November 28, 2007 (Computerworld) -- The country's largest charities are outpacing the business world in their use of Web 2.0 technologies like blogs and podcasts, according to preliminary survey results released by the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.
The survey of 76 of the largest U.S. charities found that 75% are using some form of social media, including blogs, podcasts, message boards, social networking sites, video blogging and wikis. More than 41% of the charities surveyed are using online video, and more than a third of the charities are blogging.
Almost half (46%) reported that social media is a very important part of their fundraising strategy, according to the preliminary report, called "Blogging for the Hearts of Donors: Largest U.S. Charities Use Social Media." Those surveyed include representatives from well known charities like the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA, Habitat for Humanity International and Easter Seals.
While 34% of the charities reported that they are using blogs, previous research by the university has shown that only 8% of companies in the Fortune 500 and 19% in the Inc. 500 are blogging, according to the preliminary research results. The university plans to release the full results of the survey next year.
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