That (above) was the simple message posted by Alliance for Children and Families member Family Services of Metro Orlando, Florida, to its more than 800 followers on the social networking website Twitter. Within just a few hours, the in-kind donation had been secured.
This is one of several success stories the organization has experienced since integrating social media into its formal marketing and communications plan in 2009. Currently, the organization maintains an agency blog and is active on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Flickr (see What is Social Media for a brief explanation of these platforms).
ALLIANCE PROVIDES SPECIALIZED 1. Collection of how-to resources and informational articles targeted to various needs: measuring social media efforts; being successful with Facebook, blogs, LinkedIn, and Twitter; creating online videos; and fundraising with social media. 2. For additional support with social media questions, contact the Severson Center using the online request form. 3. The Executive Consultant Select Group is hosting two webinars pertaining to social media in 2011. |
Recent information gathered by the Alliance shows that more than half of Alliance members are engaged in social media activities, while others have made conscious decisions not to move into this realm.
Even though several members have experienced benefits—including filling immediate in-kind needs, improving the organization’s visibility, and building awareness about key community issues—others say they are still trying to understand how best to utilize these tools.
“A lot of nonprofits are going into social media and using the old method of just blasting their message about ‘donate to us’ or ‘attend our event,’ but that’s not how social media works,” says John Kenyon, a nonprofit technology educator and strategist who is a member of the Alliance’s Executive Consultant Select Group. “It’s about a building relationships and having a conversation. You have to engage people in a conversation about the issues that your agency focuses on, and that the audience cares about.”
Being successful with social media requires ongoing strategic planning, beginning with a written social media plan. When drafting that plan, whether it is written independently or as part of a broader marketing and communications or fund development plan, organizations should think about each of the following six steps.
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