Compared to the traditional ways of fund raising, online fundraising is recognized as something which is more effective compared to the former and other ways to raise money or funds. This holds true in the sense that fundraising entails the use of the internet and internet is a great way to reach many people not only in one particular place but also in different places around the world as well.

With online fundraising, you will be able to make use many different free fields on the internet that are easily seen and participated in by many people from different places. Some of these fields include social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and Linkedin. Emails to and from friends and family are also best for this purpose and are now commonly used by fundraisers from the different parts of the globe.

Traditional Fundraising

There are so many problems that arise when it comes to the use of traditional fundraising. One of the common problems so far is the volume or the number of support that comes available. Say for example, if you are having a fundraising activity in your community, this will only bring you in limited supports. Why is this so? It is because reaching individuals to help you with the fundraising is only limited within your reach. Even if you want to get support from other places, this seems to be daunting and impossible on your part simply because doing this would entail a great deal of time, money, and effort.

Fundraising Through The Internet

With the introduction of the internet to the world, a great deal of benefits has been imparted to millions and millions of people around the world. Aside from the fact that business and communication have been satisfactorily shared, people from different parts of the world can now enjoy the benefits of the internet through the fundraising activities. The hundreds of supports which have been obtained from traditional fundraising have become millions with online fundraising.

The Benefits

The most obvious advantage you can have with internet fundraising is that you will definitely have a massive number of supporters or audiences who are willing to listen to your ideas. In addition, the internet hub already comes with a plethora of organizations and sites which are dedicated and designed to provide help and assistance to the needy and destitute ones.

With online fundraising, it is much easier for everyone to receive financial helps and assistance from different websites and organizations. Most of the time, these websites would provide you with direct money transfer to particular charity institution given that the fundraising arrangements have been finalized and completed.

By using the emails and social networking sites, you will be able to reach millions and millions of subscribers using their Facebook and Twitter accounts every day. These sites and others like Google+ and Linkedin are incredible ways to reach lots of people to help you with your fundraising activity. With the internet, online fundraising has never been this easy.

It’s impossible to watch the news these days and not see a report about the upcoming 2012 Presidential Election. Regardless of your candidate of choice or party affiliation, you have to admit the contenders are giving it all they’ve got to win the office at hand.  From kissing babies to Google ads, this election is an interesting blend of old and new fundraising tactics.

While television debates, benefit dinners, and rallies are tried and true methods of gaining voter approval, what has truly sparked my interest is how these candidates are connecting with people that can now have their voices heard using social media. By the end of this election, the unchartered waters of online political fundraising will be vastly explored by these electoral pioneers.

In a recent report published by Fundly, we found that online political fundraising is being utilized like never before. We have had three of the presidential hopefuls as clients, plus one thousand other political figures petitioning for various offices. Due to our political clientele on both party lines, we are able to accumulate facts and figures pertaining to online fundraising in a way that has not been possible in previous years. As such, we have found that by the end of January 2012 political online fundraising had increased 53 percent as compared to the previous year. Furthermore, we saw that the daily social fundraising volume in January exceeded December’s average volume by more than 350 percent.

There is a good question that arises amid all of the controversies surrounding the use of PAC’s: will even more focus be placed on social media fundraising as candidates strive to gain public approval? The time, energy and finances invested into procuring funds can be vastly diminished with the launch of a simple Facebook page, some daily tweets on Twitter and taking a few minutes to start a campaign donation page on Fundly.

So why should you use Fundly as part of your campaign strategy? When a stranger asks for money, it’s easy and probable for people to answer “no, thanks.” When a friend asks for money, there is a foundation and level of trust in the relationship which usually produces a positive response like, “sure, I’d love to!”  Friends are also more open to supporting a candidate and hearing their positions when recommended by a friend. This is the basic idea of social fundraising and Fundly helps your campaign reap the benefits. When a donor contributes to your candidate through Fundly, that action can be posted to their Facebook and Twitter profiles to share with their network of friends, family, and colleagues. Not only are they bringing attention to your campaign, but a call of support to their entire social network. The average person has well over 100 friends on Facebook and now you have over 100 potential donors.

While the focus of political fundraising has mainly been on the presidential race, what we are learning from this election can be applied to campaigns for smaller offices, such as mayor, school board advisor, and the like. With Fundly, it’s easy for candidates to set up a website, gather supporter information, and start collecting donations. Regardless of the political position, the methods of fundraising are the same; it’s just a different scale.

Every nonprofit has three basic needs to fill in order to survive: know-how, resources, and passion. Finding the right people and tools to fill these gaps is essential, especially when it comes to the task of fundraising. Online fundraising is a concept that has developed over the past years, however, the concept of “social fundraising” is fairly new.  Social media networks are a great set of tools anyone can take advantage of… and they’re free. Leveraging social media to expand online fundraising efforts with Fundly provides you with a platform to use social media effectively and gather your resources and passion behind your cause, so that you can reach your goals.

