Creating video has never been easier. Just about every cell phone comes equipped with a video camera these days and free editing software is available online and through software packages purchased with new computers. Windows Movie Maker is one example of software that will walk you through the process of using your photos and video clips to make a movie. The sky is the limit when it comes to creating unique ways to tell your story. Even if your finished product won’t impress Spielberg, it will inform your audience about your mission and make them want to take action. That’s powerful!

The challenges nonprofits once faced with broadcasting video have all but disappeared with the popularity of social media sites. From blogs and Facebook to the most famous of video sites, YouTube, there are many options to post videos and tell your story. These sites make it easy to post, promote and evaluate the success of your videos.

YouTube actually has a program specifically for NPOs. Once approved for the program (the requirements are listed at http://www.youtube.com/nonprofits), you can enjoy several benefits including increased upload capacity, the use of a “donate” button through Google Checkout, a listing on the Nonprofit videos page, and the ability to place a Call to Action overlay on your videos. More information about each of these items is available on YouTube’s nonprofit page. Now you’re not only creating a video to tell a story, you’re empowering your audience to take action. That is powerful!

Nonprofits can also use videos as blog posts. We live in a society of short attention spans – sometimes video speaks louder than print. Videos can also be posted to Facebook and Google+ and links posted to Twitter and LinkedIn. Everywhere you turn these days, the capacity to post and promote your videos is available.

Social media not only gives you the outlet to post and promote videos, but it can also let you see what kind of traction your video is getting and allows you to receive feedback and communication that can be followed up offline. After all, if we can’t see our results and create more conversation to develop relationships, what’s the point?

Social media allows NPOs the opportunity to tell their story in a captivating way. It allows us to connect with donors, volunteers and supporters in a way that touches all of the senses and creates a call to action. It allows us to reach hundreds and thousands and millions of people in just the blink of an eye. That is powerful!

Have you had success promoting your nonprofit through videos? Please share your stories and contribute to the conversation!

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

The needs and target audience of a NPO will determine which social media network is best for them. The answer will be different for everyone. Sometimes a presence on just one site will work, while others may need to reach out via multiple networks. The important things to consider when making these decisions are 1) Do you have a staff person that has enough time to manage multiple sites? 2) Which social network site offers you the services/features you need most and 3) Where is your target audience flocking?

First things first, do you have a staff person who can manage multiple sites? The quick answer is typically no, but managing multiple sites doesn’t have to be a full-time job. Most social networking sites offer ways to link to each other so that when you update a status on one, it automatically posts to another. For more information about how even small NPOs can manage a social media presence, read my blog “Nonprofits and Social Media: How Even the Smallest Shop Can Join the Frenzy.” While I truly believe than any NPO can handle two or three social media outlets, I also believe there is such thing as too many. Trying to be everywhere will dilute the time and energy you spend everywhere. So make sure you look at the time available for site management and choose wisely.

Once you’ve decided how much time you have to manage your social networking, how do you decide which sites fit your needs the best? The first place to start is with you and your organization. Determine what it is you really want to do online and then find all the sites that meet those criteria. Is starting a blog on your growth plan for the year? Do you want to post short, to-the-point updates throughout the day? Will you use social media to host chats or conferences for your donors or followers? Figure out what you need and want and go from there.

With your needs determined, the next step is hands on experience. Get on the sites and see how easy they are to use and if their features are what you thought they were. Many sites offer similar features and it may be a tough choice. Google+ is quickly gaining in popularity and challenging Facebook to reinvent itself in some ways. Fox News did a side by side comparison in January with “Facebook vs. Google+: What’s the Best Social Network?” that’s worth the read for NPOs that aren’t sure which way to go. Can’t decide whether depth or brevity is your best bet? Try reading Mack Collier’s post “Blogs or Twitter: Which Tool is Better for Building Awareness?” And then there’s the newest site to join the game, Pinterest, a site that is building a user base quickly. The Chronicle of Philanthropy has a great article, “Nonprofits Pin Their Social-Media Efforts on New Network,” discussing how the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption has had success with the new network.

With all of that homework and choices to make, the third thing to consider is the most important – know where your audience is and go there. If your target audience is into brief updates on Twitter then writing even the best blog won’t help you. There’s a good chance that some of your high profile donor prospects are using LinkedIn and don’t have the slightest idea what Pinterest. Know your audience.

