Bassie Shemtov, the co-founder and director of The Friendship Circle, based in West Bloomfield, Michigan, writes in Mashable:

How Non-Profits Can Rally Support for Online Contests

Cause marketing is quickly becoming a popular option for corporations looking to give back to the community and spark awareness around social issues. From the Chase Community Giving challenge to the Pepsi Refresh Project to the Giving Made Simple contest by Sam’s Club, non-profits are sitting on a mound of opportunity.

When it comes to online cause contests, what does it take for your non-profit to win? The answer, in brief, is passionate supporters and an organization that understands social media and recognizes its power to guide supporters to the polls.

But how do you gather all your supporters on the social web and concentrate their efforts toward a single goal? There is no silver bullet that will work for every non-profit, but here are some suggested steps to follow if you’re ready to organize the troops and clinch that contest win.

The complete article is available here.