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Frank Barry, professional services manager at Blackbaud and blogger at NetWits ThinkTank, helps non-profits use the Internet for digital communication, social media, and fundraising so they can focus on making an impact and achieving their missions. Find Frank on Twitter @franswaa.

Non-profit organizations are leading the way when it comes to creatively harnessing the power of social media. A report by The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth shows that the largest U.S. non-profit organizations continue to outpace Inc. 500 businesses and higher education institutions in their familiarity, use and monitoring of social media.

In fact, 93% of the top U.S. charities have a class='blippr-nobr'>Facebookclass="blippr-nobr">Facebook page, 87% have a Twitter profile, and 65% have a blog. Why does this matter? Because the rapid growth and adoption of social media is helping non-profits in their quest for change — they truly are using social media for social good.

But what about the little guys? The social web can give smaller players a big voice if they know how to leverage it. Here are three inspiring success stories of small non-profits who met or exceeded their goals with the help of social media.

1. Create a Video, Start a Movement

Darius Weems and the Darius Goes West project will inspire you. Suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), Darius and 11 of his best friends decided to head out on a cross country road trip from Atlanta to Los Angeles, where Darius hoped to have his wheelchair spiffed up by MTV’s Pimp my Ride. Though his wheelchair did not get pimped by MTV on that trip, there was a far better outcome that even Darius couldn’t have imagined.

The 25-day trip resulted in memories, experiences and 300 hours of video which were turned into a documentary that has impacted thousands of people around the world. That very same documentary has now raised over $2 million for DMD research.

According to the Darius Goes West team, “We had offers from distributors, but, in the end, we decided to self-distribute our film. By opting to self-distribute, we bear the responsibility for marketing, but we also have the power to devote $8 of every DVD sale to promising DMD research.”

It’s apparent that social media has played and continues to play a significant roll in helping to raise both awareness and money for DMD research through Darius and his friends. Here’s a snap shot of their social media footprint:

They’ve accrued close to 700,000 views on YouTubeclass="blippr-nobr">YouTube, collected more than 14,000 Facebook fans, obtained roughly 2,000 Twitter followers, and raised almost $45,000 through Facebook Causes and FirstGiving.

2. Empower Your Supporters to be Free Agent Fundraisers

Well known cycling blogger Elden Nelson did something incredible a few months ago — he raise more than $135,000 in less than 10 days for LIVESTRONG and World Bicycle Relief using his blog, Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter and Friends Asking Friends.

It all started when Nelson sent Lance Armstrong’s racing team manager, Johan Bruyneel, an open cover letter as if he were applying for a job.

Nelson, who dreamed of becoming a pro cyclist, reached out to Bruyneel, with low expectations on its return. But through the power of social media, Bruyneel did see it, and he challenged Nelson via Twitter and his blogclass="blippr-nobr">blog to raise $50,000 for LIVESTRONG and $50,000 for World Bicycle Relief. Nelson took on that challenge and completed it in less than two days.

Without the ability to quickly connect and mobilize his network using social media, this wouldn’t have been possible in such a shot amount of time. Nelson tweeted numerous times as the story unfolded, as did Bruyneel, @livestrong, @livestrongceo and @lancearmstrong. Those three accounts combined have over 3.5 million Twitter followers. Add to that the numerous blog posts, Facebook status updates and YouTube videos, and you get a social media-fueled fundraising phenomenon like we’ve never seen.

3. Raise Funds by Creating a “Heartspace”

Mothers Day 2010 brought about quite a few online fundraising initiatives, but none were more impressive than the To Mama with Love campaign created by the passionate folks at Epic Change and a host of great volunteers. The goal was simple — raise money to support Mama Lucy in her efforts to educate children in Tanzania.

Mama Lucy is a change agent who saved her own income and used it to start a primary school in Tanzania, believing that education is the key to transforming a country gripped by poverty. Over the last six years, Mama Lucy has grown the school from one classroom with fewer than 10 students, to a school that now serves more than 300 children at eight grade levels.

The initiative was simple but powerful. Supporters were encouraged honor their own mothers by making a donation and then creating a virtual scrapbook or “heartspace” on the site, including photos, videos, notes, and artwork. They could then share their “heartspace” with their mother, friends and family via Twitter and Facebook, or via a customized e-card.

Using social media as the primary communication and engagement mechanism, Epic Change was able to raise close to $17,000 and provide a safe home for 17 children in Tanzania, while also encouraging more than 300 mothers along the way. They did all of this in about a week’s time with a staff of two.

