Community Foundations & Social Media

Tina Arnoldi, Director of Information Management Susie Bowie, Communications ManagerCoastal Community Foundation of South Carolina Community Foundation of Sarasota County

Social Media &Community Foundation

Leadership The Risks, The Thrills & The Whole Wild Ride

Welcome to the Ride

What we’re doing today

• What’s Different About Social Media

• The Case for SM & Community Foundations

• Involving Your Leadership Team

• Integrating SM in Your Communications Strategy

• Social Media Guidelines & Policies

• Measuring Your Success

Let’s take a short quiz.

A Little Social Media Background

What does this video tell us?

4 core principals of SM

1.It’s SOCIAL.That means you listen, you respond…it’s a conversation, not a billboard for announcements.

2. It begs you to ask “where does my audience live and what do they like?” In this aspect, it’s no different form any other kind of communication.

4 core principals of SM

3. It involves time and trust.Again, think “relationships.” Adding value is key.

4. It’s not if you’re going to play, but when. It’s not as much about Facebook or Twitter as it’s about a fundamental change in how people expect to participate in information.

What happens if you aren’t social, don’t know

your audience, don’t build a relationship and

hesitate to play?

Case study: Motrin

"Consider social media as a game changer...

Social media is an evolution of how we communicate, an essential part of

businesses and organizations that want to move forward in this new economy…

Prioritize it as one of your most important tasks.”

-Nicole Harrison, Mission Makers blog

Why Community Foundations?

We’re community leaders.

• We strive to set an example for the nonprofits we serve.

• We often serve as a focal point for issues-based information and/or capacity building.

We’re “philanthropic thought” leaders.

• We start conversations & facilitate discussions to make a bigger and lasting impact.

We want to be pro-active about our own

reputation• Whether or not your Foundation is

social media-active, people are there talking about you and the issues you address.

“…social media is on 24/7 so be prepared and do not be caught off-guard with No social media strategy… Be proactive, be transparent and be honest. Your customers will appreciate that more and will become your legs in spreading your news faster if you engage and interact with them in an honest and transparent way….”

Sometimes we need to come back to earth.

• Participating in SM can do a lot to make us more approachable.

• “Off the Ivory Tower” program.

We’re innovative.

• We want new ways to get the information so central to making decisions about grants & programs.

• We like being active participants in community-based issues.

• Consider engagement through new forms of grant making.

Social networks & social change?

1. Weaving community.

2. Accessing diverse populations.

3. Building and sharing knowledge.

4. Mobilizing people.

5. Coordinating resources & action.

-Stanford Social Innovative Review

Involving Your Leadership Team

Leadership buy-in is essential.

How about involvement?

Who should be involved vs. who can be involved?

The CEO as Blogger/Tweeter/Etc. (We’re talking personal vs. organizational accounts)

ProsMore likely to get engagement

Gives you a face & makes you more approachable

Provides another way for stakeholders to reach out to you

Allows you to showcase your expertise

[Perceived] Cons“It’s about the foundation, not about ‘me’”

“I want to hold on to my professional image”

The lines are blurring too muchbetween personal & professional

“Do I really want to be MORE accessible?”

“What about the TIME?”

Ahh, but be careful.Blogs work best when based on…*

•Candor•Urgency•Timeliness•Pithiness•Controversy•Utility

*Source: Seth Godin

Can your Foundation leaders do it?

Integrating SM in Your Communications Plan &

Foundation Strategy

Audience Using Social Media

Overall Foundation Communication Goals

Monitoring &Measuring Outcomes

Posting Content

Overall Foundation Communication Goals

Social MediaCommunication Goals

Listening

Selecting SM Tool

Known Social Media

“Behaviors”

Your Audience Determines Your Goals

• Who are you trying to reach?

• Are they already living on Facebook/ Twitter/ YouTube?

• How do they find you there?

• Once they find you there, what is the action you want them to take, or level of engagement you want to achieve?

Is Your Target Audience…• Current donors?

• Future/ next generation donors?

• Professional advisors?

• Grantees/ potential grantees?

• Current/ future scholarship awardees?

• Foundation partners/ sponsors?

• Community leaders?

