Submitted by Anonymous on August 10, 2011 - 12:36pm
There’s no question that social media can be beneficial to nonprofits and their causes. There are plenty of great blogs out there on that topic (like Beth’s Blog, NTEN’s blog, and John Haydon’s blog). But the concept that social media are most beneficial to nonprofits, that these mediums are optimized for the nonprofit industry, is a newer idea. I sat down with Boston University Professor Steve Quigley, a public relations veteran and social media thought leader, to get his take on nonprofits and social media.
First question: Is it possible that social media present an even greater opportunity for nonprofits than they do for for-profit companies?
Here’s my takeaway from that video:
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As passionate, mission-based institutions, nonprofits are centered around human-to-human connection; they have that in common with all social networking sites.
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The people behind nonprofits want to talk about their causes. Simply having a presence on social networks offers your constituents a place to engage in a conversation they already want to have.
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Authenticity is key to success in social media and the authentic passion behind causes can drive successful online communities without great financial cost.
Okay, question two: You make it sound easy to find success on social media -- any specific tips on how to get started?
My takeaway from that video:
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There are three steps to getting a successful start in social media: Listen, then Engage, then Shape.
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Identify your niche and find the overlap between their interests and passions and your organization’s goals; there’s the core of your conversation.
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Embrace a shift in tone, posture, and voice in the spirit of human-to-human connection and conversation.
Enjoyed meeting Steve Quigley? Get to know him better on Twitter at @SteveQuigley and post your comments and questions below. How did your nonprofit find success on social media? Do you believe social media are especially helpful to the nonprofit community
