What the heck is social media and what does it mean to fundraising?
Social media can be daunting for fundraisers who may be unfamiliar with all the platforms and tools available, but playing in this uncharted territory can enhance your organization’s visibility and boost your fundraising revenue potential.
1. Goals and Milestones. Before you embark in any online fundraising efforts through social media, clearly map out your goals and establish milestones.
2. Choose what works best for you. Is it Twitter – a micro-blogging site? Facebook – a social network? Or LinkedIn, YouTube, MySpace? It is important to do your research as each social media platform offers a different communication style and opportunity.
3. Who will be your social media Czar? Your Czar must love it and want to be a social media Rock Star. They should be able to dedicate time to creating content, interacting with prospective donors, have the authority to answer questions, and be knowledgeable about your organization’s cause and where donated dollars will go.
4. Map it out. Decide what you want to say and how you will say it. A content plan for social media is a list of what you will talk about to inspire people to donate. Some ideas for content are: success stories, statistics, photos/images, videos, articles, special event re-caps or previews, advice about how to become part of the solution, interview an expert that has relevance to your cause. As always, have everything approved by your organization and make sure you have the proper release and consent forms.
5. Timing Is everything. You’ve got your plan. When are you going to use it? Identify when and how you are going to distribute the content. Are you going to update your Facebook wall once a day or once a week? Are you going to send out Tweets on the hour, or at select peak times of the day? Defining when you are going to send your messages out into the social media universe is very dependent on the organization, cause, and overall communication goals. If you are lucky enough to work with a professional agency they will help you. If not, check out what your peers are doing. Do you see a trend in communication style and timing?
6. Hit the submit button, then shhhhh… listen! Now your strategic message is out in the social media universe. Take the time to listen to what people are saying. Is it positive or negative? Are they providing supportive content in response, are they challenging you on something you posted? Part of engaging in the social media environment is taking time to just monitor what people are saying about you, and the content you are putting out there.
7. Connect with your community. Respond in a timely manner with those who are taking the time to engage with you. It’s so important to create that community aspect online. It’s about giving and receiving. If someone called you on the telephone and left you a message you wouldn’t wait 3 or 4 days to respond back to them; you’d return the call as soon as you can… same rules apply in social media. However, if you don’t know how to respond back to someone due to the nature of the comment, don’t ignore the person. This could fuel a fire. Tell the person that you will get back to them, and then consult with others in your organization’s circle or committee and come up with an appropriate response. Also decide whether it’s appropriate to publically respond, or respond to the person in a more private manner like a direct message, e-mail, or if you can get the person’s phone number through a telephone call.
8. Build trust. We feel that only when a community has been formed, it is ripe to begin fundraising. If you start asking people for money before you give them a reason to you will turn people off to financially supporting your cause. Give your organization an opportunity to express its story and develop trust. Every organization has a story. Stories are powerful. Make it personal, be sincere. When people can find that point of connection, we believe trust is formed. And, from our experience, building trust is one of the best ways to create a group of supporters.
9. Get your techno-geek on – collect data. Track what is working with your fundraising and awareness building efforts. Depending on which social media platforms you use, there will be different measurement methods and tools. For example, Facebook Insights allows you to see the level of interaction, demographics, and amount of new fans you gain or lose on a weekly basis. When you see what is working and what is not working, you can adjust your fundraising strategy or tactics.
10. Need backup? Don’t be afraid to reach out to professional groups that specialize in social media if you feel you cannot do this on your own, or don’t have the internal support structure. Social media is a commitment. There are advertising and public relations agencies that take on non-profit organizations as clients at a pro-bono or discounted rate. There are also professional groups out there that offer special seminars about social media just for non-profit organizations. Just remember, agencies want to be a part of their community and give back when they can.
