social media as a fundraising tool 4.12.11

Social Media as a Fundraising Tool

Front Range SourceApril 12, 2011

Emily Davis

The Power of Social Media

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Overview

• Introductions• Your name and role/title• Experience with social media• Expectations or questions• What part of fundraising takes up the most

time for you?

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What are your fears?

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Why Social Media in Fundraising?The Generations The Evolution of Fundraising

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Giving Pyramid Remains the Same

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Benefits to Social Media

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• Donor recruitment, cultivation, & STEWARDSHIP

• Build relationships• Viral recommendations• Leverage networks• Get feedback• Cost effective & green

• Communicate your cause:– Tell your story– Bring people to the inner

circle– Transparency– Test ideas– It’s where the next gen

IS!

Cons to Using Social Media

• Loss of control• Time investment• New communication

structure• Engagement – internal &

external• Transparency

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How many of your orgs are using…

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• News alerts• Reader• Analytics• Nonprofits• Grants • Documents

• Documents• Sites• Blogger• Maps• Earth

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Other Social Media

Bookmarks

Videos, Photos, Presentations

Geolocation

Wikis Ning RSS

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Questions

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TEN TIPS FOR USING SOCIAL MEDIA

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1. Social media is A tool not THE tool

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2. Social Media is a Plant

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3. Adding Value

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4. Two – Way Street

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5. Prospecting, Cultivation, & Stewardship

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6. The Next Generation of Donors

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7. It Ain’t Free

“Many nonprofits (particularly the smaller ones) lack the resources

to communicate effectively. The Internet offers the opportunity to cost-effectively build a

community of supporters.”

-ePhilanthropyFoundation.org

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8. Not Everyone “Diggs” Social Media

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9. Selling Social Media

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10. Have a Plan

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Questions?

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Facebook, Blogging, Twitter, & Linkedin

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• Profile = Individual• Personal – for people, not

businesses• Friends, not Fans or Members• No promotional ads

Facebook Profile

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Facebook Groups

• Join a group• Various

membership/privacy levels

• You can list officers• Similar to organizational

clubs• 5,000 member limit• Content comes from an

individual4/12/2011 27Front Range Source

Facebook Pages

• Fans instead of Friends• Page = Business profile• Share – badges, thru

profile wall• Applications (i.e.

Twitter)• Event creation

• Content shows up in fans’ walls

• Recommended for businesses, npos, celebrities, brands

• Purchase ads for promotion

• Become a fan of other pages

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HSC Facebook Page

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Facebook Cause

• 46% increase in online giving between 2008 & 2009

• Nonprofits have raised $26 million using Causes

• Causes can now publish to news feeds

• Portal to your website

• Specific calls to action• Project-based

campaigns• Peer-to-peer

fundraising (birthdays)

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HSC Facebook Cause

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“Starting an organizational blog is one of the fastest routes for telling the story of…your cause, demonstrating expertise in your field, and engaging supporters in

conversation.” - Ben Rigby, Mobilizing Generation 2.0

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Blogging Stats for Fundraisers• 12 million Americans

blog• Over half of Americans

read blogs• 11% more likely to

purchase online then the average Internet user

• Make more purchases online

• Online 6% more than average Internet user

• Incomes greater than $75,000

• 55% more visitors• 97% more links to

website – drives traffic & SEO

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Why is a blog useful?• Face & voice to campaigns• Share org news• Build community• Tell your story• Personal connection• Deepen relationships• Share opinions & personalize work• Organizational history online• Internal, organizational

communications

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Starting a Blog

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• Post History• Comments/Reactions• Clarify your goals and

objectives• Free blogging software:

Wordpress, Blogspot• Select layout, logo, etc.• Widgets & Badges

Blog Best Practices• Plan and be consistent• Two-way communication• Everyone participates• Network within the

blogging community• Let go of some control• Promote your blog • Cross communicate

