Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF)  is a nonprofit devoted to providing education and financial assistance to children who have lost a parent in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps Special Operations during an operational or training mission.  SOWF offers scholarship grants that cover tuition, fees, room, board, books and supplies for children of lost veterans.  To date, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation has provided over $800,000 to wounded special operations personnel and more than 150 children of fallen soldiers have graduated from college.  It is no surprise that Glenn Beck chose this wonderful organization to help him with his Restoring Honor Rally. 

Glenn Beck holds many titles: radio and television host, author, conservative political commentator, entrepreneur -and now he can add fundraiser to that list.  The publicity that his page is generating for Special Operations Warrior Foundation is incredible.  In just a two days, Beck’s page has generated over $116,000 in donations.  Better yet, Beck has plans to match all donations that are brought in.  This one page truly shows the power of viral marketing, though some donors are only contributing $5 or $10 dollars, there are many supporters and every dollar adds up. 

The power and exposure a celebrity can bring to an online fundraising campaign are priceless.  If you have a celebrity or national figure attached to your nonprofit, ask them to set up a FirstGiving page.  No matter how small, you will see donations trickle in from people who support that person or figure.  

Here are some other prominent figures who have FirstGiving Pages:

Alanis Morissette created a page for NEDA
The Sisters of Tom Brady, our beloved New England Patriots quaterback, are running the Boston Marathon for The McCourt Foundation
Yousef Al Otaiba the United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the United States and Mexico fundraised for Children’s National Medical Center