I recently wrote about the do’s and don’ts of social media. However, I experienced a new issue with social media a few weeks ago. A church told me that they had a significant number of young members, and they wanted to encourage using new media to do the “ask,” instead of member to member witness.

I believe that social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, is a great way to facilitate the campaign process. You can tell your story, make announcements, and connect with members who share your passion. While it’s okay to remind members that their support is needed, it’s best to “ask” for donations in person.

Here are a few ways you can use social media to inform and gain support:

Share campaign information
Social media allows you to share information with people who want to hear from you. Your members have joined your social media networks in order to learn more about what you’re doing. You can let people know about committee meetings, special events, or when more volunteers may be needed for a task.

Get members more involved
Social media engages people in conversations and gets them more involved. Rather than just pushing out information, you can create a two-way channel of communication. You may get new ideas and suggestions from members that will help improve your campaign.

Share your vision and mission
It’s important to reiterate the reasons for your campaign and your vision for the cause. People needed to be reminded over the course of the campaign why it’s important to the church and the community.

Provide updates and progress
A capital campaign can take several years from initial strategy and planning to achieving your campaign goals. You can update members on the progress of the campaign and announce when certain milestones are reached. You can also let members know about special opportunities to give.

For more information about using social media to inform donors and gain support your campaign, please email or call Church Campaign Services at 888.558.6873.