Nonprofit Bridge

Social media expert Beth Kanter updated her list of listening, monitoring, engaging and management tools.  It’s not easy to measure the results of social networking, but it’s important to pick at least some of these programs, most which are free, to evaluate your efforts.   Here’s some questions to help evaluate your social media initiatives.   (Thanks also to Harish Rao for highlighting this topic for GrassrootsCamp at a live event this week in NYC.)

Network for Good‘s Katya Andresen explains why you can’t just focus on older donors, even though they have traditionally been the most reliable givers.   Older constituents are also getting more active in social media , per reviews in The Agitator.net and the Chronicle of Philanthropy of a recent Pew Internet report.

It’s challenging to change the name of a major event, but the March of Dimes used a variety of strategies to rebrand its major fundraising event (not all which worked well).

Courtesy of Big Duck’s blog, use these tips to revitalize your email subject lines.  (Sorry, email is still a valuable way to reach constituents, despite the rising role of social media.)

Finally, TechSoup asks what does your organization look like from the outside, reminding us of the importance of clear, consistent messaging across our online (and offline) communications.

Have a safe and restful Labor Day weekend.

This week I had the pleasure to be featured on Nten’s Facebook page (Thanks, Holly) of responding to some questions on implementing ephilanthropy strategies.  One commenter mentioned the difficulty of working in an environment with extremely limited financial and staff resources.  Most of us who have worked in nonprofit can relate, but this doesn’t mean that nothing can be done.  Using the Web, especially social media, is available to all, and often the smallest organizations have the most dramatic success.  Here’s a few simple tips that any nonprofit can take advantage of:

1. Hire people that are enthusiastic about your mission, and who can spread the word to their networks.  As Beth Kanter points out in her recently released The Networked Nonprofit, this also means recruiting those outside of your organization who are also willing to help.
2. Keep building your email list.  While it’s nice to have followers on Twitter and friends on Facebook, it’s still important to be able to directly communicate with supporters by email, and not only when you want to ask for donations.
3. Learn from what other nonprofits have done, such as the wildly successful Charity:Water, and don’t be afraid to ask others for help (try Progressive Exchange);  nonprofit professionals are usually very generous with their knowledge.
4. Read publications such as Convio’s Nonprofit Online Fundraising Guide and Blackbaud’s Index of Online Giving, as well as this recent publication focusing on grassroots environmental organizations, but which has ideas which can be helpful to all nonprofits.
5. If you’re not already a member, join organizations such as Nten, where you will be able to share ideas with colleagues, attend online trainings and keep yourself motivated.

At last night’s 501 Tech Club NYC monthly meeting, Foursquare co-founder Naveen Selvadura and Brooklyn Museum‘s Chief of Technology Shelley Bernstein talked about how Foursquare can be used to attract and engage constituents.  Earlier this week, Foursquare received $20 million in financing and currently has over 1.8 million users despite having only launched 18 months ago.

Naveen described his product as ‘software designed to change people’s behavior,’ to ‘get them to do more things, go more places.’  In addition to becoming ‘mayor’ of places frequently visited, Foursquare users can display badges as well as take advantage of promotions offered by participating vendors.  Shelley described how her organization has used Foursquare to get more involved with the community surrounding the Brooklyn Museum.  Interestingly, when she was asked whether the museum’s initiatives have resulted in an increase in museum visits or in donations, she said that Foursquare doesn’t yet offer enough information to be able to evaluate this.  Naveen added that Foursquare currently offers limited demographics on who is currently using its service.

Why has Foursquare worked well for the Brooklyn Museum?  Shelley explained that it was the nonprofit’s ‘social culture,’ which is further discussed in the recently released book, The Networked Nonprofit (Beth Kanter also attended last night’s event).  Another attendee from the Metropolitan Museum also described using Foursquare, but pointed out that it was more tied into the Met’s focus on education (vs. the Brooklyn Museum’s emphasis on community).

Reportedly Facebook is already working on including a similar functionality within its service, so it will be interesting to see how this affects Foursquare.  What I find most interesting is that for many of us who use the web, it really doesn’t matter where we are.  Yet with Foursquare, users are encouraged to ‘check in’ to their location several times daily, and to possibly connect with (in person) other friends who are where you are.  Can this be beneficial for a typical nonprofit?  If your constituents are using Foursquare, it may be interesting to find out.  But as has been done by the Brooklyn Museum and the Metropolitan Museum, first consider your organization’s mission and how this type of product can fit in.