Having a presence on social media sites is a definite must for NPOs. Spreading yourself too thin with a presence on sites that don’t meet your needs is not. Do your homework and figure out what works best for you and then go for it!

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

The good, the bad, the ugly – it all ends up online. And if your NPO isn’t hitting the airwaves quickly to respond to it, you can bet someone else is doing it for you. That’s the case with the debacle that unraveled in late January with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. The news that the Foundation was stopping future funding to Planned Parenthood broke fast and spread like wildfire online. Everyone had an opinion and was tweeting, posting and blogging about it. Well, almost everyone. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation was silent on the topic for what seemed like an eternity in online time – three days.

In times past, three days may not have seemed like a long time to wait to respond to a situation, but in the current technological world we live, three days is forever. And in those three days, Komen gave everyone with an opinion the opportunity to speculate, criticize, mock and wonder just what was going on inside their walls. We all know that sometimes silence speaks louder than words and in the world of social media, this couldn’t be truer. To read more insight about the Komen story, hop over to Michael Rosen’s blog site and read “Does Komen Have a Communications or Integrity Problem?”

NPOs of all sizes can learn a couple things from the Komen example. First, be proactive. Whether we are talking social media or otherwise, be proactive. Get ahead of your organization’s news – both good and bad. Be ready to respond and have a plan to do so quickly. Second, don’t ignore the online conversations taking place. Social media isn’t the playground. Ignoring the gossip won’t make it go away. As an organization that is taking donations from the public to use for specific causes (whatever your mission may be), you have an obligation to answer people’s questions. And ignoring it will just create a PR nightmare you really don’t need.

We all know that not all online talk is credible. We all know that some people will jump at any opening to take the cheap shots. I’m not for one minute suggesting that you address those particular people. I am, however, saying that you can’t just ignore the negative talk that’s taking place online about your organization. Mashable has a good article about identifying different types of negative feedback online and how to deal with it. Read “HOW TO: Deal with Negative Feedback in Social Media” for more information.

Social media is growing and quickly becoming the easiest, cheapest, fastest way for NPOs to communicate with their donors, potential donors and the general public. Getting involved in the online conversation will soon be a must for all Nonprofits. Staying in the conversation is already a must for those who have already established themselves online. Whether you just have a website or are playing with blogs, Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, etc. make sure you’re getting your message out consistently and in a timely manner. It will save you some major headaches in the long run.

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

So what are the basics? It’s different for each NPO, but most organizations have a menu combination including some or all of the following: special events, year-end appeals, major gifts, education and/or advocacy programs. Sticking to what we know is good. But we can use social media to innovate all of these platforms to increase revenue and awareness.

Special Events

No matter what type of event has become your signature money maker, social media can help make it better. If you are planning a fundraising walk, run, or bike ride then social media is an optimal place for you to start recruiting. Promote the event on Facebook and Google+, highlight top fundraisers on your blog or Twitter, and make sure your website has a thermometer to keep track of where you are to goal on the event. Hosting a dinner auction? Create weekly posts to show off the best auction items you’ll have to offer. Create an invitation to post in all of your LinkedIn group message boards. Take advantage of the opportunity to sell more tickets online. Try special online sites that help you organize, plan and promote your event like Eventbrite. For more information read Mashable’s article “How To: Plan and Promote Events with Social Media.”

Year-End Appeals and Major Gifts

People give to your organization for many different reasons. But one thing many donors have in common is that they give because it feels good. Being recognized for good deeds also feels good. Take advantage of your built-in audience on social media sites and highlight and thank your most generous donors. You’ll want to get their permission first, but publically thanking people goes a long way to creating an ongoing relationship. For more information about innovating year-end appeals, read my December blog post “Nonprofits and Social Media: Putting the Appeal Back in Annual Campaigns.”

Education and Advocacy Programs

Education and advocacy programs probably aren’t making your organization a lot of money, but it’s key to developing awareness and cultivating relationships. The best press is free press and social media allows you all the air time you want to advertise your programs. Take it a step further and put up fast facts about upcoming program topics on Facebook and Twitter or spotlight a guest speaker in your blog. Post clips of videos from your last program on YouTube or Google+.  Put up links to your website that feature research articles, inspirational stories and other items you think will be of interest to your audience. While broadcasting your cause is important, remember the key to success is creating conversation. For more tips on how to use social media to further your advocacy efforts and promote education, read The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s article, “How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media to Spark Change.”

