September 7, 2011 | Read Time: 2 minutes
This is the second in a series of profiles that explore how nonprofits are using social media to raise money and connect with supporters. Check back tomorrow for the next article in the series.
For more on how groups are using social media to raise money, see The Chronicle’s recent special report and visit The Chronicle’s social-media homepage.
The Trevor Project
Twitter handle: @TrevorProject
What it raised: $25,000
The campaign: The Trevor Project, a group that seeks to prevent gay and lesbian youths from commiting suicide, competed for and won a first-round grant of $25,000 in the 2010 Chase Community Giving contest, a Facebook contest sponsored by the financial company J.P. Morgan for nonprofits with annual operating budgets of less than $10-million.
What it used: Facebook, The Trevor Project’s own Web site and blogs.
How it worked: The Trevor Project solicited votes among its Facebook fans; each registered Facebook profile could vote for as many as 10 charities in round one.
What it accomplished: Although The Trevor Project failed to advance past the second round of voting, the contest allowed the organization to establish an online presence on Facebook, and helped convince staff members of the potential value of online networks.
“That was kind of the turning point,” says Ryan Lombardini, digital marketing manager at Trevor. “We put in a lot of time and resources, and to see that pay off made us look more closely” into social media. This contributed to a larger windfall later in the year, when The Trevor Project got help from the comedian Ellen DeGeneres to rally its supporters to participate in a text-message campaign that raised $150,000.
Why it worked: Building an online presence allowed the organization to be nimble when Ms. DeGeneres offered to help the organization raise money. The Trevor Project was able to conceive of and start a text-message fund-raising drive in less than 24 hours. “Because we had been thinking ahead and had it all in place, we were able to capitalize when all these elements fell into place,” says Mr. Lombardini. Otherwise, he says, “we would have missed the boat entirely.”
