Free Webinar 2/22: Common Social Media Mistakes & How To Avoid Them

Quick heads up on a webinar I'm giving on Feb 22 @ 1:00 Eastern:

Common Social Media Mistakes, Misconceptions & Missed Opportunites:

This one-hour (including Q&A session) webinar will examine 5 mistakes, 5 misconceptions & 5 missed opportunities for nonprofits' work with social media AND how to turn these around into positive aspects of your social strategy. Not only would I welcome your attendance, I encourage feedback, questions, etc. - If you have any best practice with your institution you would like included in the highlights or follow-up material, let me know. There's quite a bit in the presentation already, but I'm always happy to add more as appropriate.

For more visit: http://martsandlundy.com/webinar.php

ISO: iPhone Photos of Nonprofits' Impact

UPDATE: Flickr group created so you can upload your pics here.

So there are plenty of lists of iPhone photos, including the recent 15 Incredible iPhone Dog Photographs from Mashable. But there is at least one list that is missing:

The best iPhone photographs of nonprofit impact / events.

Send them to me here so that I can highlight the best in a future post. The only rule is that you use iPhone applications to do any picture doctoring, etc.

Need inspiration? Here is one from @Surfridersotx (via @Surfrider) of the great turnout for their beach cleanup:

And here are some good ones on other topics...

On The Train... by Photocritic:

Lilly by Marc Bibby

Pool On The Beach by Craig Melville:

And Cecilia by yours truly:

Follow: @WeCanEndPoverty

So I was reviewing who I follow on Twitter to see if there were any bogus accounts, etc. I inadvertently followed. Well, I found one account that had one of my favorite Twitter backgrounds ever: @WeCanEndPoverty Therefore, it is the latest #FollowOfTheWeek:

Twitter: @WeCanEndPoverty
Name: The UN's 2015 Millennium Development Goals
Web: www.un.org/millenniumgoals
Bio: End poverty by 2015. This is the historic promise 189 world leaders made at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 when they signed onto the Millennium Declaration and agreed to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs are an eight-point road map with measurable targets and clear deadlines for improving the lives of the world's poorest people. World leaders have agreed to achieve the MDGs by 2015.
Followers: 6,550 + you!
Why Follow? Clearly this is a worthy cause. But it is also worth following because they do a good job of using social media to promote a cause.
Celebrities on board? (Not a reason to follow... just interesting) Antonio Banderas, Angelique Kidjo, Zinedine Zidane, Maria Sharapova and Annie Lennox
Additional tid-bit: The UN's summit on these topics is later this month. Visit this site to learn more.

@WeCanEndPoverty is also on: Web / Facebook / YouTube / Flickr

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some screenshots and examples follow - enjoy!

Twitter Page - background is simple, distinct and makes its point. It also generates interest in what the images on the left represent.

YouTube Page - well branded, great background, good information and kept up-to-date. All critical components to an engaging account.

Website - Note the immediate presence of Facebook & Twitter logos, as well as the continued theme of the goals.

Two great aspects of the Facebook page - First, a page dedicated to the goals:

And a wonderful landing page (that may need to be rescaled due to recent Facebook changes in column widths):

And another one of the websites:

And a great example of the use of video in nonprofit work:

Grading the Top 100 Charity Brands on Social Media Web Promotion

UPDATE 09/08/10:

Full report now available here.

UPDATE 09/03/10:

I have updated this to include actual grades for each of the top 100 charity brands - you will find these grades at the end of the post, as well as some additional examples of the "A+" charities. I hate to give a charity a bad grade, but the reality of the situation is that many are under-utilizing social media.

Original Post:

I was happy to find Cherita Smith's recent post, Adventures in Nonprofit Email Marketing, where Cherita conducted an experiment on how well the Core Nonprofit Power Brand 100 did at responding to email subscriptions, encouraging such subscriptions and harnessing the power of email lists. (@cheritatweets / blog / post)

She uncovered some interesting findings and it piqued my interest regarding the list relative to one of the 8 Common Social Media Mistakes I had posted last month:

2) Making it hard to find your social presence on your websites.
When someone visits one of your primary landing pages (home page, event page, information page, etc.), it should be easy to see the social media links - using icons - without having to dig and find them. I have seen various NPOs who do not have a link to any of their social media accounts anywhere on their website. Use the icons because people's eyes are trained to notice the Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, etc. icons, but may quickly look past the words "Twitter" or "Facebook" if mixed in with other links.

