Whether it consists of saving the dolphins or feeding people in Africa, getting social media onto the charity bandwagon can only result in individuals becoming more interested in a cause. However, we all know that charities have to work above and beyond other industries at times in order to gain interest and what better way than to involve themselves in social media in order to get their charities noticed in a world where everyone is always wanting.

I am sure that many of us have taken interest in some charity campaign or action initiative in the past and as social media grows in leaps and bounds, it is easier now to pick a charity and decide if you will fight hand in hand with that particular campaign. Today, supporting charities via social media is as easy as typing a cause into Google and clicking “search.” From that insignificant action, you will be able to join support groups, discussions and follow your charities progress, all by means of Facebook, Twitter and other social media networks and platforms.

One of the most recently popular ongoing charity campaigns at the moment that relies on social media is the 1MillionShirts Project. This initiative, brought to us by the “I wear your shirt” individuals, is hoping to get the community to dig into their cupboard, fish out their unwanted t shirts and give them to charity. The charity is hoping to send these unwanted t shirts to various African countries including Ghana Nigeria, Sudan and South Africa. The organisers are looking for good quality, used t shirts as well as a one dollar bill from individuals who want to help and help those in need. This campaign has obvious social media support, with a Facebook page, a Flickr tag and a Twitter hashtag included to get people involved in the conversation.

From what I can see, there seems to be no harm in utilising social media for charity as all the cool kids seem to be doing it these days. While we all know that social media should not be your primary focus of your charity organisation or campaign and that it should go hand in hand with other forms of advertising, keeping up to date with your social media campaign will stand you in good stead as in addition to reaching your target market on a different level, you will be able to interact with people who give and as we know, feedback and interaction rule the social media field.

So instead of asking for aid and then disappearing from the public’s radar, you will be able to update discussion boards, news concerning the charity that you are promoting as well as promote general discussions on the topics. Networking is key, no matter what industry you are in and social media is one of the best ways in letting you meet and greet and hopefully connect with others who also have your passion for giving. From what we have seen in the past few years, social media can induce change and there is no doubt owing to the fact that social media’s influence is large, that charity and social media will go hand in hand.

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