and Major Gifts