My friend Geoff Livingston and many others believe that it can. From what I have seen so far, social media gives non-profits the ability to reach out, spread the word, develop communities, and have conversations in ways that traditional marketing never could─or at least not in a way that wouldn’t potentially eat up an entire year’s marketing budget.

Seeing it in action has led me to believe that social media and the tools available can help non-profits. But what I have noticed is that blog posts on social causes, Facebook Causes (people join the cause, but that’s about it), tweets on causes, etc. never get the same attention as the latest social media snafu or raging social media debate.

With the world more connected now than it ever has been, non-profits have a way to use these connections to share someone’s pain from hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away. But what good is that if their social media efforts aren’t moving society for the good of that cause?

I think one of the new challenges non-profits face is the ability to get the people they network with online to move into offline action as well and even perhaps simultaneously.

Geeks who Give

Geeks who Give, here in Philadelphia, proved last night that this combination is fruitful indeed. With over 100+ people attending their charity event and tweet up they were able to collect over 900+ lbs. of food for Philabundance. They built the buzz up using social media and enticed us to donate food (the price of entry) by promising a great time at National Mechanics. And they delivered just that with a cooking demonstration (Fork demonstrated how to make an easy meal completely out of non-perishable foods) and karaoke. Geeks who Give will be utilizing social media for social good throughout the year as they continue to support local charities.

Save Darfur

Another cause that is showing great momentum by utilizing social media for social good is Save Darfur. A little bit about Save Darfur:

“Around the country and across the globe, the Save Darfur Coalition is inspiring action, raising awareness and speaking truth to power on behalf of the people of Darfur. Working with world leaders, we are demanding an end to the genocide, and our efforts are getting results.”

The Save Darfur campaign is utilizing a balanced combination of online and offline activism to help educate people and raise donations to help end this terrible genocide. The Facebook application alone has over 1 million members that have raised $75,000. And their student grassroots effort, Dollars for Darfur, raised more than $450,000 and engaged thousands of schools.

If you are with a non-profit, let us know if social media is working for you and how you combine online and offlice advocacy.

[Image: OneBigU]