The basics are good. Innovating the basics is better. Whether you’re just starting with social media or your efforts have just stalled out, there’s no time like the present to get back on track.

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

This seems to be a daunting task for many NPOs. Thinking about how to fill 365 days’ worth of content online and then manage it all year long can be intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be. The first step is start slow. If you aren’t already engaged online, then take this month to figure out the best way to establish your presence. For those NPOs that are truly just starting out with social media, I suggest beginning with my September entry for the Windmill Network Blog: “Nonprofits and Social Media: How Even the Smallest Shop Can Join the Frenzy.” For those organizations that have already started to dabble in social media, take this month to make your annual plan.

Creating an annual plan isn’t as hard as it may seem at first. You already have the material to create the framework. Use your special events calendar, support group meeting dates, programs calendar and any other existing dates you already have scheduled to start your social media plan. Determine how you want to promote each event and then fill in your plan with those ideas. Perhaps you want to blog about your March program in February to help build excitement and promote registration. Maybe you want to put bi-weekly Facebook posts up about your Spring Gala. Maybe you want to promote your support group meetings through LinkedIn groups once a month. Whatever fits your needs best, put it on paper. For those of you who are a bit Type A (I definitely fall in this group!), you may take a look at the article “Social Media: Before You Get Started, Get Organized.” It’s a great snapshot of a very structured method for making your social media plan come to life.

Once you’ve established the corner stones of your plan (your key events and programs), you can look at where you have holes to fill. This is where many people clock out. It seems too hard or too time consuming to fill holes. It’s really not though. Start with your own website. What interesting information is there that you think people should visit more often? Pull out key pieces and promote them through social media year round. Do you have a great research article online? Make sure you let people know about it on Facebook or Twitter. Is there a message board that your constituents find especially helpful? Make sure you post the link and a brief synopsis of the board for your LinkedIn Groups. Use your website to generate ideas about what is important to your organization and make social media an extension of that.

Another great addition to your annual social media plan is profiles of outstanding people. Find volunteers that go above and beyond and have them write a blog about why they choose to give their time to your organization. Use Google+ to let people know about an outstanding donation you received during the year. If you highlighted a particular person in your annual appeal use all of your social media outlets to provide updates throughout the year on their involvement. For more information on how to personalize your annual appeal, read my December post “Nonprofits and Social Media: Putting the Appeal Back in Annual Campaigns.” Sharing information about people helps personalize your presence online. Making your cause personal for someone is the key to engaging them long-term.

Whether you’re just beginning or your presence online is well established, January is the perfect time of the year to get your social media annual plan in place. Technology is forever changing, but it’s never going away. Embrace social media and let your planning work for you all year round.

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

Social media is one way to breathe some new life into annual campaigns. I’m certainly not suggesting you ditch the direct mail route, but every good tool needs a little innovation to keep it fresh. Using social media to revamp your annual appeal is as easy as three steps: Inform, Engage, Execute.

Inform. People can’t give you money if they don’t know you’re asking for it. One of the top reasons donors say they don’t give to a cause is because they weren’t asked. Social media is a great way to inform your donors. Use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and any other online social media site you may already be using to inform people about your annual campaign. Tell your fans, readers, tweeps, etc. that your NPO is getting ready to launch its annual appeal and you need their help to reach your goal. Not only will you be informing your constituents, but by asking them to like your Facebook post or retweet your Twitter message you will inform many more people about your efforts. Join groups on LinkedIn and share your message there, too. The best part is that this is free advertising. A recent article “Social Media Ups the Ante in Five College Fundraising” by Matt Medieros in the Daily Hampshire Gazette takes a look at how some NPOs are using social media to fundraise and stay ahead of the rough economy.

Engage. This goes far beyond just using social media in your annual appeal. This is really about a makeover for your entire campaign. The standard, run of the mill annual appeal letter that tells readers what your mission is and that they should send $50 to save the whales, feed the hungry or fight malaria is not the way to engage people. You need to make your annual appeal personal. Put a face to your mission. Tell a story. Make people feel your needs – not just read them in black and white. Once you’ve done that share it online. Post pieces of your letter online and tell people to look for more information in the mail. Use the stories and the people in those stories as ambassadors and feature them online in blogs and posts as much as possible. Learn more about how to engage readers through your annual appeal letter in my post, “When life gives you lemons make lemonade” on Pamela Grow’s website Pamela’s Grantwriting Blog.

