The campaigns have definitely changed the way that nonprofits can think about social media. I work for a nonprofit doing poverty eradication in Kenya. We had bounced around the idea of sending out simple, wide-reaching emails soliciting small donations, but it was never something that we thought would amount to much.
The Obama campaign changed that for me (I didn't get John McCain's emails). It was always a very simply ask, "Please help us do good things. Donate $5 before midnight." It worked, and it worked like a charm, too.
