Social media influences donors

If you plan on donating money this holiday season to a charity you're not alone.

Turns out the month of December is when $48 billion is given to charities across the U.S. And social media is playing a bigger role than ever in where Americans decide to give their money.

At the Capital Area Food Bank in South Austin donations in the form of food and money is the only way they can help thousands.

"We could not serve 48,000 Central Texans every week without the generosity of the general public," said John Turner, Senior Director of Marketing at the Capital Area Food Bank.

The holidays make folks especially generous. Between October and December 40-percent of the food bank's yearly donations come in - that's between $3 and $4 million.

"We actually moved our fiscal year so it starts October first so that we have pretty good handle on how much money we are going to have the rest of the year," said Turner.

"From today through December 31st is the most charitable time of the year," said Patrick Hansen, Principle Consultant Convio.

Austin based Convio conducted an online study to find out how Americans are donating their money. Turns out social media has a big influence.

"They are influenced by their friends and family, they are influenced by what other people are doing and saying about the causes they are supporting," said Hansen.

As a result online donations are expected to increase by 30-percent this year and that's because donors are able to make a special connection with the charity online they can't get with a mailer.

"They are motivated by personal stories of the impact their gift will have," said Hansen.

The food bank started making videos and posting them to YouTube to demonstrate the impact donations make and it's working.

"We only started online about 5 years ago now it's about 20% of our total individual donations," said Turner.

And with the average American expected to donate upwards of $280 to a charity before the end of the year - it could be a very happy holiday for charities.

"Even though a lot of people are still struggling we are still generous and we will still be generous and that's why giving continues to grow," said Hansen.

And it turns out Generation X, which are adults in their 30's and 40's are expected to donate the most. On average about $350.

And those who donate online will typically give about $100 more than those sending money in the mail.