Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category

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5 Tips to Better Volunteer Communication

Monday, July 30th, 2012

As a volunteer manager, it is important to keep your volunteers up-to-date and in the loop with important information regarding your organization. Communication is also a key step to project management and it should be an essential step in every service project planning steps. What is the best communication strategy for your organization?

Check out our communication suggestions below and decide which one will work best for you!

  1. Social media: Our culture is increasingly becoming more reliant on technology. This heavy reliance makes a social media strategy essential for any emerging business, including the nonprofit sector. If your organization can secure funds to make a social media team possible, it will be worth every penny! Your organization can use social media to communicate important event dates and details, new resources, service projects, nonprofit news, and project tips. Social media can help your organization market itself at a low cost, which will help your organization attract a new audience.
  2. Newsletters: A great way to keep your volunteers informed is to publish a frequent newsletter. Newsletters can contain a variety of information including upcoming projects, organizational news, and volunteer spotlights. Your organization can save money by distributing these newsletters via email lists. The best way to begin compiling email lists is by collecting personal volunteer information on project days.
  3. Telecommunication: Utilizing cellular phone technology is another way to reach a large number of volunteers without taking a lot from your annual budget. Choose a text-messaging program that volunteers can opt into to receive organizational updates and service project information.
  4. Volunteer orientation: Prior to service projects, assign times for volunteer training/ orientation. At volunteer orientation, inform your volunteers about your organization’s mission and purpose, important information regarding the upcoming project (attire, transportation, specific requests), and explain project expectations. Allow volunteers to give input and meet organizational staff and other volunteers.
  5. Volunteer resource guide: Publish your organization’s volunteer resources online for volunteers to access, when needed. These guides can serve as information for volunteers who wish to plan their own projects. These guides should communicate every necessary detail for volunteers so that they know what to expect at each planning and execution step.

 

Project communication is essential to the success of your project. Make sure that you make this step a priority within your organization. As you can see there are many different communication tools that your organization can use that do not cost a great deal of money. It is important for your organization to choose a communication tool that will fit your organization’s style.

How does your organization communicate with its volunteers? We would love to hear your tips, insights, and questions in the comments section below!

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Posted in Social Media, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Project Development, Volunteering, Volunteerism | 1 Comment »

Time to Step Out and Get Social!

Tuesday, July 17th, 2012

Be the change through social mediaIf your organization is still resistant to utilizing social media tools, it is time to catch up with the times. Social media has risen to the forefront for businesses to reach consumers and dedicated audiences nationally and globally. Thanks to social media, you can now better inform others about your organization’s mission, recruit more volunteers, and humanize your organization.

Are you still not convinced? We have 13 reasons why you need to make a social media plan for your organization today, we promise you will not regret!

