The #1 reason people “like” a company on Facebook is to get discounts and promotions.  However, we’re all itching to know the real results behind successful social media campaigns. That’s why I (Amanda Ponzar) am turning this post over to Andrea Pactor, Associate Director, Women's Philanthropy Institute, at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

Here’s what Andrea has to say:

Procter & Gamble markets Tide, their high-end laundry detergent, on Facebook.  More than 945,000 people “like” Tide on Facebook.  And this is for a product that has been around since 1946. 

What happens when nonprofit organizations take a page from the corporate marketing book and build campaigns around pressing social issues and causes using social media to promote them?  The “girl effect,” a partnership of the Nike and NoVo Foundations, was the first to gain national and international attention.  The powerful “girl effect” video has garnered more than 725,000 views on YouTube in two years.  In just four months, nearly 300,000 people have watched the second “girl effect” video.  More importantly, the “girl effect” has generated conversation about investing in girls everywhere –- at the water cooler and at the Clinton Global Initiative.

Unlike the “girl effect,” which asks the watcher to just watch, “GirlUp” and “Because I am a Girl” identify how to get involved. “GirlUp,” a campaign of the UN Foundation, links pre-teen American girls to their global counterparts through “High Fives.” “Because I am a Girl,” from Plan Canada and adopted by Plan International as its signature campaign, aims to lift millions of girls out of poverty. 

Do these campaigns do more than create “followers” and people who “like” or “friend” them?  Do these campaigns engage “doers” and donors in new and different ways?  Do these campaigns reach new audiences? 

We want to learn whether this concept can extend to other realms where women lead through philanthropy. And that’s why we have invited the campaign leaders to share their stories at Women World Wide Leading through Philanthropy, a two-day symposium in Chicago March 10-11. What can we learn from these campaigns, and how can we leverage that learning to move the world forward in positive strides for everyone?

Procter & Gamble recreated a 65-year-old product for a new generation. Imagine the possibilities when creative minds rethink philanthropy –- how and where it happens, how it builds audiences and donors, and how it engages whole communities.  And that’s what women who lead through philanthropy do every day –- just like Tide –- with simple, effective, great results.