Social Media for Non-Profits Great opportunity? Colossal waste of time? The answer is YES Mesh conference workshop April 2009

Context Workshop format feel free to jump anytime with ask questions/comment Sharing my current thinking and looking to learn from you Who is this for People working for/ volunteering in small non-profits Trying to figure out how to [eat this social media elephant] Will publish this on Wild Apricot blog on Wed Apr 8 so that you can easily access links

Workshop format

feel free to jump anytime with ask questions/comment

Sharing my current thinking and looking to learn from you

Who is this for

People working for/ volunteering in small non-profits

Trying to figure out how to [eat this social media elephant]

Will publish this on Wild Apricot blog on Wed Apr 8 so that you can easily access links

About me Chief Apricot @ Wild Apricot Wild Apricot software Web-based software for small non-profits (15,000 and counting) Website hosting / CMS Membership management Events calendar/registrations Donations For associations, charities, clubs… ( really small: most are all-volunteer-based or 1 staff person) Wild Apricot non-profit technology blog (#1 in Google Search as of April 6th) Writer: Rebecca Leaman

Chief Apricot @ Wild Apricot

Wild Apricot software

Web-based software for small non-profits (15,000 and counting)

Website hosting / CMS

Membership management

Events calendar/registrations

Donations

For associations, charities, clubs…

( really small: most are all-volunteer-based or 1 staff person)

Wild Apricot non-profit technology blog

(#1 in Google Search as of April 6th)

Writer: Rebecca Leaman

Wild Apricot Blog - top 10 posts of all time ~250 posts in total in the last 2 years. Variety of topics - polling tools, fundraising widgets, online collaboration etc. etc.

Social media for non-profits Tons of free advice available online – blog posts, presentations, videos (Blog post is in the works on Wild Apricot blog with a list of best presentations we found) Millions of people are on social media websites Great success stories abound Excellent examples to learn from Tools are free

Tons of free advice available online – blog posts, presentations, videos

(Blog post is in the works on Wild Apricot blog with a list of best presentations we found)

Millions of people are on social media websites

Great success stories abound

Excellent examples to learn from

Tools are free

Charity:Water Twestival

But… It’s easy to start It is exciting and fun to tweet, friend people on Facebook and post picture on Flickr It’s easy to spend lots of time on social media websites and have a warm fuzzy feeling inside and get no results to show for it

It’s easy to start

It is exciting and fun to tweet, friend people on Facebook and post picture on Flickr

It’s easy to spend lots of time on social media websites and have a warm fuzzy feeling inside

and get no results to show for it

Charity: Water second look 202 cities, total raised ~$250,000 a bit over $1000/city raised Worked because of many talented and passionate volunteers contributed hundreds of hours of their time What if there are 25 charities next month trying to use a similar strategy? I doubt each will raise $250,000 Or that they will be able to find people to rally their communities to the same degree

202 cities, total raised ~$250,000

a bit over $1000/city raised

Worked because of many talented and passionate volunteers contributed hundreds of hours of their time

What if there are 25 charities next month trying to use a similar strategy?

I doubt each will raise $250,000

Or that they will be able to find people to rally their communities to the same degree

2007: The Long, Long Tail of Facebook Causes July 2007 research by James O’Malley and Justin Perkingsat frogloop.com

July 2007 research by James O’Malley and Justin Perkingsat frogloop.com

Is it different now? Maybe The pattern probably still holds More people on social media websites BUT many more non-profits are competing for attention and donations

Maybe

The pattern probably still holds

More people on social media websites

BUT many more non-profits are competing for attention and donations

Start with right expectations Setting up your profile on Facebook and starting to post messages on Twitter will NOT magically produce results If your website is ugly and outdated, it is unlikely that your social networking profile will be much different If you do not regularly update your website or blog, how will your ensure regular and consistent social media messaging? If you do not have a habit of listening to your community, it will not be easy to acquire

Setting up your profile on Facebook and starting to post messages on Twitter will NOT magically produce results

If your website is ugly and outdated, it is unlikely that your social networking profile will be much different

If you do not regularly update your website or blog, how will your ensure regular and consistent social media messaging?

If you do not have a habit of listening to your community, it will not be easy to acquire

How much time does it take? Beth Kanter: How Much Time Does It Take To Do Social Media? 5 hours/week to start listening 10 hours/week to participate 10-15 hours/week to generate buzz 20+ hours/week to build community (At least ) 3-6 months before you start seeing tangible results

Beth Kanter: How Much Time Does It Take To Do Social Media?

5 hours/week to start listening

10 hours/week to participate

10-15 hours/week to generate buzz

20+ hours/week to build community

(At least ) 3-6 months before you start seeing tangible results

Are you prepared to invest time and effort ? What will you have to stop doing to find time for social media initiatives? Do you have the drive to keep you going? Do you have the discipline? Do you have the right people?

What will you have to stop doing to find time for social media initiatives?

Do you have the drive to keep you going?

Do you have the discipline?

Do you have the right people?

Walk before you run Do you have a blog? Do you regularly and consistently update it (at least twice a week)? Do you track readers/subscribers? (Google Feedburner Do you read/answer to blog comments? (incidentally, for many small non-profits, the answer is No to most questions above) No sense to start new online initiative in social media if your current activities are inefficient

Do you have a blog?

Do you regularly and consistently update it (at least twice a week)?

Do you track readers/subscribers? (Google Feedburner

Do you read/answer to blog comments?