  1. Expose yourself: It should be your goal to consistently expose your organization’s mission to an ever increasing audience. Social media can help target specific individuals to your organization by providing brand resources and information to a social following. For example, if your organization wants to attract volunteers, you can begin announcing volunteer projects through social media.
  2. Add more customer service: Support the unanswered questions requiring customer service with the use of social media. Social media allows your organization to show the communities where it serves while providing immediate answers to questions.
  3. Start a conversation: Start a conversation with those who truly care about your organization. Ask your friends and followers what they like, what needs to be improved, etc. By opening this conversation up through social media, you will have the ability to improve the overall function of your organization.
  4. Be an open book: Social media opens the door to letting the public know what everyone thinks about your organization, use this to your advantage! When someone makes a negative comment about your organization, respond to it professionally and provide resources to better serve that individual. Others will tend to look more favorably upon your organization when they see how you handle business.
  5. SEO, SEO! Pages that utilize social media tend to have higher search results on Bing and Google. This feature will allow new users to find your organization more easily!
  6. I’ll scratch your back, if you scratch mine: Social media is the new word of mouth. When your page starts to get likes and retweets, new potential volunteers are only a click away. When others see what their friends interact with on social media, their interest is more likely to be sparked.
  7. Provides great brand exposure: Use social media to build a community. Allow users to start conversation and share resources, so that they will turn to your page when they need help or want to serve.
  8. The fans will flock: When more people share your organization’s content through social media, the more popular those resources will become across the internet. It is important to promote your organization’s events, resources, service opportunities, etc. through social media in order for its popularity to grow.
  9. Everybody is doing it: Believe us, your targeted audience already knows about social media and they are probably using it. Get on the train too and interact with them.
  10. Your partners are using it: Most businesses and nonprofit organizations are now using Facebook and Twitter on a daily basis. Join them! Social media becomes easier to use everyday with its frequent improvements and user friendly tools.
  11. Build your influence: Get to know the people who interact with your social page the most; they will be more likely to influence others to visit your page and utilize your resources. You may be able to attract and reach more volunteers through this influence.
  12. Allow your organization to be more relatable: A business or organization becomes more human when it participates in social media. Users can feel more connected to your organization because they can provide their feedback and communicate with actual employees. It allows users to see the behind the scenes of an organization.
  13. It’s a full proof plan: New users are more likely to trust your organization when they see it on social media and can understand the purpose. When users see interactions and engagement, it allows them to trust the overall reputation of your organization.

We hope these 13 reasons convince your organization to jump on board with social media! You will only benefit from starting a social media plan at your organization.

How does your nonprofit organization use social media? We would love hear your comments and tips in the section below!

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Posted in Social Media, Volunteer Recruitment | 1 Comment »

Five Social Media Tips for Nonprofits

Thursday, May 31st, 2012

Do you wish you had a larger audience? Does your organization have a story to tell? As nonprofit leaders, you know about advocacy and policy, assessment and evaluation, and volunteer recruitment and management. Social media is the best forum to practice all of these things as well as to reach new audiences, gather feedback, share your latest projects, and build relationships. Read on for five tips on how to utilize social media at your organization.

1. Have a voice. Know your audience and address them accordingly. If your organization focuses on youth, don’t post mature articles or videos and speak in a playful, engaging manner. If your organization focuses on serving the military community, you might speak in a more structured and direct manner.

2. Post frequently. It is important to post at least a couple days every week. Readers expect to see interesting and relevant information when they follow a page, and don’t want to wait weeks in between posts.

3. Respond to people’s questions and comments. Even though you’re not speaking face-to-face, or corresponding through e-mail, you still need to use etiquette in your social media interactions. Respond to people’s questions and comments with polite and helpful answers. If you do not have an answer for their question, let them know that you will find out and get back to them or refer them to a knowledgeable person. Just as you should post frequently, you also should not wait more than a day to respond to each post.

4. Delegate the responsibility to one person or team. To make sure you are using a consistent voice that is posting on a regular schedule from a branded page, delegate the social media responsibility to one person. You may even need to create a full time position to manage all of the social media i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Blogspot.

5. Don’t be modest. Keep your followers in the know by sharing your organization’s most important projects, campaigns, and accomplishments. Sharing these will keep your followers tuned in and keep your organization on people’s minds.

Promising Practices: Do you ever feel overwhelmed by all the hashtags on Twitter? Here are a few examples for nonprofits to use:

#volunteer

#philanthropy

#cause

#sm4p

#nptech

Does your organization utilize social media? Let us know how in the comments below.

 

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Posted in Social Media, Volunteerism | 7 Comments »

Simple Acts Make a World of Difference

Tuesday, April 10th, 2012

April is a day to get involved in raising awareness. Why? Today is TOMS Shoes’ One Day Without Shoes. One Day Without Shoes is a time dedicated to raising awareness about world health issues that arise when one does not have access to a pair of shoes. Many children around the world go without due to economic factors. Children who do not have shoes to wear daily are more prone to diseases such as Hookworm and they are more prone to infection form injuries.

