The story of faith, giving, and social media is a story of lost opportunities for faith groups and donor-supported organizations.
Social media drives much of our connection, marketing, promotion, and communication among people worldwide, and between organizations and consumers. Yet many faith-based organizations are losing out on opportunities to make a greater impact through social media.
Food banks have Facebook pages. Rabbis are on Twitter. Churches have their own YouTube channel. Animal rescue groups are posting puppy pictures on Pinterest. But what level of connectivity is social media fostering today for charities and religious congregations?
- 64% of American social media users are not connected with either a religious congregation or a leader from a congregation.
- 45% who regularly attend worship services are not connected with their own religious congregation on social media. Fifty-eight percent are not connected with a leader from their own congregation.
- 62% of American adults are not connected with any donor-supported organization on social media. This includes about half of the donors who support such organizations.
- 63% say none of their social media connections holds religious beliefs that vary substantially from their own. And 58% are not connected with anyone who holds very different political beliefs from their own.
Find out why the report notes, “We’ve used social media to build barriers, not bridges.” For a free copy of the brief report, please e-mail ron@greymatterresearch.com.