So, as a companion piece to Cherita's, I did some research on the same 100 charities to analyze how well they promoted social media via their respective websites. A few notes:

• I tracked the three "main" platforms: Twitter, Facebook, & YouTube
• I saw examples of LinkedIn, Friendster, Flickr (probably the 4th most common), MySpace & Vimeo, but not a significant enough number to track.
• I also made note of whether or not links to the org's blog(s) were included.
• I refused to dig for the links on secondary pages - If I can't find your link to your blog and social media accounts on your main page, you aren't doing a good job of promoting them.
• For some reason, Core excluded colleges & universities from the study. The only reason I can fathom is that it would have significantly increased the work required to produce the report. Higher education historically has some of the most powerful brand recognition in the country (Harvard, Stanford, Florida, Texas... just to name a few). One argument for not including these institutions could be that the Florida Gators, Texas Longhorns, etc. gain from athletic prowess, but I don't think the Harvard crew team is doing much for Harvard's brand recognition. I digress...

Here are the findings. Of the 100 charities:

- 41% had a Twitter logo on the landing page, visible without scrolling down the page.

- 26% had a Twitter logo on the landing page, visible after scrolling down the page.

- 2% had current tweets visible on the page (without an app)

- 5% had current tweets visible via an app.

- 4% had the word "Twitter" listed as a link, without a logo.

- 30% had no mention of Twitter

- 42% had a Facebook logo on the landing page, visible without scrolling down the page.

- 27% had a Facebook logo on the landing page, visible after scrolling down the page.

- 5% had a Facebook app on the page.

- 4% had the word "Facebook" listed as a link, without a logo.

- 27% had no mention of Facebook

- 31% had a YouTube logo on the landing page, visible without scrolling down the page.

- 19% had a YouTube logo on the landing page, visible after scrolling down the page.

- 14% had a YouTube video embedded on the page.

- 2% had the word "YouTube" listed as a link, without a logo.

- 46% had no mention of YouTube

- 47% had a link to their blog

- 53% did not have a link to their blog

* Note: In the Twitter, Facebook & YouTube categories, totals add to more than 100% because some orgs had logos with and without scrolling, had links and embedded videos or apps, etc.

I have to say that the overall findings are a bit disheartening. Particularly these:

- 30% had no mention of Twitter

- 27% had no mention of Facebook

- 46% had no mention of YouTube

- 53% did not have a link to their blog

Plus this one:

- 17% had no social media listing whatsoever, including 2 of the top 10 and 5 of the top 20.

While there are exceptions to every rule, it is difficult not to view these as missed opportunities for the "top 100 branded charities." What does this say about the Not-Top-100?

As Cherita did, though... I look to end on a positive note. Here are some positive examples from the list:

The International Rescue Commission (which also made the "nice" list for Cherita) has a nice landing page. Links at the top to YouTube, Twitter & Facebook (could be a little larger, in my opinion) and a great embedded YouTube video:

Mercy Corps Great Facebook, Twitter, mobile & email subscription links that pop as soon as you land on the page. Also includes a Twitter app below the fold and a nice social app listing recent donations:

Thoughts? Any other non-profits not on the list that you think have great social media presence on their website?

UPDATE: Agree w/ Cherita below... here's World Wildlife Fund:

Handing out the grades

These grades were attained by scoring each of the characteristics noted above, applying the "C" grade to the average score and distributing grades from that point.

A+
Big Brother Big Sisters of America
Union Rescue Mission

A look at the two A+ charities, both are great... though the URM page may be my favorite because of the "notifications" on the icons - as in the Twitter example below. If you click on the Twitter icon, the four URM accounts are shown:

A
The Salvation Army
Food for the Poor
International Rescue Committee
Natural Resources Defense Council
American Nicaraguan Foundation
Environmental Defense Fund
World Wildlife Fund
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Muscular Dystrophy Association
Mercy Corps

A-
United Way of America
American Red Cross
Goodwill Industries
Girl Scouts of the USA
Volunteers of America
CARE USA
March of Dimes Foundation
Project HOPE
National Audubon Society
Teach for America
Heifer Project International
Cross International Aid
Oxfam America

B+
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

B
The Arc of the United States
Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Boy Scouts of America
Shriners Hospitals for Children
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
Make-A-Wish Foundation of America
Academy for Educational Development
MAP International
Direct Relief International
Special Olympics
Combined Jewish Philanthropies
Covenant House
Local Initiatives Support Corporation

