This document outlines 10 steps for using social media to engage volunteers. It discusses assessing organizational readiness, educating staff, establishing guidelines and orientation for volunteers. It recommends identifying barriers to volunteering, making virtual opportunities visible, and tapping champions. It also stresses building in checkpoints, holding volunteers accountable, giving direction, and striking the right balance. The goal is to provide concise guidance on integrating social media volunteering opportunities into organizations in a sustainable way.

1. 10 Steps for Using Social
Media to Engage Volunteers
August 16, 2009, 3:15 pm
Tweet this session: #asae09 lr1
Content Leaders:
Jessica Medaille, International Society for Technology in Education
Jennifer Ragan-Fore, International Society for Technology in Education
www.asaecenter.org
Connecting Great Ideas and Great People

2. 10 Steps for Using Social
Media to Engage Volunteers

3. Barriers to Volunteering
• No virtual opportuni<es
• No short‐term assignments
• Loca<on inconvenient
• Concern about expense/
loss of income
from Decision to Volunteer,
page 103
• Don’t know other
volunteers
• No opportuni<es for
networking

4. Examples of Volunteer Opportuni<es
• Leading month‐long • Short‐term guest
book club discussions blogging
on our wiki or Ning
• Offering an informal
• Serving as “UStream” live event
organiza<onal
“docents” in Second for members
Life • Pos<ng news items to
• Gree<ng new Facebook
members of our Ning • Organizing a speaker
every few days for a series in Second Life
month

5. Educa<on Advocacy
Periodicals
Technology Standards
20,000 individual members
85,000 affiliated members
Annual Conference
Books Virtual Communi<es

6. What We’ll Cover:
Sec$on 1: Prepare your organiza$on
Step 1: Assess your organiza<on’s readiness
Step 2: Educate the rest of your organiza<on
Step 3: Establish guidelines & orienta<on

7. What We’ll Cover:
Sec$on 2: Think Different
Step 4: Remove the barriers
Step 5: Understand the cultural shi_s
Step 6: Make the invisible visible
Step 7: Iden<fy your champions

8. What We’ll Cover:
Sec$on 3: Avoid the Pi>alls
Step 8: Build in checkpoints
Step 9: Hold them accountable
Step 10: Give good direc<on

9. Sec<on 1: Prepare your
Organiza<on

10. Step 1:
Assess your Readiness

11. How does this fit with
your mission?

12. How will you
measure success?

13. Step 2:
Educate the rest of
your organiza<on

14. Help the rest
of your org
iden:fy
appropriate
volunteer
opportuni:es

15. Ques<ons to Ask:
• What social media needs and opportuni<es exist?
• Which social media tools and channels are your members
currently using?
• What skills or knowledge are needed to contribute?
• What type of orienta<on will need to be designed and who
will do it?
• How long should the appropriate volunteer have been a
member?
• How much <me is available to manage the virtual
volunteer(s) comple<ng the project?
• How long will it take to complete the project, or is this an
ongoing project?

16. Step 3: Establish Guidelines
& Orienta<on

17. Create a Code of Conduct

18. Issues to Cover:
• How a volunteer/community leader will be iden<fied
within the community
• How a volunteer will differen<ate between comments
that represent his or her own opinions vs comments
that represent his or her role as a volunteer.
• What the volunteer can and cannot say on behalf of
the organiza<on
• How the volunteer handles escala<ng or nega<ve
comments or situa<ons (what he or she can handle vs
what should be le_ to staff or volunteer leadership)

19. Consider how well you
know these volunteers

22. Break the work into chunks

23. Be flexible

26. How will these volunteers fit?

28. Make the value proposi:on clear

32. Clarify your organiza:on’s mission

34. Tap your volunteer leaders to reach
out to new poten:al volunteers

35. Sec<on 3: Avoid the Pikalls…

36. Step 8: Build in Checkpoints

39. Step 9: Hold them accountable

42. Strike the right balance

43. Step 10: Give good direc<on

44. Watch out for volunteers who take
themselves too seriously

46. At your tables
Take 5 minutes and discuss 3
ways that you think you could
integrate some of these
opportuni<es into your own
organiza<ons.

47. Ques<ons?

48. Contact Information
Jennifer Ragan-Fore
Director of New Media & Member Communities
International Society for Technology in Education
jraganfore@iste.org
Twitter/LinkedIn/Facebook: raganfore
Jessica Medaille
Senior Director of Membership Development
International Society for Technology in Education
jmedaille@iste.org
Twitter/LinkedIn: jmedaille
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!
Annual Meeting & Expo
August 21 - 24, 2010
Los Angeles, CA www.asaecenter.org