Non-profits can set up shop on StayClassy to manage all aspects of event or campaign fundraisers, including donor relationships. They also give non-profits an easy way to accept online donations and track their results.

The platform is used by the likes of the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. For now, the software is still in a limited beta period, which means only select organizations have full access. That will change in August, when the platform opens to everyone. The service is also free to use, though StayClassy does apply a small fee per transaction.

Individuals with charitable leanings can also visit StayClassy to find organizations to support. Site members can create their own fundraising pages to raise money for a charity or event, drumming up support through their own online and offline networks.

The San Diego-based group behind the site is genuinely passionate about their philanthropic mission. For years, they’ve continually hit the streets with the StayClassy brand to raise funds for good causes via charitable events. Their belief in creating a philanthropic platform for non-profits on shoestring budges is evinced in pretty much everything they do.

Providing those whose basic needs are not met, with the power and means to solve their own problems, gives them hope. It fosters creativity. It emboldens kindness. In essence, it spreads our mission throughout the world.

Non-profits use white label platforms like Ning to connect with their communities. Ning serves 1.6 million networks (see Mashable’s (Mashable) Six Ways to Use Ning post). “What we’re seeing organizations and non-profits use Ning for is to develop a deeper layer of conversation and engagement with their supporters and advocates,” said Ning’s Morgan Seal. “Their memberships are those that are looking for a more contextual social experience around the things they care about most.”

Here are five tips for non-profits considering their own white label community.

1. The Cause is the Purpose

The cause is the purpose of the network. Don’t build a network for your organization’s website. The mission of the site needs to revolve around the general common bond a non-profit has with its stakeholder community.

“I feel we may be successful because we deeply believe in the importance of community and what it does to people touched by diabetes,” said Manny Hernandez, president of the Diabetes Hands Foundation, which runs the 13,000 person TuDiabetes network. “We have seen so many people come back to us and say: ‘I have had diabetes for X many years. I felt so alone. I never knew there were SO many people who felt exactly like me.’”

2. Listen

Listening to your community remains a core social media principle. When considering building a cause or organization-specific network, listening can be critical in driving community requirements for function and content.

“I think it’s imperative to have a good ‘listening and monitoring’ plan in place to see what their stakeholders are doing online in public spaces — basically to figure out what their audience’s capacity is for collaboration and collective action online in general,” said Maddie Grant, Chief Social Media Strategist for Social Fish. “They should then be able to figure out whether that activity could translate to engagement in their own community site.”

3. Choose a Platform that Serves Your Community’s Needs

Some networks enable privacy; others integration with larger networks. Still others offer great information sharing via wikis. When considering the many white label community options avalaible, try to understand what your community’s needs are before setting up shop.

“Our community had a unique need for a secure and private space where Iraq and Afghanistan veterans could connect with one another, share stories, offer support, and know that the people they’re interacting with share many of the same life experiences,” said Chrissy Stevens, Communications Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). “We spent months assessing our options for starting a white-label social network, and Ning was the only platform that offered the right combination of privacy controls, quality user experience, easy administration and customization, and ongoing support.”

4. Offer Great Value to Your Network

The classic community mistake is to use a network to drive information out into the public as opposed to creating a compelling experience for members. Sometimes that means getting out of the way. Providing value includes a dynamic environment where members interact and drive conversation, participate in activity they can’t find on general social networks, and receive acknowledgment.

“A social network needs to deliver value. I don’t think that you should be sending the members links to your research and reports 5 times a day,” said Holly Ross, Executive Director, NTEN: The Nonprofit Technology Network. “A theater company may be able to serve its patrons by providing a social space for the patrons to discuss play writing, set design, and/or the latest shows from the company. A health organization may serve its clients by giving them a space to talk to and support one another privately.”

5. Use the General Networks as Beachheads

It’s smart to include Twitter and Facebook functionality in your general strategy. In many ways, there’s a larger conversation occurring and the general networks can serve as beachheads to bring people back to your network. Conversely, integrating Twitter and Facebook allows for people within your network to talk about your activities in the larger context.

“Even though we run our own niche social network, we are heavily engaged on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn (LinkedIn),” said Steve Ressler, founder of GovLoop. “Plus, we speak a lot at in-person events where lots of government folks attend. This draws a lot of our membership and engagement.”

“They are in a way their own communities, but we are OK with the fact that not all conversations that start through our Twitter account or our FaceBook page end up on TuDiabetes or EsTuDiabetes,” said TuDiabetes’ Manny Hernandez. “Put another way, people will have conversations where it’s most convenient to them and groups creating online communities need to be mindful of this.”

For example, the hugely successful Blame Drew’s Cancer campaign was started by a single person, cancer fighter Drew Olanoff. Drew gained national attention when he encourage tweeters to #BlameDrewsCancer for everything from bad weather to a sports team’s loss. When Drew decided to sell his Twitter (Twitter) handle for charity, TV star Drew Carey stepped in and offered to donate up to $1 million to LIVESTRONG in exchange for @Drew.