Here are 3 big fat reasons to use Fundly to drive your online fundraising potential:

1) Fundly makes fundraising online simple, effective and fun!!!  No, seriously… Starting a campaign page on Fundly is easy, and until you’re actually raising money, it’s free.  Since it only a takes a few minutes, there’s no reason you can’t have a little fun and check it out!  Your fundraising page is ready to share from the moment you sign-up.  Fundly’s user-friendly interface makes it quick to customize your page by adding video and photos, choosing your fundraising goal and giving levels, and writing a description about your cause… And it’s exciting to see the final result!

The experience is even more engaging for your donors and gives them a chance to be recognized. It only takes a minute for your donors to contribute to your cause by a click of the ‘Donate’ button and give with ease with Fundly.  Once they’ve donated, there are several ways for them to engage and feel like they are a part of the overall effort.

2) Donors turn into fundraisers. When a stranger asks for money, it’s easy and probable for people to answer “no, thanks.” When a friend asks for money, there is a foundation and level of trust in the relationship which usually produces a positive response like, “sure, I’d love to!”  This is the basic idea of social fundraising and Fundly helps your organization reap the benefits in two ways.  First, when a donor contributes to your cause through Fundly, their giving action can be posted to their Facebook and Twitter profiles to share with their network of friends, family, and colleagues. Now, not only are they bringing attention to your cause, but sending a call to action to their entire social network. The average person has well over 100 friends on Facebook and now you have over 100 potential donors.  Secondly, your donors also have the option to launch their own fundraising page under your campaign and set their own goals.  This empowers them to fundraise for the cause and they’re now motivated to achieve their own goal, adding to your donation yield.  Your givers are now your gatherers!

3) Online donation yields can increase by as much as 52% on Fundly!  Regardless of the cause or size of your organization, current statistics prove that online giving is increasing ever year.  Launching a campaign on Fundly could increase your donation revenue by as much as 52%, as proven by a case study campaign on Fundly. Also, according to a recent study released by M+R Strategic Services and the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) entitled the “eNonprofit Benchmarks Study”, they have  found that from 2010 to 2011 online giving increased 20 percent. That is a tremendous amount of growth and fundraising revenue.  Furthermore, the average one-time online gift was $62 and the average monthly gift was $20. These dollars quickly add up!  And Fundly is confident that as social media networks grow and continue to build into the routine of our daily lives, nonprofits will see online giving potential increase even more in the next year.

In all, online fundraising is here to stay. Fundly has taken out what has made it time consuming and complicated so you can do what you do best: run your nonprofit and strengthen support for your cause.

It seems like many non-profits are stuck between a rock and a hard place right now: the needs are greater than ever while incoming donation levels are decreasing or at a stand still. With the funds you do have,  should you meet the needs of your clientele or gamble with new development strategies? Here are five reasons why online fundraising is not a gamble:

1) Free Platfoms – Facebook, Twitter and emails literally don’t cost a dime! In the time it takes to compose an update, post a Tweet, or write a letter, you could reach thousands of donors. While direct mail is certainly beneficial to older supporters, it can be costly when you take in to account the price of production, postage, and assembly.

2) Expand Your Audience – I can honestly say that the majority of my friends under 40 years old have Facebook accounts. I think that one of the biggest mistakes that nonprofits make is not appealing or nurturing the next generation of supporters.

3) It Doesn’t Take a Techie – With all of the new technology out there, it can be intimidating to enter the world of keywords, SEOs and Tweetables. One thing that I’m really impressed with concerning these new platforms is how user friendly they are. Get on the website, sign up, spend an hour playing with the system and you’ll quickly become a pro. There are also great tutorials on YouTube that can walk you through the process. At Fundly, we also have a team that strives to make an online giving website quick, easy and accessible for both nonprofit and donor use.

4) Expanded Opportunities – Building the bridge to create a simbiotic relationship is key to garnering and expanding donor support; you need hands and finances to achieve your goal and your supporters receive affirmation that they are needed and making a difference. Social media only strengthens this bond through opening more outlets of communication such as updates, calls to action, and success stories.

5) It Just Keeps Growing – Currently Twitter has over 300 million users and 1.6 billion search queries each day. Facebook boasts of having more than 845 million users and more than half of those people log on each day. This is a huge market with unlimited potential! Furthermore, this past year showed a 13% increase in online giving which equals a 35-55% growth rate over the past year. Fundly can help you utilize social media in your arsenal of marketing strategies by connecting your organization to potential donors and making the process of giving social.