7 Tips for Leveraging Social Technology for Nonprofits
Social Technology
What is social technology? Social Technology are tools that enable us to easily create, share, and connect with each other. A few well known examples would be YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. As the economy slows down and nonprofit budgets get tighter, it’s crucial that you find alternative ways to communicate with potential donors, volunteers and communities.
The following are ways you can score more fans by utilizing social technology with little or no money:
1. Personify your Organization
Create a public profile about your organization and tell your story. People can relate to stories and begin discussions from your point of view.
See the following nonprofits on LinkedIn and also check out LinkedIn for Good
American Red Cross
Kaiser Permanente Thrive
The Salvation Army
2. Use Social Networks to Build a Following
Create profiles of your organization on different social networks. Connect with other groups and once you build your presence, begin a conversation and encourage interaction.
See the following nonprofits on Facebook
Peta (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals)
Kiva
American Red Cross
3. Start a Blog on Your Website
Write about what your organizations goals are and how you’re going to achieve them. Make sure to be consistent and post quality blogs on a regular basis. In addition, be sure to post comments on other blogs that cover similar issues.
See the following nonprofit blogs
Save Darfur
Peta
4. Use RSS
All of your blog traffic must have an RSS feed. RSS allows your information to reach your audience through their chosen media.
5. Get Organized and Network
Use your social connections to have Meetups (Meetup.com) or Tweetups (Twitter.com). Arrange a quick event that your social media followers can attend in the real world.
See the following nonprofits on Twitter
Humane Society
National Wildlife Federation
Peta
6. Use Collaboration Software
Use a social technology platform that helps you to organize, interact, share and manage your daily work activities from anywhere at any time.
The following nonprofits are using collaboration software
Southwest Baptist University
Greenpeace
7. Social Bookmarking
The basic reason to “bookmark” online is to share with your friends and colleagues. Being able to collect, organize and share content related to your cause will keep everyone up to date with the latest information.
Recommendation: Delicious.com or Ma.gnolia.com
Givezooks is a great new site that facilitates and promotes social fundraising. They have a free 30 day trial and some great webinars to train new users.
These are actually really good, simple tips for anyone starting out in the social media sphere. We all know the plethora of tips out there can be overwhelming, but the easier it is for them to start (w/your basic check off list) then the easier it will be to manage.