Web & Social Media Strategies for Volunteer Engagement

Using the Web & Social Mediafor Volunteer Engagement

September 2009

As of April 2009,

79% of American adults

use the internet

Pew Internet & American Life Project (April 2009)

• http://www.nyccah.org/ • Nonprofit Website Design – Examples and Best Practices:

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/05/14/non-profit-website-design-examples-and-best-practices/

Website

Website

•Purpose?

•Donor-friendly•Media-friendly•Volunteer-friendly

•Use stories, pictures (both cause-related and of diverse volunteers), and videos when possible

http://www.aspca.org/

Website

http://www.archoward.org/

Volunteer Engagement Online

• Discuss varied volunteer roles and options

• Include download-able application or online application form

• Include FAQs, a phone number and an e-mail link for questions

http://www.miriamskitchen.org/HELP/Volunteer/tabid/69/Default.aspx

Volunteer Engagement Online

http://www.mealsonwheelsmd.org/ http://www.austinfoodbank.org/

Audience Engagement Online

• Growing marketing trend – allow people to select the type of information they would like to receive from your agency

•Trends in Constituent Satisfaction with Nonprofit Websites: Building Membership, Donations, and Loyalty through the Web Channel:

http://www.foreseeresults.com/_downloads/researchcommentary/ForeSeeResults_NonprofitWebsiteStudy_Spring2009.pdf

In 2005, 8% of online adults had a profile on an social network site. 35% had one in January 2009.

Today, 44.2% do.

Pew Internet & American Life Project (January 2009)

www.emarketer.com (August 2009)

Social Media Goals

• Engage in conversation clients, funders, colleagues

• Share information– Educate others about your agency and/or issue– Learn from others

• Increase transparency and responsiveness• Build community• Network• Advocate• Mobilize your base to action

Social Media Challenges

• Giving up control of the conversation

• Achieving a comfort level using social media

• Balancing organization’s identity with personal identity

• Time/personnel resources for maintaining social media presence

• Adjusting to ever-changing landscape of social media – being flexible

• Understanding technology and terminology

• Measuring ROI (return on investment)

Social Media Getting Started

Identify• Which types of web 2.0 does your organization want to use? What is your goal?• http://www.chrisbrogan.com/if-i-started-today/

Identity• Establish an identity and keep it consistent across platforms• Balance organizational goals with personality

Invest• You get out of Social Media what you put into it

Interact• Don’t make the mistake of thinking that social media is all about YOU and

YOUR organization – it’s about interactions

Info taken from: http://dannybrown.me/2008/11/30/the-four-is-of-social-media/

LinkedIn Median age is 40

6% of adult social network users

Pew Internet & American Life Project (January 2009)

The Guardian UK: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2009/mar/09/socialnetworking-facebook

State of the Twittersphere Q4 2008 report

Facebook Median age is 26

22% of adult social network users 168% global audience growth in 2008

Twitter Median age is 31

11% of adult social network users5-10 thousand new accounts

opened daily (growing quickly)

MySpace Median age is 27

50% of adult social network users

3% global audience decline in 2008

FacebookFrom 250 million usersworldwide in July 2009to 300 million users inSeptember 2009

94.6 million users in theUnited States

TwitterFrom 7 million users in March

2009 to ~20 million users in August 2009

Aging backwards

LinkedIn13.6 million users in the

United States in August 2009

Taken from Quantcast (September 2009) & Guardian UK, September 15, 2009

Social Media Getting StartedSocial Media Facebook Cause

• Profile (personal)

• Causes (organization)

• Page (organization)

http://www.facebook.com/ http://apps.facebook.com/causes/77228?m=3f1cca43

Social Media Getting StartedSocial Media Facebook Page

Social Media Getting StartedSocial Media Facebook Page

Social Media Getting StartedSocial Media Facebook Page

http://www.facebook.com/VolunteerHoward

• Free Report: Twitter Jump Start - The Twitter Guide for Small Non-Profits http://www.corporatedollar.org/twitter-jump-start-the-complete-guide-for-small-non-profits/

• Twitter Mini-Guide: http://www.hybrid6.com/webgeek/2009/01/a-twitter-mini-guide-60-useful-twitter-resources.php

• The Digiactive Guide To Twitter Activism: http://www.digiactive.org/2009/04/13/twitter_guide/

Social Media Twitter

http://search.twitter.com/

http://monitter.com/

Great article on Kids Are Heroes Use of Twitter: http://www.corporatedollar.org/2009/05/business-heart-kidsareheroes/

