join the social media movement - the importance, power and potential of social media for nonprofit...

Join the Social Media Movement

Carie Lewis - Director of Emerging Media - HSUS @humanesocietyJeff Patrick - President & Founder -Common Knowledge @commonknowJordan Viator - Interactive Communications Manager – Convio @jordanvNovember 17, 2009

What is social media, anyways?

Online, two-way communications that allows for heightened participation

and engagement

Or as many organizations see it…

A Brave New World

Flickr photo by fredcavazza

The possibilities and tools are seemingly endless andgrow and change everyday!

Social Media offers…

■ A fundamental shift in communication■ A true feedback loop

A real conversation Free focus groups for all!

■ The chance to reach and find new supporters■ Ability to illustrate a core understanding of the

issues, trends and needs of supporters■ A chance for influencers and advocates to

evangelize for your cause

Monologue Dialogue

WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA ALL ABOUT?

Listening

Before you join the conversation remember:It’s just as important to listen

as it is to talk and share

Flickr photo by ucbradley

Sharing

Flickr photo by martin.canchola

Building Trust

Social media helps build trust by allowing your supporters and fans to speak, advocate on your behalf

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?

Welcome to the (digital) future

You might be surprised to know

Flickr photo by beechwood.marketing

Did you hear that?

What’s in the Social Media toolbox?

■ Blogs Provides human voice; forum for feedback

■ Social Networks Sharing of personal interests; activity feed

■ Communities Focused environment; like-minded users

■ Micro-blogs Sharing of links, news; collaborative, real-time

discussion■ Video & Photo sharing

Compelling, powerful multimedia; easy to share, embed; creative ways

Real-world examples

Micro-blogs

Social Networks

Video Sharing

Jumping on the bandwagon, the right way

■ Remember the 3 H’s: Human, Honest, Helpful■ Ask other people what they think■ Be open to feedback (yes, even the negative)■ Sincerity is of the utmost importance■ Make it about the people participating, not you■ Talk with, not at, people■ Treat everyone as an equal■ Hone in on key skills of

Patience Networking Facilitating Marketing Communication

SOCIAL NETWORKING SURVEYIndustry Survey of Nonprofit Use of Social Networking

Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn MySpace

46.5% 43.2%

Percent of Nonprofits

Commerical Sites

Popularity of Commercial Social Networks

291 286 268 243

Community Size

Facebook MySpace LinkedIn Twitter YouTube Change.org

Commercial Sites

Average Community Size of Nonprofits on Commercial Social Networks

9.2% 6.6% 5.5%4.4% 1.0%

Commercial Sites

Fundraising Revenue on Commercial Social Networks (last 12 months)

2,500 or less 2,501 - 10,000 10,001 or more

12.2% 13.5%

Registered users

Size of Communities on Nonprofits' House Social Networks

$0 - $10K $10,001 +

16.4%8.8%

Precent of Nonprofits

Amount Raised

Fundraising on Nonprofits' House Social Networks

EMAIL SUBSCRIBER ACQUISITION

Acquisition via Facebook

Acquisition Path

External Networks

Organization

FaceBook

House ListEmail /Direct Mail Solicitations

“Acquisition Mechanism”

Sierra Club on Facebook

Facebook PageFans: 37,592@SierraClub (facebook.com/SierraClub)

Sierra Club Microsite

Campaign Micro-site

Facebook Wall

Sierra Club Petition

Take Action

Sierra Club Petition

TWITTERFundraising Campaigns

Case Study: Christmas Future

Nonprofit: Christmas Future

Campaign: Tweetmas Future

Fundraising Goal: $20,000

Actual: $17,535

Time Period: Dec 16 – 25 2008

Case Study: Epic Change

Nonprofit: Epic Change

Campaign: Tweetsgiving

Actual: $11,131 372 contributors $29.92 avg gift

Time Period: Nov 25 – 27 2008

Case Study: Twestival (’08 & ‘09)

Apr 11, 2023

Charity Water / Operation Smile

Campaign:Twestival (@twestival)Charity Festival that started on Twitter

1,000 volunteers

202 cities joined

10,000+ attended

Actual $$ Raised: $250,000

Case Study: #BeatCancer

■ 24 hours

■ Twitter, Facebook and Blogging using #BeatCancer

■ 1 penny per message donated

■ 209,771 mentions in 1 day

■ 100 M (est.) overall impressions of the #BeatCancer

■ Set world record for online impressions

■ Kicked off at Blog World Expo

■ Raised over $70,000 Sponsored by Ebay/Paypal, MillerCoors Brewing, GenesisToday

