Wow – “Thank Your Military” Video gets 6.7 million views on Causes

Posted by Susan Gordon on July 28th, 2010

Brianna Donovan, a member of the cause Thank a Soldier, posted a video called Thank Your Military to the cause last year.  The video has a simple message: thank the men and women in our military and show them that there are people who appreciate their service and sacrifice.  Her goal is to spread the video to every present and former military person across the globe.  Well, she’s getting close.  As of today, over 6.7 million people have watched the Thank Your Military video on Causes.  That is more than any video currently in YouTube’s “Nonprofits & Activism” channel.

I think one of the most touching parts of this story is the number of people who have written to Brianna and thanked her for posting the video and posted comments on the video about the vets they want to thank.  This is the kind of community I hope is created in every cause.  So how about it?  Do you know any vets that you can send this video to and say thank you for their service?  I know I’m sending it to a couple dear friends now.

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1 Million Strong to Protect Wildlife from the BP Oil Spill

Posted by Susan Gordon on July 22nd, 2010

When Danielle Brigida from the National Wildlife Federation heard the cause she started, Help Wildlife Impacted by the Oil Spill, had reached 1 million members, she contacted me to say what pretty much boils down to “Wow. What now?”  After only three weeks, over 1 million people have joined the oil spill-focused cause and those members have donated almost $100,000 to the National Wildlife Foundation’s surveillance and clean-up efforts in the area.  I was happy to get Danielle’s email because she was not content with getting a lot of people in a cause.  She immediately started thinking of what fundraising projects, volunteer opportunities, or other campaigns these 1 million people could participate in in order to achieve the real goal of this cause: to help wildlife impacted by the BP oil spill.  The members of this cause are clearly enthusiastic and ready to take action, as evidenced by the comments on this video.

So I’d like to ask you, what do you think the next steps for this cause should be?  How can the cause members help and make sure an oil spill like this doesn’t happen again?  Donate?  Call the head of BP?  Write to Obama?  Write your ideas here and I’ll make sure they’re heard.

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Supercharged Fundraising Tips

Posted by Sarah Koch on July 16th, 2010
Last month, the Causes Impact Team held a contest to pick four fundraising projects, submitted by our nonprofit partners, to coach and promote to Causes users.  Even if you didn’t apply or your project was not one of the lucky winners, you can still create new fundraising projects at http://nonprofits.causes.com/campaigns/new.To help you get started, we’ve thought long and hard to synthesize the four most important tips for successful fundraising on Causes:

FUNDRAISING PROJECT TIP #1: Demonstrate Impact

  • When selecting a project, make sure that your goals are achievable and that it’s specific impact — not just fundraising for your general fund.  Explain the costs and goals of your project to your supporters so they understand your intentions.  You want your potential donors to know what you are doing with the money and what kind of impact the project will have once it’s complete.  This level of transparency helps your donors understand how they are helping create change by supporting you.

FUNDRAISING PROJECT TIP #2: Make it Relatable

  • Tell a story with your project.  You want your organization’s efforts to catch the eye of people across Causes who care about the issue your project is based on.  Even if your project has a local focus, keep in mind how to communicate the importance of what you’re doing to both local supporters and new supporters outside your immediate community.

FUNDRAISING PROJECT TIP #3: Break Down the Costs

  • GiveIndia provides a powerful example of effectively breaking down the costs for their donors.  To provide life-changing cataract surgery for one elderly person in India, the cost is $25.  See how GiveIndia used the Donor Choices feature to reflect this on their cause.  Specifying price points for what your project costs is not only inspiring to potential donors but can also increase the average donation amount on your cause.  To create Donor Choices for your project, click on the Donor Choices tab of your Fundraising Project in your Nonprofit Partner Center.

FUNDRAISING PROJECT TIP #4: Use Your Network

  • It is important to remember to leverage all communities surrounding your organization in order to publicize your fundraising project.  Instead of viewing Causes as an entirely separate community, make sure you reach out to all of your offline and online supporters when you start your fundraising project!

Remember to use these tips and others in How to Run a Successful Fundraising Campaign when you start your next fundraising project.  Stay tuned for the launch of our four Supercharged Projects!

And don’t forget about this month’s webinar at 2pm EDT on July 27th!  This month’s topic is Expanding Your Network: Tapping into the Full Potential of Social Media through Collaboration and Outreach.  We’ll teach you how to find potential partnerships, reach out to them, and greatly expand your organization’s potential.  How did a 2-person nonprofit organization get 3.7 million people to sign their petition about breast cancer?  How did another small nonprofit get 98 causes to feature their fundraising campaign?  This is a session you won’t want to miss.  Register at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/911367771

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