Now that economy is in recovery donors are starting to give to their favorite charities and causes again.  Studies have shown that online gifts tend to yield bigger better results than their direct mail counterparts, but what does it take to get donors involved and willing to give to causes online?

Here are some useful tips for using social media to raise funds and engage donors.

1.            Analyze who your website visitors are, their habits and where they are linking to your page from.

Once you understand who your visitors are you can tailor your online marketing campaigns to them and also figure out what interest them.

2.            Get people involved.

Web activism is huge.  Create creative ways for people to spread the word and get involved.  Viral videos, contest and mass blog updates are perfect for getting people to notice your cause online.

3.            Use your social media accounts in innovative ways.

So your non-profit has Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare accounts?  Well that’s great, but you may have noticed that does not necessarily make donors want to give.  Make the most of your social media presence by getting your followers to engage and feel a part of the action.  Online marketing and fundraising is all about touching your followers emotions.  Get them involved by showing stats, offering incentives, and even inviting them to volunteer in ways they haven’t in the past.

4.            Connect and work your resources.

Connect with other non-profits and online fundraisers through groups like The Non-Profit Technology Network (NTEN) and Idealist. Both of these groups are amazing resources for non-profits.

Image Credit: http://learnthat.com/files/2009/03/non-profit-association.jpg