■ All money donated to non-profit cancer organizations

www.BeatCancerEverywhere.com

Case Study: 140 Smiles Campaign

Apr 11, 2023

Nonprofit: Operation Smile

Campaign: 140Smiles

Actual: $22,500 Time Period: May 31 – July 4, 2009

Campaign Tactics

Apr 11, 2023

1. Team-based Fundraising2. Automated Viral Distribution3. Real-time Results4. Celebrity Promotion5. Big Account Kickstart6. Targeted Audience Appeal

Donor Recognition

140 Characters for 140 Smiles Campaign

Apr 11, 2023

Example Automated Tweet sent Out by Campaign

140 Smiles Donation Form

Apr 11, 2023

Do we process the donations on Twitter?

No – they are processed through Conviovia a custom donation form that is tunedto this campaign:

- Team component- Twitter Connect

140 Smiles Donation Interface with Twitter

Apr 11, 2023

140 Smiles Donation Interface to Twitter

Apr 11, 2023

Online Fundraising Tools – Events Site

• Convio TeamRaiser

• 5K Walk Event Site

• Registrant Page

• Registrant Giving Form

• Registrant Email Tools

• Team Tools

• Promotional Tools• Donor Recognition• Gift Thermometer• Offline Giving Options• Phone Support

Facebook Fundraising Tools

• Displays on Facebook profile

• Org/Event branded

• Fundraising focused

• Personalized giving results

• Personalized donation form link

• Tabbed navigation

• Progress meter

Profile Badge

Sponsorship

Sponsorship $$

Arthritis Foundation- House Social Network- Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients- ThePort Social Networking Software

Sponsorship

ArthritisFoundation

MySpace,Facebook &House NetworkBadgeSponsorship ($$)

Case: Federation for American Immigration Reform

FAIR Debate

Micro-Site

Youth Community

Education & Advocacy

www.fairdebate.org

Case Study: Sierra Club

Sierra Club

Climate ChangeSocial Network

www.ClimateCrossRods.org

PurposeProvide the largest collection of hikes and hikers in the U.S.

MessagingShare your favorite places to hike, bike and paddle…

Audience30-55+, hikers (initially)

FeaturesHikes, wiki (hikes), profiles, photos, video, blogs, discussion, expert content, local events, and more

The unique challenge here is to stimulate enough interest to grow the database of trails which are all contributed by the community

PurposePlatform for Sierra Club college student groups to organize, communicate, collaborate and promote their issues

MessagingThe National Student Chapters of the Sierra Club “Get Engaged”

AudienceCollege students

FeaturesProfiles, photos, video, blogs, discussion, expert content, local events, and more

PurposeCommunity of students and student groups supporting Operation Smile with local events and fundraising.500 clubs across the U.S.

AudienceKids, K-8th, High School, and University

FeaturesProfiles, photos, video, blogs, discussion, expert content, services and more

TechnologyConvio + Jive Software (Social Networking)

Case Study: Operation Smile

Carie LewisDirector of Emerging Media

The Humane Society of the United States

@cariegrls // @humanesociety

What I’ll talk about

■ Resources■ Strategy■ Why monitor social media■ What to monitor■ Where to monitor■ How to monitor■ Tools we use■ Assessment and response■ How to find influencers■ Social media policy■ Crisis communications■ Best. Quote. Ever.

ResourcesWe started out with 1 person.

New branch of Online Communications

Department called “Emerging Media”

■ Director of Emerging Media (project manager)

■ Emerging Media Manager (online volunteer program)

■ Emerging Media Specialist (brand monitoring)

■ Social Media Specialist (Facebook, MySpace)

■ Internet Marketing Specialist (ads, SEO, analytics)

■ 4 virtual interns

■ street team

■ several furry office mascots

Our “Emerging Media” Strategy

• Stay on top of latest trends• Research new opportunities• Train staff • Have guidelines• Take an integrated approach• Measure everything!• Showcase successes• LISTEN• Customize alerts• Utilize technology (txt, IM)• Don’t be afraid to fail• Learn from mistakes

No org can afford to ignore what’s being said about them.

… it can happen to you.

Brand Monitoring is not a 9-5 job.

