Conclusion

The theory of change for the America’s Giving Challenge was to significantly enhance the ability of nonprofit organizations and causes to smartly leverage social media to raise funds and new supporters, which they could then use to help support and sustain their efforts in the future. As the statistics have shown, online fundraising with social media tools has become an accepted practice in 80 percent of all nonprofits.

We believe the efforts of the Case Foundation and its partners as contest pioneers have led to the widespread proliferation of contests and associated best practices. In addition, we also believe the general contest trend has contributed to the industry’s adoption of online fundraising via social media.

As a number of survey respondents mentioned in the open-ended comments that America’s Giving Challenge played a significant leadership role in the prevalence of online giving contests. One respondent said, “Thanks so much for being the innovators of online giving contests. Because of your effort there [are] many more opportunities that rally non profit teams across the country. That's a win.”

But it’s not just a win for the Case Foundation, PARADE and Causes. It’s a testimony to the entire nonprofit sector’s growth in social media adoption and capacity to effectively use these tools to raise money for social change work.

Note: Remember, this report is meant to be reviewed in conjunction with the Conversational Case Studies.