Posts Tagged ‘Social Media’

« Older Entries

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!

Related articles

Tags: , , , , , , ,
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!

Tags: , , , , , ,
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.

 

Tags: ,
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!

Related articles

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

Social Media for Social Good Camp

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

Whether you want to grow your membership, raise funds or loans, recruit more followers, gather petition signatures, find volunteers for your cause or connect with your community, Social Media for Social Good: How to Mobilize Your Supporters to Take Action will offer guidance that will help your organization create impact for years to come.

This special 3-hour workshop at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service will dive deeply into strategy, tactics and tools available to volunteer organizations and nonprofit managers. NCVS has no tech track this year, so get up to speed on the mission-critical social tools in your sector from two of the nation’s leading nonprofit tech leaders.

You have the passion, now learn the latest techniques in this power-packed interactive workshop!

The camp is the Sunday before the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, June 5, from 2 to 5 pm in the New Orleans Convention Center. When you sign up, the room number will be emailed to you before the workshop. There is an additional fee of $99 for the workshop.

When you register for the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, register for session 5638 to sign up for the workshop.

J.D. Lasica is a social media strategist, nonprofit consultant and author who is considered one of the world’s leading experts on the social Web. He is founder of Socialbrite.org, a learning hub & global consultancy that works with nonprofits and NGOs, and Socialmedia.biz, which works with major brands. A blogger since 2001, J.D. co-founded Ourmedia.org, the first free video hosting site, a month before YouTube.

He has spoken at or given workshops at Harvard’s Berkman Center, Stanford, MIT, NYU, SXSW, the Cannes Film Festival and at events in Paris, Milan and Seoul. J.D. was named one of the Top 40 Silicon Valley Influencers and one of CNET’s Top 100 Media Bloggers. Follow him on Twitter at .

George Weiner is chief technology officer of DoSomething.org. a not-for-profit that uses communication technologies to empower young people to take action. Under his leadership, the organization has become an innovator in social media, mobile technologies and causes. He oversaw the complete overhaul of the site, landing a People’s Choice Webby Award in the Youth category.

George is a self-taught techie and graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a frequent speaker on nonprofit tech issues at forums including the Google Grants Conference, U.N. Youth Summit, National Conference on Volunteering and Service, NTEN and BlogWorld Expo and has guest lectured at NYU and NYIT. Follow him on Twitter at .

Agenda

Social Media for Social Good Camp will focus on practical, down-to-earth tactics and strategies that busy professionals can immediately take to engage supporters. The emphasis is on actionable takeaways. You’ll be introduced to several examples of nonprofits and volunteer organizations that are creating impact – with real-world examples you can learn from.

We encourage interaction and questions during our sessions! what you’d like to see covered, and tell us if you have any lessons learned that you’d like to share.

Some of the questions we’ll cover:

  • What strategies & tactics will motivate supporters and newcomers to take specific actions on behalf of my organization or cause?
  • What are the essential elements of a successful advocacy campaign?
  • How can I successfully use social tools to mobilize volunteers, spread awareness, enlist supporters, raise funds and drive action?
  • What metrics are critical to measure? (To drive social media decisions, ask, “What does the data say?” instead of “What does my gut say?”)
  • How can storytelling and video advance the mission of my organization?
  • Which organizations are creating impact, and what are they doing right?
  • What are some of the cutting-edge tools and resources available for change agents looking to make a difference?
  • What do you want to know? in advance.

Where possible, we’ll use a roundtable approach and a short small-group breakout session that encourages dialogue and interaction.

This is part of Socialbrite’s nationwide series of social media bootcamps. It has been presented to positive reviews at Personal Democracy Forum in New York and at Sustainatopia in Miami.

Hear what Jeff Pfaff, founder & CEO of mtbMobile, said about taking the bootcamp in this 60-second audio:

Jeff-Pfaff.mp3

Bonus materials!

In addition to this 3-hour live training, during the bootcamp you’ll also be able to access these full-color handouts and guides at no additional cost — and share them with your team!:

  1. 12 Steps to Mobilize Your Cause – Summary of all the action items you need to conduct a successful campaign.
  2. Team Collaboration – Tools to help you work with other organizations or your own team members in multiple locations.
  3. 15 Best Practices for the Social Web – High-level principles to help you succeed in social media.
  4. 12 Social Action Hubs – Selectively plug into some of these online communities and crowdsource platforms to promote a social cause.
  5. 40 Hashtags for Social Good – Use these Twitter hashtags as you tweet for your cause to gain wider visibility and viral help from the community.
  6. A Mobile Activism User’s Guide – A 16-page guide introducing you to the world of mobile activism and showing you how you can take your organization mobile.
  7. 10 Mobile Apps for Social Good – Apps for your iPhone or Android.
  8. 6 Twitter Tips for Change-Makers – A series of tips to help your organization use Twitter more strategically.

