Social networking refers a breed of websites which build communities of people with shared interests and/or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others.
They are of interest to civil society organisations for the ease with which messages can be circulated to a large number of individuals, whether for the purposes of campaigning or for fundraising.
Notable sites include Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Bebo.
Malaria No More has launched a new campaign featuring mosquitoes hidden behind seasonal disguises, starting with Mozzy Santa.
Earlier this week JustGiving revealed that 70 per cent of all donations through its service go to just 1.8 per cent of charities registered with it. JustGiving's managing director Anne-Marie Huby outlines some tips for small charities to boost donations through the fundraising platform.
Angry Birds, the world’s most popular game for touchscreen smartphones, has this week launched a new fundraising game online, in support of BirdLife International’s Preventing Extinctions Programme.
Fundraisers should not rely on Twitter according to founder of Twestival, Amanda Rose.
A website that rewards users with a ‘social currency’ for sharing, volunteering or donating to charity launched earlier this week.
Beatbullying is organising a virtual march to call on the United Nations to add bullying to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
People who make donations on JustGiving pages after being prompted on Twitter are nearly twice as generous as those who are inspired to give by a Facebook prompt, according to new figures.
BBC Children in Need has built a fundraising Facebook app in partnership with PayPal to encourage its 500,000 Facebook fans to donate.
A Twitter-based lottery, launched this week, is hoping to attract 100,000 users to a weekly online draw which aims to give money to both Twitter followers and British charities.
The League Against Cruel Sports has launched a new SMS donation feature within its Facebook fanpage.
Oxfam is extending its use of new technology which allows shoppers to view the history of items, after an initial trial increased turnover in a Manchester shop by 41 per cent.
Unicef's Soccer Aid: Doing it for the kids
Coordinating A-list celebrities, major corporate sponsors as well as community fundraising can be a tough task. Katie Morrison describes Unicef's Soccer Aid campaign, which leveraged all three, to raise £2.7m in one night.
A Bob Marley single has been released to raise money for Save the Children’s East Africa appeal alongside a lare-scale social media campaign.
The National Council For Voluntary Youth Services has launched an e-campaign through Twitter and Facebook calling for young people to send images showing those who were not involved in this week’s violence.
Disney Junior and Great Ormond Street children's hospital have launched a new campaign asking people to share their first Disney memory on Facebook to help raise £1m for the charity.
The cost of advertising on the world’s most popular social media platform has increased dramatically over the last year as advertisers clamour to engage with Facebook’s users.
Shelter Scotland has launched a new campaign through Foursquare which rewards visitors who check in at its Edinburgh shops.
Love networking? Really? Helena Sharpstone offers advice on how to get contacts with your canapés.
Last week’s Institute of Fundraising Technology Conference included a presentation from James Barker of Shelter, who spilled the beans on some of the charity’s work online. Gareth Jones reports.
Causes, the social media fundraising platform, has added a range of new functionality making it easier for charities to to raise corporate income and integrate fundraising into their Facebook fan pages.
A new initiative from the United Nations World Food Programme is utilising social networks to raise funds and feed children across the world.
The future of fundraising? Technology in 2020
Keith Collins explores how innovations in technology will continue to change the way donors interact with good causes.
Homelessness charity Depaul UK has launched a new version of its awareness-raising iHobo app for smartphones which introduces new social networking features to the game.
Breakthrough Breast Cancer discovers the power of pyramid fundraising in the social era
When two well-connected individuals decided to raise money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer, they turned to the power of the web and a new kind of campaign was born. Celina Ribeiro reports.
Fundraising messages on charities’ websites and social networking pages will soon fall under the Advertising Standards Authority expanded remit online, but campaigning messages will be free from such regulation, the ASA’s lawyer has advised.
A striking profile: NSPCC's surprise social networking campaign
No one knows where it came from, or why, but what began as a quirky Facebook campaign to get people to change their profile pictures ended up as a major boon for the NSPCC. Celina Ribeiro talks to NSPCC’s head of e-fundraising Polly Gilchrist about the peculiar, and profitable, campaign.
The NSPCC raised £100,000 in just 48 hours after an un-prompted campaign on Facebook called for users to help the charity stop child abuse.
Rob Dyson reveals how he used social media to capitalise on ITV's popular singing extravaganza.
Jumo, the social network for charities and non-profits created by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, has launched, but does not yet allow UK charities to accept donations.
Celebrities including Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake and Usher have joined a campaign to abstain from social media from 1 December until $1m has been raised for US charity Keep a Child Alive.