Social Media Behaviors

• 60% of all donors—online and offline—did research online before giving. Source: Kintera

• 78% of organizations that fundraise using Facebook raised $1,000 or less in 2009. Source: 2010 Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report

• The fastest growing population on Facebook is women ages 55+.

So? One Goal Might Be…

Use Facebook as an entry point to develop

Foundation awareness for 10 potential Boomer generation donors.

Strategy 1 : Engage donors’ adult children on Facebook through content featuring the impact of grants made through established funds. (Idea from Community Foundation of Jacksonville)

Strategy 2: Post financial planning tips useful for Boomer generation donors. Include charitable giving options, tied in with upcoming open house for interested donors.

5 Ways Foundations Can Engage Using Content & Stay on Brand

1. Ask questions about community issues related to your funding areas. (And then listen, respond!)

2. Showcase your expertise with tips relevant to youraudience(s).

3. Feature news from local nonprofits, linking to theirwebsites, or link to a positive news story from media.

4. Post short, conversational announcementsrelating to your grants/programs.

5. Post interesting trivia about staff/board members or your community.

5 Ways Foundations Can Use SM to Achieve More Impact

1. Ask questions about community issues related to your funding areas. (And then listen, respond!)

2. Follow other grant makers and nonprofits for short updates

on how philanthropy is working in other communities.

3. Follow Chronicle of Philanthropy, GuideStar, Foundation Center, etc. to stay on top of philanthropic trends.

4. Use SM channels to access capacity building resources.

5. Network with other foundation leaders for more productive colleague relationships.

The Overseer• Various Community Foundation models

• Who at your Foundation is passionate & savvy in social media?

• Tasks:-Oversee & plan content and strategy-Monitor & check metrics-Provide feedback & encouragement for others on your team to participate-Stay on top of the trends

A Word About Integrating Your Messages and

Channels

Social Media Guidelines/ Policies

SM Policy Essentials

• Guidelines for appropriate content for your organizational posts and others comments. This includes staying on brand & observing privacy of donors.

• Guidelines for appropriate content relating to your organization on a staff/ board/ volunteer’s personal SM account.

SM Policy Essentials

• Appropriate use of time using SM during work hours.

• Who’s in charge of SM at your organization.

• Encouragement of others to participate within SM guidelines.

Let’s look at a couple of examples.

• Kodak Company.

• Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina.

Measuring Your Success

When numbers are important.

Measuring followers/”likes” vs. true engagement

It’s not just a numbers game.

• Do you measure your offline relationship- building in numbers or in quality?

• How do you measure the impact of a press release or an ad?

• It all goes back to your goals.

Looking Beyond 2,400+ followers and 860 “likes”• We’ve built our brand: “caring about

people, community and issues that matter” and the “go-to information center”for philanthropy

• We’re saved time staying up to date on philanthropic trends and news

Looking Beyond 2,400+ followers and 860 “likes”• We’ve connected with new expertise:

they have blogged on our site and presented at our events for nonprofits

• We’ve been a better friend to the nonprofits we support: spreading their goodnews, events and stories virally

When numbers are important.

• Google AnalyticsReferrals to your website (and specific web pages) from Facebook, Twitter, external blog site

How long people stay on your blog, Bounce rate, etc.

When numbers are important.

Measuring Engagement?

• Facebook InsightsTracking level of engagement through number of (and change in) likes, comments

Number of men/women. Age groups. Geographics.

Facebook Insights

• Increase in fans• Their activity

• Likes• Shares

• HootsuiteTracking clicks on specific links, especially when they aren’t tied to your own website.

Measuring Engagement?

HootSuite

• Manage multiple twitter accounts

• Track clicks• Include FB page• Monitor other social

media accounts• Team-tweeting• Schedule tweets

• Social media is big.And it’s not going away.

• Community Foundations are leaders.It’s our job to embrace trends with impact.

Review

• It’s not all about your message.It’s about asking questions, listening, getting new info hot off the shelf.

• You need a plan.Your audience, your goals and measurement are key.

Review

• Foundation leadership has to be on the boat.Without an organizational culture that allows social media to live, and without your blessing, it doesn’t work.

Review

Questions?Comments?Thoughts?

Find us on Facebook and on Twitter

@NonprofitSRQ@TinaArnoldi