■ Text messages■ “As it happens” Email alerts■ Tweetdeck for iPhone■ Weekend “on-call”■ Dual monitors!

What to monitor

■ Your Name

■ Acronyms

■ Prominent staff

■ Current campaigns

■ Competition

■ Detractors

■ Influencers

It takes time to filter through them all but is worth it.

Many people refer to us as “the humane society”

Many tweets are about local humane societies but also makes for good retweets.

We monitor all mentions of “HSUS” and “humane society”

Where to monitor

• News sites

• Twitter

• Blogs

• Forums

• Digg

How to monitor

• Email notifications

• Tweetbeep

• Google alerts

• RSS feeds

• Technorati search

• Twitter search

• Special software

• Radian6

• Filtrbox

There are many tools ranging from expensive to cheap to free!

What we use

iGoogle dashboard built off RSS feeds

Tweetdeck

Use Tweetdeck and have it running whenever your computer is on.You can have up to 10 columns.Include your @replies, your brand name, and any other terms you’re monitoring

These same principles can apply

People talk (a lot) on a local level.

Follow interesting hashtags and memes!

Start your own!

What if I’m a smaller organization?

Listen first. Find out where your audience is most active already. Then join the conversation.

Start with Twitter.

Why the focus on Twitter?Twitter is the most real-time account you have of what people are saying about you.

At the very least….

You should have Google Alerts and Tweetbeep notifications or an RSS feed from Twitter Search for your brand name.

Ahhh! TMI! Now what?!

• Identify your detractors and influencers quickly.• Pay attention to two things: tone and influence• Thank and / or re-tweet often• Answer all questions• Take the opportunity to clear up misinformation• Don’t take it personally• Always be respectful but don’t be afraid to show some personality. • Don’t be afraid to use blocking features – common practice• Follow people who mention your brand• Don’t be afraid to respond to people who aren’t following you but you’re monitoring.• BREATHE. Get up and take a walk before you respond.•DNFFT• Track number of mentions, comments, blog posts, and followers over time. The goal is to get more people talking about you!

Assess and Respond

Our process

■ We monitor sites in real-time, all day, every day■ We evaluate what is necessary to respond to■ We develop a response with PR■ We deliver the response via the medium it was

generated■ We monitor the conversation following and

continue to engage as necessary■ We alert everyone in the daily Communications

News meeting

How to find your influencers

• Repeat retweeters and Facebook commenters

• Blog subscribers

• Repeat action takers (email too!)

• Leaderboard on

Facebook Causes

• Event attendees

• Recommendations

from staff / leadership

• Build a loyalty program / street team

• Turn these people into interns and employees!

Employees can be your best brand advocates.

• Have a social media policy so they know what they can

and can’t do. Focus on the CAN.

• Bring web-savvy employees

into the process

• Incorporate social media into

everyone’s job

• Help them understand privacy

settings and learn the tools

• Address anonymity and personal

profiles

The time to have a social media policy is NOW.

“Umbrella approach”

Facebook Fan Pagefor businesses, organizations, public figures

official HSUS presence – only one

Facebook Groups organized by interest

each state / campaign can have one

Facebook Causesfor specific movements

each state / campaign can have many

Facebook Profilea real person

each person has one – but only one

HSUS Facebook Structure

NEVER post something you wouldn’t want on the front page of the New York Times!

(Or something you wouldn’t want your mother or boss to see!)

My advice to employees

If you find yourself in a Twitterstorm

•Listen to the what — and to the who.

• It's OK to say, "We don't know.“

• Address the crowd where it's gathered.

• Tone matters.

• Explain how you'll address the specific issue

• Talk about what you’ll do to prevent it from happening again

Transparency & open communication

Have a company policy – you may think its common sense… it’s not!

It’s not new. Just add social media to it.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/note.php?note_id=102600213661

Crisis Communications

“If you’re working for the weekends, your shit is BROKE.

Do what you LOVE!” -@garyvee #sxsw

Social media can be OVERWHELMING.

Thank you!Carie Lewis

Director of Emerging Media

The Humane Society of the United States

Email: clewis@humanesociety.org

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/carielewis

Twitter: @cariegrls

Blog: cariegrls.blogspot.com

HSUS Networks: humanesociety.org/connect

Don’t forget to visit the Expert Lab!

Text CNV126 to 30644to take a quick survey

about this session.

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