The Community Summit June 18, Wenatchee, Washington Keenan Wellar LiveWorkPlay.ca (Ottawa, Canada) Social Media for Social Change Can agencies supporting inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities magnify their message and impact by contributing to and learning from engagement in social media networks? As people with intellectual disabilities continue on their journey toward full inclusion in their communities, agencies must adapt their communications strategies to appeal and engage a wider audience. LiveWorkPlay, one of the smallest (by budget) agencies in an urban community of 1,000,000 has utilized social media as a critical component in a broader communications strategy.

1. Can agencies supporting inclusion for people with intellectual
disabilities magnify their message and impact by contributing
to and learning from engagement in social media networks?
As people with intellectual disabilities continue on their
journey toward full inclusion in their communities, agencies
must adapt their communications strategies to appeal and
engage a wider audience.
LiveWorkPlay, one of the smallest (by budget) agencies in an
urban community of 1,000,000 has utilized social media as a
critical component in a broader communications strategy.

2. Will your social media strategy get you murdered in a lake?

3. Keenan’s social media passion:
made, not born!

4. Keenan’s passion for inclusive
communities: also made, not born!

5. Why listen? It’s not like
Keenan shaves his head
and wears black…
“The ability for you to have a
thought and be able to publish
that thought instantly to the
world in any platform you desire,
in text, images, audio, video, and
it comes up immediately, is brand
spanking new.” – Mitch Joel
from Six Pixels of Separation

6. For some,
social media is understood
as a tool, a job, a skill, a choice…
When pursuing social change – whether it is a community
where people with disabilities belong, or another desired
social transformation – how leaders (both individuals and
organizations) choose to understand social media has
profound consequences for themselves and the world.
For myself and many others,
social media is understood as the
most profound confluence of human
discourse the world has ever seen…

7. Marketing? Me? No no no, I work for a charity!

8. Is your organization engaged in marketing?
How well is your organization positioned in the
competitive world of social marketing?
Do you have an integrated social media strategy?
How can social media help improve the rest of
your marketing and communications work?
Are you concerned with outputs or outcomes?
Social media is an opportunity to both enhance and
challenge your organization’s mission-oriented pursuits!
It’s common that non-profit organizations don’t
wish to see themselves as being in competition
Social media is often seen as a fringe activity
Seldom considered that social media might
actually help improve other marcom activities
Social media often exposes outputs-focused marcom

9. Hello, my
name is:
LiveWorkPlay
Marketing
Budget!

10. • Keep it mission-oriented
• Share real stories about real change
• Say thank you and say it publicly
• Be fast and have a plan – tomorrow is late
• Social media is about social capital
• Social capital is about reciprocity + time = trust
If you remember
nothing else….

12. You are likely
offending one or
both audiences.
You are putting
disregard for
authenticity on
public display.
On Twitter, 95% of re-tweets happen in the first hour!
On Facebook, updates have a full day life span!

13. “I think a lot of the demographics that we’re
gearing toward might not be your typical
Facebooker or techsavvy person. Maybe the
younger crowd and students for sure, but older
prospective volunteers don’t use that tool, and a
lot of our clients don’t use that as a tool,” she
explained, noting that the agency is “busy enough
without maintaining Facebook and Twitter pages.”
- Coordinator of Volunteers quoted in newspaper

14. Do your practices alienate youth? Seniors? Both?

15. I’m afraid to use
social media because
someone might
say something
bad about us!
So conversely…?

16. Nobody likes making public mistakes!

17. LISTEN FIRST!
THEN RESPOND IN
PROPER SOCIAL CONTEXT

18. Those were the
droids I was
looking for!
If
you
got
there
what
would
you
do
next?

19. Do as we say, not as we do:
(A popular social media engagement non-strategy)
Hi, I’m the CEO of a local charitable organization. I don’t have time
for social media, but our summer intern is posting some of our press
releases on Facebook, you should check those out and make a donation!

21. (Text of actual email, names removed)
“Keenan, thanks so much for permission to use
those images. The only problem is I can’t
use anything from Facebook from the
office as the agency has blocked it.”
“I’ll have to try it from home later.”
Director of Marketing
Major Non-Profit Organization
Social Media as Marketing Monster

22. The conversation
might lead somewhere
but it definitely didn’t
start with an ask
for $20 before you’d
start conversing!
Monetizing social media is like
monetizing the conversation
you had while waiting
for your mocha java!

23. But You Could Still Open Doors For The People You Care About
You Can’t Compete With “Smart Cat Knock On Door” (Over 1,000,000 YouTube Views)

24. Looking at how survey respondents use commercial
social networks, the most popular role is:
1) traditional marketing—to promote the non-profit’s brand,
programs, events or services—with 92.5% of survey
respondents indicating this role as the purpose of their
presence on commercial social networks
2) the second most popular role is for fundraising (45.9%)
3) third program delivery (34.5%)
4) fourth market research (24.3%)

32. Seth Godin on leadership:
Leadership is scarce because few people are willing
to go through the discomfort required to lead. The
scarcity makes leadership valuable. If everyone tries
to lead all the time, not much happens.
It’s uncomfortable to stand up in front of strangers.
It’s uncomfortable to propose an idea that might fail.
It’s uncomfortable to challenge the status quo.
It’s uncomfortable to resist the urge to settle.
When you identify the discomfort, you’ve found the place where a
leader is needed. If you’re not uncomfortable in your work as a leader,
it’s almost certain you’re not reaching your potential as a leader.

33. Some non-profits may fear that social media resistance is futile…
Those who are in proper mission-oriented focus will
understand it as a new universe of opportunities…

34. Andrea and I are interested in training with a team of
LiveWorkPlay members to participate in this fun event
either by walking or jogging the 2K, 5K, 10K, or half marathon.
Social Media “Loss Of Control” Can Be A Great Thing!

36. Use of social
media tools does
not guarantee
that people
will listen.
Engagement is
shaped by the
interpretation of
its intentions.
Brian Solis
Author of Engage!
It is unrealistic to expect
more of your audience than
you would expect from your
leadership and staff.
Lead by example!

37. After you listen – have conversations!

38. @
#
LEARN TO SPEAK THE LANGUAGE
This is not your grandmother’s press release…

39. Are you expecting a mob of supporters to magically appear?
Charity begins at home – build your tribe!

41. Effective use of Social Media is all
about building Social Capital
Reciprocity
Time
Trust

42. • Keep it mission-oriented
• Share real stories about real change
• Say thank you and say it publicly
• Be fast and have a plan – tomorrow is late
• Social media is about social capital
• Social capital is about reciprocity + time = trust
If you remember
nothing else….

44. I don’t want a certificate of hypocrisy, so help me prove that I don’t deserve one!
This presentation is just the start of our future conversations.
Please reach out to me!
socialkeenan.com
You will find all of my social media and traditional contact information,
including a link to the SlideShare website where
this presentation and others can be found.