A free resource for nonprofit organizations, NGOs, civil society organizations,
charities, schools, public sector agencies & other mission-based agencies
by Jayne Cravens
via coyotecommunications.com & coyoteboard.com (same web site)

 
Your reaction to reading the words online social networking (OSN) for the first time is probably, isn't that just another description of the Internet? And you would be right: the Internet has always been a place to exchange ideas and to create networks and communities that can defy traditional community structures and hierarchies, and to show how we are all connected to different people. It has always been about engagement, not just one-way communications.

This techie buzz phrase online social networking or Web 2.0 is meant to describe web-based online communities meant to encourage members to socialize with each other online and have their friends and colleagues publicly listed. These platforms, like Facebook or Instagram or SnapChat, are friend-of-a-friend networks: when you join, you note who else on the network is your "friend" or associate, and others are able to see these associations. These platforms are also set up for members to frequently update each other ("I'm queuing for the concert" or "I'm being thrown off the airplane" or "I'm listening to a boring speech" or whatever). 

Some of the most popular OSN sites worldwide are FaceBook and Twitter. There are also professional online networks that use online social networking features, such as LinkedIn, and issues-focused online networks, such as Change.org. Wikipedia hosts a relatively comprehensive list of online networking platforms; however, note that this list doesn't distinguish between social networking sites and professional networking sites, as I do. Also, note that I have to frequently update this page because the popularity of social networking sites changes so frequently.

For someone who remembers the criticisms of America Online, which had exactly the same exclusive appeal for many people in its early days, these social networking platforms can seem exclusionary and limited - you have to be a member of the social network in order to read its posts and interact with people using such.  

Another criticism: using these sites generates a lot more work for nonprofits trying to reach current and potential clients, volunteers and donors: you have to re-type information over and over again, to reach the audience on each platform (yes, there are apps that will automatically post something across some platforms - but none will do it all, and what works on Facebook does NOT work on Twitter).

• An organization can create its own user profile or a fan page and ask volunteers, donors and other supporters to make the organization a "friend" or to "like" the organization. Other users will see this association and may be prompted to click on your organization's profile to learn more about your work.

• An organization can ask volunteers to put information about their volunteer service into their profiles on whatever networking platforms they use. This is probably best done under the section to list employment: under "title," they should list "volunteer" and under "company," the name of your organization; they can describe their volunteering activities in any other fields provided. Having volunteers highlight their service in these profiles benefits your organization by giving your work exposure to potential new volunteers and donors, and perhaps even media contacts, who will see the listing as they use the platforms to network with others.

• Staff members, acting as representatives of the organization, can post questions and respond to such in the various discussion areas within different platforms (as appropriate). This creates more opportunities for other network members to see the organization's name and associate it with a particular topic or issue.

• Nonprofits can ask current volunteers what OSN sites they use, and encourage them to:
  • occasionally post new information about their own service or new activities to the organization on their OSN blog or announcement area

  • post public events hosted by your organization under "Events I'm Attending" or whatever that feature might be called on a particular platform

  • be on the lookout in any OSN platform they use for someone commenting about your organization, positive or negative, and to let you know /what's being said

• A volunteer may engage in or promote activities via his or her web site, blog or online profile on a social networking platform that your organization does not wish to be associated with. Perhaps there are pictures of the volunteer on the site, or links to videos, that make you uncomfortable. Of course, the reality is that your volunteers may be engaging in offline activities your nonprofit wouldn't necessarily want to be associated with either (think about the t-shirts organizations hand out to volunteers -- did you give your volunteers a list of where they should and shouldn't wear such?). You may want to consider creating a policy regarding why your organization might refuse to link to a person's profile on a social networking site, and share this policy with your volunteers. You could even ask for their help in drafting such; by involving them in the discussion, you create a sense of ownership among your volunteers regarding the policy.

• Your organization's volunteers AND staff may want to keep their online social networking activities separate from their professional and volunteering activities. Most staff and volunteers will be happy to note their service to your organization on a professional networking site such as LinkedIn or an issues-focused network such as Change.org, but don't require any volunteer or staff member to link to your organization via a social networking site, such as FaceBook or Flickr or Snapchat. Note in your invitation to be a "friend" online that you won't be offended if the invitation is declined.

• Staff members and volunteers may be asked to link to other staff and volunteers as "friends" on social networking sites, but they may not want to do so with everyone. We don't all define "friend" the same way. It's easier for an individual to turn down a link request on a professional networking site such as LinkedIn with criteria that doesn't sound personal, such as, "I'm sorry, but I only link to people I've worked with directly for at least six months," than it is to tell someone requesting a friends link on an OSN platform that he or she isn't really a "friend." Staff members that decline friend invitations from volunteers or even other staff members via OSN platforms may end up hurting the feelings of those they work with. Encourage staff and volunteers to respect that some people may want to keep their OSN activities separate from their work or volunteering relationships.