One Day Without Shoes is a great example of “slacktivism.” What is “slacktivisim?” Slacktivism is a way to give back to the community without directly doing acts of service. It is a way to not only make a difference for a beloved cause, but it is also a way to make someone feel good about him or herself due to a simple act of good.

Interested? Below is a list of other forms of slacktivism that you can participate in year round!

  • Use your money for good: Choose brands that support causes or sustainable practices. TOMS is a great example, whether you are buying their shoes or eyewear your purchase will go to a good cause. Other examples of brands that are making a difference are Warby Parker and Patagonia.
  • Tweet, tweet: Use Hashtags to support your favorite causes. Many organizations and brands will designate certain hashtags to be used for their campaigns. You can not only show your support, but also network with people who share your passion.
  • Clicking for good: Show your support by liking your favorite brands and organizations on Facebook or other social media channels. It will help you stay up to date on the latest news and happenings occurring at the organization.
  • Donations: Many organizations or brands will donate proceeds to a cause through clicks. If your organization is doing this make sure you click to help out!
  • Donate your status: Donate your Facebook status or profile picture to a cause. It will help your friends and followers understand your passions and will help get the organization’s mission and message out!
  • Wear a ribbon: Do you support a cause that is represented by a certain color? Wear a ribbon showing your support. When others ask you about it you can tell them to help show support for the cause.
  • Watch a documentary: Interested in a cause, but you do not know much about it? Check out a documentary that informs. Invite your friends or family to watch it with you to get the discussion going!

We hope these ideas get you out there to show your support for your favorite causes and organizations! Whatever you are interested in, find a way to get the word out around your community.

How are you showing support for your favorite cause? Share with us in the comment section below, we would love to hear about it!

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Posted in Service, Social Media, Tools You Can Use | No Comments »

Why “Slacktivists” Are More Active Than You Think [Infographic]

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

This awesome infographic originally appeared on Mashable.

What do you think about slacktivism, is it an effective tool or not?

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Posted in News & Links, Social Media, Tools You Can Use | No Comments »

Join the Conversation about Haiti

Friday, February 10th, 2012

If you have been following our social media channels lately, you may be asking yourself what is this #Haiti365 stuff? It is a good thing you are reading our blog today because we are about to tell you exactly why we are talking about this and why HandsOn Network love this campaign.

For the second anniversary of the Haiti earthquake, UNICEF USA wanted to show the country’s resilience and bring to light the daily challenges Haitian people still face daily. UNICEF USA decided to solve their desire through the use of social media to bring attention back to Haiti.

UNICEF USA brought the voices of Haiti’s youth to the attention of viewers through their Haiti365 Conversation project. Haiti365 has become a unique forum for viewers to respond to children’s questions about various topics such as gender equality, education, and Justin Bieber. UNICEF believes that youth are central to the recovery of Haiti, and through this project they can bring current issues to the world’s attention.

How did this project get started?

Last summer, UNICEF selected a group of young people to attend a high level summit on youth at the United Nations. For most of the Haitian youth who attended the summit, it was their first time ever visiting the United States.

The children had many questions for the General Assembly and the United Nations Round Table discussion on climate change about the state of their country and its recovery.

After the children addressed the United Nations, they had questions for their international peers. That is where the Haiti365 conversation comes into action.

How can you get involved?

Interested viewers can visit the Haiti365 website to join the conversation. Visitors to the website have the option of listening and responding to one or more of the 12 questions posed by Haitian youth. Those asking the questions are either children in the range of 9 to 11 years old or young adults 19 to 22 years old.

Viewers have the option of responding to the videos by text or video recording. Viewers also have the option of asking a peer in Haiti a question of interest. UNICEF USA will also send out text messages with questions from Haitian youth that can be answered by subscribers. Those who respond to the questions also have the option of responding in Creole or English depending on preference.

