It's not a well-kept secret that donors, be they casual or wealthy philanthropists, are more likely to give when asked by someone they know; or to whom they have a connection.

Colleges and universities ask current students to solicit alumni. Charities provide their supporters with donor materials, and ask that they mail solicitations to their neighbors with a personalized appeal. Organizations hold galas and other special events in which they encourage their board members to invite their well-healed friends to attend, or make a contribution if they cannot be their in person.

The technology revolution has added new wrinkles to many existing fundraising techniques, eliminating some labor-intensive aspects, and streamlining invitations, donor processing, acknowledgement and substantiation, and collections.

Technology has also spurred the development of new, creative fundraising models, some of which I've written about in this space. Among them are charity malls, online auctions, "click-to-give", and electronic tribute gifts.

Some of these models take advantage of using "personal" appeals of individuals to their friends, neighbors, and relatives, despite the fact that these appeals are highly automated and involve minimal labor on the part of either the charity or the solicitor.

One such model, the individual fundraising page, is rapidly catching on as an effective fundraising technique. It was successful recently in generating a contribution from me to a charity that I hadn't previously supported, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Here's how it happened.

In January, I received an e-mail from a casual friend and neighbor. The message, not particularly long or detailed, said he was participating in a 100-mile bike ride around Lake Tahoe in June to raise millions of dollars for this particular charity and he was committed to raising $3,800 himself.

He asked for my participation by clicking on a link embedded in his e-mail. The link was to his personal fundraising page on Active.com. I complied, making a small donation online.

Within minutes, I received two emails, one from the local chapter of the charity thanking me for my gift, and a receipt from the application service provider, Active.com. Apparently, scores of others responded to his appeal. In July, I received another "custom" e-mail from my biker friend that over 1,900 bikers raised $7 million, and that he more than met his fundraising goal. Attached to the email were pictures of the event.

Active.com is a site managed by Active Giving Solutions, one of the many application service providers who have developed software applications for personal fundraising pages.

"We chose Active Giving Solutions for its ability to integrate with our internal systems," says Richard J. Geswell, executive vice president, marketing & revenue generation for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, in a June press release.

"We needed an easy tool to encourage and expand online fundraising by our participants."

Perhaps the leader in promoting the personal fundraising page model is Justgiving.com, with more than 700 nonprofit organization clients in the United States and Great Britain.

One satisfied individual client of this service Nathaniel Tilton of Charlestown, Massachusetts, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2002. Rather than letting this debilitating disease stop him, Tilton decided to run the Boston Marathon. Setting up his personal fundraising page on Justgiving.com, he raised more than $10,000 for his charity and finished the race in a respectable four hours and 43 minutes on a hot day and challenging course.

"Some people who were distant to me or who only knew of me through a friend or family member, gave quite generously," he told me in an e-mail. "Others who are closer friends of mine failed to, which was frustrating. The point is, you just never know who feels a personal connection to your cause and who might be willing to make a contribution – so don't be afraid to ask!"

The technology made his plea for support painless at every step. The cost is reasonable, with typical transaction fees being five percent or less of donations made through the Justgiving platform. From the homepage (www.justgiving.com), you can find the personal fundraising pages of some of the top fundraisers who use the service, and the names and comments of their donors.

Also started in 1999, CharityFocus (www.charityfocus.com) is a California-based 501 (c) (3) run completely by volunteers. It's basic services, including setting up personal fundraising pages (see: http://www.pledgepage.org), are free, although there may be charges for any third-party costs the organization incurs on your behalf.

Third party application service providers are becoming more sophisticated in meeting the customized needs of charities that want to encourage their donors to set up personal fundraising pages. Typically, these pages permit the participant to upload pictures, provide progress reports on the amount of donations received, and have colorful graphics that illustrate how close the participant is to meeting his or her fundraising goal.

Anecdotal evidence is strong that charities, participants, and donors alike appreciate the convenience of this online giving option. And it is another effective strategy charities can use to add to their donor lists and publicize the important mission they have even among those who may not be interested in making a donation.