My name is Annie Forsyth and I'm a Public Relations major at the University of Northern Iowa. My real passion lies in the nonprofit world of fundraising and event planning. Thus, this blog was born. Over the next 12 weeks I am going to dive into the world of social media marketing for nonprofits.
I signed onto Facebook a few months ago to look up one local nonprofit organization I had taken an interest in. A few sample fliers were posted on campus and I was curious enough to try and track down more information on their Facebook page. Just my luck. They don't believe in advertising over social media, which translates into- no Facebook page.
I've heard through the grape vine that many nonprofit organizations don't sign up for a Facebook account because they aren't interested using the "donate now" button on a social media account. It's all about the "donate now" button. But let's pause here. It's not about the "donate now" button. It's about engagement. It's about connecting and building relationships with your audience first. If you are social media beginner- people aren't going to just look up your Facebook page, like it, and then donate. That "liked page" must be earned. But it's still important to have a Facebook and Twitter page, even if you're not interested in using it for donations. It's a great way to reach a broad range of audiences.
I interned for a nonprofit organization this summer- specifically the YMCA. I wasn't a part of their social media advertising, but I did notice their posts are typically used as online fliers. Just updating the public with upcoming news. It's all about the nonprofit's news . But what if its not? Yes, it's good to advertise your fliers and upcoming events on social media. But in order to engage with your audience, an organization needs to commit to more than just updating the event calendar on their social media once a month.
My research, including talking with other nonprofits, has led me to believe that posting about current events-either locally or nationally- helps keep a nonprofit engaged with their audience. Posting questions or videos involving topics of current events creates a reaction from the public and allows people to connect with the organization itself to talk about the event and with each other. When I look through my Facebook or Twitter feed- I find myself interested in the organizations that draw up questions pertaining to current events, such a speaker who will be on campus this week. I personally feel twice as interested and likely to respond. It's such a simple tool used to interact on social media- I'm surprised more nonprofits, at least on my feed, aren't doing it.
So welcome to my blog. Here is week number one tip. Post questions about current events (locally or nationally) to start a dialogue with your audience.
Over the next 12 weeks I will be discussing topics under the social media for nonprofits categories of most successful tips other nonprofits are using, common pitfalls, my favorite nonprofit marketers, local Cedar Falls fundraisers and how they incorporated social media, how to build your brand using social media etc.....
If you have comments or links to other articles that pertain to my blog- please comment or follow me on Twitter at NonprofPanther! :)
