Tips for Nonprofit Social Media Success
July 16th, 2009
Many nonprofits are starting to dabble in Web 2.0— Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube—the list goes on.
Some organizations have been tremendously successful fundraising through social media, provoking massive viral responses to their wildly creative ideas. The majority of nonprofits however, have been slow to see financial returns.
Facebook’s Causes just recently surpassed the $10 million mark for donations. This sounds like a lot, but when spread between 26,000 organizations it amounts to only $385 per organization. The reality is that many causes haven’t raised a dime, while others have drawn in over $100,000.
What makes the difference?
Strategy, creativity, and persistence.
It is clear that the most successful organizations have a clearly defined strategy, and each comment or photo or story posted is consistent with that strategy. This is KEY. You need to know where you want to go before you start walking, and stay focused until you get there. Some nonprofits use social media not to raise funds, but rather to engage constituents and raise awareness about their work. Many in this category consider their strategies to be a huge success because they’ve effectively increased their website traffic, have thousands of followers, and have grown their contacts lists exponentially. Bravo!
Creativity also goes a long way. The more you stand out from the crowd, the more Facebook fans you garner, the more you get retweeted, and the more popular your YouTube video becomes. Again however, that creativity must help you reach your objectives to be considered effective.
As in everything else in life, persistence will take you far. Maybe you don’t have a particularly creative message or approach, but you can still build your followers and fans little by little, day by day, by routinely getting your consistent messages out there.
There is a lot of information out there about how to make your strategy a success. I’ve compiled several links below to help you find creative inspiration and follow some key tips for success. We wish you luck!
4 Facebook Tips for Nonprofit Success
10 Twitter Tips for Nonprofit Organizations
Donations, Volunteers, Supporters on Social Networks
Six Online Fundraising Campaigns that Work
By Elizabeth Beachy, Upleaf Co-Founder
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