While there are many reasons why online cause marketing works, there are also challenges to keep in mind before launching a campaign. The transparency of online communities allows for easy public criticism. Donor fatigue has also become an issue with the number of cause campaigns increasing dramatically. Finally, being heard over the constant social media chatter can be challenging.

Why are some campaigns more successful than others? If you want to make a difference through social media, note these key tips before embarking on your mission.

1. Create a Strong Theme with Clear Goals

Cards4Cancer Image

Themes should not be complex. A simple mission with a powerful message can take a campaign far. People will not get involved if they don’t understand how or why they should. Without a clear vision, it is difficult to encourage an audience to participate.

Recently, my own grassroots charity Spirit Jump sponsored a cause campaign, Cards 4 Cancer Day. The campaign name itself stated the theme: Make cards for people battling cancer. Our clear goal of delivering 100,000 cards to cancer centers around the world was set out from the start. Because the campaign theme was strong, it targeted specific advocates, and supporters understood how to participate and what the overall goal was. Even without large financial backing, our campaign was successful because its theme was uncomplicated and inspired people to act.

“You want to make it as easy for people to participate as possible; in social media, distractions fly a mile a minute,” said Melissa Jones, Social Media Specialist for the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. When there isn’t a strong campaign theme, it’s difficult to grab people’s attention.

Kiva’s #FollowFriday campaign is an example of one that lacked a strong theme. Kiva.org wanted to increase their presence on Twitter and called out to supporters to recommend them using #FollowFriday. Unfortunately, Kiva’s message was lost in the large amount of Twitter chatter surrounding this hashtag, and they received only a small number of new followers.

2. Seek a Non-Profit Partner That’s Active in Social Media

Campaigns partnered with causes that have a dedicated social media presence are more successful. It’s not the size of the non-profit that’s important, but rather their level of participation in social media and the campaign.

“We run more than 100 cause-driven campaigns a year, and the difference between modest success and massive success is often determined by the non-profit partner,” says Chris Noble of StudioGood. “Working with a non-profit that has a strong base of support, and knows how to mobilize that base, pays off for the sponsor every time.”

Many people support cause campaigns because they support the non-profit. If the non-profit isn’t active, or fails to engage their supporters, the campaign will have an uphill battle. Rather than just being a recipient of donations, the non-profit should play an active role in the campaign by rallying its supporters.

3. Connect the Theme, Sponsor, and Non-Profit

Pepsi Refresh

Unity of purpose helps streamline the coordination of the campaign. Those with a strong connection between the theme, sponsor, and non-profit organization will better resonate with the public.

The Pepsi Refresh Project is giving away millions of dollars in grants to individuals who come up with “refreshing” ideas that can change the world. Pepsi’s cause campaign is focused on improving communities around the world and rewarding individuals and non-profits alike for the creative ideas that receive the most votes.

Pepsi successfully connects their brand personality with social causes, and is attracting millions of people to their brand without asking them to purchase a single product.

4. Identify and Utilize Your Best Social Assets

Social media cause campaigns are challenging, and organizers should use the tools and people at their disposal effectively. Campaigns with funding must put their money where it will yield the best results. Facebook (Facebook) advertisements can be extremely helpful, but should only be used to meet specific goals. If a campaign calls for large-scale interaction with supporters, staff must be properly equipped to respond. When campaigns require voting, there must be an ability to rally people.

This is exactly what the homeless advocacy organization InvisiblePeople.tv did to win the SXSW Pepsi Refresh contest. “We won [the] challenge because Beth Kanter, Jessica Gottlieb, Kevin Hendricks, and far too many people to list, all of them equally important, rallied their networks to vote,” said Mark Horvath, Founder of InvisiblePeople.tv.

5. Target a Well-Defined Audience

Architecture Humanity Image

Campaign organizers who know their audience, who listen to and engage them, will be more successful. Take time to determine who your audience is on each social network. Do not assume all social media platforms have the same participants or will respond in the same way. Facebook, Twitter, and blog networks must be treated as distinct entities. When using multiple platforms, pay attention to how each reacts to your messages and be ready to shift focus to the most responsive.

“Twitter is an excellent tool because it allows for fast and constant updates. Facebook, however, allows for more detailed messaging and is a better forum for dialogue. Oftentimes, our supporters engage in dialogue with each other. This allows us to step back for a moment and evaluate what resonates with them,” said Barb Alvarado, Development Director of Architecture for Humanity.

6. Energize and Motivate Your Supporters

The number of followers, subscribers or fans your campaign has does not represent the number of participants. A Facebook Fan Page can have 10,000 fans and be ineffective. A successful campaign motivates participation by asking supporters to vote for a favorite cause, join other platforms, donate money or share content.

Keep people energized throughout the campaign. Create mini-campaigns within the larger one to keep participants active. PayPal did this with their Regift The Fruitcake campaign, and gave away extra cash to charities that raised the most money on “Charity Tuesdays” via Twitter. Because they were able to motivate supporters throughout the life of the campaign, PayPal raised well over $70,000 for charity.

