Post by bauerssn on Oct 9, 2014 13:44:56 GMT -5
The non-profit organization in the health sector that I decided to write about this week was the American Red Cross. One example of a fundraising success was in an article by Fox News that talked about how the American Red Cross took advantage of text messaging donations during the Japanese earthquake and tsunami crisis. The money raised through text messages was a combination of small donations between ten and twenty five dollars. The success of this fundraiser was driven by the fact that the organization was well aware that Americans are very generous during a disaster, and they completely took advantage of it.
In an article by the NonProfit Times that was published this past summer that was titled ‘Red Cross Calls Fundraising Operations ‘Trade Secrets,’’ the American Red Cross sought to block the release of information about the Superstorm Sandy crisis. This is considered a fundraising failure, at least in my opinion. Non-Profits are not supposed to disclose information, and this makes the Red Cross looks not so transparent, which makes it look as if the organization is not putting the public’s interest first. Not being forthcoming to the public is definitely not a good way to maintain loyal donors for the American Red Cross.
As for the Google Hangouts we watched this week, the best practices for social media fundraising by Sarah Milston, founder and CEO of Spark Mill, is having a story that people can connect to. She also mentioned that people like to join a cause that is already proven to be becoming successful. As for fundraising on a budget, she mentioned a few websites, for example, Canza.com and Pickmonkey, that you could edit pictures and create info graphics. Sarah also mentioned that you shouldn’t attempt to fundraise for money on social media unless you have an incredibly built platform, such as one with a website audit that has a donate button that links directly to the donation site. The best social media fundraising ideas that were discussed in the Google hangout with Gloria Huang from The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), was definitely constantly addressing the concerns of the public and how they can better serve them. They need to stay on top of credible information that is factual, true, and correct in order to guide people through a disaster timeline, in order for them to feel like they have some control in their situation. An example that Gloria mentioned was a rumor fact page that let the public know what was true and what was not.
www.thenonprofittimes.com/news-articles/red-cross-calls-fundraising-operations-trade-secrets/
www.foxnews.com/us/2011/03/16/american-red-cross-official-defends-fundraising-efforts/
In an article by the NonProfit Times that was published this past summer that was titled ‘Red Cross Calls Fundraising Operations ‘Trade Secrets,’’ the American Red Cross sought to block the release of information about the Superstorm Sandy crisis. This is considered a fundraising failure, at least in my opinion. Non-Profits are not supposed to disclose information, and this makes the Red Cross looks not so transparent, which makes it look as if the organization is not putting the public’s interest first. Not being forthcoming to the public is definitely not a good way to maintain loyal donors for the American Red Cross.
As for the Google Hangouts we watched this week, the best practices for social media fundraising by Sarah Milston, founder and CEO of Spark Mill, is having a story that people can connect to. She also mentioned that people like to join a cause that is already proven to be becoming successful. As for fundraising on a budget, she mentioned a few websites, for example, Canza.com and Pickmonkey, that you could edit pictures and create info graphics. Sarah also mentioned that you shouldn’t attempt to fundraise for money on social media unless you have an incredibly built platform, such as one with a website audit that has a donate button that links directly to the donation site. The best social media fundraising ideas that were discussed in the Google hangout with Gloria Huang from The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), was definitely constantly addressing the concerns of the public and how they can better serve them. They need to stay on top of credible information that is factual, true, and correct in order to guide people through a disaster timeline, in order for them to feel like they have some control in their situation. An example that Gloria mentioned was a rumor fact page that let the public know what was true and what was not.
www.thenonprofittimes.com/news-articles/red-cross-calls-fundraising-operations-trade-secrets/
www.foxnews.com/us/2011/03/16/american-red-cross-official-defends-fundraising-efforts/