Most people like to support charities whenever and however they can, but it can be difficult for people to commit to setting up a direct debit or making regular donations. Fortunately, there are other ways to support charities. Social media makes it easy to spread the word and draw attention to good causes. Here are a few ways that you could help your favorite charities through the wonder of social media:
If you have a blog, take a few minutes to write something about your favorite causes. You don’t have to ask people to donate money in the post - just write about the work the charity does, and direct people to their site to find out more. Blogs are great for sharing information - they’re a fairly personal form of interaction, and your readers already trust what you have to say, so your words will be influential. If, in the future, you decide to do a charity fun run, people will remember your previous post and know why you’ve chosen that charity.
Share and Syndicate
Sharing stories on Facebook and re-tweeting charity related information on Twitter, or voting for their news on sites such as Digg is another good way to get the word out. Be selective about what you share, though. If you share every news post you see about charity work, your posts may lose their impact.
Join an Awareness Hub
Charity focused sites such as Change.org and Care2 are a good way to meet like-minded people and find out about ways to help your favorite charity. Many of these sites will donate money to good causes based on the actions of their members, so if you’re not able to donate money yourself, but are willing to spend time, this can be a good way to help your favorite causes.
Get Involved With Your Favorite Charities
Most charities have, at the very least, a Facebook page and a Twitter account. Some charities also have their own online communities. If you join these you may be able to find out about interesting new initiatives, the date of the next charity fun run, and any volunteer opportunities.
Video and Audio
Blog posts are a nice way to spread the word, but you may be able to reach a wider audience if you record a video or an audio clip. There are lots of places to share audio blogs and short videos, from AudioBoo to Vimeo and YouTube. You may feel silly at first (few people like how they sound on tape!), but audio and video messages have a much bigger impact than plain text.
If you don’t feel like sharing your own recordings, watch out for ones posted by others, and share them when you can.
Start or Sign a Petition
Petitions can be a powerful tool for change. If you want to bring something to the attention of your local MP, start a petition. If you see an important petition and agree with it, sign it and share it. Before you sign a petition, check that there isn’t a bigger/more well known one going on for the same purpose. Usually, the bigger of the two petitions will be the “official” one, and the one that is most likely to get noticed.
Article written by Amy Fowler on behalf of The Poppy Run, 5k charity fun runs held across the UK in aid of The Poppy Appeal. Follow The Poppy Run on Twitter.
Featured image courtesy of HowardLake.
