A couple of weeks ago, Network For Good hit the streets with The Wired Fundraiser (pdf), a report on the growing phenomenon of ordinary people raising money for causes and organizations they support ... without said organization's involvement, and sometimes without even its awareness. The key finding?

When Wired Fundraisers Talk, People Listen: Wired Fundraisers are regular people with a cause and a keyboard, and they are proving highly effective at fundraising for their favorite charity in an ever-widening personal sphere of influence online. That’s because today, the messenger matters even more than the message. People trust messengers they know, like friends and family. These messengers naturally communicate in the most effective ways – through personal means, in a conversational tone, and with great stories. A promotion from a charity can’t compete with that level of intimacy, authority or authenticity.

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The name of the mirco-fundraising game is this: Turn strangers into friends, friends into donors, and donors into fundraisers. I got this sage advise from Peter Dietiz of foik, who offered an insightful webinar on microfundraising through NTEN’s webinar series. Finally, there are a variety of tools that make this easier said than done recipe for success achievable. Mirco-fundraising is also referred to as group, peer, or person-to-person fundraising. This strategy essentially gives someone the tools they need to collect money on behalf of the cause of their choice.

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