Execute. Now that you’ve informed people that you’re seeking donations and engaged them with your great, personal stories, you need to execute the ask and close the deal. This is where your direct mail and email campaign will be key. If you accept donations online, by all means, make sure you are including that link in all online communication – social media posts, blog entries, emails, etc. Many NPOs don’t have online giving, however, so the execution is arming readers with your information and your direct mail letter. When posting online be sure to make note that you are mailing a letter out and people should be on the lookout for it. Include a return envelope with your direct mail letter. Also make sure you give contact information for people to get in touch with you in case they aren’t on your mailing list. Include your address and how to make a donation offline, if that’s your only option. You need to make giving as easy as possible. The easier it is the more likely people are to give.

The annual campaign hasn’t lost its validity or necessity with nonprofits, it’s just outgrown the standard execution. Like all things, your appeal needs to be brought up to speed with the newest technology. Embrace social media and let it help pad your bottom line.

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

“Recruiting high end board members is no different than cultivating potential major donors. The key is building relationships, and this does not happen overnight,” said Shana Masterson, Associate Director of Interactive Fundraising and Engagement for the American Diabetes Association, in a private interview about finding board members for NPOs conducted for this blog post.

Masterson is absolutely right – cultivation is key. The problem most of us have, however, is finding prospects and figuring out how to open doors. Social media can help nonprofits with both. Companies across the country are engaging in social media efforts and that includes the C-level staffers. From blogs to Twitter accounts, you can find top executives from many companies surfing the Web. Engaging in a variety of social media sites can help you get access to these people – even if you don’t know who they are yet.

“Take advantage of social networks. You may not know your potential board member, but LinkedIn allows you to see second and third connections of those you are connected with. Have your boards and staff do the same,” Masterson suggests.

Browsing LinkedIn to see your contacts’ connections is a good way to identify potential Board members. In addition to identifying new prospects, you are able to look at what groups they are using on the site and what organizations they are already involved with in the community. You can also search social media sites like Facebook, Google+ and Twitter to locate potential candidates in your geographic area. Neal Schaffer’s blog “5 Alternative Ways to Search Twitter for People by Location” sheds some light on apps that can help you research people in your area who use Twitter.

Using social media sites to do some background homework on potential candidates may also narrow down your candidate pool for you. The new LinkedIn feature that allows people to list volunteer experience on their profile is a great help for this endeavor. Someone who is already volunteering for three or four organizations may be spread too thin to take on your project. You should also encourage current Board members to list your organization on their profile. You never know who may take notice. You can read more about listing volunteer experience on LinkedIn profiles in Mashable’s article “LinkedIn Now Lets You Include Volunteer Experience in Your Profile.”

Once you’ve identified a prospect use social media sites to make your first connection. Does the person have a blog? Take the time to read blog entries and leave comments. Most bloggers respond to comments left and this is a great way to start a conversation. See if the potential candidate is on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+. Take the initiative to retweet, repost and comment on their site posts. Join the groups they use on LinkedIn and engage in conversation there.

You may find that not only are you able to start engaging your current prospect but that others will join the conversation and lead to new prospects. C-level executives attract other C-level prospects. Once you’ve managed to bring one or two high ranking people onto your Board getting the attention of others will be easier.

After you’ve engaged your potential candidate in conversation, use social media to link their interests with your organization’s mission. Find connecting points and show the person why they are a great fit for your NPO. Post information to their Facebook site or Twitter account about upcoming education programs or symposiums your organization is hosting. Is your NPO funding a project that highlights an interest of your potential candidate? Blog about it and then send them the links on LinkedIn or other social media sites. C-level executives are busy people; take the initiative to connect the dots between their interests and your needs.

Social media can be a great starting place for getting someone familiar with your name and organization. Getting in front of the person is the first step in the cultivation process. The one thing you must remember is that this is a process – building relationships doesn’t happen overnight.

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

Social media opens a new door for contact with donors and volunteers. While more traditional methods of direct mail, email marketing campaigns and face to face meetings aren’t going to be put out to pasture anytime soon, there is certainly room for new approaches. Creating social media profiles, blogs and chats, in addition to your website, opens up the possibility of delivering more information to more people in a succinct fashion.