• Many OSN platforms are blocked from being used by employees at various businesses and government organizations. Many of these platforms are also not accessible for people using assistive technologies, for people with certain disabilities, or for those using older software and hardware. This means an organization should not switch any of its outreach activities, such as blogging, instant messaging or photo sharing, entirely over to OSN platforms, as many people are prevented from accessing such. In other words, your OSN outreach activities should not replace your other online outreach activities, as they will exclude many people.

• There is no way an organization can be on every social or professional networking site. As well, the popularity of networking sites waxes and wanes - a site that was the site even just two years ago may not be now, and the site today may be bankrupt in a few years. Don't try to join every network; ask your current volunteers and staff what they use, read news articles about which OSN sites appeal to which demographics, and think strategically about what you really want out of your organization's OSN activities (see Evaluating Online Activities: Online Action Should Create & Support Offline Action for tips on creating such a strategy).

 
Where to get started?

Start with Facebook and Twitter. Look for organizations that are similar to yours, and spend time looking to see how they use it. Also see this list of Daily, Mandatory, Minimal Tasks for Nonprofits on Facebook & Twitter. Also see this blog I wrote about what nonprofits I think do a great job with Facebook. No book or web page will teach you how to use these platforms as well as trying to use them yourself, and looking at how similar organizations use them.

You will eventually need to expand your social media use to other platforms. Which ones? Don't worry about that yet - the popularity of social media platforms comes and goes. You will know which additional ones to use as you hear from volunteers and employees about which they are using. And, yes, social media platforms will come and go; what is hot now won't be in five years. You don't have to use every one that comes along, but you do have to use the ones that your employees and volunteers are using most.

Wikipedia hosts a relatively comprehensive list of online networking platforms; however, note that they don't distinguish between social networking sites and professional networking sites.

Here are some organizations that "get" FaceBook, in my opinion:

• Kentucky State Parks - posts about upcoming special events at different parks, or special deals, like women-only retreats. Every post makes me want to go! I'm "friends" with a lot of state parks, and in comparison, all the others are oh-so-boring in what they share on FaceBook (if they share anything at all). Are you listening, Oregon?
  


• PeaceCorps - posts mostly about what PeaceCorps members are doing in the field and special recognition or events where members are honored. I imagine thousands of former PeaceCorps members, as well as current members, swell with pride with every post, being reminded of what a fantastic institution they are a part of, and are further energized to become advocates for PeaceCorps with friends and colleagues.


• U.S. Agency for International Development - USAID - posts about what USAID is doing and accomplishing in the developing world, and what new strategies they are about to incorporate. Every post says "We're active, we're focused on what people really need, and we're getting results." Your tax dollars at work!


• Mayhew International - This organization is based in England and is focused on humanely changing the stray dog and cat situation in a variety of countries, including in Afghanistan, by encouraging people to become responsible pet owners and by dispelling myths about stray animals. They don't post endless photos of animals in awful conditions; their posts give me hope that this is a battle that can actually be won, and dogs and cats can be valued and bring joy in any country, in any culture.


• Humane Society of Henderson County (Kentucky) - Here's an incredible success story, an organization that a few years ago was being attacked by PETA and the public for its horrific conditions and practices, and now, is an organization that welcomes the public and volunteers into the organization and is a model for other animal shelters. And their Facebook use is part of that amazing turnaround.

Do I use any networking platforms?

• I have an an account on Twitter, both of which I use to post links to my most-recent blog posts and to micro-blog. Here is a blog that details how I use Twitter, as of August 2011.

• I have a professional profile at LinkedIn, have joined a few groups on the site, and have frequently answered nonprofit-related questions on its questions forum. This activity has lead to one job interview, a few clients for my CV consulting service and, I hope, an easy way for potential employers to review my credentials.

• I have a fan page on Facebook, and it's where I post links to my latest blogs, as well as links to articles and announcements related to my areas of interest (nonprofits, NGOs, charities, volunteer engagement, aid/development, etc.). While I limit my connections on LinkedIn only to people I can say that I know, anyone can like me on Facebook and, therefore, receive updates about my own resources as well as those by others that have caught my attention.

• I've got a profile at Change.org; it's been a good place to learn about causes I care about personally, but hasn't lead to any networking.

Also see:

• For Schools: You Should Be Using Social Media. Here's How.
  There are a lot of web sites saying what the benefits are for schools to use social media. But there's few that give specifics on what a public school should be sharing via Facebook, Twitter, etc. This advice talks not only about exactly what your school should be posting to social media, but the consequences of not doing so, as well how to handle tough questions and criticism. It also links to legal advice. 
  
