Charity social media campaigns-research

Movember

Founded in 2003 to fundraise for men's health through sponsored moustache growing, Movember has built a community based on shared humour. The campaign garnered 1.2m social media mentions alone last year, whilst fundraising currently stands at £63.9m. In 2013 it doubled its Facebook reach and increased retweets by 45%. Prostate Cancer UK, one of Movember's main beneficiaries, also reported a rise in calls to its helplines. Whilst some may ask which way next for Movember, its social media success is still strong and can be attributed to its wit, irreverent tone of voice and camaraderie.

Action on hearing loss

Last year Action on Hearing Loss convinced John Lewis to add subtitles to its Christmas TV advert, just by asking on Twitter. It was a very simple but effective social media campaign that nevertheless made a big difference to its beneficiaries. Campaigns don't always have to reach millions of people; asking one influential person for something at the right time on social media can have just as much impact. I've seen small charities use this approach successfully.

No make up selfie 

The #nomakeupselfie campaign, which began with people posting images of themselves without make up on social networks, wasn't started by Cancer Research but their social media team quickly got involved and asked people to donate via text. The campaign raised £8m in just one week. This kind of grassroots viral campaign is impossible to replicate but charities of all sizes can position themselves to take advantage of the next social media phenomenon by responding rapidly and creating a sense of community around the movement. Cancer Research did this very skilfully by making donors feel appreciated and being transparent about the ways in which funds raised will be spent.

Girl Guiding 

#ForTheGirl aims to highlight the inequalities that girls face, help give girls confidence and raise their aspirations. Supporters are encouraged to get involved by watching and sharing the #ForTheGirl video on their social media channels as well as spread the word about how they are changing the world for girls by sharing photos, stories and more with #ForTheGirl. The video has had almost 600,000 views on this Facebook post alone.

John Thompson – #FirstFiver

In September the UK polymer £5 note was rolled out. John Thompson, a corporate fundraising consultant, decided to donate his first new five pound note to a charity and thought others may like to do the same. He created a Twitter poll and #FirstFiver was born. Of course charities jumped on board to encourage their supporters to donate their first five pound notes to them. People started tweeting photos of their #FirstFiver and tagging the charity they were going to donate it to.

A quick Twitter search of #FirstFiver and it’s still going strong, almost three months after the campaign started. What’s the secret to its longevity? According to John it’s been fuelled by the "chocolate factory factor". He explains: "Our changing relationship with cash has maintained intrigue and that feeling of pent-up excitement as people wait to finally get, and then give, that elusive golden ticket. As there was no single beneficiary, donors have followed their hearts, each one contributing to an avalanche of micro-stories that offer valuable insight into what motivates people when choosing a cause to support."