Using social media — charity cause or bandwagon approach?

In light of social media, a laundry list of new terms have come to life. “Friending” is now a verb, and “Tweets” are much, much more than what my pet parrot Cosmo greets me with.

One of the newest terms that crossed my radar is “Slactivism.” According to the Urban Dictionary, a must-have reference these days, a slactivist is defined as one who feels a need to be politically active, but doesn’t quite know how and thereby jumps on the nearest bandwagon cause.

Without question, social media lets people connect with each other, and organizations can use these relationships to increase awareness.

However, does clicking on a charity event on Facebook really do much good? This trend has been criticized that click through activism can be ineffective, as people are just using their mouse clicks to fake awareness.

As people have limited time, would online “slacktivism” replace in-person volunteerism? Would kids be without mentors, or walk-a-thons without participants?

Can social media have a bigger impact than a bandwagon approach? The answer? Yes!

Causes, an online application for Facebook and MySpace was released in 2007. The application promotes viral financial donations charities and nonprofits. In just two years, the company has registered an impressive bank of statistics on usage and donation numbers. As of June 2009, over 70 million users registered to support more than 53,000 registered non-profit causes worldwide. In just two years, Causes campaigns have raised over $10 million dollars. Although Causes does keep 4% of the proceeds, this is still remarkably better than the 7-12% average that is spent on fundraising by other not-for-profit tactics.

According to a study by Mashable.com, the key to online giving through social media is trust, both from the organization, and from those people you connect with. By building a dialogue based on trust and openness, charities have an opportunity to effectively fundraise. But by engaging with its audience, the organization may also be able to gainer support with calls to action for an increase volunteers.

A recent example occurred in my hometown of Buffalo, NY. Hit show Extreme Home Makeover rebuilt the home of one needy family. A mass social networking campaign garnered a record number of volunteers – over 5,000 in all. With the largest volunteer turnout, volunteers gave the entire neighborhood makeover.

Yes, landscape has changed for charities. And pursuing web-based activism, the opportunity is prime for organizations to connect with a wider audience. As the message is spread from person to person, nonprofit organizations have an opportunity to raise money and bring a community together, both in person and online.