New guide from BT’s MyDonate helps charity supporters raise more money from their social networks

www.bt.com/mydonate

TV presenter and celebrity Tweeter Ben Fogle is backing a new guide to help fundraisers harness the power of social media to raise more money for their charities, as part of his work with MyDonate, the free online charitable fundraising service from BT.

The guide will help fundraisers involved in all types of sponsored activity increase the percentage of online donations in the UK (currently only seven per cent), by helping them get more support from their social networks through tools such as blogging, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

In a list of tips put together with the Institute of Fundraising, the TV presenter suggests being as creative as possible in fundraising to gain maximum attention. Whether it’s fancy dress, silly stunts or ambitious world record attempts – a creative angle will really help capture the imagination of people online and make sharing the fundraising experience that bit more entertaining.

Ben Fogle said: “If you want to get your fundraising challenge noticed and raise the maximum amount of cash, think outside the box to get your friends and followers to take notice. This is a classic tactic for making people sit up and listen.

“It works equally well online as it does in the real world. Creative charity stunts like world record attempts stand out on social media and are brilliant fun to get involved with.”
Harnessing the power of social media can widen the number of friends who know about a particular challenge, as well as allowing individuals to link up with a charity’s official page and invite contributions from their supporters.

The new guide can be downloaded from www.bt.com/mydonate. The site also enables fundraisers to build and customise their own event pages in support of their chosen charities, as well as linking to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Sarah Tirrell from the Institute of Fundraising added: “Social media is a great fundraising tool as it is a quick and easy way of garnering support. Online giving sites combine the ability to reach a wide ranging audience, with a secure and simple way for people to donate, making it beneficial for all users.”

BT launched the MyDonate service in April and guarantees that 100 per cent of all monies donated go direct to the charities (excluding credit/debit card charges). Thousands of UK registered charities are also expected to sign up to MyDonate over the next year, enabling as many people as possible to give more money to their favourite charities.

BT has launched MyDonate as part of its ongoing commitment to making a positive difference to society and has developed an expertise in providing secure online services, which has helped the company become a trusted technology partner for charities. BT’s support for charities spans more than 30 years, with its online donation platforms processing more than £160 million for high profile charity telethons over the last nine years alone, these include the BBC’s Children in Need and DEC’s (Disasters Emergency Committee) Pakistan appeal.

People looking to sign up to MyDonate or wanting to find further information about the service should visit the web site at: www.bt.com/mydonate