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Twitter and Facebook can be a crucial part of a social media strategy, especially as they are free. Photograph: Sarah Lee
Twitter and Facebook can be a crucial part of a social media strategy, especially as they are free. Photograph: Sarah Lee

How can philanthropists make the most of social media?

This article is more than 12 years old
Being social media savvy is an effective way of engaging with audiences. Here are a few pointers to get you started

Many charities are adept at using social media to further their missions, spreading the word about their work to the wider public and potential funders alike. However, first-time philanthropists, many of whom are very reserved in terms of their public profile, have been somewhat more tentative in using social media to engage their audiences. We will therefore, dismiss two myths that exist around this relatively new tool; and we will go on to show philanthropists the four helpful lessons they can learn from the experiences of charities who are social media-savvy.

The first, and flimsiest, myth is that a social media strategy must be expensive. Of course, Twitter and Facebook, the two most rapid methods of dissemination, are free: there is no need to splash vast amounts of cash on outreach via the web, but instead, ensure that everything you send out is rooted in a strong offline message.

The second myth is that social media isn't something that the majority of grant-makers get involved in. The opposite is true. According to a new survey by the US-based Communications Network of communications staff for 155 private and community foundations, 93% of respondents currently use social networks: and 45% of foundation communication officials said they devoted between 11% and 50% of their time to social media.

It's not clear if UK foundations are yet following the same pattern, but in our new report, Philanthropy and Social Media, interviews with UK donors showed enthusiasm for and understanding of these new tools. Without further ado, then, we will outline the top four reasons why philanthropists should use social media.

1. Getting the word out

First, and most obviously, they are an excellent way to get a message out to all of their relevant audiences. There is much talk in philanthropy of "leveraging" your work – that is to say, making your money have the greatest possible impact – and a comprehensive social media strategy can have a positive and exponential effect. For example, there's the It Gets Better campaign, set up in the US by Dan Savage and his partner, in response to suicides by LGBT youths due to bullying at school. Within two months of its September launch, the project had become a worldwide movement, with more than 10,000 user-created videos viewed over 35m times; raising over $100,000 (£651,000) from more than 2,500 grassroots contributors to help LGBT youth.

2. Engaging with excluded communities

Less apparent, but perhaps more crucial, is social media's ability to reach excluded groups. Savvy Chavvy, a UK charity set up in 2008, is an online network for members of the Traveller community, a safe place where they can communicate without fear of discrimination. Within a few months of Savvy Chavvy's launch, it already had thousands of members, connecting and engaging disparate groups who ordinarily might not come together face-to-face. This is, therefore, a vital tool for philanthropists who wish to work at society's grassroots.

3. Bringing projects to scale

For philanthropists who are seeking to achieve systemic change, social media offers the opportunity to bring successful initiatives to national and international scale. KABOOM!, a US-based not-for-profit which builds playgrounds in low-income areas, turned to the internet as a means of sharing its methods. Through the use of a social networking site, online training, and do-it-yourself content, KABOOM! achieved impressive results. In 2009 alone, its online outreach efforts helped people build more than 1,600 do-it-yourself playgrounds – almost as many as the 1,700 the non-profit had built in the previous 14 years. Today, local communities build 10 KABOOM! playgrounds for each one that the company builds itself.

4. Providing greater transparency and accountability

Social media can also enable transparency and accountability like never before. Charity:water's aim is to bring clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations, and they promise to give 100% of funds raised to people in need. With the aid of social media, they provide supporters with proof that their money has been well-spent, using photos, video and GPS: allowing donors to see the exact impact of the money they have contributed. This is perhaps the most valuable aspect of the donor-grantee relationship. If the donor reciprocates with the same level of candour about its funding practices and the sources of its income, it can lead to an unprecedented level of trust.

These are a selection of the ways in which charities can show philanthropists how to get to grips with social media. They are a tool that we believe first-time donors will enjoy using to great effect: and so we urge them, wherever possible, to get involved.


The voluntary sector network will be running a live Q&A, based on this research, on Tuesday 11 October. Click here for more details.

Fran Perrin is the chair of trustees at the Indigo Trust and Dr. Salvatore LaSpada is chief executive of the Institute for Philanthropy

This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To join the voluntary sector network, click here.

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