BITCH
CLICKING FOR GOOD? Sure, clicking the donate button on Facebook may feel good, but are new online donation methods the best thing for all nonprofits?
By Natasha del Amo
Illustration by Will Smith
Usually, when we look at our phones, we Cross to fundraise for current crises and expect a text message from one of our to reach a certain population that has friends asking, “What your plans are for never been seen by big donors before. The the night” or a parent asking if you finally “Donate” button and the “Causes” app on got that grade back—never have we been Facebook have raised tens of millions of happier that we don’t have read receipts on. dollars over the years. Millennials are the reason text and Within three days of the 2010 Haitian social media fundraising efforts are picking earthquake, the Red Cross text messaging up. New generation humanitarianism fundraising campaign raised more than is a fancy term for the industrial beast eight million dollars. And herein lies the capitalizing on our unlimited data plans. problem: All of the biggest examples Mobile-access fundraising is used to of success relating to technology-aided easily mobilize potential donors because fundraising are from the American Red texting is one of the most popular means of Cross, one of the world’s most recognized communication. Fifty-one percent of 18 to organizations. Would these campaigns be 27-year-olds access the Internet from their as fruitful if they were not branded with the phones more than any other device. Internet scarlet cross that is practically synonymous users in the United States access Facebook with humanitarianism? more than any other social network. Big Not likely, at least according to social networking sites generate a lot of fundraising consultant Robert Sharpe, who revenue and reach large pockets of the attributes much of the organization’s success global population that nonprofits covet. to its congressional charter. The charter Big nonprofits do just the same, but basically states that the Red Cross has a raise much more money and have a "special" relationship with the government, much larger audience than other non- making it what Sharpe calls a “quasigovernmental organizations. The “Donate” governmental organization.” There are only feature on Facebook is a perfect example a handful of nonprofits that have this leg of the partnership between nonprofit and up, and this allows them to play on a bigger technology, a strategy used by the Red stage than nonprofits that don’t have this
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