Did you hear about last week’s $53 million fundraiser? It wasn’t a star-studded event or the work of a well-established organization with millions in marketing. Give Local America, a one-day campaign to aid more than 7,000 nonprofits, raised more than $53 million from 306,068 gifts on May 6.

That staggering total makes it the largest single-day charitable crowdfunding event in history, setting a new benchmark for other groups to strive for.

The campaign was spearheaded by Kimbia, a fundraising platform already used by numerous nonprofits, from the American Heart Association to the Smithsonian Institution. But an online fundraising portal can’t take all the credit for such a hugely successful campaign.

“The most critical success factor was the excitement and grassroots execution of community foundations before and during the event, including their use of social media to promote this national crowdfunding event,” Kimbia CEO Dan Gillett said in a statement.

Social Media in Action

https://twitter.com/Carrie_Rachel/statuses/463765637894901760

There’s a reason Gillett credited social media for much of Give Local America’s success—the tweet above is just a sample of the countless posts, tweets, and more that publicized the event. The Knight Foundation composed this extensive list of social media images and messages that have driven charitable contributions.

Other Good Reads

Though Give Local America excelled in its efforts, that isn’t the case with every nonprofit’s fundraiser. Social Fish lays out five reasons why crowdfunding campaigns flounder.

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(GiveLocalAmerica.com)