In these difficult economic times, non-profit organizations have taken a greater hit than most. Donations are down, volunteerism is sliding, grant money is tight and banks aren’t lending. Although the forecast looks grim, there is a silver lining for non-profits in the form of social media, a resource that many have yet to tap despite the affordable price tag of free to pretty darn cheap. Non-profits can use social media to achieve goals like increasing involvement, finding and keeping loyal donators, publicizing events and communicating a positive message their communities. Below are just a few of the many possibilities of social media for non-profits and examples of great organizations that are using these resources.

Facebook causes page
Facebook makes it really easy to get your friends involved in your non-profit with a customized causes page. Put your missions, values, logo, fundraising goal, and links on the page, then send invites to your Facebook friends. Anyone who joins can donate to the cause, invite their friends and post discussions and comments. This creates a place for your non-profit to communicate with the people who care the most about what’s going on and keep them up-to-date on fundraising goals and successes. Check out the causes page for Project Pet Project for an example.

Blogging
Non-profits do so many wonderful things for a community, and most of us are often unaware of all that they are doing. A blog is a great way to connect with your audience to share success stories, event details and new initiatives without waiting for these stories to get picked up by the media. The blog for Carolina Canines for Service is an excellent example of non-profit blog.

Firstgiving.com
Fundraisers are often a major source of income for non-profits, and these days even solicitations for a good cause go unnoticed or unwanted.  Firstgiving.com is a much easier, less invasive way to get donations or pledges to your fundraiser through personalized webpages for fundraisers or teams within a fundraiser. Participants can send their webpage link to friends and family or post it on other social media sites like Facebook or a blog. This makes donating super easy and accessible to anyone with a few bucks to spare for a good cause. To give Firstgiving a try, donate to Talk’s team page for the Walk for Those Who Can’t.