Nonprofits relying more on social media for funds

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Updated: December 27, 2011 8:06AM

FORT WAYNE — A northeast Indiana science center’s annual fundraiser drew a bigger and younger crowd after it eschewed printed save-the-date cards and invitations and relied instead on Facebook and Twitter to get the word out, the marketing director said.

Julie Tutwiler said Science Central not only saw increased attendance at its fourth Mixology 101 event, which included presentations on the physics, chemistry and biology behind spirits and cocktails, but also a broader audience.

Lettie Haver, librarian at the Paul Clarke Nonprofit Resource Center at the Allen County Public Library, said local nonprofits have a history of being creative with fundraising and many are now focusing on blending traditional approaches with new ideas.

For example, she said, the Fort Wayne Center for Learning for the past several years has conducted “The Brain Game.” It’s a traditional fundraising event that includes selling sponsorships, but the trivia-style game at the center, based on a television quiz show, is an unusual twist, Haver said.

Local non-profits have increasingly relied on low-cost social media strategies for self-promotion. They encourage event attendees to post photos to Facebook and Twitter, and they maintain an active presence on those types of websites themselves, posting behind-the-scenes videos and encouraging feedback about events.

“It’s clicking that it’s not about this year-end check,” Haver said. “They’re looking to the future, and they’re cultivating the next generation of volunteers.”

Non-profits need to be creative to survive, according to marketing research firm Campbell Rinker. The company said a recent survey showed nearly seven in 10 Americans plan to cut back on charitable giving.

The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University issued a Nonprofit Research Collaborative annual survey of nonprofits in September that said fewer than half of nonprofits surveyed reported increases in charitable contributions received through June 2011, compared with the same period in 2010.