B-
Save the Children Federation
Ducks Unlimited
Arthritis Foundation
American SPCA
Medical Teams International
International Aid Inc.
Easter Seals

C+
Alzheimer's Association
Children's Hunger Fund
International Medical Corps

C
Habitat for Humanity International
Feed the Children
American Diabetes Association
American Kidney Fund
Paralyzed Veterans of America
National Kidney Foundation
JA Worldwide
Camp Fire USA

C-
The Nature Conservancy
The Trust for Public Land
The Humane Society of the United States

D
World Vision
Gifts in Kind International
PATH
Gleaning for the World
YWCA USA
Hope for the City
Operation Smile

F
World Emergency Relief
Project Orbis International
Catholic Charities USA
The Conservation Fund
Mental Health America
Heart to Heart International
Samaritan's Purse
Doctors Without Borders
Feeding America
United States Fund for UNICEF
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Institute of International Education
Conservation International Foundation
Children's Network International
National Wildlife Federation
United Cerebral Palsy Association
YMCA of the USA
American Cancer Society
American Heart Association
Planned Parenthood Federation
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
AmeriCares
City of Hope
Compassion International
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Wildlife Conservation Society
Marine Toys for Tots Foundation
The Rotary Foundation
National Cancer Coalition
Children International
Adventist Development and Relief Agency
American Lung Association
Girls Inc.

Be Our Guest: Diana Keim

Diana Keim, Senior Director of Development with City of Hope for the previous five years is our latest Be Our Guest participant. Diana is a University of Southern California alum who also spent ten years working in development for her alma mater. She also happens to be a wonderful person, should you get the opportunity to get to know her!

I thank Diana for taking part in the Be Our Guest series. Enjoy her answers and provide your thoughts in the comments

What is the biggest challenge your fundraising efforts currently face?

Acquiring new donors. 2008 and 2009 were lower fundraising years for everyone, and 2010 has been incredibly good for us, revenue-wise. However, acquiring new donors for the health of our donor file has been increasingly difficult. It's the only area of our annual giving fundraising efforts that hasn't recovered to a level I'm comfortable with. Not being in higher ed fundraising anymore, this is an area that is more difficult to tackle. We don't get new graduates every year. :)

What are you doing to overcome these challenges?

Instead of solely relying on direct mail acquisition, we are going to be entering the "digital media" arena. We will begin these efforts, in test capacities, in Fall 2010.

Current Campaign:

What is the most successful change/program implementation you have made in your current role?

More mailings hitting our donors, believe it or not. My first full year in FY 2006, we went from 11 mailings per year to 17, including the creation of a donor-focused newsletter. We spent the same amount of money to run the direct mail program, but raised another $600,000+, all net revenue.

Where do you see social-media’s best application for fundraising?

I truly don't know. I see it as as an advocacy media, instead of true fundraising. But I'd love to be proved wrong.

City of Hope on: Twitter / Facebook / YouTube / Flickr / MySpace

And check out the great social media landing page:

Social Media Statistics

FrogLoop pulled some nice information out of NTEN's 2010 Nonprofit Benchmarks Report that is useful for social media benchmarking. I've included some of FrogLoops's highlights and added some additional graphs and slides I thought you might find useful.

According to 1200 nonprofits surveyed:

• Facebook is the number one used commercial social network by nonprofits. 86% said that they have a presence on Facebook, a 16% increase from 2009. However, nonprofits experienced a drop in their average community from 5,391 members in 2009 to 2,440 in 2010.
• 60% of nonprofits are on Twitter as compared to 43% in 2009. Twitter’s average community size (i.e. number of followers) grew the fastest and by 627%. In 2009 nonprofits had an average of 286 followers. In 2010 nonprofits average close to 1800 followers.
• LinkedIn (largely used by education institutions and professional associations) usage remained steady over the last year (32.9% in 2009 and 33.1% this year).
• YouTube usage also remained steady over the last year moving up slightly from 46.5% in 2009 to 48.1% in 2010.
• MySpace suffered a 45% drop in popularity, dropping from 26.1% in 2009 to 14.4% in 2010.
• 50% of nonprofits said they plan to hire social media staff in the next 12 months.
• 20% said that they will increase funding towards social media projects such as hiring consultants, designers, and programmers to ramp up their social media presence.
• The nonprofits that have experienced the most success with social media are the organizations that have 2+ full time social media staff. These staff members spend time listening and engaging communities and are developing metrics to measure their impact.
• However, even with 2+ social media staff, nonprofits still face significant challenges and are requesting additional staff to increase their capacity for doing even more with social media.
• Fundraising is a priority, but few are bringing in significant dollars through the channel. Graphs below.