Thanks to group leaders Charles Lenchner, Thomas Negron and Farra Trompeter and to Planned Parenthood who hosted the event and provided snacks.  This was the largest crowd that I can recall for a NYC 501 Tech Club gathering.  See also Farra’s recap.

P.S. Has your nonprofit tried Foursquare yet?  If so, leave a comment detailing your experience.  I will offer a free Nten webinar registration to first person that responds.

Beth Kanter, CEO of Zoetica, who has shared her expertise for years on Beth’s Blog an at various nonprofit events, will host a virtual launch party Mon, Jun. 21 for her new book The Networked Nonprofit with co-author Allison Fine.  Beth has long been a proponent for social media, but that’s not all that this book is about.  It’s also about changing the culture of your organization to operate in a network, much as individuals have recently learned the importance of networking from experts like author Keith Ferrazzi in Never Eat Alone and Jason Alba in his JibberJobber career management site and his other resources such as LinkedIn for Job Seekers.

Care2 hosted a webinar this week featuring the authors, National Wildlife Federation‘s Danielle Brigada and Autism Speaks‘ Marc Sirkin, moderated by Care2‘s Jocelyn Harmon who writes Marketing for Nonprofits.  Whether you read the book, attend the virtual launch or hear Beth and Allison’s ideas on the web or at an event , don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to transform your organization to “play well with others.”

Kudos to Danielle, who admitted during this week’s webinar how challenging it can be to change a large nonprofit that often moves slowly.  (My experience has been the same.)   But whatever size organization you work for, becoming more “networked” will better enable you to serve your constituents.

Attended this week’s NYC chapter meeting of the Internet Strategy Forum, where we discussed the latest changes on Facebook.  View the presentation;  plan to attend our future meetings (remote access is available even if you’re not in NY).

Kivi Leroux Miller, in addition to having released her new book Nonprofit Marketing Guide, also wrote an excellent post on Beth Kanter’s blog about the importance of knitting together your website, email and social media content.  Since each constituent may choose to connect with your organization in different channels, why not offer a consistent message throughout?  Also consider taking Idealware‘s webinar next week on Choosing the Right Communications Mix.

Beth also offered a simple process to use actionable listening to learn from other nonprofits when planning your social media outreach strategy.

Gail Fredricks spoke to ABC News about How to Ask for Money – great summary for those of us who are still learning about fundraising.

Many of us are now managing or working with colleagues across the country or even in other countries.  Nten has just kicked off a webinar series, Virtual Team Leader: Training for Managers of Remote Teams (a recording is available of yesterday’s first of four sessions).  Tip: Don’t rely only on email as your main communications device.

For some email marketing tips, read about the importance of personalized messages and 3 things that will actually improve your email campaigns.

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the 10th annual Nonprofit Technology Conference in Atlanta, GA.

Social media was a popular topic throughout the three day event.  Jeff Patrick hosted a lively discussion on the just released Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report (which I helped to prepare), co-sponsored by Common Knowledge, Nten and ThePort.  While nonprofits’ increased use of Facebook and Twitter were not a surprise, some of the data showed interesting trends about issues such as the use of commercial vs. house (private) networks.  You can download the report free here.

Similar to how Twitter forces messages to be limited to 140 characters, the Ignite presentations featured a series of talks which were each limited to 5 minutes and 20 slides.  Scott Bechter-Levin encouraged us to share more information with our network;  Steve Heye provided a wonderful comparison of how techies and business users interpret the same information very differently.

Friday’s plenary speaker Andrew Sullivan offered a look into what happens when your blog becomes too popular, as is his The Daily Dish.  Blog readers expect steady feedback but “expect you to say things they agree with.”  But he added that his blog has enabled him to cover international events very quickly and has encouraged a “free flow of data.”

Saturday’s plenary speaker Asi Burak described how games can be used to stimulate thought about difficult world issues, demonstrating PeaceMaker, a simulation of the Middle East conflict.   Games allow us to play roles that we’re usually not comfortable with and help us to understand the ‘other side’ of the argument.  I’ve often ignored games, but this is a very different focus than the games you see on Facebook.

When it comes to social media, small organizations often get better results than larger nonprofits.  In the session Beyond Traditional Fundraising: Utilizing the Web and Social Networks to Secure Donors, speakers from Alix’s Lemonade Stand, Architecture for Humanity and Spirit Jump described how they’ve been able to stimulate interest to their causes.   The goal “isn’t always to raise money” but that you “no longer have to have money to raise money.”  An interesting observation was that constituents who are most engaged online aren’t always the best donors.   Clearly these smaller nonprofits are not only using social media heavily, some are bypassing the more traditional channels such as direct mail completely.