7. Pay Attention to Timing

Social media has its own timetable. Run campaigns for the time needed, and not a day longer. A successful campaign asks its supporters to participate sufficiently to achieve its goals, but not so much as to cause fatigue.

Judy Chang, Senior Manager of Vertical Markets for PayPal spoke directly to this. “Grabbing and keeping the attention of supporters over a multi-week campaign is definitely a challenge. We’ve seen our best results with campaigns that last anywhere from one day to two weeks, such as Check-in for Charity, #beatcancer, and Charity Smackdown.”

When campaigns ask supporters to partake in a cause campaign every day for weeks, even months, their excitement and passion for the cause can deteriorate.

8. Follow Up

Heifer International

When a cause campaign has ended, there is still work to be done. Evaluation of successes and failures is vital. This step allows organizers to prepare for the next cause campaign by enhancing what worked and fixing what didn’t. Requesting feedback from, sharing results with, and thanking supporters is also paramount to ensuring their future participation. One good campaign should lead to another.

Heifer International, an active non-profit since 1944, understands the importance of follow-up after social media cause campaigns. “We wrote a post-social cause campaign article on our blog to thank our supporters and include them in the celebration because we value our donors and volunteers as equal stakeholders in the organization — our success is their success,” said Noland Hoshino, Heifer International Portland Volunteer Coordinator.

Conclusion

Successful social cause campaigns, especially in a world of heavy social media chatter, require real imagination. According to Jones of the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, “Social media cause campaigns are most effective when there’s a simple call-to-action and a creative idea.”

Cause marketing is dynamic. Implementing these elements can propel a campaign into a movement.

Handing Out Hope has been going strong for almost 2 years now.  Our annual Gala is just a yearly reminder to those who support our cause of our past years projects and the ones for the upcoming new year.  This years Gala took place at the very chic and very stylish Elevate Lounge, which sits atop of a high rise overlooking downtown Los Angeles.  The evening was filled with amazing food, a successful silent auction, guest speakers, and guests from all around Southern California who fought heavy traffic to get there.

The night went on with classic jazz music, mingling, and the board and volunteers of Handing Out Hope sharing their mission, passion, and efforts with their guests.  As President and founder of Handing Out Hope stated, “The night was a relaxed and promising evening.  We look forward to possibly having our next year’s Gala at the Elevate Lounge once again.”

Guest Michelle Arencibia had this to say, “I had an amazing night tonight.  I attended last years Gala as well, and look forward to all the Gala’s of the years to come.”

Handing Out Hope was privileged to have the Elevate Lounge host their Gala.  A special thanks goes to our guest speakers from School on Wheels, Agnes Stevens and Matt Raab.

Several people tried their luck at slot machines, Black Jack tables and even roulette! Some of the group FELT like they won after hitting the outlet mall for some last minute holiday shopping. Everyone scored big deals and went back to the bus loaded down with bags of goodies.

After a long, exciting day we watched movies and slept on the bus trip home. It was a great trip and we hope to do it again in the future. The big winner of the day was Handing Out Hope- proceeds from the bus tickets will help fund our projects for 2009.

The year started just a little early and with the eagerly anticipated Holiday Party. Over 75 of our donors and friends came together to celebrate the end of our first year (2007), while leading us into 2008 with enthusiasm and focus.

In 2008, we worked to provide direction and create clear long-term goals. This included increasing the size of our Board of Directors, increasing our fundraising capabilities, the creation of a strategic plan, and most importantly finding groups and organizations to assist, both nationally and internationally.

After getting on the right track by organizing our goals (in great part by the work done by the unbelievably calm Memo Guereque), we expanded our Board of Directors from five to seven members. Though we lost one of our most practical Board Members, Carlo Carado, we gained three very talented, exciting people: Kristin McLeod, Simbi Mahlanza and Peter Aguilera.

We expanded our fundraising capabilities for 2008. Under Peter’s strong tutelage and with the help of the indefatigable Lia, we threw the following fundraisers: two events with Cruising with Pride, two events in Long Beach at the Paradise Café and The Falcon, a dinner event at The Soup Plantation in Lakewood, an event at The Blvd in Pasadena, numerous local Car Washes and our signature event, the 2nd annual Gala just last month. (Thank you, Manuel and Simbi, what a great location!)

Our new Secretary of the Board, Kevin, launched this newsletter “The Handout” with great success in 2008. It allows HOH to keep our donors and volunteers up to speed on what we’re doing, and what we’re planning.

With your donations we were able to provide to a local Los Angeles based organization, “School on Wheels,” which provides computers and software for young students to study and complete their homework, from a mobile location. (Thanks Kristin and Frank for putting it all together.)

Our Mozambique Agricultural and Livestock Project (Beacon of Hope) is in the works, and should become a reality in early 2009.

With your donations and support, Handing out Hope is making a difference in people’s lives. Thank you from all of us on the Board, Frank, Manuel, Kevin, Peter, Kristin, Simbi, and Mark and from our Committee Chairs, Lia, Memo and Brian. We appreciate all your good thoughts, volunteering, and donations, which allowed us to extend our reach and provide possibilities to those who had none.