Though the report does not mention this, it is important to note that just because dollars aren't coming in directly through the social media channel, it doesn't mean that fundraising via social media isn't successful. It can be challenging to measure, but I would argue that the case-building conducted via Facebook, Twitter, etc. can make your direct marketing appeals and fundraising events more successful.

Interesting stats:

Be Our Guest: Debbie Bresette

Please welcome Debbie Bresette as our latest Be Our Guest participant willing to share her expertise. Debbie is president of the United Way Capital Area in Austin, Texas. She has worked with UWCA since 2003, having served as the interim president and chief professional officer for nine months before becoming president in Dec. 2009.

Among the efforts directed by Debbie during her tenure at UWCA are expansion of the United Way 2-1-1 Texas and a redesign of the Volunteer Center into a civic engagement model now called Hands on Central Texas. Bresette was a 2009 finalist for the Austin Business Journal’s Profiles in Power and Women of Influence award. Prior to UWCA, Debbie was a founding member of the Family Crisis Center in 1981 and the Executive Director of the non-profit for 22 years. During her tenure, Debbie created emergency shelter and a wide variety of critical services specifically for women and children in four rural counties in Central Texas. Under her leadership, 21 transitional housing units were developed, built and funded along with support services for battered women and their children. This effort increased affordable housing by 10 percent in the community.

Debbie has clearly had an impact on the capital area and I thank her and her team for providing the following expertise. Enjoy her answers and provide your thoughts on her comments and her question for the group.

What is the biggest challenge your fundraising efforts currently face?

Many of our donors have told us that they are feeling a strain on their finances, and maybe can't give as much as they'd like to right now. At the same time, our 2-1-1 Texas call center continues to report an increased need for health and human services.

Our challenge is to continue to inform our donors about this increased need and show them that now is the best time to give, when demand for services is so high. A gift to United Way Capital Area is appreciated more than ever as thousands of Central Texans and many nonprofit agencies depend on us to meet community needs.

What are you doing to overcome these challenges?

As an organization, United Way Capital Area continues to find innovative ways to reduce operational expenses. We also rely on the expertise of executive professionals in our community who give of their time as volunteers. This has enabled us to renew our commitment to our nonprofit partners. Early this year, we announced an award of $3.4 million in grants to the Central Texas nonprofit community. This funding remains constant even as the economy has brought a dip in donation levels and an increase in the demand for health and human services.

What is the most successful change/program implementation you have made in your current role?

No significant change or program is implemented without the tireless efforts of hundreds of individuals and groups in the community. I'm especially proud of the work my team at United Way Capital Area has done to create Bank On Central Texas. This is an innovative program that helps unbanked Central Texans keep more of their hard-earned money by opening a checking, savings or debit card account.

Where do you see social-media’s best application for fundraising?

United Way Capital Area puts community first in everything we do. We see our role as that of a catalyst for measurable change in the community. Social media and the application of it is a digital extension of the physical community in which we live.

Just as we rely on the people we meet in our neighborhoods, schools, churches and offices to make our world better, we extend these networks into social media spaces, and seek to empower individuals to affect change in these spaces, too.

UWCA on: Facebook / Twitter / Blogspot / YouTube / LinkedIn / Flickr

What book / blog / twitter feed would you suggest fundraisers pay attention to?

Of course, every nonprofit professional should be reading Beth Kanter's blog and gaining new insights from her latest book (with Allison Fine), The Networked Nonprofit.

I'd also like to mention two of our friends in the nonprofit community, The Capital Area Food Bank and Mobile Loaves and Fishes, as being outstanding examples of nonprofits using social media for fundraising. The CAFB has created an impressive iPhone app, and MLF recently integrated billboard advertising and texting to raise money. (Video from CNN below)

What question would you find most useful for readers to answer?

How do you envision your community five to ten years from now, and what can you do as an individual to make this happen? I think every single one of us wants to feel as if we are making a difference when we give back to our communities, but I urge everyone to also demand to see the change they are making when giving back.

Presentation: Locating/Engaging Lost Alumni

A recent webinar I gave is embedded below. It deals with the topic of using technology and social media to engage and reconnect with lost constituents. This was intended for an audience of higher education fundraisers, but could be reworked for and considered by other non-profit sectors.

