Attended two events this week on social media, one live and one over the web.  Bonnie McEwan of Make Waves presented ‘U R What U Tweet: Social Media for Career Enhancement‘ at the NYC Foundation Center.  Blackbaud‘s Frank Barry presented ‘Donor Engagement through Social Media.’

At Bonnie’s presentation, I replied to an audience question about how does someone show that they are  ’social media savvy’?  For an individual who wants to establish their professional brand, start with LinkedIn and then a blog – if you can maintain it regularly.  For an organization, Frank suggested selecting a few social networks to start with, preferably those where your constituents are already speaking about your organization and/or cause.  Don’t try to be ‘everywhere’ or by simply using the same messaging.

Should one try to maintain separate professional and personal profiles on sites such as Twitter?  Bonnie said no, that it’s better to ‘be who you are.’   I agree – but make sure that at least 75-80% of your posts are related to your brand.  Bonnie added that every nonprofit should have a social media policy – see this example.

How do you find out what others are saying about your organization.  Frank summarized these tools, only one which is paid:

• socialmention
• twitter search (my tip – use the advanced option)
• google alerts
• technorati (to search blogs)
• igoogle dashboard (can be used to summarize feeds from above sites)
• radian6 (paid, but provides more sophisticated options)

If you are on social media, you need to engage your audience in conversation, not just send out information.  Frank suggested several ways to enhance your Facebook presence:

1. use custom tabs
2. create calls to action (e.g. sign up for our enewsletter)
3. provide direct links to other social networking sites
4. customize your logo
5. take advantage of Facebook’s built in photo sharing tool (or use Flickr)
6. post updates on your events
7. use third party fundraising tools
8. allow others to post on your wall
9. use video to connect with supporters
10. include content from your blog

Here’s another perspective on designing social media engagement from Debra Askanase.

Don’t forget to learn from those nonprofits that are actively using social media to build their supporter base;  Patrick Kwan and Carie Lewis at the Humane Society;  Wendy Harman of the American Red Cross, and the National Wildlife Federation‘s Danielle Brigida.  (As Frank pointed out, it’s best to put someone in your organization in charge of your social media efforts.)

Is social media worthwhile?  In my view, it’s important to measure your success not only by the financial contributions your organization receives, but by the level of commitment supporters demonstrate to your mission.  By maintaining an ongoing conversation with constituents in social media, you will ultimately benefit by both measures.