We’ve never had a disappointed attendee! Please register now!

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Events, Social Media, Tools You Can Use | No Comments »

Volunteering at the Speed of Technology

Thursday, January 6th, 2011

Today’s post comes from Michael Nealis, Interactive Strategy Coordinator for Points of Light Institute.



A reader mentioned this commercial in the comments for a post that asked, “Can A Spontaneous Mob of Strangers Change The World?” a few days ago, and it’s been rolling around in my head since then.

It’s a great way to show the power of technology to bring people together for a common cause and how you can use technology to make an impact on your community.

From a volunteerism standpoint the commercial has some great, albeit unspoken, messages.  What might be the most important message is that in order to get people to come together to change their community, you need to ask them.  If you don’t ask, they won’t know that they’re needed.

When you’re asking someone to volunteer, you need to go to where the people are, whether it’s on Facebook, your local volunteer center, or a community center.  The young adult in the commercial uses his phone to go to Facebook, where he can leverage the network he already has and share information with them about his idea.

We get to see the results of his efforts, too.  Not only does he get a group of people together to change an abandoned lot into a space that the community can use, we get to see what the results of their action is.  This is another important aspect of a volunteer project.  Volunteers that work on small parts of a project may not get to directly see the results of the work that they do.  It’s important to seek them out at different stages of the project that they’ve worked on to show them the results of the work that they’ve done, and how it’s contributed to the completion of the project.

There’s a question about whether events like the one in the commercial, groups of people spontaneously coming together to do a service project is beneficial.  I’ve talked with people who have said that if the volunteers don’t have a connection to the community, or if they’re doing it for themselves to boost their egos rather than out of a sense of altruism or community good, then it’s not really volunteering.  Volunteering is serious business.

I don’t agree with the people that say these things.  Volunteering can be serious business, but it can be full of laughter and excitement and fun, too.  All it takes is one event for people to start to grow a connection to service.  That first time volunteering because a friend asks you to, or that first project that you planned because you saw a community need that needed to be addressed, really lowers the bar to a continued life of service.

One shot and “volunteer mob” events are a great way for people to test the waters of volunteering.  The bar for entry at these types of events tend to be very low, and if it gives them an opportunity to connect to a cause and have fun while doing it, it makes the bar for entry to continuing to volunteer lower.

Besides, who am I to judge how people get involved in serving their communities?  I know that I didn’t start because service was an important part of my life, I kind of just stumbled into service.

Do you remember the first time you volunteered and how it influenced you to keep volunteering?  Have you ever participated in a spontaneous “volunteer mob” event like the one in the commercial?  Let me know in the comments section!

Tags: , ,
Posted in Mobilize, Volunteering, Volunteerism | 3 Comments »

Join Create The Good on October 22 for a virtual #AllUCanTweat

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

by Jen Martin, Senior Specialist, Office of Volunteer and Civic Engagement, AARP

“…the first essential component of social justice is adequate food for all mankind.” -Norman Borlaug

Nearly six million older Americans face hunger and the number will only increase as the aging population grows.

Between 2006-2008, the percentage and number of poor and near-poor elderly struggling with hunger or lacking sufficient nutrition and food resources more than doubled – from 4.7% to 10.1%

Nationwide, AARP and AARP Foundation are launching anti-hunger initiatives including volunteer-led food drives Create The Good and Comparti es Vivir, a major fundraising campaign, new online hunger resources and information at www.aarp.org/hunger and — and local SNAP outreach and assistance.

And as part of the broader AARP hunger initiative, Create The Good is hosting a social media tweetup this Friday we’re calling, “#AllUCanTweat.”

For three hours (11 a.m. – 2 p.m. EST) on October 22, Create The Good is inviting you to a virtual discussion on the growing issue of hunger, specifically for older Americans. Did you know that Older Americans most at risk for hunger are:

  • Age 60-64
  • Living with a grandchild
  • Living at or below the poverty line
  • Undereducated (less than HS)
  • African-American or Hispanic
  • Divorced, separated or have never been married
  • Renters

Are you or someone you know in any of these categories?

Do you have a Facebook or Twitter account?

How about a personal blog?

If so, join us to learn how to help your loved ones get the benefits and information they deserve.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Economy, Events, Mobilize, News & Links, Social Media, Volunteerism | No Comments »

NCVS Panel: Social Media for Social Good

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

by Chris Noble

Quick!  What’s the best social media advice you’ve ever gotten?