This campaign is a great way to get the conversation about Haiti’s recovery started. Who knows the impact that your question or answer can make on the future! UNICEF’s campaign is a great way to raise awareness for the country of Haiti. Please join us in bringing attention to the conversation; your participation will make a huge impression especially on the children of Haiti!

About UNICEF:

UNICEF has saved more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. Working in more than 150 countries, UNICEF provides children with health and immunizations, clean water, nutrition, education, emergency and disaster relief, and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF’s work through fundraising, advocacy, and education in the United States.

UNICEF is at the forefront of efforts to reduce child mortality worldwide. There has been substantial progress: the annual number of under-five deaths dropped from more than 12 million in 1990 to 7.6 million in 2010. But still, 21,000 children die each day from preventable causes. Our mission is to do whatever it takes to make that number zero by giving children the essentials for a safe and healthy childhood.

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Posted in Disaster Relief, Neighboring, Social Media, Voice of Change | No Comments »

Why Slacktivism is a Key Engagement Strategy for Nonprofits

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

Today’s guest post originally appeared on VolunteerMatch’s Engaging Volunteers blog site on January 11, 2012. The original post was written  by Shari Ilsen is the Online Communications Manager at VolunteerMatch.

Slacktivism used to be a dirty word. It used to stand for actions people take when they don’t really care, when they don’t plan on giving money, when they are just taking a break from watching Hulu and stalking their exes on Facebook.

Nowadays slacktivism often plays a key role in outreach campaigns that nonprofits run to raise awareness and support for causes (think “Like this page and Corporation A will donate a dollar” type of campaigns).

This link between slacktivism and nonprofits is a good thing! As it turns out, slacktivism is an important step in engaging people more deeply in a cause.

In her article “Why Slacktivism is Underrated,” Katya Andresen of Network for Good presents the findings of the Dynamics of Cause Engagement study by Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication and Ogilvy Worldwide. The study shows that slacktivists are in fact more likely to take meaningful actions in support of a cause.

They are just as likely to donate, twice as likely to volunteer, and twice as likely to participate in offline events like charity walks. Slacktivists are also three times as likely to solicit others for donations on behalf of a cause, and more than four times as likely to encourage others to sign petitions and contact political representatives.

Clearly, engagement is a ladder, and slacktivism is the first rung. It’s a way to start people off with small actions, eventually leading them up the ladder to greater involvement with your organization. With proper guidance, slacktivists can become donors, volunteers, and even leaders of organizations and initiatives.

Here are some examples of common slacktivist actions for social good:

  • People like a cause on Facebook to trigger donations from a company to a cause. (For tips on using Facebook for cause marketing, check out this Cause Marketing Forum white paper.)
  • People put a “Twibbon” on their Twitter avatars to show support and raise awareness for a cause.
  • Offline, people wear free colored ribbons, pins and bumper stickers on their cars in support of a cause.
  • Consumers buy a product from a specific company and the purchase triggers a donation from the company to a specific cause. (Examples of this include , Tide Loads of Hope and the Dawn Saves Wildlife campaign.)

So you’ve engaged all these consumers with your cause. Great job! Now what?

You can really amplify the impact of your campaign by bringing these newfound slacktivists to the next level of engagement.

For people who liked you on Facebook, engage them in running their own mini campaign using or some other application. They can involve their network of friends and family in collecting donations and raising awareness. And people who Twibboned their avatar are probably Twitter junkies, so invite them to participate in a Tweetup event that you’re hosting, or ask them to donate their tweets using a service like Help Attack.

Without the all-seeing eyes of the Internet, it’s much harder to track people who wear your ribbons and pins or buy cause-related products. But if you are able to reach out to those people who engaged offline, this is an important time to educate them further about the cause.

Let people know how they can become more involved by living greener, eating healthier, contacting your organization, volunteering, donating, spreading the word… After all, if you don’t teach them how to help, they never will.

