Prepared for BlogHer 08

Session: What We Believe: Tools for Online Fundraising and Activism

Marnie Webb will lead this conversation about what tools are out there to help you, the individual blogger, raise funds and galvanize action around the issues you are most passionate about. Catherine Connors, who has been at the helm of the BlogHers Act Canada initiative since its inception will discuss how they created their monthly challenges, and how they keep momentum going. Donna Callejon will highlight the flexible features of Global Giving, the online fundraising service working with BlogHer on our BlogHers Act Mother's Day initiative and leading social media consultant to non-profits, Beth Kanter, will talk about what has worked for her on her personal sites and for the organizations she has worked with.

Please dd any additional questions or comments at the bottom.

NOTE: Thanks to From Dates to Diapers and Beyond! for providing such a terrific session transcript.

Resources:

Tools

• Person-to-Person Fundraising: Selecting and Implementing the Right Combination of Tools: The slideshow by Peter Deitz is intended for registered US nonprofits but some of the tools may be used by individuals. The definitions and strategy information remain helpful for any project.
• Advocacy Tools: generated from a search at Social Source Commons.
• A Few Good Email Newsletter Tools: This Idealware article provides an overview of tools to manage email newsletters.  
• Affordable New Tools and Strategies for Online Activism: Though a year old, this article provides an overview of types of tools.
• Ask Idealware: Simple Advocacy Tools: Covering some of the same ground as the above article, this question and answer format puts advocacy tools in the context of managing a local campaign.
• Walk-a-Thon software recommendations: This TechSoup community discussion identifies and provides context for some of the bigger fundraising packages.
• Occam's Razor: web analytics blog by Avinash Kaushik
• Google Analytics, Sitemeter and Feedburner: all common web analytics tools used by bloggers.  It's important to really learn to analyze your traffice.  Google's tool has good learning materials incorporated.

Case Studies, Examples and Articles:

• socialmedia4change: A community wiki of examples of how nonprofits and social change makers

  are using popular social networks to get the word out and inspire action.

• Fundraising on Facebook: A Case Study on Cause Related Marketing: by Jonathon Colman
• Resources for DemocracyInAction Conference Presentation on Advocacy Tools: from e.politics
• Lobbying and Advocacy Case Studies: from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
• How Frozen Peas Started a Movement: Susan Reynold's blog started the Frozen Pea Fund.
• Get FISA right: This wiki shows the way a group of activists are stitching together a variety of tools to power a legislative advocacy campaign. 

• Giving Good Poke: Personal, Socially Networked Fundraising - by Beth Kanter.  Be sure to check the links on the left for a complete case study and additional resources.
• The Secrets of Personal Fundraising:  by Beth Kanter.  Be sure to check the links on the left for a complete case study and additional resources.
• Best Practices for Online Organizing: good advice from EchoDitto.
• Recent Wall Street Journal Article on use of social networking tools for fundraising
• GivingUSA 2008: for-free report detail giving in the United States.
• Americans give record 295$B to charity: USA article based on the GivingUSA 2008 report.

Donna's links

• Registry
• Bloghers Act on Global Giving
• Donna's Firstgiving page
• Ebay Giving Works
• Apple Ipod example