(incidentally, for many small non-profits, the answer is No to most questions above)

No sense to start new online initiative in social media if your current activities are inefficient

Social media is not a strategy But a great tactic/ tool Can be lots of fun Will not help your non-profit if You have no clear goals Your messaging is weak and me-centric You do not have good organizers to lead the effort You are not persistent

But a great tactic/ tool

Can be lots of fun

Will not help your non-profit if

You have no clear goals

Your messaging is weak and me-centric

You do not have good organizers to lead the effort

You are not persistent

What are your goals? What do you want to happen by when? Attract donors Attract volunteers - identify super-activists Generate visits to your website from Social media Gain insights into what your audience needs, wants, or thinks about your cause Good starting points: Dosh Dosh blog: Social Media Marketing Campaigns: How to Set Goals and Define Your Target Market We are media: Module 6: Social Media ROI Superficial and vague answers are not enough. Use ‘ 5 Whys ’ approach to dig deeper

What do you want to happen by when?

Attract donors

Attract volunteers - identify super-activists

Generate visits to your website from Social media

Gain insights into what your audience needs, wants, or thinks about your cause

Good starting points:

Dosh Dosh blog: Social Media Marketing Campaigns: How to Set Goals and Define Your Target Market

We are media: Module 6: Social Media ROI

Superficial and vague answers are not enough. Use ‘ 5 Whys ’ approach to dig deeper

Unicef example

Quantify! It is easy to stay at the level of generalities Harder to come up with hard targets Very hard to measure your actual results What you need is to draw a line of sight from your activities to intermediate results (Twitter followers and Facebook friends) to end goals like donations raised

It is easy to stay at the level of generalities

Harder to come up with hard targets

Very hard to measure your actual results

What you need is to draw a line of sight from your activities to intermediate results (Twitter followers and Facebook friends) to end goals like donations raised

Non-profit Web 2.0 Facebook group Almost 2000 members Success?

Almost 2000 members

Success?

Not really Not much content or engagement 6 videos 18 photos 143 wall posts Sometimes a week or two goes before any new content High ratio of marketing/spam Everybody is shouting, nobody seems to be listening

Not much content or engagement

6 videos

18 photos

143 wall posts

Sometimes a week or two goes before any new content

High ratio of marketing/spam

Everybody is shouting, nobody seems to be listening

ROI calculator Frogloop online ROI calculator for Social network campaigns by Justin Perkins

Frogloop online ROI calculator for Social network campaigns by Justin Perkins

What’s your message? Recycling old marketing campaigns in social media does not work Rethink and change your perspective: Chris Houchens , Shotgun concepts: Marketing a non-profit organization : From static organization-centric press-releases Us Here's what we are doing Send us money To audience-centric story-telling, creative and fun Here are results, Here's how it affects you, Send us money, Here are the results from your money etc.

Recycling old marketing campaigns in social media does not work

Rethink and change your perspective:

Chris Houchens , Shotgun concepts: Marketing a non-profit organization :

From static organization-centric press-releases

Us

Here's what we are doing

Send us money

To audience-centric story-telling, creative and fun

Here are results,

Here's how it affects you,

Send us money,

Here are the results from your money etc.

You do not need to participate in every social media platform

Start small Pick 1 or 2 Do your own research Best (free) Sources To Get Social Media Audience Usage Research As a shortcut – if you are just starting right now, go with Facebook and Twitter

Pick 1 or 2

Do your own research

Best (free) Sources To Get Social Media Audience Usage Research

As a shortcut – if you are just starting right now, go with Facebook and Twitter

Start by listening (1) Search for your keywords on Twitter, subscribe to search results RSS feed, follow people

Search for your keywords on Twitter, subscribe to search results RSS feed, follow people

Start by listening (2) Find and follow people/organizations http: //wefollow .com/tag/nonprofit

Find and follow people/organizations

http: //wefollow .com/tag/nonprofit

Start by listening (3) Conduct a Facebook research what other nonprofits in your area of interest have a presence ? what kind of support they're receiving there --fans, message wall What is being discussed?

Conduct a Facebook research

what other nonprofits in your area of interest have a presence ?

what kind of support they're receiving there --fans, message wall

What is being discussed?

Learn from others on Facebook

Faceboook – Groups vs. Pages Source: Jason Falls Facebook Group and Brand Page Best Practices Gets even more complicated  - also Facebook Causes

Source: Jason Falls Facebook Group and Brand Page Best Practices

Gets even more complicated  - also Facebook Causes

Learn from others on Twitter

NWF on Twitter

Establish daily routine (If you really want to have anything else done) Allocating specific time slots is better than constant distraction Starting points: Chris Brogan: Define a Social Media System for Yourself John jantsch : My Social Media System

(If you really want to have anything else done)

Allocating specific time slots is better than constant distraction

Starting points:

Chris Brogan: Define a Social Media System for Yourself

John jantsch : My Social Media System

Weekly and monthly reviews What have we learned? What has worked well? What did not seem to have effect (so far)? What should we change? Are we moving toward our targets? What should we change in our activities and/or our targets?

What have we learned?

What has worked well?

What did not seem to have effect (so far)?

What should we change?

Are we moving toward our targets?

What should we change in our activities and/or our targets?

Resources Wild Apricot Blog Beth Kanter blog FrogLoop Care2 non-profit online marketing blog NTEN blog TechSoup blog NetSquared blog We Are Media - The Social Media Starter Kit for Nonprofits

Wild Apricot Blog

Beth Kanter blog

FrogLoop Care2 non-profit online marketing blog

NTEN blog

TechSoup blog

NetSquared blog

We Are Media - The Social Media Starter Kit for Nonprofits