Online, Social Media, Mobile Are First Response Channels of Choice
Thursday, March 11th, 2010Blackbaud’s Steve MacLaughlin kicked off a Lessons Learned from Haiti webinar series today with an overall review of how many nonprofits responded to the recent earthquake in Haiti. Some memorable takeaways:
- After a disaster happens, there is a limited window to reach and engage supporters. It’s critical to act quickly.
- If you wait for an emergency situation to happen, it’s too late. Be prepared with email templates, photographs and develop processes so you can quickly update web page / donation form content (this is not often the norm at many nonprofit organizations).
- Emergency situations can impact any nonprofit, not just those that traditionally respond to disasters, such as the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.
- Online, social media and mobile are first response channels of choice in responding to a disaster.
- Reliable people, processes and technology are critical
- Follow-up! Reaching out to constituents doesn’t end after you’ve sent an email appeal immediately after the disaster occurs.
- Accountability is important; make sure donors are told how their funds have been used.
- Plan in advance – make sure your web site / donation forms can handle temporary spikes in traffic.
Upcoming sessions in this series will focus on mobile giving as well as mobilizing your supporters using social media. Register now for these free events. Nonprofits play a critical role in disaster recovery efforts. As Steve reminded us today, don’t wait for the next emergency to prepare your organization to respond.