Raising Money with Social Media

My brother's friend is paying for this year of college with social media.

One the the churches I served raised money for The Wells Project online

Our church, like many others, has a place on their we page where you can donate online.

There are tons of examples where people raise money online through social media. How effective is it? It probably depends on of effectively you use it.

Honestly, I don't have a ton of experience with this. I've done a couple of little things, including the wells page, with varying degrees of success, so I'm hardly an expert, but I feel like this is a growing edge of social media. It's becoming more and more prevalent as more and more people are comfortable making financial transactions and contributions online.

In my experience, there are three things to think about when you're considering doing some online fundraising:

1. Make it easy. If you can run it through PayPal, that's the best, because it's the most common online transaction source for most people. It streamlines the giving process. If it takes more than a couple minutes for someone to give, there's a good chance they'll give up. Also, be precise and let them know what you're asking. A dollar, a hundred? "Fifty dollars saves a life," "twenty dollars lets us do ministry with one more child."

2. Sell it well. You can't just put a "donate now" button on your website and expect people to click on it. Use videos, use testimonies, be brief, let people know how important it is.

3. Make it accessible. If this is on your website, it should also be on your Facebook, twitter, and everything else you can do. People can't give and won't give if they can't find where to do it.

One other thing to think about: using credit cards. It's wide spread and common place. I know there are some Christian financial groups that encourage you to never use credit cards. That's a decision you have to make for yourself. Are you ok with people making donations by credit card when so many struggle with credit card debt? It's a slippery slope, and one that needs thought through before you start accepting online donations.

However, I think there needs to be a presence of online donations through social media for churches and religious organizations. I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences with this.