Well, I think they would given the fact that Sean Parker is tied to both Facebook and Causes!
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Parker/)

Agreed though that the tight connection certainly makes it harder for a lesser-known group to break in.

Thanks for joining in, Shannon!

I definitely agree. I think we can only get better, online fundraising can only grow, and our strategies and approaches can only improve.

I wonder though if we will see something new replace (I use that word cautiously) Causes; a situation in which it takes more than changes to a tool to improve it as much as the community wants. It will be interesting to watch and I hope that our technologies begin to more closely follow the desires of the users and organizations leveraging their networked power in the development – instead of just thinking up great, new, “cool” things and building them.

Thanks again!

This is a really good analysis. It breaks it down very clearly, and I agree Causes is FAR from perfect. I would think that one way they could open up to smaller NPs is to provide more data about the donors who give through it. NPs need to be able to continue those relationships more easily.

But despite the disappointments with Causes, I am SO encouraged by its growth. It’s getting to scale, and like everyone else, hopefully improving as they go. I certainly would never suggest that more than a handful of NPs have gotten significant money on Causes… YET. But I would like to believe we will get there, and that the process will get easier for smaller NPs to compete.

Thanks for joining the conversation, Doug. Do you have any examples you find particularly good at showcasing the ability for organizations to build numbers but not dollars in social media? I think Luise’s example is great because, as she says, it’s a hard topic to raise money around anyway – so not a huge surprise that social media isn’t the panacea.

This parallels my experiences so far as well. You can get tens of thousands of people to join a cause, but find that comparatively very few open their wallets.

I think as social tools evolve we’ll see more money donated, but for now the focus should be on using social media to further engage / educate.

Doug McIsaac

Thanks for adding such a great dynamic to this conversation, Debra!

I really love your questions, and think that, as you say, if Causes changed, the giving patterns within Facebook would change, too. Beyond the questions you raised, I’d also include: what would and could Causes do to encourage repeat donations and build cause champions (to use the phrase Alyssa used)?

Nonprofit organizations, campaigns, and cause-related groups have functionality and options decided by the platform and applications at this point still, so as much as I pull for organizations to be strategic and engaged in tools like Causes, if fundraising, giving, citizen philanthropy (whatever you want to call it!) is to change or increase, Causes will need to recognize its role in that process and make changes that address issues like those raised in the questions you and I have posed. Will certainly be paying attention to see if it happens!

@askdebra

Thanks Luise!

I think that part of the skewing could be from the America’s Giving Challenge, which took place in the Fall of 09 and raised $2.1 million… so, yes Causes was the application used but it was clearly the participation in a campaign spurringa great deal of donations. Here’s the link from the Case Foundation:

http://www.casefoundation.org/pressroom/releases/america%E2%80%99s-giving-challenge-inspires-more-105000-donations

This is definitely something to watch over the next few months as it’s the “off-season” for fundraising campaigns.