Some notes:

• Obviously this does not include the speaking portion of the presentation and, therefore, may be missing some context and a good deal of the information I shared verbally.
• Some portions are not included, such as the question/answer session, etc.
• Please provide feedback, so that all can benefit.

- DTM

Finding Leads (aka Donors) with Social Media

Blogs and other news sites regularly provide guidance and insight on how businesses can improve their social media efforts. As a corresponding resource for the non-profit world, More Donors finds the best and most timely topics to share through a pair of non-profit spectacles. This takes a look at how businesses are using social media to find leads, but reconsidering the practices for finding donors. Previous postings of: Through Non-Profit Eyes.

How to Use Social Media for Lead/Donor Generation:

...51% of Facebook fans and 67% of Twitter followers said they were more likely to buy the brands they like on Facebook or follow on Twitter, strengthening the argument that social media is one of the most important emerging channels for lead generation. - Mashable.com

1) Continuously Point Users to Your Content

Obviously, part of your role in engaging constituents is to provide useful content. Once the content is out there, you need to make sure your collective social media presence directs people to the information. Posting links to full articles illustrating your expertise take the engagement beyond your basic Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn post. Some good examples from Oxford below:

2) Promote Your Social Presence with Social Links

While this may be from the syllabus to Social Media Marketing 101, it is worth highlighting as part of this topic. You cannot find donors via social media if they can't find your social media landing pages. Good examples from Texas A&M (see lower right of image) and Music Rising:

3) Monitor Conversations about Your Brand and Competitors

You must listen to know how you are being viewed on the medium.

Social media is changing the ways brands approach marketing. Instead of broadcasting messages, brands are starting conversations and engaging individuals.

Tweetdeck, Hootsuite, and other aggregation tools are good for keeping track of various topics.

4) Respond to Customer Constituent Questions and Feedback

You can listen all day, but if you don’t act on your learnings, you will lose an opportunity to generate a meaningful conversation with a consumer that may be considering trying out your brand. Take action when you come across a useful comment, and make sure you clear up any customer questions when they arise. - Mashable.com

5) Use Your Offline Skills

How would you treat a donor who walked in your door with a gift, called or wrote to complain, or asked you to make a case for support? Take those skills and answers and use them as you see questions arise on social media. If you engage and quickly address issues or answer questions, more people will be inclined to take part in your conversation.

What are some of your tips and techniques for using social media for lead generation?

Happy Social Media Day!

I have obviously documented the fact that there is a plethora (a word I learned from the movie Three Amigos... see video clip below) of holidays - popular, odd, humorous and obscure - that can be repurposed for philanthropic reasons. Today is another holiday... one that Hallmark actually did not invent, but is new nonetheless - Social Media Day!

5/9 Through Non-Profit Eyes

In addition to the Mother's Day edition, you can find the regular Through Non-Profit Eyes below. Enjoy! Share your examples of applying best practice in social media to non-profit efforts.

Every week Mashable.com summarizes the site's stories and blogs that they classify as the essential social media resources you may have missed. As a corresponding resource for the non-profit world, I take it each week, mine it for nuggets of information useful for fundraisers and non-profit organizations and share some of the applicable tools through a pair of non-profit spectacles. You can find the May 9, 2010 edition below.


1) On the topic of building a team for your office or small organization, one segment was on using social media to build a voice for your business or organization. The TNPS takeaways and my insight follow...

• Encourage members of your staff to blog for your organization. Not just your communications staff, but those who are closest to using donor dollars and those closest to your constituents. This can make the staff feel more connected to your cause and make it easier for them to make the case for support. It can also help constituents better understand what your org does, as well as put a human face to your efforts.
• All of that applies to Twitter as well...
  
• The article also makes note of the Tom Bihn story - a good look at how a small company in Seattle has developed a positive presence within social media.
  

2) If you are reading this blog you likely have considered or are already using social media for fundraising efforts. In that case, you almost certainly have asked yourself "How can we get more people to give to us through social media?" (come to think of it... this firm & blog are named on that concept!). That being said, you should take a minute and pose this question to your leadership: "How can we pay more attention to our constituents?" This approach will make it much more likely for you to find the people you want to and that they will begin to promote you on their own.