• 26 Nonprofits on Twitter: http://mashable.com/2009/03/19/twitter-nonprofits/

Social Media You Tube

Volunteer Tribute Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe-QyxX3r1w&feature=channel Camp Make a Difference Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMT-6q8pXxY

Social Media You Tube

The Arc of Howard County

http://www.youtube.com/user/ArcHoward

Social Media Getting StartedSocial Media Blogs

http://redcrossyouth.org/

http://www.linkedin.com

Social Media Getting StartedSocial Media LinkedIn

Social Media Getting StartedSocial Media LinkedIn

Social Media Getting StartedSocial Media MySpace

http://www.myspace.com/

• Ten Cool Examples of Nonprofits Using Flickr! http://www.blogher.com/node/17111

Social Media Getting StartedSocial Media Flickr

Social Media Getting StartedSocial Media Return on Investment

http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2009/02/nten-and-techsoup-webinar-share-your-story-roi-and-social-media-slides-and-notes.html

http://www.nten.org/blog/2009/01/14/three-dimensions-social-media-roi

Resources – Online

Go online!

• Research what others are doing related to both volunteer management and web 2.0

• Learn about volunteer trends, volunteer management and new technologies using resources such as webinars, Slide Share, YouTube, and podcasts

Resources – Webinars

http://www.nten.org/events/webinar

• http://www.commonknow.com/html/resources.php

Resources – Webinars

Resources – Slide Share

http://www.slideshare.net/WeAreMedia/sharing-your-storyblogging-1013438

Common Craft’s Online Photo Sharing in Plain English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPU4awtuTsk&feature=channel

(also, check the “More” section for other Common Craft videos)

Resources – You Tube

Resources – Podcasts

501c3 Cast http://www.501c3cast.com/

Energize Inc. http://www.energizeinc.com/hot.html

Volunteer San Diego Podcastshttp://vsdpodcast.org/

Social Media Video Tutorial Podcasthttp://johnhaydon.com/social-strategy-tips/social-media-video-tutorial-podcast/

Resources – Social Media

• NTEN (Nonprofit Technology Network): http://www.nten.org/

• Tech Soup: http://www.techsoup.org/

• We Are Media: http://www.wearemedia.org/Tool+Box

• Social Brite: http://www.socialbrite.org/tools/

• Change.org: http://nonprofits.change.org/

• Non-profit Website Design – Examples and Best Practices: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/05/14/non-profit-website-design-examples-and-best-practices/

• Using Social Media Sites to Promote Your Mission: http://www.fundraising123.org/article/using-social-networking-sites-promote-your-mission

• 10 Ways to Change the World Through Social Media: http://spurspectives.com/10-ways-to-change-the-world-through-social-media/

• Internet Giving Benchmark Analysis: http://www.blackbaud.com/targetanalytics/benchmarking/dcinternet.aspx

• Net Squared: Remixing the Web for Social Change: http://www.netsquared.org/about

• 5 Essential Tips for Promoting Your Charity Using Social Media: http://mashable.com/2009/08/21/charity-social-media/

• 4 Facebook Tips for Nonprofit Success – See What Others are Doing: http://www.netwitsthinktank.com/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=ifINKZOzFmG&b=4487123&content_id={EA4438F2-2529-4379-8A32-16EBD5D5BF90}&notoc=1

Resources – Social Media

12for12k: http://www.12for12k.org

Nonprofit Blogs• Beth’s Blog: How nonprofits can use social media

– Subscribe.– How to Use Social Media Effectively:

http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2009/01/convios-now-is-the-time-campaign-a-healthy-social-media-lifestyle.html

• John Haydon: Social Media Marketing for Small Nonprofits: http://www.corporatedollar.org/

• The NTEN Blog: http://nten.org/blog

• Wild Apricot’s Nonprofit Technology Blog: http://www.wildapricot.com/blogs/newsblog/archive/2009/08/05/100-online-tools-for-non-profits.aspx

• Netwit’s Think Tank: http://www.netwitsthinktank.com

• Blog for Change: http://www.blogforchange.org/

• Chronicle of Philanthropy Blogroll: http://philanthropy.com/giveandtake/

Social Media Blogs• Danny Brown: http://dannybrown.me/

• How to be More Productive with Social Media: http://www.interactiveinsightsgroup.com/blog1/how-to-be-more-productive-with-social-media/

Resources – Blogs

• Continuing research: return on investment

• Websites versus Blogs

• Debate: Growing Your Own Social Network

• Texting

What’s Next?

Questions & Thank You

Mickey GomezVolunteer Center Serving

Howard Countywww.volunteerhoward.org

mickey@volunteerhoward.orgTwitter: @volunteerhoward