Six Degrees of a Non-Profit Donor: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Social Media in Non-Profit Fundraising

Social media usage is exploding around the world and across all sectors, making it easier than ever before for individuals to connect and contribute to a broader conversation. Non-profit organizations can harness this new technology to engage current stakeholders and cultivate new donors for the organization. Establishing a sense of community among stakeholders is the cornerstone of effective fundraising, and social media platforms provide an effective method to do so. This study surveys individuals and profiles successful non-profit organizations to identify the needs of constituents when making online donations and engaging in social media communities. The results demonstrate that ensuring online security and building online communities through social media are paramount to a successful online giving campaign