The document discusses incorporating social media into fundraising strategies. It begins by noting that social media has become central rather than peripheral. It then provides an overview of major social media channels and their uses before discussing how to use social media for fundraising. The key aspects are acquiring an audience through adding value and flexibility, involving the audience through engagement and appreciation, and optimizing efforts through variety, specific targeting, and tools. The overall goal is to build relationships and provide valuable content to eventually solicit donations.
2. Attitude shift – from periphery into the
center
Brief overview of top Social Media
Channels
Social Media in fundraising
Streamlining Social Media – how not to
get caught up
3. Social Media has moved from the
peripheral to the central
It has become elaborate and userfriendly, making it
Accessible
Easy to use
Effective and reliable
Embracing Social Media will determine
success of a campaign or effort
4. Primarily an internet-based tool for sharing
and discussing information
Can take various shapes – think broadly!
Facebook, Twitter, etc are optimization
channels for Social Media
All Facebook is Social Media, but not all Social
Media is Facebook
Social Media is a conversation on the
Internet, that has been localized to various
platforms
5. Being engaged with your donors is key
Relationships underlie both your cause and
how you plan to achieve it
Conversations on Social Media are nonstop
This means you can tap into the conversation,
and engage people to your advantage
You cannot control the exchange of information
at large, but you can manipulate it and become
a key interlocutor
7.
Different platforms are optimized for
different content
Content
Visual
Instagram
Pinterest
Content
Heavy
Video
YouTube
Vimeo
Instagram
Tumblr
Facebook
Interactive
Twitter
Facebook
8.
Before you can get donations, you must
have donors – Audience Acquisition
Value
Flexibility
Involving
Audience
9. Value
Your posts must add value to the
conversation
You must give to get
Share expertise, insights and opinions
Your Social Media followers are not
numbers – they are people, in real time
Approach every post as you would a
conversation
No one wants to talk about you all the time!
10. Use value to engage your audience with
your cause
Provide sufficient background to make it
obvious that your cause is worthwhile
Show that supporting the cause will add
even more value
Use the cause or effort as a valuable
contribution to the existing conversation
Make bridges, show connections and
applications
11. Flexibility
Stay in beta – be prepared to tailor and
tweak your strategy at any point
Maintains an open mind to new
opportunities
Allows for effective troubleshooting and
alternatives
Keeps the door open for continuous
improvement
12. Keeping an eye on the trends
Allows to tap into the influencers quickly
People or organizations who already have a
distinct presence in the target community
Jumping on the band wagon gives access to a
broader network
Credibility by association
Social Media is evolving all the time (eg.
Video feature on Instagram)
A flexible strategy allows for effortless
adaptation
13. Involving
Maintain an ongoing reciprocal relationship
with your audience/potential donors:
Reply to comments
Encourage and then acknowledge Likes/Shares
Follow back
Retweet/reply to tweets
Show appreciation
Conduct opinion poles; discuss results; facilitate
discussion
14. Your activity on Social Media mirrors
your commitment and your vision of your
donors
Appreciation fosters mutual respect and
credibility
Make the community want to be
associated with your cause or mission
15.
Share your story and do your research
Make your perspective relatable and easy to
understand
Find organizations or people with similar
backgrounds/passions/missions and connect!
○ Pool networks to build Internet presence
Action Points:
Video testimonials or success stories
An engaging blog/website posts on the origins
and direction
16.
Embrace Variety
Internet allows for anything from text to videos
and images – use them!
Visual images are easy to share
Videos are engaging and allow a break from
text-based material
○ Show, not tell
Action Points
Develop an archive of visual posts optimized for
sharing
Create a small video series captioning the
essence of the organization. Show the donors
where and money will go and why
17.
Go from specific to the general
Find the influencers in the community and foster
relationships with them
Show your support for associated organizations
Action Points:
Scout Twitter and Facebook for similar
organizations
Engage with these organizations by linking their
page, following them on Twitter and tweeting a
conversation
Use action words and make donations easy
“Like for More” “Donate Now”
Track the flow – use popular hashtags and tags
18. Social Media is extensive. Take
advantage of existing optimization tools
HootSuite
Allows you to keep track of all your social
media platforms and post from one common
site
Avoids having to log into multiple sites
Registered non-profits receive a 15%
discount (free version has limitations)
19.
It is key that posts are regular, valuable
and relevant
Use websites that allow for queuing of posts
Pre-scheduled Twitter posts
○ FutureTweets.com
Queued Tumblr posts
Link multiple accounts – Facebook with
Twitter; Twitter and Facebook plug-ins for
Websites, for cross-sharing
20.
Take advantage of apps!
StayClassy.org
○ “Nonprofits can accept donations from a
website, create custom fundraising campaigns
for marketing, launch peer-to-peer fundraising
campaigns, and sell tickets or registrations to
events.”
○ Can be incorporated into Facebook
21.
To get the most from Social Media,
understand how it works
Internet likes content. Your content is your
value.
Internet likes reliability. Post regularly, in a
variety of formats.
Internet is a platform for Conversation 2.0.
Give to get
Internet “evolves.” So should your strategy.
Look for trends and use them to your
advantage.
23.
Identify an organization with a similar mission
Using LinkedIn and the organization’s Website, find
the structural hierarchy and identify key decision
makers
Follow the organization on Twitter and tweet an
introductory tweet
Like the organization on Facebook and post an
invitation to an upcoming event/share an image/like
and share an event or recent post by the
organization
Contact the key decision makers to negotiate
cooperation, a partnership or cross-promotion
The organization’s existing network will be an asset
for building community presence and awareness
24. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at
i.tarabukhina@gmail.com