Daylong Challenge on Twitter Yields New Supporters for AIDS Group—and $500

Think Twitter can’t get you donations? Think again.

The goal was 2,000 followers by the end of August. The Boulder County AIDS Project topped that goal with 2,150 followers for its Twitter account at @BoulderAIDS—thanks to an out-of-nowhere challenge from a Portland, Ore., donor who offered to give the Colorado charity $500 if it could recruit 2,100 followers.

One morning a few days ago, Dan Hanley, director of development at the Boulder County AIDS Project, says he sent out a simple tweet: “We at BCAP are so grateful to all those supporting in the Twitter world. We’re only 7 away from having 2000 followers. And that is amazing.”

Mere hours later, he tweeted again: “A generous person has said he will donate $500 to BCAP if we get to 2100 followers today. My goal had been 2000. Thanks!”

That generous person was Zach Hyder, a regional director for EnviroMedia Social Marketing in Portland, who tweets under @zachinmotion. Mr. Hyder, who has been following Mr. Hanley’s tweets for several months, says he came up with the idea in order “to get them some visibility and some traction in exchange for a donation.”

Mr. Hyder also has some personal ties to the cause and the charity, even though Mr. Hanley didn’t know it. He says he is involved with the Cascade AIDS Project in Portland, his wife is from the Boulder area, and a friend of his who is HIV positive lives in Boulder and has been involved with the group there.

Before the end of the day, the group reached its goal. “We did it!!!!!! We met our donor challenge of 2100 followers to receive $500,” Mr. Hanley tweeted. “Thanks to everyone! This is amazing!”

Mr. Hanley says that Twitter is a good way to build relationships with both current and potential donors. “I’ve gotten donations that I would have never received.” Twitter, he adds, “gets us out there so much more.” And with the $500 donation, “we now have a new major donor. One who had no hard-core relationship to us. Basically to us, he is a stranger.”

Mr. Hyder hopes that the Boulder group will get additional donations as a result of the one-day Twitter campaign. Mr. Hanley says the group is currently in talks with another person who is prepared to do a second $500 challenge on Twitter.

Have you done a Twitter challenge recently? If so, how did it work out?