Will Kiva kill your nonprofit? This session focused on the trend of allowing donors to pick specifically the people and causes they will support as well as receive regular feedback on how their contributions have been used.  Many nonprofits I’ve worked for in the past have discouraged restricted gifts, preferring to receive funds that can be used for any purpose.  While not all types of nonprofits can support this type of giving (e.g. direct service organizations work well but large affiliate based organizations will find it more difficult), clearly this is a trend worth paying attention to.  One suggestion was to not stop asking for unrestricted gifts, but to start additional programs that are more targeted.

While not as well attended as the social media talks, the session Diversifying Your Tech and Online Communications Teams provided an interesting overview into why diversity in nonprofit staff can result in better service to diverse groups of constituents – and better fundraising results.   One interesting perspective (of a typical nonprofit) was “We’ll help your community but we really don’t want your input.”  Another observation: “We’re all a majority in some ways but a minority in others.”  A recommendation: “Learn about the communities (you serve) instead of trying to represent people you don’t know.”

Online communications gurus Beth Kanter and Kivi Leroux Miller – offered How to Design and Present Online Training People Will Love.  Many of us need to train colleagues in remote locations, so it’s important to understand the differences between live and online instruction.   Since many of our attendees will be multitasking, it’s even more important to hold their attention;  one suggestion was to use a more visual slide design, using principles from Garr Reynolds’ Presentation Zen.  Idealware’s Laura Quinn also offered a look at popular web conferencing tools such as Readytalk and GoToMeeting/GoToWebinar – make sure you take advantage of discounts available to nonprofits through TechSoup.  (For a concise summary of nonprofit software options, check out Idealware’s Field Guide to Software for Nonprofits.)

Just for fun, we enjoyed an after-event party at the World of Coca-Cola, which offered a novel ‘tasting room’ allowing us to taste brands from all over the world.  (My favorite was Bibo Candy, but I’ll probably have to travel to Africa to find a store that sells it.)

I’ve been a Nten member for many years, and this event gets better every year.  Thanks to Holly Ross and her staff for a wonderful three days.  If you missed the event, you can enjoy some of the sessions here.

Not only is it had to hold others’ attention for very long on a web site or in an email newsletter, it’s increasingly difficult to connect to your attendees during presentations (and often to colleagues during meetings).  Many of us are constantly checking our mobile devices to participate in social networking sites, a phenomenon clearly described in Cliff Atkinson’s recent book, The Backchannel.  So how can we use this as an opportunity to connect with more people instead of viewing this as a problem?

Social networking sites like Twitter allow event attendees to report on a presentation while it is taking place.  This means that you can reach many others who are not able to attend in person.   Below are some tips which I’ve taken from the book and from my own experience as a presenter:

1. Create a hash tag (#) that can be used to reference comments on Twitter
2. Use a presentation home page to link to slides and to provide a communication channel with the audience after the live presentation has ended.  Don’t forget to reference  your web site, SlideShare, Twitter, relevant blog postings and videos on YouTube
3. Have a colleague monitor the backchannel while you present – it’s a bit challenging to do both yourself and still concentrate on what you’re saying
4. Take ‘Twitter breaks’ to acknowledge what is being said and to respond to comments / suggestions
5. Include more graphics and less words in your slides.  If you’re reading information from your slides, you’re not going to hold people’s interest
6. If necessary, modify presentation based on feedback you receive while you speak.  Don’t be afraid to change tactics if your audience is not engaged.
7. Encourage live participation throughout your talk, not only at the end.  I’ve often attended talks where there is so much information presented, there’s little or no time left for questions.  Don’t let this happen to you.
8. Less is more.  Have a handful of major points you want attendees to remember (and to tweet).  Don’t try to communicate too much.
9. Find out who is attending your presentation before you speak so you can customize your materials.  It’s helpful to ask some questions of the audience on site, but it’s much easier if you take the time to research in advance.
10. Learn from great speakers, such as Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki and Beth Kanter.   Watch how they engage with the audience and use feedback from attendees to communicate their message.

Few of us are naturally great speakers, but it gets easier with practice.  Join a group like Toastmasters if you want to improve your skills and seek out every opportunity to speak to groups.