Engaging in social media for nonprofits doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming. Taking the time to post and tweet a couple times a day and keep an eye on what others are saying about you online can be very beneficial. Consumer use of social media is skyrocketing and the likelihood is that your customers are using it. When unhappy customers turn to social media to vent their frustrations it can have a snowball effect that leads to much bigger issues. If your NPO isn’t engaged in the conversation you could be missing an opportunity to rectify the problem. Speaker and author Sam Davidson’s blog about the Red Cross exemplifies this point.

Davidson wrote a blog in December titled, “Why I’m Breaking up with the Red Cross.” In the blog he discusses the absolute lack of customer appreciation exhibited by the organization on multiple occasions and why he finally had to say enough was enough. He goes as far as to say that he will no longer donate to the Red Cross but that he will be donating his blood to a named organization. The very next day Davidson wrote a follow up blog titled, “The Red Cross is Listening (An Update).” Turns out his blog had stirred up quite a bit of online conversation among people. Those people happened to include Red Cross employees, which came to the organization’s defense. The Red Cross went a step further and reached out to Davidson via Twitter and email to discuss the situation. It made a huge impact and quite possibly saved the organization from losing many donors.

The fact that the Red Cross was active online and in social media allowed them to catch wind of Davidson’s blog and the controversy it was stirring up about the organization. Because of that they were able to react quickly, neutralize the problem and recover beautifully. There’s nothing impersonal about the way social media aided their customer service.

While responding to customer service situations is one way to use social media, being proactive is even better. Something as simple as using a blog to answer some of the most frequently asked questions of your organization not only helps current donors and volunteers, but attracts new ones. By providing the answer before the question is even asked, potential donors are given a sense of security that the NPO knows their audience and anticipates their needs. That effort in and of itself goes a long way toward cultivation and customer satisfaction. Having an archived set of blogs also provides substance for customers seeking information.

Moving away from long telephone wait times, companies are beginning to utilize new technology and offer customers the opportunity to chat with a representative online. Most NPOs don’t have the manpower to implement technology like that. What NPOs can do, however, is host online chats at specific times on a weekly or monthly basis. Twitter chats are gaining popularity and are a great way for NPOs to connect with current and potential volunteers. Using hashtags you can create a stream of conversations for people to follow and join. Neal Schaffer’s article What is a Twitter Chat gives you a good introduction to learning more about what they are and how to join one, while Mashable’s article HOW TO: Start and Run a Successful Twitter Chat walks you through the process of setting up and hosting a chat on Twitter. Chats give you an outlet to address concerns, answer questions and brainstorm great new things on the horizon for your organization.

As with any technology, social media has its limitations within customer service. While it’s a great tool to help cultivate relationships, dispense information, and keep an eye on what’s being said about your NPO, you need to know when it’s time to take it offline. Sometimes addressing a concern face to face is still the best approach. It’s also important for nonprofits to realize they can’t respond to every complaint launched at them online. Determining where your efforts will make a difference and improve your customer interaction is key to maximizing ROI. It’s all about the balance of knowing what your audience needs and where to find them.

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

The first step is to be realistic. As an NPO with three staff members and a bucket load of events and programs, you aren’t going to be blogging, tweeting and posting every minute of every day. Start small. The perception in many organizations seems to be if you can’t be everywhere, you have to be nowhere. Not true. Pick one or two social media platforms to start with and grow from there. Facebook and Twitter are user-friendly for newbies and give exposure to larger audiences. Start with two or three posts or tweets a day and work your way up from there.So now that you’ve decided which platforms to use, who is going to manage them? The small NPO already has staffing challenges. Everyone is wearing multiple hats and doing a handful of things at any given time. There’s no budget to hire someone new to run a social media campaign, so what do you do? Find someone on your staff with an interest in social media. With the rise of social media in recent years, you are likely to have someone in house who is at the very least curious about it. If not, turn to your interns for help. College kids make great interns for several reasons – they’re free, energetic and they know all kinds of things about digital media. It doesn’t take a great deal of time or effort to establish online profiles and create your online presence.

How much time do small nonprofits have to spend managing these platforms? The answer depends on what your objectives are and what outcomes you expect. For small shops just starting out, I suggest spending less than a half hour over the course of a day posting to your platforms three times a day. A nifty trick is to link your social media accounts so that when you post to one, it automatically posts to another. I have my Facebook page set up so that when I post to it, my Twitter account automatically picks it up. My Twitter profile is also connected to my Linked In account, so all Twitter posts show up on Linked In, too. In a matter of the two or three minutes it takes me to post to my Facebook page, I can share info over three platforms. It requires very little time and energy to start engaging people with your organization.