  
• For Local City & County Governments: You Should Be Using Social Media. Here's How.
  To not be using social media to deliver information and to engage means you are denying critical information to much of your community and promoting an image of secrecy and lack of transparency. In fact, the lack of use of social media can be seen as your city council or county government trying to hide something, and even lead to rumors that are much harder to dispel than they would have been to prevent. This advice talks not only about exactly what your school should be posting to social media, but also how to handle tough questions and criticism. 
  
  
• 14 (was 13) things you do to annoy me on social media
  A tongue-in-cheek effort to encourage mission-based organizations to do a better job with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social networking sites. 
  
  
• The Difference in Email, Social Media & Online Communities: A Graphic Explanation.
  It can be difficult for people to understand the difference in email, in social media and in online communities, especially since email can be used to create an online community, or social media can be used to create an online community (Facebook Groups, for instance). And they all are people sending messages to people - so what, really, is the difference? This is my attempt to graphically show the difference, but I'll still have to use words to more fully explain what I mean. All three of these avenues for online communication can intersect. But one online avenue of online communication may be a better avenue for a communication goal than another - this resource examines that as well.  
  
  
• Getting More Viewers for Your Organization's Online Videos
  Videos are a great way to represent your organization's work, to show you make a difference, to promote a message or action that relates to your mission, etc. But just uploading a video isn't enough to attract an audience. This new page on my site offers specific steps that will get more views for your organization's videos on YouTube. Note that many of these tasks would be great for an online volunteer to undertake, with guidance from an appropriate staff member.

• The Nonprofit & NGO Guide to Using Reddit
  As of July 2019, Reddit ranked as the No. 5 most visited website in the USA and No. 13 in the world. Reddit is a community of communities, and its communities are called subreddits. A subreddit can have a focus on a geographic area, a book, a celebrity, a particular time in history, a specific hobby - anything. Statistics suggest that 74% of Reddit users are male. Users tend to be significantly younger than other online communities like Facebook with less than 1% of users being 65 or over. If you want to reach a younger demographic regarding your volunteering opportunities, your awareness messages, your data that shows your value to the community and more, you need to build posts to Reddit into your marketing strategy, no matter what your nonprofit's size or focus. This resource tells you how to do it.
  
  
• Snapchat’s Potential Power for Social Good – with REAL examples.

• Evaluating Online Activities: Online Action Should Create & Support Offline Action
  Hundreds of "friends" on an online social networking site. Thousands of subscribers to an email newsletter. Dozens of attendees to a virtual event. Those are impressive numbers on the surface, but if they don't translate into more volunteers, repeat volunteers, new donors, repeat donors, more clients, repeat clients, legislation, or public pressure, they are just that: numbers. For online activities to translate into something tangible, online action must create and support offline action. What could this look like? This resource can help organizations plan strategically about online activities so that they lead to something tangible - not just numbers.

• Online culture and online community
  It's becoming the norm for mission-based organizations (NGOs, NPOs and others) to use Internet tools to work with volunteers (including board members), staff, donors and others. This section of my site has been greatly updated, providing even more ideas and resources on how to work with others online, in language that's easy to understand for those considering or just getting started in using online technologies with volunteers, donors and other supporters.

• For Nonprofits Considering Their Own Podcasts: Why It's Worth Exploring, and Content Considerations (includes my own podcast)

• For Nonprofit Organizations: How to Handle Online Criticism

 
See more resources re: Outreach & Engagement, With and Without Technology
 

---

  Quick Links 

---

my home page
 
my consulting services  &  my workshops & presentations
 
my credentials & expertise
 
my research projects
 
my book: The Last Virtual Volunteering Guidebook
 
How to Support This Web Site & My Work

contact me   or   see my schedule
 
Free Resources: Community Outreach, With & Without Tech

Free Resources: Nonprofit, NGO & other mission-based management resources

Free Resources: Technology Tips for Non-Techies

Free Resources: Web Development, Maintenance, Marketing for non-Web designers

Free Resources: For people & groups that want to volunteer
 
linking to or from my web site
 
Coyote Helps Foundation
 
me on social media (follow me, like me, put me in a circle, subscribe to my newsletter)

how to support my work & this web site

            

---

Disclaimer: No guarantee of accuracy or suitability is made by the poster/distributor. This material is provided as is, with no expressed or implied warranty.

See this web site's privacy policy.

Permission is granted to copy, present and/or distribute a limited amount of material from my web site without charge if the information is kept intact and without alteration, and is credited to:

Otherwise, please contact me for permission to reprint, present or distribute these materials (for instance, in a class or book or online event for which you intend to charge).

The art work and material on this site was created and is copyrighted 1996-2022
by Jayne Cravens, all rights reserved
(unless noted otherwise, or the art comes from a link to another web site).