The document outlines a social media strategy for beginners, emphasizing the importance of engaging with social media for fundraising and community building. It provides practical tips for getting organizational buy-in, setting goals, selecting appropriate tools, and creating content that resonates with audiences. Additionally, it highlights the need for measuring success and adjusting strategies based on social media metrics.

1. Social Media Strategy for Beginners
October 26, 2011

2. reminders
 You can hear us, but we can’t hear you
 Turn up your computer’s volume
 Presentation slides will be available on
www.mycharityconnects.org/pastwebinars
 For the best webinar experience, close all other applications
 Have questions? Type questions in the Questions Log

3. What is CanadaHelps?
A public charitable foundation that provides accessible and
affordable online technology to both donors and charities.
For Charities
A cost-effective means of raising funds online.
For Donors
A one-stop-shop for giving.
CanadaHelps is a charity helping charities.
CanadaHelps is giving made simple.

4. Today’s Presenter
Kirstin Beardsley
Marketing & Communications Manager
CanadaHelps

5. Basic Social Media Strategy

6. BE SOCIAL

7. • How is your organization embracing the social
media culture shift?
Culture Shift

8. Always Be Listening
• Google alerts
• Follow example organizations
• Google Reader, Twitter, e-newsletters

10. Source: The Networked Nonprofit by Allison Fine and Beth Kanter

11. Tips for Getting Buy-In
• Sign staff up for tools to reduce fear (Twitter,
Google Reader, alerts etc…)
• Seek out example organizations and show their
success
• Bust myths:
– 73% of donors gave online last year
– Baby boomers are the biggest cohort of online donors
in Canada
– More than 17 million Canadians use Facebook
– Per capita, Canadians watch more Youtube videos
than any other country

12. Think Social
• Bring social media into
the planning and
execution of programs
and campaigns

13. PLANNING

14. Set Goals
• Exposure
• Engagement
• Influence
• Action
• Lasting
Impact
From Don Bartholomew: http://metricsman.wordpress.com/

15. How your organization uses social media
• Marketing and publicity
• Fundraising, donor engagement
and retention
• Connecting with others around
your cause
• Building relationship and online
community
• Collaboration and collective action
• Sharing expertise on our issues
• Movement building and social
change

16. Pick the
Right Tools
• Which tools best support your goals?
• Where’s your audience?
• What capacity do you have?

17. Define Roles
• Determine the right people for executing
social media
• Train accordingly

18. Draft your Social Media Guidelines
• Responsibility • Respect
• Transparency • Good judgement
• Copyright • Productivity
• Proprietary Information • Personal use of social
media

19. Editorial Calendar
Week Theme/Campaign/ Tools Notes
Message
October 31 Smart Giving FB, Twitter, Email, Giving at Halloween
Blog
Charity Gift Cards Email, FB Corporate Gifts
Theme/Campaign 31 1 2 3 4
Smart Giving: Halloween E FB, T B T
Charity Gift Cards: Corporate E FB

20. CONTENT

21. Principles of Social Content
• Short
• Personal
• Shareable
• Easy calls to action

22. • Stories (about one person)
• Resources, useful information, educational
• Events/urgencies
• Controversies, thought-provokers
• Reviews
• Behind the scenes
• Questions, conversation-starters

23. The rule of thirds

24. Socialize existing content
• Annual reports
• Volunteer stories
• Donor stories
• Editorial pieces

25. Recycle Content Across Channels

26. Content for Fundraising
• Stories about impact
on one person/
animal/ school etc…
• Peer-to-peer
campaigns
• Immediate return

27. TO-DOs

28. Source: Beth Kanter - www.bethkanter.org

29. Daily To-Dos
• Scan feeds
– Retweet, Like, Comment
• Review alerts, mentions, comments &
continue the conversation
• Post, schedule posts (1/3 rule)
• Seek out resources, information for posting

30. Scheduling

31. Online Notebooks &
Clipping Tools

32. Weekly To-Dos
• Planning for the week
• Writing/creating posts
• Recording data
• Update your networks

33. Monthly To-Dos
• Review metrics, KPIs.
– Note trends, surprises, strong content etc…
• Review editorial calendar & adjust

34. Quarterly To-Dos
• Review your objectives
• Key learnings from measurment
• Take action

35. MEASURE & LEARN

36. STEP 1: Set Clear Objectives
• Review your goals
• Set measurable
objectives that will
allow you to achieve
your goals

37. Smart Objectives
• Specific
• Measurable
• Actionable
• Realistic
• Time-specfic

38. What are you trying to achieve?
GOAL
• ABC charity will become an expert and trusted
resource in our local community about adult literacy.
AUDIENCE
• Local literacy service providing organizations, local
media outlets
TOOL
• Blog

39. Smart Objectives
• Increase blog subscribers
by 50% over the next 12
months
• 30% of blog posts contain
active discussion in the
comments about the issues
raised – more than 3
comments
• Increase website traffic
from blog by 100% over
next 12 months

40. STEP 2: Select Metrics

41. Social Media Data
• Subscribers/ Unsubscribes
• Followers/ Unfollows
• Comments/ Unique commenters
• Favourites
• Video/photo views
• Retweets
• Likes
• Page/post views
• # of posts

42. Social Media Data
• Most popular posts
• Conversations
• Feedback
• Repeat supporters
• Comments
• Recommendations
• Click-throughs
• Donations
• Sign-ups

43. Your Tools
• Google alerts
• Google Analytics
• Google Alerts
• TwitterSearch
• Facebook Insights
• Blog statistics
• Hootsuite
• Bit.ly & other link
trackers

44. Spreadsheets!

45. STEP 3: Learn & Take Action!

47. ABOUT MYCHARITYCONNECTS

48. www.mycharityconnects.org
free online resources
 Information about technology
 Video demonstrations
 More webinars
 Past webinar recordings & slides
 Learning opportunities
 Events across the country

49. Upcoming Webinars
www.mycharityconnects.org/webinars
• November 9th – Making Twitter
Your Best Friend: Twitter Strategies
Exposed (guest: Heather Morrison,
Sequentia Environics)
• November 23rd – Cutting Edge
Charities
• December 7th – Looking Up: Life's
Better in the Cloud (guest: Amanda
Grainger, Framework)

50. Keep in touch!
info@canadahelps.org
www.twitter.com/canadahelps
www.slideshare.net/MyCharityConnects
www.facebook.com/canadahelps
www.youtube.com/canadahelps