Hrish Thota & Vaijayanthi K.M.

Working with an IT Services Company, both are Twestival Coordinators

“This time we don’t want Twestival to be just about fundraising. It should be more about volunteering”

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Net It In

• Join your favourite charities on Facebook, MySpace and other social networks and follow them on Twitter. This way you can stay updated about their latest activities
• Write a post about a charity/cause/event on your blog
• Spread the word among your friends and relatives. Invite others to join these charities on social networks. Put a widget of your favourite charity(s) or their links/banners on your website or blog to lead people to their websites and help raise donations
• Take the lead in organising charitable events like Twestivals in your city if it is not registered already. Keep track of volunteering options in your area
• Find out about online donation options and make donations

At your fingertips

• GiveIndia (www.giveindia.org)
• WWF India (www.wwfindia.org)
• Rang De (www.rangde.org)
• charity: water (www.charitywater.org)
• LiveStrong (www.livestrong.org)
• Network for good (www.networkforgood.org)
• SixDegrees (www.sixdegrees.org)
• Yahoo for Good! (www.forgood.yahoo.com )
• JustGive (www.justgive.org)

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Once a year, over a million members across the world come together for a noble cause and organise off-line meetings to raise funds. Their online home is at microblogging site Twitter (twitter.com) and the offline event is called Twestival. The first ever Twestival Global was held in February 2009 and it collected over $250,000 for charity: water, a non-profit organisation that brings safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

This is just one example of how online social networks have become modern day philanthropy’s greatest friend.

Socially networked

Social media platforms have come out with innovative ways to enable their members to use their networks to come together for good causes.

Facebook (facebook.com), for example, has charity applications that can be added to your profiles. Most let you donate when you shop online or play a game. The ‘Good Samaritan’ application helps users save money through online purchases while donating a quarter of the proceeds to participating charities. Another application, ‘Causes’, provides a platform to philanthropic organisations and individuals to mobilise their friends, spread the word, and receive donations.

Charity websites. There are some independent platforms too. Network for Good (networkforgood.org), is one. It puts together online donation and volunteering options. Till date, it has raised over $270 million in online donations.

Charity badges. Also called widgets, these are essentially chunks of software code that look like online banners or ads and can be put up on a website, blog or social networking pages to solicit donations. If you support a charity, you could put up its badge on your blog or website.

Offline events. Online interactions often evolve into offline events. Says Hrish Thota, organiser for Twestival Bangalore: “Twestival Local is encouraging cities around the world to host events in support of a local cause on one day during the weekend of 10-13 September 2009.”

Works well

Reaching out. Says Nicky Yates, director, communications, charity: water, “Through social networks we are able to tell our story in a quick, effective manner once and have it reach thousands of supporters on each platform, thus engaging people who are not on our mailing list.” Shaila Sam, senior manager, communications, World Wildlife Fund-India, says: “As the message spreads on the social media, many people come to our website and find out how they can help. Others come to our office.”

Being interactive, these networks also helps charities engage with the audience and figure out correct strategies.

Keeping informed. These platforms are also a great way of making announcements and giving updates on events and volunteering windows. GiveIndia, an online donation portal, runs campaigns on its Facebook Causes page. Their campaign asking users to donate as a gift to their mothers on Mother’s Day elicited a great response. So did their blogpost about finding volunteers for a one-time visit to NGOs. WWF-India has been similarly urging people to support its causes by planting a tree or switching off lights for a specified hour.

Raising funds. Charities could also connect with potential donors through the social media. Says Amita Chauhan, spokesperson, GiveIndia: “The younger generation, which is comfortable making donations online, is also the one spending a lot of time on Facebook and Twitter.”

How to get in?

Once you join these networks, there are many ways in which you can help. The idea is to be updated, spread the word and volunteer and/or donate.

The power of virtual publicity is huge. Says Smita Ram, co-founder & COO, Rang De (rangde.org), a micro-lending website, “Credibility is a big thing. When one of our board members writes a post on us on their blog or Tweets about it, a surge of people come and invest.”

You need to remember that help that isn’t volunteering or cash donations is not tangible. It does, however, make a difference.

Also, be cautious as, says Rajiv Dingra, founder and CEO, WATConsult, a Web 2.0 and social media marketing strategy consultancy, “scamsters could pose as charities. Go for a known and reliable charity.”

The beauty of social networks lies in a sweet paradox. On one hand, to exist such networks need thousands of people; on the other it is the contribution of each member that makes them thrive. Go ahead, celebrate the power of one.

anaghpal AT outlookindia DOT com