Top Ten Ways to Give Online

With the latest tragedy in Japan many people are researching different ways they can get involved to make a real impact. Here are my top ten ways to give online.

http://socialaxcess.com/2011/03/22/top-ten-ways-to-give-online/

1- MobileCause

Mobile Cause is the leading mobile giving organization. And, the best part is that they believe in transparency and getting dollars to the charities quickly and without sifting out all the donations before they even get to the charity. That’s right folks, you have to be careful about what service you use because many of them leave the charity with only a small fraction of what you donated. Many nonprofits use Mobile Cause including, Heifer International, United Way, Goodwill and the Boys and Girls Club.  We are hoping to have Mobile Causes’s founder, Doug Plank, speaking at our 2011 Boston Social Media Strategies Summit so stay tuned!

2- American Red Cross Texting Campaign

For those of you who have donated to Haiti via text message you probably did so using American Red Cross’s texting campaign. If you are looking to donate to help those affected by disasters around the world simply text REDCROSS to 90999. Each text will provide $10 towards the Red Cross’s humanitarian efforts.

3- Facebook Causes

With over 500 million people on Facebook it’s really the perfect place to raise money for various causes. Facebook Causes is a place where you can give more than just dollars an cents.  Causes introduces you to new organizations, new ways to help and shares what causes others are very interested in at that moment. And, of course, you can share your opinions and start conversations on Facebook causes.

4- Causecast

I met the people at Causecast two years ago when I spoke on a panel at Blogworld. Their organization is really great and helps raise money along with awareness around many different nonprofit organizations. They have fun applications, widgets and their campaigns are engaging and popular with many online communities. One of my favorite campaigns they created is Ben Stiller’s, Stiller Strong where they raised over $300,000 towards building schools in Haiti through engaging the Ben Stiller fanbase.

5- Global Giving

Global Giving is a unique social giving platform that is about much more than simply collecting donations. They connect individuals like you and I to over 1,000 pre-screened grass roots charity projects around the world. If your in charge of a nonprofit organization you can submit your project to Global Giving to receive help from volunteers around the world. If you’re looking for an in-depth, transparent way to get involved Global Giving is for you.

6- Network for Good

We are very excited to have Network for Good’s Vice President Marketing, Katya Andresen speaking at the 2011 Social Media Strategies Summit in Boston. Network for Good is a nonprofit organization committed to helping donors support their favorite charities online and to enabling charities to attract resources online.  There are different sections on their website based on what you want to do, For Nonprofits, For Donors and For Partners. If you’re a nonprofit you can receive assistance in creating fundraisers and building online communities. If you’re a donor Network for Good makes it easy for you to give to your favorite charities, financially and through support.  Finally, if you’re looking to partner with a nonprofit Network for Good can help you too.  They provide support in cause marketing and give advice on how to pick the right causes to partner with.

7- Donors Choose

This charity giving platform deals exclusively with supporting classrooms in need. The way it works is very simple: 1 – You give to a classroom project 2- They deliver the materials to the class 3- Kids learn and show it to you in photos and thank you notes. Through the website you can view projects, read posts and requests from teachers and see the weekly statistics of the number of donors, projects completed and students helped.

8- Just Give

This giving platform prides themselves in being able to harness the power of the internet to remove barriers to charitable giving. Through Just Give people can find charities they want to support, discover every day ways to support causes, track your donations through personal giving history, make private and secure donations and become an informed, knowledgeable donor.

9- Social Vibe

This is another great social giving platform I had the pleasure of meeting at Blogworld when I spoke in 2009.  They are the leading social media utility connecting people with brands, empowering them to engage with sponsors and share branded content with their social graph to benefit a cause of their choice. If you’re a brand looking to get the most out of cause marketing Social Vibe is probably a social media utility you want to look into.

10- Six Degree’s

Their motto: It’s a Small World. You Can Make a Difference. Most of us have heard the “Six Degree’s Of Separation” phenomena.  Six Degree’s plays off of that and suggests one donor can have a global impact just by giving.

Learn more about MobileCause fundraising and engagment tools for nonprofits.