If you are a member of Facebook, then you’ve likely received, in some form or fashion, information about causes that your friends and family support. Sometimes it may be through a status message on your news feed, or perhaps you were invited to a group for a particular cause. Or, maybe you’ve been asked to preview a video about a charity or make a donation for someone’s birthday. 

 

So, how can you use Facebook to support and spread the word about Taylor’s Tale? There are many ways to get friends and family involved in the fight against Batten disease using Facebook. For starters, you can become a fan of Taylor’s Tale: Fighting Batten Disease, a page that includes upcoming event information, recent blog posts and news updates. You can invite your Facebook friends to also become fans and subscribe to receive regular updates from the group. 

 

You can also add information about Taylor’s Tale to your profile. Add a couple of short, heartfelt sentences about Taylor’s Tale and the link to the Taylor’s Tale Web site underneath your profile photo, and  add www.TaylorsTale.com to the “Links” section of your profile under “Info.” 

One of the most important ways to keep Taylor’s Tale top of mind with your Facebook friends is to frequently send out information about Taylor’s Tale. For example, you can post invitations for upcoming events, post a link to the Taylor’s Tale video and also update your status with Taylor’s Tale news (i.e., Don’t forget to sign up for the spring edition of the Taylor’s Tale E-newsletter, Believe!).

 

 

The power of the Causes Facebook application is perhaps best demonstrated by a recent fundraising initiative to support Haiti in the aftermath of an earthquake that has devastated the country. In just a day, more than $100,000 was donated to Haiti relief efforts through Causes. While there may have been some large donors who supported the campaign, most often, the donations made on Causes are smaller gifts. Causes is successful because once you join and support a cause, your Facebook friends can see what your impact has been and in turn may be inspired to recruit members and encourage others to fundraise, too. 

 

One example of how you can lead your own fundraising campaign for Taylor’s Tale using Causes is to ask your Facebook friends to donate to Taylor’s Tale as your birthday wish. The Causes application makes the setup of a birthday giving campaign very simple. Just click here to set up Taylor’s Tale as the beneficiary of your birthday wish, and you’ll be guided through the process. You never know what the impact of spending just a few minutes to set up a birthday wish campaign will be. One success story of such a campaign is Brad Sugars, who asked his friends to donate $38 for his 38th birthday. He ended up raising $7,690 for Cancer Schmancer, a charity dedicated to detecting cancer in women earlier. For tips on how to make your birthday campaign successful, check out this Causes blog post.

 

• Type “Causes” in your search bar and select the first group listed.

• Click “Go to Application.”

• Type “Taylor’s Tale” in the Causes search bar.

• Join “Taylor’s Tale” and then invite your Facebook friends to join as well. Any friend who joins as a result of your invitation will be listed as a recruit on your Causes homepage.

• Select “Taylor’s Tale” as your featured cause, and a prominent box will be added to your Facebook profile page. 

 

• Always publish your Causes activity to your news feed and your friends’ homepages. Many donations made through Causes are prompted by status updates. Make these updates personal whenever possible.

• Bookmark Causes so that a small icon will appear on the applications bar in the lower left hand of your Facebook screen for easy access.

• For more information on using Causes as a fundraising and awareness tool, read Grow Your Cause or Make an Impact with your Cause.

 

For more ideas on using Facebook and other social media tools to support Taylor’s Tale, check out information on Project E-wareness.