I recently talked about Crowdrise, the project Ed Norton is spearheading, and their efforts to help nonprofits raise funds through the use of their communities and social networks. Today, I want to expand on that topic and provide further information on other companies that are using the social networks and communities developed by individuals to raise funds for nonprofits. One such company doing this in the social world is givezooks! The folks at givezooks! have given us a paper napkin look at how their system works.
They explain their process on their site to include what I think is a model that will be copied by many who are seeking to raise funds — “The Obama Method”:
givezooks! offers social fundraising for nonprofits, connecting individuals and organizations online to increase charitable giving. Social fundraising (the Obama model of fundraising), also called peer to peer fundraising or person to person fundraising, is the intersection of online fundraising with social networking. Nonprofit organizations can simply and affordably create custom Campaigns, Wish Lists, Grassroots Fundraisers and Events online, expand donor outreach via social networking (Facebook and Twitter) and internet marketing, and increase funds raised.
They really do know the power of the Internet and have been able to use all facets of social networking and social media that are available. Their idea of social fundraising is not a new concept but certainly one that has gathered steam following the Presidential elections and the success President Obama had using the system. You can learn more about their system through their free online webinar.
These are entrepreneurs who understand how to run the playbook of online businesses and this venture is no different. I am not sure what the costs of using their platform are if you are a corporation or a foundation, but individuals can use the system for free. 501(c)(3) nonprofits have plans that begin at about $129.00 a month depending on your goals, so I wouldn’t suggest this for those looking for small scale donations. They have a list of nonprofits using their system and I am curious if those organizations have any testimonials. (Let us know in the comments below!)
Companies are using the Obama Method to raise funds via their existing networks and depending on the success they have, we may begin to see many more organizations adopt the method in the nonprofit sector. I am already beginning to see some adoption of the process for the 2012 elections that are gearing up online. For the time being however, let’s use the method to help us reach our goals today!
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Tags: Crowdrise, fundraising, givezooks!, Obama Method, Online Fundraising, social fundraising, social media, social networks
Thanks for the great post Jim. Our customers are being very successful and I hope some of them chime in and comment. You mentioned our pricing – we have 2 options. The primary one is our entire platform (givezooks Unlimited) which is the monthly price you quoted where a nonprofit can create as many campaigns, wish lists, events or enable grassroots fundraising for their supporters (also available as an annual subscription for a discount). Another way to use givezooks! is by signing up to create a fundraising Event online, which is free is you aren't selling tickets or 2.5% transaction fee (plus credit card charges) once you start selling tickets to attendees or corporate sponsors.
Thanks for clearing up some of my confusion Carol and thanks for coming by and visiting.
When I transitioned our Aikido dojo to a nonprofit entity, empowering low-income and at-risk youth, I signed us up with Givezooks. We've had great results raising funds through email blasts, facebook posts, etc. On Memorial Day alone, $1k was raised just by posting "Thank you" messages and "X more $ needed to reach goal by midnight" – type messages on Facebook. Not a single phone call… Kudos to the GZ team!
Givezooks! is brilliant, useful technology for turning all this social media pizazz into concrete fundraising…rapidly! I have produced galas for nonprofits for many years now. By going online with a social fundraising platform, it really enhanced and magnified my efforts. Being able to easily process many forms of payment as donations and easily share back to social media your vote of support is invaluable. I recommend this platform highly. I put it to the test and it passed with flying colors. Accelerate your nonprofit’s fundraising success online and off. GZ is a great team of people who program love into every piece of code. Namaste. – JM, Founder of Mazque (Masquerade ball series for global charity founded in Santa Barbara, CA 2006)
Justin thanks for the feedback on givezooks! and thanks for confirming my thoughts on this team of entrepreneurs.
I converted our nonprofit to the Givezooks method last year. It's been a great way to easily assist those people who feel inspired to make a difference (thank you grassroots campaigns!), and for us to tell our story across a variety of platforms. Givezooks allows us to take a more proactive approach to our online fundraising strategy without being burdensome to donors. What a great way to break through the stagnant "donate now" button!
"Breaking throught the donate now button."
I love that as a title Kristiana. That sounds like the perfect blog title.
I'm on the Board of a nonprofit that started using givezooks! over two years ago – as a donor tool it's been great but the power was increased exponentially with the addition of the event organizer: it takes a HUGE load off the organization's already overworked staff in the event managing and planning – and vastly improves record keeping and outreach efforts. AND the team at givezooks! has been very responsive to any questions/comments/problems we've had along the way – great to work with