Use of Social Media in Non-Profit Organizations

Stan Skrabut

The use of social media is on the rise in comparison to traditional media methods.

As non-profit leaders, you need to be aware of social media integration opportunities.

Your potential volunteers and donors are using social media, you are missing engagement opportunities.

You want to integrate social media strategies into your communication plan.

I will show you a strategy for integrating social media into your current operations.

Social media is an extension to traditional

networking.

Individuals across the spectrum are actively engaged in social media.

There are 70 million videos on YouTube; 200 million Facebook users; 40 million LinkedIn users; 2.7 billion

tweets to date.

LinkedIn users

YouTube users

Facebook users

0

50

100

150

200

250

Count in millions

Count in millions

75% of Internet users are between 18 and 54.

90% of consumers trust people they know personally and 70% trust opinions from other online consumers.

Let’s explore why individuals are increasingly going to social media.

Many people join social networks in order to reconnect with others.

A number of individuals join networks to increase business connections.

People are also using social media to stay informed.

The challenge to implementing a good social media strategy is the number of applications.

When it comes to building community the top sites are Facebook, MySpace, and Ning.

With sites like YouTube, Flickr, and iTunes, you can distribute your message.

Keeping your membership informed is essential; Twitter, blogs, and Facebook are useful tools.

You are interested in utilizing social

media methods but are they worth your

time and energy; here are examples

of non-profit organizations that are using social

media.

Wyoming Wing

Now that you know more about social

media, you need to understand how to develop a strategy

for integrating it into your operations.

I am going to recommend 4 top performers that can be integrated with each other.

Use Twitter to broadcast your message to the world.

Use Facebook to nurture your community of supporters.

Use YouTube to share video content.

Use LinkedIn to develop your professional network.

Establish a communication plan to update your sites.

Who are your audiences?

How are you planning to communicate?

When are you planning to communicate?

What are you planning to communicate?

How will you address feedback?

Social media is a two-way conversation.

Work to increase your network.

Provide links from your various sites to other opportunities to connect with you.

Encourage members to invite friends to be fans of your networking initiatives.

All members of your organization need to assist in developing your social media strategy.

You want to integrate social media strategies into your communication plan.

Use of Social Media in Non-Profit Organizations

Stan Skrabut