Networked for Good
How to use social media to give your fundraising a boost
So you’ve decided to help a cause close to your heart and now you want to
raise as much as possible for your chosen charity. BT, with assistance from the
Institute of Fundraising and MyDonate ambassador Ben Fogle (@Benfogle),
has put together these tips to help you maximise your personal fundraising
through social networking sites.
Ben Fogle recommends: “Why not do something creative to
grab attention? If you want to get your fundraising challenge
noticed and raise the maximum amount of cash then think
outside the box to get your friends and followers to take
notice. This is a classic tactic for making people sit up and
listen. It works equally well online as it does in the real world.
Creative charity stunts like world record attempts stand out on
social media and are brilliant fun to get involved with.”
Don’t forget that using social media
works best when it corresponds
with your real life. You should be
talking about the kind of topics
online that your friends would
expect you to talk about in person;
this helps you maintain your
authenticity. And complement your
online fundraising with personal
appeals to cover every base.
And what do other charity champions
think? James Kennedy, who recently raised
over £3,500 with three friends for charity
Changing Faces by completing the Iron Man
Challenge, said: “We found emailing and
contacting people online was the easiest and
most effective way to get people to donate.”
Sarah Tirrell, Policy and Codes of Practice Manager at the Institute
of Fundraising, thinks social media is a brilliant way to raise money.
“Social media is a great fundraising tool as it’s a quick and easy way
of garnering support. Online giving sites combine the ability to reach
a wide-ranging audience with a secure and simple way for them to
donate, making it beneficial for all users.”
Networked for Good
How to use social media to give your fundraising a boost
Blogs
Keep track of your charity
challenge and your
fundraising landmarks
with a blog. Here are some
tips for writing a successful
one; also websites like
Blogspot and Wordpress
offer free blogging tools.
Look them up on Google to
find out more.
• As well as words, you should post pictures, videos and
links to other relevant sites that capture your interest. This
keeps your readers entertained and the links help your
Google search ranking, meaning your blog is easier to find
• Don’t forget to include links to your other social media
profiles like Twitter or a YouTube channel if you’re using
one. Then every time you write a blog post, mention this,
with a link, on Twitter and Facebook to drive your friends
and followers to your site
• You can use your blog like a diary so that people can see how you’re getting on. You might want to
think about writing a weekly post about how your preparation is coming along and how close you’re
coming to meeting (and beating) your fundraising target
• 150-300 words is the perfect length of post for a blog and, most importantly, make what you write a
reflection of your personality – people love that about blogs
• Looking for inspiration? Check out disability charity Scope’s blogs (http://www.scope.org.uk/news/
blogs), which give a fascinating mix of opinion, insight, updates and information about fundraising
drives all from a personal perspective
Use Facebook to tell your friends that you’re raising money for a good
cause. Keep them updated on how you’re getting on and try these
ideas to ask them to contribute to your goal:
• To tap into people outside your Facebook friends, find the page of the charity you are supporting (such
as Cancer Research UK), “like” the page to subscribe to the news and then post on the wall about your
challenge, with a link to your MyDonate profile so that the charity’s supporters can contribute
• Mention your fundraising drive on your Facebook status so that your closest friends and family can
chip in. Again, don’t forget to attach that all-important MyDonate profile link
• In your status updates, mention your training, challenge or fundraising milestones. Keep it light and
use humour where you can
• You could even create your own Facebook group or event; this is a great way to encourage support,
not just financially but also in terms of attendance and goodwill too
• Facebook is all about dialogue, so don’t be surprised if people leave messages of support on your wall. It’s
important to leave a comment in reply to acknowledge this and express thanks
• And to keep that dialogue going, ask your Facebook friends for advice. Maybe you could get their tips for
staying hydrated on a long run or where’s best to do a sponsored skydive
Using Twitter can extend
your fundraising drive
beyond your own personal
network. If you’ve wondered
how to use hashtags (#),
retweets and all that the
micro-blogging site has to
offer,then let us help you get
the full effect:
• Ben Fogle is an active Tweeter. “I send out at least one tweet
on most days,” he says. This keeps people interested and
fully up to date with his news. Use the same thinking with
your own posts
• Be careful not to look too pushy by asking people to donate
too often. Ask occasionally and then keep your followers up
to date on your progress
• Help people find your tweets by putting # in front of hot
topics. This will collate your tweets and make them easy to
find for people who are interested in these topics – for example, #marathon, #charity or even #MyDonate
• The best way to build a following is to mention other Tweeters in your post and then they’re likely to follow
you. A tweet like “Using @bt_uk #MyDonate to raise money for a great cause this summer” might just
encourage BT and its followers to follow you!
• If your charity is supported by a celebrity with a Twitter following, maybe you could try asking that celeb to
retweet (or RT) your fundraising message so that their fans can find out about your challenge too
• Remember, tweets are short and sweet; practice writing in 140 characters to perfect your style
Networked for Good
How to use social media to give your fundraising a boost
After the challenge
is over...
You can keep talking about your challenge even after
it’s over. Use your social media channels to share your
achievements (photos are great for this), thank your
supporters and let them know how you got on. They’ll be
interested to hear all about it.
“Whatever channels you use to promote
your fundraising, make sure it’s accurate
and clear, so potential sponsors know which
charity you are helping and how much of
their money will go to the charity. Let them
know whether they are receiving it all, or
if some will be used to cover the costs of
doing the event,” says the Institute of
Fundraising’s Sarah Tirrell.
Getting involved in supporting charities
is great, but people can be unsure if
there are rules or not. As well as being
able to speak to the charity you are
helping, the Institute of Fundraising is
an excellent resource to ensure your
fundraising is as effective as possible. To
learn more about the Institute, go to:
www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk.
www.bt.com/mydonate