Nonprofit Social Media Usage

Today’s post was an interview conducted by Jessica for a grad school project. Jessica is a grad student at the University of Denver. These questions were used in a school project and were not originally intended as a blog post. However, I felt that the information was relevant to everyone and decided to post it here as well.

1. For the nonprofit groups that you work with, how would you characterize their approach to social media? Is it an integrated part of their communications strategy, or are they doing it because they feel they should?

More and more I think the progressive nonprofits are integrating it directly into their communications strategy, however I think many are still very reactionary. This is where I like to think Denvelopers comes in, organizations looking to use those particular outlets to develop some sort of strategy for nonprofits to ensure they aren’t wasting there time. I would venture to guess that the majority of nonprofit organizations and businesses these days aren’t getting on social media because they want to but feel they should. It’s up to each particular entity to figure out if they have the time to spend building up these networks or not. Ultimately, in needs to come down to the quality of time put in, rather than having a presence on every major social network available.

2. In your experience, what is the primary reason that nonprofits use social media? What do they hope to gain from it?

This is a rather tough question with a broad range of answers. Some are interested in networking with like-minded individuals and organizations and many are interested in fundraising. However, fundraising through social media has yet to really stand the test of time. It has been done in conjunction with multiple events in real life but solely raising money through social media seems to be a dead-end strategy right now. That’s not to say it can’t be done but I think the jury is still out and I think nonprofits need to realize that maybe the free advertising and networking could be more valuable. Some hope to gain an “edgier” appearance to their constituency by catering to the 20 something crowd. Again, it is up to the organization to decide if utilizing these tools will be a beneficial use of their time.

3. What are some effective ways that nonprofits can use social media?

Don’t discount real-life interaction, it’s still important. Use social media in conjunction with a dinner party, pot luck, community event, etc. In my experience, making a real connection with someone ensures that that connection online will last. Develop a campaign or coordinate a new website launch, for example. Use social media as a channel for getting a message out and keeping tabs on what people are saying about your organization. By all means social media should not be a replacement for your website, it’s another channel for furthering your message.

4. Do you think that social media can be an effective tool for fundraising? How about recruiting more volunteers?

Since I covered a lot of the fundraising piece in number 2, I’ll address volunteers. I think social media is really good at turning people into evangelists for your particular cause. It promotes a quick passage of information and requires a minimum investment so that’s what you have to expect from someone being connected to your organization through social media. Online volunteers might be a more appropriate term for the people you would recruit using social media. Event organization, planning, and networking can still take place online with a small involvement and I don’t think it’s too much to ask an online volunteer to contribute if they express the interest.

5. Fundraising studies indicate that the number one reason people give to an organization is because someone they know asked them to. Do you think that social media can be used to expand the reach of an organization’s networks? That is, do you think supporters are likely to engage their online networks in support of a cause, so that the personal appeal can be made over Facebook, Twitter, etc?

I think much like I spoke about in question 3, there still needs to be a personal, real-life connection made to truly win someone over through social media. However I think this is changing. When I was working with The 1010 Project, myself and another 1010 volunteer did a 2 day blitzkrieg on Twitter and Facebook to try and raise nearly $3K from our networks and extended networks. Needless to say, it worked. A lot of the donors were people I didn’t know or hadn’t met before but it is safe to assume they saw the message nearly a dozen times and were probably annoyed to the point of giving. It’s so easy to connect with someone on Twitter and Facebook that I doubt the chances of someone giving just because they are a follower or a friend are much higher than if it was a random person. Personal, real-life connecting is still very important.

6. Is online activism, particularly through social media, a means to an end, or do people consider it an end in and of itself? Do you think that engaging in online activism through social media, such as becoming a fan of an organization on Facebook or signing an e-petition, makes people more or less likely to engage in offline activism?

I think a lot of people do think that engaging in online activism is sufficient, and I think that’s ok. A lot of people are wary of that thought but times change and signing an e-petition might be something more than anyone would have ever done if that particular activity were not available before social media. It is still very important to give people specific and timely tasks when talking about volunteer opportunities. At The 1010 Project we saw no drop in offline activism when ramping up our online activism. I think focusing on specific targeted roles was the most important thing we did soliciting help from the community.