How has online giving democratized fundraising?

This post was originally published on WhatGives?!

Judy Chang is the Senior Manager of Vertical Markets at PayPal, which means the nonprofit world falls under her purview.

WhatGives!? interviewed Judy recently at BlogWorld Expo 2010 after her presentation on a Mobile Giving panel. [Full disclosure: PayPal sponsored the Cause track at BlogWorld, which was managed by WhatGives!?]

There is a great deal of talk these days about how online giving is changing the way people make their charitable decisions. As Judy says in the video, it has “really democratized fundraising in the whole nonprofit industry.” The ability to support your favorite organization by clicking on a website or a Facebook page is incredibly appealing to both long-time supporters who like the ease and speed of online transactions, and by the next generation of philanthropists who, let’s face it, do everything online. Combine those factors with the “everyone is welcome” nature of micro-giving and there’s no doubt that the future of fundraising is online.

There are more and more online tools and platforms available, many of which we’ve talked about here on WhatGives!? Givezooks, Crowdrise, Causes on Facebook, all the standard social media tools such as Twitter and blogs, geolocation platforms like CauseWorld and Whrrl, and even the WhatGives!? Donation App – they all give you options that can help nonprofits start connecting with online givers right away.

Mobile Giving was a hot topic this year and Judy’s fellow panelists (Douglas Plank of Mobilecause and Heather Meeker of Whrrl) had a lot to say about what’s coming in that area, too. The huge text-to-give response to recent events in Haiti demonstrated an entirely new market is waiting to be serviced: those who want to do something right now.

Take a moment to hear what Judy has to say, then tell us what methods you’ve used. Online donations? Mobile giving? What works for you?

Guest blogger Marijane Miller is the Managing Editor at WhatGives?!