It’s a question that we often ask ourselves. As fundraisers, we’re constantly balancing multiple demands – and figuring out the best (and fastest!) way to raise the most money possible. As social networks have become main stream, we’ve all thought about the endless possibilities that this new “world” creates for us.

But, when we look at the numbers – we see the fundraising revenue is often lagging behind our expectations. Facebook “Causes” pages are considered a success when we see four figure totals. But, if we think beyond the dollars, we can see an array of potential – and opportunities for long term growth.

So, let’s consider why we should bother investing time and resources in social networks:

• They are increasingly preferred to regular e-mail for communication,

• They hold the key to successful events, especially in diverse locations,

• They are young people’s “volunteer centers”,

• They add impact to other “free media” like press releases,

• They reach prospects you won’t otherwise reach,

• They provide lessons in recruiting young donors, and

• They are trust builders that allow others to see that their friends trust this organization.

We’ve all noticed that when we’re trying to reach out to younger donors (and alumni) that we’re more likely to get a response to something that we’ve posted on Facebook than we are to an e-mail. So, let’s start paying more attention to where our “people” are spending the bulk of their leisure time.

As we cultivate them online through Facebook, Twitter, even LinkedIn, the gifts (and their volunteer time) will certainly follow. The revenue won’t replace your direct mail or telemarketing efforts, but we cannot afford to ignore these networks.