In addition to spending many hours online, I still do read books.  Recently I finished Wendy Smith’s Give a Little – How Small Donations Are Changing the World.  If you ever think that only large contributions make a difference, this book will change your mind, showing how small gifts make up the bulk of many nonprofits’ revenues.  In addition, I was introduced to many wonderful nonprofits that I wasn’t already familiar with – a complete list is available here.  My favorite quote – “giving changes you as well as the world.”

Your small gift can also help these very worthwhile causes:

• Idealist is asking for help so it can continue to be a resource for the nonprofit community
• Nten’s Holly Ross asks that you celebrate her upcoming birthday by helping a nonprofit colleague to attend the upcoming Nonprofit Technology Conference
• Support Idealware’s mission of providing objective software reviews for nonprofits by purchasing its new Field Guide to Software for Nonprofits

If you missed the recent PBS Frontline presentation of Digital Nation, you can watch it (and comment) online.   It is very thought provoking, and may provide a reminder that multitasking is not always the best way to get things done.  Also see this report from Pew Internet on Social Media and Young Adults.

Wondering about whether mobile fundraising will become a major fundraising channel as it has been for Haiti?  See MobileActive’s Definitive Guide to Mobile Fundraising as well as Beth Kanter’s summary of some recent viewpoints.

When you present, do you get frustrated with attendees who seem to be paying more attention to their phones / computers than to your presentation?  In her presentation this week on the Trainer’s Social Media Tool Box, Beth Kanter explained how to use social media to enhance your sessions by encouraging sharing of information.   A new book, the Back Channel, details this phenomenon in more detail.  (If you’re still waiting until the end of your talk to take questions, you definitely need to see Beth’s notes.)

Jeff Brooks also spoke on a Network for Good call on what not to do in online fundraising – slides are available here.  (Hint – if your figures are not growing, you’re missing something.)

Do you maintain a database for advocacy that’s separate from your main donor database?  Care2′s webinar on Connecting Advocacy to Fundraising showed how activists can also be top fundraisers, if you take the time to cultivate them.   Activists also consistently open emails more frequently than other supporters.

If you need help in selecting tools for your organization (who doesn’t?), take a look at Idealware’s just released Field Guide to Software for Nonprofits.  Laura Quinn’s organization has always provided great information through her web site, blog and enewsletter.  I helped with some edits for this book – it is definitely worth getting.

Now that there’s so many ways to communicate with constituents, are you taking the time to make sure your messaging is consistent and on brand across channels?  See notes from Kivi Leroux Miller’s talk this week on Integrating Your Website, Email Newsletter and Social Media Sites.  Also see Blackbaud’s tips on Multi-Channel Engagement.

Like most nonprofits, Idealist has having some challenging times and has asked for our help.  Ami Dar’s work has long benefited the nonprofit community.  Please help.

Finally, are you helping your constituents to run their own fundraising events, or do you only help with events run by your organization?  If so, you’re missing a huge opportunity. Read Independent Fundraising Events Bring Big Returns, which links to a recent white paper by Blackbaud and Event 360; you can also register for a webinar on Feb. 3 to learn more.

Many articles lately on how supporters can be your strongest fundraisers: In Understanding the New Breed of Digital Donor,  Fundraising Success demonstrates how social media is enpowering supporters to fundraise on their own, with minimal involvement from the nonprofit they support.  In Enlisting Your Supporters to Fundraise For You, Idealware describes how friend-to-friend fundraising can be used.   In Donors Give Most When Friends Ask, AFP reviews a recent study on large gifts and reaches the same conclusion.  (Thanks to Kivi Leroux Miller for highlighting nonprofit communication recently.)

Congratulations to winners of America’s Giving Challenge, proving that even the smallest nonprofits can compete with the larger organizations by taking advantage of social media tools such as Facebook’s Causes application.  Social media guru Beth Kanter agrees.  Nten also offers ideas on how to Raise Money on Facebook.  See also Clicking for a Cause for more thoughts on how social media can help engage constituents and encourage  involvement with your cause.

David Roodman’s recent blog post and this week’s follow up NY Times article, questions are raised about the model of newer nonprofits such as Kiva and Global Giving which have supposedly allowed donors to decide specifically how their money will be used.   This has resulted in a recent change in Kiva now describing its mission as “connecting people through lending to alleviate proverty.’  My take – this shouldn’t stop the trend towards nonprofits giving donors more of a say in how their contributions will be used.  However, it does provide a wake up call on the importance of transparency in explaining how the process works.