So you see, social media has truly enabled non-profits both large and small to reach out and make some real change. Tell us about the social cause campaigns you’ve donated to in the past in the comments below.

More Social Good Resources from Mashable:

- 5 Easy Ways to Support a Cause Through Your Social Network/> - 5 Trends Shaping the Future of Social Good/> - 10 Ways to Start a Fund for Social Good Online/> - How Social Good Has Revolutionized Philanthropy/> - 5 iPhone Apps to Help Fight Poverty

Image courtesy of iStockphotoclass="blippr-nobr">iStockphoto, AndrewJohnson

For more Social Good coverage:

class="f-el">class="cov-twit">Follow Mashable Social Goodclass="s-el">class="cov-rss">Subscribe to the Social Good channelclass="f-el">class="cov-fb">Become a Fan on Facebookclass="s-el">class="cov-apple">Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

The United States has lost more than 3 million jobs since Barack Obama became president, making him the biggest job loser since Herbert Hoover, whose socialistic programs turned a recession into a depression. Only World War II saved FDR.

$787 billion bought 2 points to the unemployment rate pushing it from the 7.6% rate he “inherited” to the 9.6% rate we have 20 months later.

So who does the left blame for Barack Obama’s abject failure as a president?

R E P U B L I C A N S

From the comments at the Huffington Post on today’s posting of 9.6% unemployment:

* “A wave of government layoffs in September outpaced weak hiring in the private sector”

If the private sector is the same sector as the privatization program the Republicans want us to eat up our Social Security…well, count me out.

64000 out…not bad. Doesn’t the population increase ever come into play when news items like this occur?

The rough average is two and a half million new faces a year in the USA. How about finding the figures for the population increase for the given yuears and THEN post the story

* “Local governments cut 76,000 jobs last month, most of them in education. That’s the largest cut by local governments in 28 years.” – and THAT’S what the Publican’ts have planned for the future, America, while enriching their lobbyist friends in foreign countries…

* This is what happens when reaganomics, aka “voodoo” economics, is practiced. The US has a hollow economy; gutted by republicans and their donors.

* The corporations are not just taking advantage of the crisis but they are deliberately witholding investments in order to help the right wing regain power so they can get even more favors once the southern-teabag coalition has taken over the congress and started to dismantle the social safety net at an accelerated pace. The criminal banking and corporate elites are disappointed that their democratic employees have not given them 100 percent of what they want.

* Can some republican explain to me how decreasing government aka firing employed people with help create jobs and help unemployment? I just don’t understand how in an economy that has a private sector refusing to hire that its a good idea to make more people unemployed by cutting government.

* As long as Republicans continue to obstruct job cr eation the situation will stay weak. The Senate stopped the infra structure band which wd take 50 billion to leverage 300 billion in private sector to leverage 300 billion in private sector money for our roads bridges, etc. The Senate blocked the Make it in America plan. 53 Dems voted to take tax credits and subsidies from companies outsourcing to lower tax rates for American companies. That is common sense and why has this not been an issue that was targeted?

* So when will Obama keep his promise to repeal the tax breaks for companies that outsource jobs? Never? Maybe he should change his name to Bush the III. It would be appropriate.

* The decline of the position of American capitalism in the world, its decisive loss of global hegemony, will have profound implications.

For the vast majority of working people it means, in the first place, a series of severe shocks. In the end, this process must have revolutionary political consequences.

The current global economic crisis is a demonstration of the failure of the capitalist system. It must be replaced by a system whose priorities are determined by social needs, not the personal enrichment of a tiny parasitic elite–a system based on social equality and the democratic control of economic life by working people, who comprise the vast majority.

It must be replaced by Socialism

* If I have a choice of voting for the party that wants to ship our jobs overseas or the one that wants to provide incentives for companies to keep jobs in the US, I think I’ll cast my vote for the latter. So would someone explain to me how a “non-wealthy” American could vote for a Repugnant?

* FYI, here is the headline the New york Times posted for this same story:

“Cuts in Government Led U.S. Economy to Lose 95,000 Jobs”

* Knowing that rich people want those taxcuts they aren’t going to get from the democrats makes me wonder if this is a concerted effort on their parts to derail the democratic agenda. this close to an election it is very suspicious.

Oh no. That last commenter knows our evil plan and must be eliminated.

internet reputation management

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