In the last few years there has been a proliferation of online social networks, communities and blogs. Those in essence are what make up Web 2.0, where user generated content and connections between users rule. Any nonprofit trying to be successful in their fundraising journey needs to get up to date with current technology and the vast amounts of online opportunities. For the uninitiated this may seem like a daunting task but in reality there are several basic steps you can take to get yourself in the door.

Create a Google Alert

This is a very easy process. Go to google.com/alerts and simply type in your name, your company's name or the issues that you deal with. Google then does the hard part for you and scours the web 24/7 for when what you are looking for is mentioned; in a blog or on a MySpace page for example. In this way you can track down who is interested in what your nonprofit concerns and where they are located.

Search the Blogging Community

This is another easy task that can shed some serious light on your potentially vast community of online supporters. Visit http://www.technorati.com/, which searches over 70 million blogs and find out who is talking about your organization or your issue. Talk with them and see if you can use them to share important information or to drum up more support.

Set Up a Facebook Page

While organizations can't have their own page, as an individual you can set up your own Facebook page or Cause. Play around and search groups and again find people out there who are already passionate about your issue. You can also visit http://www.frogloop.com/ to find more tips about starting a Facebook page.

The most important thing to remember is to try to go to where your potential supporters already exist. The online community Second Life, for example, won't make sense for most organizations, but if you're audience is very technologically savvy and you already have the above basic steps covered, it can be a fruitful venture to get on there as well.

Source: Adapted by Jake Emen from Katya Andresen's Nonprofit 911 Presentation "Crafting Your Call to Action"