Social Networking

Have you been hesitant to dip your toe in the waters of social media because you’re not sure it’s the sort of place you should be hanging out? It’s an understandable fear. Christians have been reluctant to put themselves in “questionable places” since the beginning of time. However, it’s just the sort of place Jesus would want you to be.

As with any other witnessing opportunity, social media provides us with a great chance to open our lives to others and show them how we live, work and socialize. These online spaces also allow non-profits to be nimble when they have a need to communicate or to respond to an immediate need. The recent natural disasters in Haiti and Chile are examples of how we can now mobilize efforts in ways never before imagined. In minutes, aid organizations across the globe were providing updates using Twitter. In the following days, videos on Facebook and YouTube were helping generate much needed resources to provide aid. Texting became a new and more accepted method of making a gift as the Red Cross and others adopted campaigns which raised millions of dollars in a very short time span.

What does this mean for those who raise funds for missions, building projects, and other worthy causes? While social media may not be the answer for every situation, it’s certainly been proven that it has an appropriate place at the fundraising and friend-raising tables. Don’t neglect to think about these other possibilities when you’re looking for new ways to grow and serve.

This article was originally written by Lori Croy for Word & Way.

Printer-friendly version