I worked in the nonprofit world for four and a half years – both delivering services on the ground level and fundraising at the headquarters. I have a Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in nonprofit management. I am still very passionate about environmental and social justice issues. In my new world of digital media, I see enormous potential for nonprofits to market to and engage their constituencies.

Big businesses can also use social media and mobile to further their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, which usually means partnering with or donating money to nonprofits – a win-win. Using social media for CSR may or may not be a “business decision,” but it can help build positive PR and quite possibly increase customer loyalty and sales.

Major brands are finally starting to tap their customers to create an audience/support network for their CSR initiatives. “People don’t tell their friends about Brand X because they like the brand, but because they like their friends,” said Joshua Green, PhD, Project Coordinator of the Media Industries Project at the Carsey-Wolf Center for Media, Culture, and Society, U.C. Santa Barbara. He explains that the key is to make sure it’s organic, by finding a cause that your customers care about and your brand is happy to talk about.

From PepsiCo to Timberland, big brands are tapping the power of social media to fulfill their CSR. This year PepsiCo, through The Pepsi Refresh Project, opted to donate $20 million in lieu of a Super Bowl ad and allows the public to vote on their top picks. Timberland’s Earth Keepers program uses Facebook applications to allow users to virtually (thereby actually donating) plant trees in Haiti and China’s Horqin Desert – they have promised to plant 5 million in 5 years.

JPMorgan is also using their Chase Community Giving Facebook page to allow the public to cast votes on which charities should receive part of the $5 million earmarked for this campaign. The program is part of their “The Way Forward” initiative, showing the public what they do to support small businesses. In their second round – going on now through July 19^th – they’ve updated the application to include the ability to earn badges, much like FourSquare. Users can search by charity name or location and help decide which 200 local charities receive donations.

Think Social put together a day-long conference on the topic called The #Promise at Internet Week in New York last week exploring how the rise of social and mobile media is catalyzing innovation in corporate social responsibility from companies and consumers. Attendees heard not only from PepsiCo and Timberland, but from other big players like IBM, GE and MTV.

As you can see, this is a hot topic right now and iMedia’s also getting in on the action. At the Entertainment Summit on June 29^th at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, Santa Monica, CA Peter Tortorici, CEO GroupM Entertainment will give a 15-minute presentation called, “Developing Great Content for Greater Partnerships.” He will discuss the merging of content and media for nonprofit success, showcasing the highly publicized We are the World for Haiti initiative. The case study demonstrates the success that a powerful mix of content, media, and entertainment can bring to cause-related programs.

Tortorici will highlight the different dynamics of developing content as it relates to commercial and nonprofit efforts. He will address the value of collaboration in the entertainment and media community for charitable purposes and how doing good is one of today’s new cultural currencies.

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