Generosity is More than Money: A Guide to Social Sharing

I woke up yesterday morning and logged onto Facebook, opened my email, signed on to Twitter, and checked my RSS feed. This is part of my normal routine, but for some reason I think I was playing closer attention to some of the items I was seeing. I felt as if I was seeing more specific calls to action from a variety of friends and non-profits, all of which I wanted to support. But I can’t. Like most of you, my budget is tight and I can only give so much. Unless you’re independently wealthy, you can’t give to every one who asks.

But that’s the cool thing about social media. Not only does it make me aware of great opportunities for giving to great causes, but it gives me the opportunity to tell others about them, whether I give or not. And that’s what I did. I shared. I was generous with my social media presence.

I shared information on October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I also shared information about October being Fair Trade Month, and added their image as my Facebook cover photo. Then I shared information about October 16th being World Hunger Day. After that I shared a few blog posts, information about a local concert involving some musician friends of mine, and then some news about a local business owned by a friend of mine. Oh, and I shared a recipe for pasta from the blog of one of my clients.

Most of this was done on Facebook, but I also shared a few of these items on Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Google +.

I try to support non-profits and local businesses financially, but that isn’t always possible. Add to this the great Kickstarter campaigns I come across each day, like the one for my musician friend Kate Faust who is raising funds to record an EP, or the campaign from local hot sauce and condiment company Torchbearer Sauces is raising money to purchase equipment and expand their business.

I share, knowing that I have a lot of friends and followers who share the same passions and interests. I share, knowing that some of those friends are capable of giving, even if I can’t. I share, knowing that a number of my friends will also share, extending the reach and level of awareness of all of these great things. I might not be able to attend the Family Day events of my client Water Street Ministries, but I can tell others who might be able to go.

Sometimes I’ll even share the information to the wall of a specific friend, when I know that it’s something that is important to them.

There’s a name for this, that isn’t altogether flattering: slacktivism. This is a combination of the words “slacker” and “activism” and is usually used in the negative sense to describe someone who puts forth the bare minimum of effort for a cause. But social media changes all that. There is power in sharing. A simple like, click, tweet, pin, or share can get the word out to someone who can make a difference. If I can’t give, is it better for me to just sit there and do nothing? Or should I at least use my power as someone with social media connections to build awareness?

I’m using this concept right now as I work with a non-profit to build and maintain a very active online street team. It’s a new form of donor-volunteer. Some folks donate their time and help out non-profits. Others donate money or other goods to help out both non-profits and growing small businesses. But there are those who might not be able to do either of those. They can help out by becoming online volunteers who commit to sharing news and information about their favorite cause or business.

This is how social media works. It’s less about monetizing every like or tweet, and more about understanding how people are connected to one another, and the power of amplified influence. It’s about taking the power of word of mouth online and giving it a push.

How are you using your online social presence?

• Are you being generous in the way that you share things online in support of non-profits or businesses?
• Are you targeting your generosity?
• If you’re a small business or non-profit, are you tapping into the generosity of your constituents and customers, and mobilizing them online?
• Have you made your website and content shareable? Is the ability to share built in?

And see what I’ve done here? I’ve given you links to quite a few different nonprofits and business opportunities that you can support. You can do this financially, or through the power of sharing online. What will it be?

Start being more intentional as you share, and if you can help make a difference.