Nonprofit Bridge

More from Craigslist Foundation’s recent NYC Nonprofit Boot Camp;  Big Duck‘s Farra Trompeter offered an engaging session on social networking – is this a tool that nonprofits should be taking full advantage of now?

If your organization does take the plunge, expect that it will require a 2-3 hour investment daily.  A recent feature at Philanthropy Journal confirms this, also describing who is best suited to fit this role:

• Knows and enjoys social media
• Is tech savvy (but doesn’t have to be a geek)
• Knows your organization and is committed to its mission
• Has a personable, outgoing writing style

Is your main goal is to raise funds or to attract and interest current / prospective constituents?  So far, few nonprofits have successfully been able to prove that the potential return is definitely worth the dedication of resources to social networking activities.

Farra recommended these first steps in Facebook:

1. find out whether other organizations with compatible missions are already there, and what they are doing
2. create fan page
3. create cause

Some nonprofits have been also to receive donations through text messaging, although this also is a relatively new initiative.  Twitter is already used by nonprofits such as Red Cross and ASPCA to distribute information.

Starting and maintaining a presence on social networking sites confirms the trend that your constituents may never find your organization’s web site, so why not go to where they already are?

Other good resources on this topic:

• Beth’s Blog – How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media
• Media Rules - book & blog
• Nten’s We Are Media Project - social media starter kit for nonprofits

Thanks to the CraigsList Foundation for hosting the NYC Nonprofit Boot Camp on Aug. 16.  Miriam Kriegel of BBMGled a particularly interesting session on ‘brand driven communications

Miriam stressed the importance of nonprofits identifying what they stand for, what their unique difference from other organizations with compatible missions and realizing that branding is not simply your logo.  She also suggested that narrowing your focus makes your brand stronger.  In addition, if you don’t already have a well known brand, “create a new category in which you can claim leadership.”

In contrast to building multiple web sites to address different audiences, Miriam suggested using a single web site which is associated with a strong branding message. This presents an interesting challenge – can we serve all of our constituents differently yet have them all view our organization with a consistent identity?

As I’ve advocated elsewhere, Miriam also stressed the importance that all touch points have similar messaging, e.g. web site, direct mail, telephone, events, board interactions with the public as well as that a brand be presented consistently over time.

These principles are often used in for profit organizations, but they clearly can be used effectively within our sector.  What is it about your organization that makes it unique?  Having a clear mission which staff and board can clearly articulate helps, but creating a strong brand is a critical component of any nonprofit’s communications strategy.

Tonight I attended the kick off event for a new ePhilanthropy book by Ted Hart, James Greenfield and Sheeraz Haji People to People Fundraising as well as an accompanying web site which describes itself as the next generation of ephilanthropy.  Through his previous role as founder of the ePhilanthropy Foundation, Ted has much to offer, especially to nonprofits that are still ‘testing the waters.’  Tonight’s event was sponsored by Craigslist Foundation, which clearly plans to become a major resource for nonprofits through an web site makeover planned in late spring 2008,

Some worthwhile tips from Ted:

• Donors often go to a nonprofit web site first to evaluate charity, even if they eventually decide to donate offline
• Social networking is worth doing, but not until a nonprofit has first done the basics: developed a content rich web site and a strategic email marketing plan (after collecting consituents’ email addresses wherever possible)
• Asking is the key to receiving;  Thanking is the key to receiving again.
• Inspiring your strongest supporters to encourage others to get involved with your organization is the essence of ‘person to person fundraising’
• If your organization is a 501(c)3 and you don’t yet offer online donation, you can easily do so through services such as JustGive or NYCharities, both which offer rock bottom credit card processing fees (3%)

Also came across this recent blog posting which highlights best practices for nonprofits using web 2.0 strategies.