Social Media Listening and Engagement for Program Officers

Deeper DiveListening and Engagement for Program Officers
Beth Kanter
Scholar in Residence, Packard Foundation
BETA VERSION

Flickr photo by netdance

Agenda
1:00-1:45
How nonprofits are listeningExample from Catherine England
Translation: What might listening look like from the lens of a program officer’s work? What value does listening (even on a minima level) bring to your work?
1:45-2:30
Listening SkillsExercise: Keyword Share PairListening ToolsSetting up a listening post – live experiment2:30-2:50
Strategies for EngagementTechniquesTranslation: What is the value of engaging after listening for a program officer?
2:50-3:00Reflection: One small thing you can put into practice?

Listening is research, monitoring and tracking through social media channels.
Listening is linked to goals and is used to inform strategy.
Listening and engagement go hand in hand.

Observe and sift through qualitative data like a Primatologist

A homeless
person isn’t
someone
you pass on
your way
into a fancy
restaurant

Listening with Twitter Search

Twitter As Focus Group

Source: Nina Simonhttp://museumtwo.blogspot.com

They think the people who work at the Smithsonian are cool

If you were a staff person at the Smithsonian, how might you use this information?

How is the Packard Foundation listening to inform communications strategy for the foundation as a whole?

What might listening look like for a program officer?
What value does it return?

Listening Skills Primer

You Don’t Have to Be Joey Chestnut to Listen Effectively

How much time do can you allocate to listening?
Time for scanning and summarizing
Commitment to making it a habit?
What is your information coping capacity?

Keywords Are King: Composing & Refining

Program or Grantee Name
Other nonprofit names in your space
Program, services, and event names
CEO or well-known personalities associated with your organization
Other nonprofits with similar program names
Your brand or tagline
URLs for your blog, web site, online community
Industry terms or other phrases

Share Pair: Brainstorm some key words

Make Some Choices

Use A RSS Reader
Avoiding Information Overload
Set up aside a small block of time to read your feeds everyday
Clean house often, RSS subscriptions tend to pile up
Don't feel like you have to read every post on every blog, use the "Mark Read" option

What’s the Best Thing About RSS?
Not here

What about following philanthropy or foundation blogs or Twitter?
Do your grantees have blogs or on Twitter?
Would it be useful to read?
RSS makes that easy …
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brettlider/

Just read one or two that link to the many, add as you go

http://pndblog.typepad.com/pndblog/
http://philanthropy.com/giveandtake/

Let’s take a look

Your Ego Feeds
Persistent Searches: A few live demos
Most overwhelming part is set upYou don’t have to be Joey Chestnut: Fewer keywords, fewer sourcesUse to find grantees
Put into folders in your reader
http://socialmedia-listening.wikispaces.com/Primer+Part+3

Engagement
Having a conversation with people on the social web
How nonprofits are using it: Relationship building, program improvement, feedback, crowdsourcing ideas
Leads to mobilization, action, etc
Goes hand in hand with listening

First project was a listening project over three years ago
People were talking and they needed to listen
At first, felt like going to war, but changed internal perception of social media

Listen: Monitor, Compile, Distribute

Influencer complaining …
Customer service issue
Relationship building
Staff determines comments or tweets that need response

Happy Ending! Givewell uses Network for Good - nearly $70,000 raised

Listens for keywords “pro bono” “volunteer”

Think like your audience
“It is important to connect with people based on their interests (I will sometimes search twitter for "kids outside" and then compliment them on giving their kids a green hour!) ”
Danielle Brigida

Crowdsourcing the Institution’s Strategic Vision

Participation Tools

Less about tool, more about technique
Respond
Don’t Respond

They’ve paid you a compliment
Valid client complaint
If information is incorrect
If you have something of value to offer
Trolls
Competitors
Not you

Queen of Commenting

What might engagement look like for a program officer?
What value does it return?

Read and comment on blogs
Think before you write!
What did they say well?
What did they miss?
Answer questions
What are other people saying
How does it apply to you
Look forward
Look backward
Ask what if?