Are you thinking about it? Think about the person who gave you that advice.  Now think about how you’ve applied it in the days or months since it was offered.

Got it? Hold on to that memory.

Follow-up question: Is that “social media” advice different in any way from other sound advice you’ve received from friends and colleagues?

I hope not.  Because the best advice in social media is about how to be a person, and about what’s important to any form of interaction.  If what you’ve been told only applies to social media, it’s not gonna serve you very well when the next thing comes along.

Case in point: This video from the Social Media for Social Good panel at NCVS (The National Conference on Volunteering and Service).   If you’ve seen the previous videos in the series, you know it’s a cast of all-stars: , , , and .  As good as they are, the most compelling thing about this segment is how the wisdom they’re imparting is valuable across many disciplines.

In a nutshell: (No, Craig, that’s not a reference)

1. Few create, many watch – Paul explains the 1-9-90 rule of how content is created and consumed.  It applies to more than just the internet.  If your goal is getting a mass of people to participate, whether by volunteering, donating, voting, etc. the best way to pursue that goal is to remember that your storytellers are a precious resource.  In nonprofit organizations, this means your leaders, the folks that are rallying others toward a campaign goal or event.

2. Lead by example/ lead by listening – So, if your leaders are your storytellers, get ‘em out there!  Joe talks about how important it is for organizations to show leaders in action, and to create a story of leadership that inspires others to become leaders within the group.  Andrew echoes by pointing out that groups need to look externally for leadership as well – taking examples from what others in the space are doing well (and poorly).  Craig goes a step further by reaffirming that social media is about talking to people: respecting them, listening to them and inspiring them.

3. Use the right tool for the job - There’s the old saying that if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.  Asked about what tools nonprofits to use, the panel flirts with open source and new media for a bit, then comes right back to… email.  Yup.  There’s a little rally at the end of this clip where the gang agrees that capturing email addresses and using email to mobilize your forces is still the most powerful way to maintain a connection with your donors and volunteers.  (That’s gotta be good news for the Flowtown team, who make it their business to leverage email lists to best social media effect.)

All good lessons, and all reusable no matter what the future holds. Naturally, these guys say it better.  So take a look:

Related Posts

  • NCVS Panel: Mobilizing Volunteers with Social Media
  • Service Nerd Fantasy Panel Discussion
  • NCVS Panel: Finding the ROI in Social Media
  • NCVS: Joe Rospars on Effective Organizing

Originally posted on What Gives?! and cross-posted here with the author’s permission.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Equip, News & Links, Service, Social Media, Tools You Can Use, Volunteer Management, Volunteering, Volunteerism | No Comments »

Mobilizing Volunteers with Social Media

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

by Chris Noble – Originally published on What Gives and republished here with the author’s permission.

There’s a lot of “activity” in social media.  More people are embracing social networks every day, and more organizations are using social channels to reach their audience. But in all this “activity”, is there any real action?  How can nonprofits and others use social media to mobilize volunteers and get things done in the real world?

That’s the question put to a panel of social media luminaries at NCVS, the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, held by HandsOn Network and Points of Light in New York City a few weeks back.  Maybe “luminaries” isn’t exactly the right word… how about superstars?  These folks have been on the front lines where social media meets social change:

, who headed up President Obama’s social media strategy and action in 2008, now Founder and Creative Director of Blue State Digital.

, Founder of Craigslist, who’s been championing social media as a way to make government more accessible, accountable and efficient.

, Co-founder and Chairman of , who has his own social venture launching in the fall.

, who, as Manager of Public Policy Communications handles some of the tougher policy and community organizing issues for on a daily basis.

We’ve got lots of coverage coming your way from NCVS over the coming weeks, including more from this group and fifth panel member, social media marketing strategist , as well as individual interviews with an incredible range of activists, CEOs, authors, and other leaders in the nonprofit space.  This segment is a great start, because these guys have some solid advice for nonprofit organizers based on real-world experience.

Not only valuable content, but actually fun to watch.  Joe does a great job describing why you should treat volunteers like gold, and how to do so in a social framework. There’s also a great analogy in there for those of you who need to explain to your parents why all this “social media stuff” is relevant to social change – just go to Craig’s Gutenberg/ Luther shtick about 5 minutes in – I’ve used it 5 or 6 times since hearing it.

Enjoy!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Equip, Service, Social Media, Tools You Can Use, Volunteer Management, Volunteering, Volunteerism | 5 Comments »

« Older Entries