Using Facebook and Twitter

Many people use Facebook and Twitter to communicate with friends, family and co-workers, but these sites can also serve as a great tool for fundraising. Here are some tips to get you started.

Facebook status updates and Twitter tweets

Write regular updates about your training or fundraising in your Facebook status and in your tweets on Twitter. Funny and inspiring ones are likely to spur on conversations and create awareness about your event!

Post a link to your Firstgiving personal fundraising page in your updates and ask people to retweet it on Twitter and use Facebook's 'share' link to tell their friends and family.

Send a direct message to WaterAid America on Twitter and we'll retweet your tweets too!

Use the Firstgiving Facebook application

Add the Firstgiving application at apps.facebook.com/firstgiving and ask all your friends to add it to their page.

Post photos to Facebook and Twitpic

Try and capture your training and fundraising efforts on camera and share pictures on Facebook and Twitter regularly. On Facebook you could tag your friends in the photos. An easy way to share photos on Twitter is to use Twitpic - you automatically have a Twitpic account if you have a Twitter account.

Make sure you also update your profile pictures!

Create a video

Create a video asking people to sponsor you – try and capture your fundraising activities on film and explain why you are raising money for WaterAid. Share the videos in your newsfeed, post a link to them on Twitter and post them on YouTube!

Join groups

Make sure you add yourself to the WaterAid Facebook group , it's a great way of networking and discussing ideas.

Why not also build your own group with pictures and a link to your Firstgiving page and invite everyone to join it? Ask everyone you know to invite their friends, and then their friends, and watch your sponsorship grow!

Facebook mail

Write to everyone and tell them what you are up to. Don't underestimate the power of writing to people individually and asking for their support.

Say thank you

Make sure you send regular thanks to your contacts for supporting you. Try and write on people's walls thanking them for their sponsorship and after the event send a final thank you and update on how you got on.