3) Speaking of which, how do you find your super-influential-power-users on social media? This is one of the holy grails of social media marketing. Some tips:

• Seek out those who have benefited from your organizations work. Are alumni and students of your institution who depended on scholarships following you? Did your work help save someone's family member or pet? Is there a community program of yours that kept one of your followers in school or at work? Now... Can they help promote you? Listen For Users Who Already Promote Your Product
  
• Listen and watch for those who already promote your organization. This should not be too difficult to keep an eye on, you just need to dedicate the time to paying attention. On Twitter, hashtags (ex: #americanidol) encourage people to add categories to their tweets. With this and the ability to search for your key phrases in real-time, you can find your key promoters by simply paying attention. Facebook and other networks aren't as streamlined for finding your promoters, but simply by observing who is posting and what they post about will make it easy for your to find them in time.
• Make a genuine connection. While we may not enjoy complaints, those complaining often have passion about what you're doing and are simply expressing their frustration. Rather than push these communications away or deleting the postings, genuinely engage these individuals and address their concerns. That a person is actually trying to address the concern will often exceed expectations... continuing the conversation to find the best possible solution can turn the complainer into an advocate.

And finally, a quote from David Spark of Spark Media Solutions:

You can’t fake compassion. You either care about your users and show it, or you don’t. Compassion also can’t be scaled. But when you find those specific users, engage them in dialogue, and give them latitude. You’ll learn more from them than anyone on your payroll.

4) Facebook's Open Graph has been quite the buzz for conversation since being announced by Mark Zuckerberg at the F8 Developers Conference. What does it mean for non-profits? Thus far, not much... in the future, maybe some significant data for mining. Imagine a prospect visits your website - what would he/she see today?

Now, imagine the same prospect visits your page, but before the page loads you know what other non-profits they like, which of their friends have supported your organization and where the visitor is located. Could you generate a more targeted landing page that includes peer references? This can be done and will increase the likelihood a visitor will donate, sign up for communications and stay engaged with your organization.

5) NPOs using social media to generate awareness. Highlights from the Mashable piece:

• Increasing brand awareness I: Enchanted Makeovers uses social media to find artists from around the world to transform shelters for women and children into more desirable - and enchanted - locales (See example below and find more on the organization's website). Enchanted Makeovers used Martha Stewart's Dreamers into Doers networking site to identify constituents who could help make their mission a reality.



• Increasing brand awareness II: The Life Rolls On Foundation was founded in 1999 by Jesse Billauer and his brother Josh Billauer. In 1996, Surfer Magazine named Jesse one of the top up-and-coming wave riders in the world. That same year, he had a surfing accident, which rendered him quadriplegic. Determined to live his life to the fullest and to encourage others to do the same, Jesse became a motivational speaker after he was injured, while he and Josh established LRO to advocate for youth with spinal chord injury. Through the power of online video, LRO’s small staff of three people and numerous volunteers around the world have built a brand famous within the surfing community and beyond. In 2006, LRO produced an Emmy-nominated PSA, attracting recognition from the entertainment industry and raking in more support.
  

• Connecting with a broader non-profit community: Because non-profits with similar causes are often in competition for the same funds, many times organizations are less likely to collaborate with one another. Fortunately, some groups are bridging the gap and joining forces for the greater good through social media. Working to find a cure for paralysis, LRO merged with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation in 2009, extending the reach of both organizations. The Southern California-based non-profit Free Arts is following suit, and using social networking to partner with groups who share similar messages. Free Arts Development Director Annie D. Armbrust says she always has her eye out for what other organizations are doing with their social media campaigns. “We especially rely on the insight and partnership of First 5 LA, the Free Arts affiliates in other cities, and many other groups for new ideas,” said Armbrust.
• Knowing your audience: Getting to know an audience is important for any non-profit. The San Francisco Symphony, the first major American orchestra to build and launch its own social network, is taking that imperative to a deeper level using social media platforms. In 2009, the SF Symphony held an online contest for members of the community to win tickets to the group’s 2009-2010 opening gala with pianist Lang Lang. To enter the contest, more than 70 people wrote stories and created videos that conveyed their passion for classical music. In addition to eliciting engagement among the community, the competition sparked conversation about the importance of music in people’s lives.

That does it for this edition of Through Non-Profit Eyes... until next time: may the gifts be plentiful, your constituents happy & your mission served,

DTM

P.S. Have you missed previous editions of Through Non-Profit Eyes? - check them out here.

Images courtesy of Enchanted Makeovers & Mashable.com