RNLI is asking supporters to donate temporary access to their Facebook or Twitter account so it can publish two rescue story posts every week  in order to raise awareness of its work.

The campaign, called #SaveWave, started on 19 August, and will last for six weeks until 29 September. It sees the charity post videos and details about its rescue missions on its supporters' social media accounts. 

The idea is to create 'waves of coverage for the RNLI', as everybody who joins the campaign will send out these stories simultaneously. 

It aims to have reached one million people by 29 September.  It looks likely to achieve its goal, having already reached 970,000 people through the campaign.

Red Cross campaign 

Elsewhere, the British Red Cross will also use social media accounts to mark the International Day of the Disappeared  - a global event highlighting those who have gone missing throughout the world in disasters, as well as situations of violence and armed conflict

The British Red Cross is marking this day by asking the public to replace their social media display pictures on Twitter, Facebook and other social media websites with a blank, empty frame. This is to raise awareness of the day and of the plight of families who are missing their relatives and friends.

An ever-increasing number of charities are using social media to fundraise and raise awareness of their causes.

Visceral Business’ 2012 Social Charity 100 Report found that a number of charities have increased their Facebook followers. The BBC Children in Need Facebook page went from 16,814 followers in 2011 to 771,951 in 2012. Similarly Medecins Sans Frontieres went from 3,038 followers in 2011 to 474,133 in 2012.

Photo credit: RNLI/Nathan Williams