To Nonprofits Seeking Cash, Facebook App Isn’t So Green – Though Popular, ‘Causes’ Ineffective for Fundraising

It seems foolproof: nonprofits using the power of the Internet to raise money through a clever Facebook application. After all, the Web earned gobs of cash for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. And besides, going online means sending fewer fundraising letters, which makes it appealing to penny-pinchers and environmentalists alike.But it turns out that approach doesn’t always work. The Facebook application Causes, hugely popular among nonprofit organizations seeking to raise money online, has been largely ineffective in its first two years, trailing direct mail, fundraising events and other more traditional methods of soliciting contributions.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/21/AR2009042103786.html