So when you reach out to people, whether online or off, recognize the value of what you’re doing and be proud of engaging so many slacktivists – and potential future activists – in your important issue.

But don’t forget to ask yourself: Now what?

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Posted in Social Media, Technology, Volunteer Recruitment, Volunteerism | 1 Comment »

Let’s Go #GoodSpotting this Holiday Season!

Monday, November 28th, 2011

Today’s post originally appeared on The Case Foundation. Jean Case is the CEO and founder of The Case Foundation, an organization dedicated to applying new technologies and innovative approaches to increase giving; catalyzing civic and business participation; and promoting innovation, collaboration and leadership in the nonprofit sector.

This week the holiday season really kicks into high gear. While we’re gathering with friends and family around the Thanksgiving feast, we’ll soon be thinking about Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, watching holiday decorations go up in our neighborhoods, and listening to classic seasonal tunes on the radio.

But if you take a closer look, you’ll see that the true spirit of the holidays is right in front of you: your neighbor shoveling his neighbor’s driveway, your daughter’s school hosting a canned food drive, or a friend running in a local 5K to raise money for charity. These are all acts of good. We’re sure you’ve done some good things lately, too.

And that’s why starting today, we’d like to invite you to go #GoodSpotting with us. To celebrate all of the good going on around us, we’re creating a huge, global image gallery of people, organizations and businesses doing good this holiday on our Facebook page – because we believe that #GoodSpotting is everywhere, and something everyone can do.

Here’s how you can get involved: snap a picture on your phone or camera and upload it to the Case Foundation Facebook page, or through another online photo-sharing service (Instagram, TwitPic, yFrog), and share on Twitter with the hashtag #GoodSpotting. If you need some inspiration, head on over to the gallery and check out some of the great photos we’ve got already.

And as an extra reward for getting involved in sharing the good this holiday season, you can enter our #Goodspotting sweepstakes for a chance to win up to $500 in holiday spending cash for yourself, and up to a $5,000 donation to the nonprofit of your choice.

To kick off the#GoodSpotting adventures, and to thank all of our partners and supporters that we’ve spotted doing quite a bit of good this year, we’d like to share a short holiday greeting with you – and hope that you’ll see how easy it is to do good and spot good. Happy holidays from all of us at the Case Foundation!

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Posted in Mobilize, Social Media | 1 Comment »

Four Tips For Staying Ahead Through Social Media

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

Staying connecting through the latest social media sites can be a bit taxing and often times confusing for some latecomers, but with the latest developments in the social networking realm, organizations have greater opportunities to both measure their progress and expand their scope through the social web.

Metricly.com helps you stay on top of your organization. It aggregates your data from all over the web, allowing you to compare and combine all of your metrics in one place. With pre-built connectors to over a dozen of the most popular online services that businesses use today, all you need to do is connect the data sources you use and Metricly will automatically synchronize your latest data in your dashboards.

How well is your website doing? Is it getting traffic?  How popular is it in social media? Every web page has the potential to rank well in search engines and draw traffic from other sources, like social media sites and the blogosphere. With Websitegrader.com, check out how you compare to similar websites and monitor your traffic rank and see if your optimizations and new content are showing benefits. You will be able to draw conclusions from your competitors and other sites that are related to your business.

Heardable.com allows brand owners to understand how well their brand is performing onsite and offsite, and compare their scores with thousands of other brands in your location, industry, or worldwide. Heardable can provide key insights, such as which tools and services your competitors are using, and show you how you can more effectively compete with them.


Fablistic.com is a social network for personal opinions. This simple website lets you save all your personal opinions in one place, share your opinions with friends on Facebook, Twitter or email, and discover new products and places from people you trust. Use it to save and share your opinions on books, blogs, fundraisers, events, restaurants, stores, shows, anything!

How are you using social media to improve your organization? Let us know in the comments!

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Posted in Social Media | 2 Comments »

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