I strongly encourage all NPOs to put together a social media plan before starting down this path. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it’s helpful to have something that says this is the platform we are going to use, this is how much time we will spend using it and these are our objectives and key metrics. If you go into this process with no objectives or benchmarking tools, you will never know if you are getting any return on your investment. Social media is another form of marketing and cultivation. You wouldn’t spend resources cultivating relationships that you can’t measure the impact and you shouldn’t blindly use social media either. There are many online tools, like Google Analytics, that can help you measure ROI, but it doesn’t have to be that technical. Look at how many followers you have on Twitter, how many people are engaging in discussions on your Facebook page, how many people are visiting your Web site to get more information about the teasers posted on your platforms. All of these things can tell you a lot about what you’re getting from your social media efforts and also who you should be talking to offline once they’ve engaged online.

The most important thing to remember is that social media for nonprofits is about cultivation. As an NPO you never want to be the Great Wizard of Oz behind the curtain. Getting out meeting people face to face will never be replaced by online relationships. What online platforms do allow us is the ability to find more people who want to know more about what we do and how we can help them. Social media is just the newest cultivation tool in a business that’s been around a long time. It’s not going away anytime soon, so every NPO should jump in with both feet and enjoy the ride.

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

Social media is the latest and greatest buzz word in the non-profit industry. Organizations of all sizes seem to be racing to the Web to create profiles, post blogs, tweet messages and ask the public to like them – all with great hopes that they will raise more money. While online fundraising has certainly grown in the past few years, NPOs are missing the mark on how to utilize social media to get the most return on investment and the most money in the bank.Social media shouldn’t strictly be used as a direct fundraising tool; it should be used as a cultivation tool. NPOs should be engaging new and current donors through social media platforms by sharing their mission, programs, support systems, personal stories and anything else their audience may be seeking. People don’t follow organizations online if they don’t get something in return. NPOs that use their online presence to strictly solicit money from their followers will never find long-term success.

There are certainly cases out there that show successful fundraising efforts driven by social media. The problem is sustainability. People who make online donations and never receive any direct communication from that non-profit or who aren’t cultivated in any way are not inclined to give again and certainly not give larger gifts. NPOs need to focus on building relationships with donors and moving them through the donor pyramid. We need to find ways to connect with the $25 online donor in a way that makes them want to become a $1000 volunteer and grow to be a $25,000 board member who makes a planned gift.

Social media campaigns are fast but they aren’t cheap, contrary to what many folks may think. While you might not be paying for access to Facebook and Twitter, you are paying for staff resources. Anyone interested in knowing what your social media campaign is actually costing you should check out this calculator by Frogloop. While it’s a little outdated (2007), it gives you a general idea about how much money you’re really spending.

Social media is a powerful tool for NPOs. It’s a fantastic tool. It can lead to big money. But using it as the direct route for fundraising isn’t the answer. Cultivation of relationships is key. People don’t want to engage with computerized messages, they want relationships with people. NPOs need to make their messages come to life through social media engagement and give their audience a reason to connect and stay interested.

Link-Interest-Ability. Those are the three things a donor must have if they are going to be a major contributor. While someone’s ability to give is out of the control of organizations, the link and interest can be created. Social media is a wonderful opportunity to show people why they need to care about what you are doing. Once you’ve accomplished that, the fundraising becomes much easier. NPOs need to remember that people give to causes that move them. People give because they feel connected. Cultivation is what leads to major gifts. Social media is a great tool to facilitate cultivation and organizations to need spend more time focusing on just that.

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.

Amy Stephan  (10 Posts)

This monthly Social Media and Nonprofits column is contributed by Amy Stephan. Amy is a consultant and non-profit professional with more than 10 years of field experience working in fundraising and development. She provides nonprofits with help in fundraising and major gifts, capital campaigns, board and volunteer development and staff leadership, working with organizations of all sizes to plan, implement and assess social media strategies. While holding leadership positions with local branches of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Diabetes Association, Amy developed a passion for all things related to fundraising and non-profits. In addition to her non-profit work, she is a freelance writer and blogger who has worked as a full-time writer and editor for daily newspapers and magazines.