A Stalled Online Revolution

An array of online tools and networks such as blogs, Twitter, and Facebook allow nonprofit groups to connect with supporters, volunteers, and donors in a far more interactive, cost-effective way than ever in history. But few charities have figured out how to raise money using the new social networks.

Some of the most interesting technological advances have come as charities’ most passionate supporters take on roles as unofficial fund raisers, spokesmen, and advocates for the causes they support.

BEHIND THE TREND:

A wave of experimentation. A survey of 200 nonprofit groups by Weber Shandwick, a public-relations company, found that 51 percent of charities are regularly using Twitter and other social-media tools, while 85 percent said they plan to use them more frequently.

New tools. Social-media companies continue to search for ways to make it easier for charities to raise money using their technology. For example, YouTube this year started allowing charities to embed written messages and links to their Web sites in videos.

Supporter-created campaigns. The widespread use of social-networking tools is making it easier for supporters to raise money on their own. The 93 Dollar Club — a Facebook effort set up by Carolee Hazard in August, when she was trying to decide what to do with money she received from a woman whose grocery bill Ms. Hazard had paid — has so far raised more than $31,000 for a California food bank.