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Please don’t…

• Be inauthentic• Always ask for money• Hierarchical/ corporate• Have one-way

conversation at your readers

• Ignore staff, board, & volunteer input

• Make participation inaccessible

• Get boring• Stray from your plan

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Measurement

• Track participation• Keywords and SEO• Tags• Sharing across other

social media• Subscription (email, RSS)• Google Analytics• Hyperlink keywords• SEO

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Twitter• 4 billion tweets in first quarter of

2010• Follow people and followers• Tweet 5 – 20 times per day.• Retweet (RT) and Direct Message

(DM)• Succinct way to communicate (140

characters)• More branding and marketing• Share info with people beyond

your inner circle

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Find, Follow, and Share

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More on Tweeting• Management • Tools• Get listed (i.e. Twibes)• Link to other social media• Hashtags – find tweets

(i.e. #hemophilia)• Measurement: Bit.ly,

followers, RTs

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Tweetraising

• Twestival: Raised $250,000 for charity: water (2009)

• Tweetsgiving: $11,000 in 48 hours

• Twollars• Tweet4Good• Challenges• Matching gifts

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LinkedIn

• Great for recruiters• Place your resume &

professional information

• Recommendations• Link profile with Twitter• Create group?

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Profile & Recommendations

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LinkedIn Groups

• Similar to Facebook • Create subgroups• Create discussion

topics• Share news links• Ask questions• Share organizational

news

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Understanding Social Networks“Organizations don’t have to create… social

networks; they exist all around us in a variety of forms. Networked Nonprofits

strengthen and expand these networks by building relationships within them to engage and activate them for their organizations’ efforts. Networked

Nonprofits also know how to identify, reach, and cultivate the influencers in

their social networks, which is the key to growing very big quickly and

inexpensively.” (Fine and Kanter, 2010)

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And now we plan…

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Creating a Social Media Plan

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Step 1: Identify Purpose • Steward & cultivate current

supporters• Attract new supporters• Tomorrow’s donors today• Position your org as an expert• Promote brand, programs,

events• Share your story

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Step 2: Goal & Objectives• Raise money! How much?• Bring in new prospects -

How many?• Share ideas from your org

– which ones?• Get feedback• Promote programs &

events• Build relationships

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Step 3: Tools & Strategies

• Blog– How often will you blog?– What will you blog about?– Who will blog?

• Twitter– How often will you tweet?– What will you tweet

about?– How will you track?– Who will you follow?– Who will tweet?

• Facebook– Profile/Group/Page/Cause– Who will manage?– Facebook Ads?– Will you link to Twitter?

Ping?

• Other social media– What? – Why?– How?– When?

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Step 4: Implementation

• Management• Contributors• Story telling• Ask questions• Solicit dialogue• Ask for money• Ask for participation

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Insurance

• Set the roles internally & externally

• Purpose – connect to mission

• Who can use what• User guidelines• Consequences for

violation(s)

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Step 5: Evaluation & Measurement

• Quantitative & qualitative• Start with baseline• Website hits• Hashtags• Link shortening & tracking• Facebook: engage, re-post,

recruit, ads• Feedburner/ Feedblitz• Care2 ROI calculator

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Social Media Examples

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Questions

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Print Resources• The Networked Nonprofit• I’m on Facebook, Now What?• I’m on LinkedIn, Now What?• Mobilizing Youth 2.0• The Complete Facebook

Guide for Small Nonprofits• Twitter Jump Start: The

Complete Guide for Small Nonprofits

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Online Resources• Socialbrite.com• Mashable.com• Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN)• Nonprofit Alltop• Beth Kanter: http://beth.typepad.com/• Social Media Plan Outline:

www.ideaencore.com• www.delicious.com/

coloradononprofithelpdesk • A. Fine Blog• frogloop

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THANK YOU!

For questions or more information…

Emily Davis, MNMEDA ConsultingBoulder, CO (303) 652-7536emily@edaconsulting.orgwww.edaconsulting.org

www.edaconsultingcafe.blogspot.com

http://twitter.com/edaconsulting

www.facebook.com/edaconsulting

http://www.linkedin.com/in/edaconsulting

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