Twitter is one of the most used social media networks on the Internet. With over a billion users, it's power to move minds and opinions is therefore something that cannot be taken for granted.
A number of non-official holidays were created because of Twitter, such as #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday, leading may netizens to expect something special out of these days.
Aside from cementing consumer delight, #GivingTuesday was also this year created to encourage people to give as much as they shop. Social media is now widely used for seeking donations and raising funds and the launch of #GivingTuesday certainly inspired many philanthropic organizations to continue on their social media paths.
#GivingTuesday, for instance, has helped different programs raise money by as much as 500 percent. Nonprofits have grown significantly on social media websites. 98 percent use #Facebook, 74 percent use Twitter, 66 percent use YouTube, 48 percent are on #Instagram, 32 percent have Pinterest accounts and 28 percent use Google+. Various measures are also applied on Facebook.
Among social media-related philanthropic drives, individual donation requests lead with 33 percent, event fundraising is done by 20 percent, causes are used by 17 percent and peer-to-peer fundraising is used by 11 percent.
#Twitter has shown to be very helpful when it comes to social giving. The hashtag #GivingTuesday, in particular, has helped groups from different parts of the globe to target their respective followers.
Comparing 2011 and 2012 amounts, Project Hope improved from $784 to $6,720. Manna Food Center increased from generating $620 to $1,875. The Fishing School raised $3,305 from zero.
Here's an infographic that shows us how social media has become an important part of giving and how an online presence can help further a case and raise money for charity.
