Go back to your (Grass)Roots with Facebook and MySpace

Sometimes to grow big you need to go to back to your roots — your grassroots. Strong roots produce a strong tree. A strong tree, yields better fruit. And a strong grassroots movement — no matter the size of your organization — will help you produce better, more abundant fruit. The best part of this is that in a grassroots movement your donors do most of the work. For an overworked nonprofit staff member (and who in the nonprofit sector isn’t), this is about as comforting as a bowl of hot soup and a slice of fresh bread on a cold winter’s eve.

So how do you get started? Two words: Facebook (Or MySpace). Paypal.

That’s right. Paypal has now teamed up with Facebook and MySpace to make it easy for people to raise money for their favorite causes. And really, it couldn’t be easier.

The instructions are simple. All your donors have to do is:
1. Log in to their Paypal account and create a badge for their favorite cause — your cause
2. Post the badge on their profile page
3. Use their social networks to raise awareness and money — for you

Of course, your donors have to know they can do this. And a little encouragement from you wouldn’t help. So why not work it in to your next newsletter? In fact, work it in to all your communications with your donors. Even better, create a whole Facebook/MySpace campaign. Find a specific need that your donors can help you with, tell them about it, and then let them loose.

The icing on the cake is that, for the most part, you’ll attract a younger donor base while building loyalty and activism. A sweet, sweet thought.

Need help building a Facebook/MySpace campaign? Turnbull Marketing Group can help. Contact us at 919.741.5072 or info@tbullgroup.com. You can also visit us online at www.tbullgroup.com. We help you help others.