While there’s little doubt that social media mainstays like Facebook and Twitter have been wildly successful at connecting groups of friends, musicians and fans, business and consumer and relatively recently, non-profits and philanthropists, but particularly where the latter is concerned, when is a saturation point reached?

CNET examines this question as increasing numbers of charities get on board in the already crowded space, noting that two major concerns begin to surface: a thinning pool of money to go around and too much noise for users to sift through.

Fundamentally, the strategy doesn’t have to change, but it does need to get smarter. In order to ensure lasting success, here are a number of considerations to keep in mind, both for social media and beyond:

1) Message – Regardless of what channel you use to spread the word, that message needs to be abundantly clear. Any good organization needs to have a defined mission statement and reachable set of goals.

2) Audience – Simply broadcasting to the masses without any consideration for who the people are you are trying to target, will result in a call to action that falls on deaf ears. Personalized communications that speak to your audience will show greater returns.

3) Community – Of course, soliciting monetary donations is the lifeline for any good charity, both in achieving its aims and maintaining its longevity, getting people involved, as volunteers and advocates, are the true measure of success. Building a committed cache of members is important, but implementing a culture that can leverage their interest is essential.

4) Diversification – While social media provides a cheap and effective way to reach large numbers of people, it can’t be the only platform through which an organization delivers its message. Traditional outreach methods – events, mailings, and phone calls – exist for a reason, they still work.

5) Scale – Position your organization in such a way that it is able to grow. Keep your expectations reasonable in the beginning, but be prepared to expand to meet demand as more interest is generated.

6) Infrastructure – An intelligent system that enables individuals to give and/or join easily is essential for charities of any size.