Nonprofits are learning that the interactive and communicative elements of fund-raising are essential for raising money with social media.

• On Facebook, direct fund-raising has proven to be unsuccessful.
• Nonprofits raise more money when donors can engage in the philanthropy (through dialogue and games, for example) rather than direct solicitations.
• Establishing relationships between Facebook users and real-world outcomes has led to more people donating to a cause.
• Zynga (the largest game developer on Facebook) has partnered with Water.org and Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) and has raised more than $130,000 for the causes.

Facts & Figures

• 61.1% of nonprofits reported little to no results when fund-raising through social media.
• More than 235,000 nonprofits are on Facebook, but a relatively small number of them have donor funds.