Download - Archana Sridhar - Born To Blog
Born to BlogAn introduction to nonprofit blogging
Archana Sridhar
The South Asian Philanthropy Project
and
Indiana University
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What is a blog?
• Short for ‘weblog’
• Usually an online journal
• Contains regular commentary or news
• Personal, professional, and/or organizational
• Reverse chronological order
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An example
• Interplast – So No Child Must Wait
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Benefits of blogging
• Substance: Real-time commentary on relevant issues.
• Marketing: Reinforce your brands and claim expertise.
• Outreach: Forum to recognize and cultivate volunteers, donors, and journalists.
• Fundraising: Talk about appeals, campaigns, donors, and drive traffic.
• Community-building: Provide on-line resources and community-building.
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Case Study
• South Asian Philanthropy Project
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Pros
• Instant Publication
• Feedback and Comments
• Searchable
• Automatically Archives
• Links
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Cons
• Dependent on Internet Access
• No Authority or Control
• Too Much Information
• Takes Staff Time– How much?
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How to start a blog
• Think about resources
– How much do you want to pay? – free to hundreds per year
– What kind of tech expertise do you have?
– Look and customization
– Ease of use
– Widgets
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How to start a blog cont’d
• Pick a platform– Google Blogger
– Wordpress
– Typepad
• Can be up and running in minutes!
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Another example
• Kiva Chronicles
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Principles for nonprofit blogging
1. Manage expectations
2. Become an authority
3. Build networks
4. Entertain while being informative
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Some more examples
• PhilanTopic
• Give and Take
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Practical tips
• Use interns
• Keep it simple
• Write informally and often
• Expand into other social media
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Some more examples
• MaRS
• Ontario Nonprofit Network
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Some resources
• CanadaHelps (MyCharityConnects)
• Lucy Bernholz (Philanthropy 2173)
• Beth Kantor (Beth’s Blog)
• Nonprofit Blog Exchange
• NetSquared
• Marnie Webb (ext337)
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Thank you!
• Thank you to:– CanadaHelps
– Cindy Dabney of Indiana University
– Seth Mazow, formerly of Interplast
– The South Asian Philanthropy Project (http://southasianphilanthropy.org)
• Questions?