Oct 22, 2013
A new white paper on social media use in institutional advancement shows that a growing number of schools, colleges, and universities around the world are using Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks to raise money, steward donors, and connect with their community. [Note: we shared some results from this research and a presentation of highlights earlier this year.]
#Social Media, Advancement, and Fundraising in Education reports on findings from the fourth survey of social media in advancement, conducted earlier this year by Huron Education and mStoner in partnership with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education [CASE]. More than 1,000 respondents provided feedback on the tools they are using, how they use them, challenges they face, and what they expect as return on investment. Cheryl Slover-Linett, a consultant to Huron, and I wrote the text of the white paper.
Among the notable findings is evidence of the growing use of social media in campaigns of all kinds — from alumni engagement and institutional branding to fundraising and admissions. For example, 54 percent of respondents said they have used social media in a campaign, and 29 percent of those said that they use social channels in three-quarters or more of their campaigns. [Here are the top-line findings from the survey.]
The white paper includes six case studies about the successful use of social media in recent fundraising campaigns. Gareth Henderson and Justin Ware contributed the case studies. [Justin writes a terrific blog about social media and philanthropy.] Among the highlights:
For a complete look at the data and differences between groups, see these appendices:
Michael Stoner Co-Founder and Co-Owner Was I born a skeptic or did I become one as I watched the hypestorm gather during the dotcom years, recede, and congeal once more as we come to terms with our online, social, mobile world? Whatever. I'm not much interested in cutting edge but what actually works for real people in the real world. Does that make me a bad person?