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VolunteerMatch Webinar

Social Media and Volunteer EngagementVictoria Pacchiana, Online Communications Manager

Before

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Now

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What are they saying?

They’re spreading the news.

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And rating and commenting on it.

They’re sharing their thoughts and talking about their experiences.

They’re talking about products and companies

and maybe even, your organization.

What can you say?

News and Updates (“Just posted a new volunteer opportunity on

VolunteerMatch. In need of a web-designer.” )

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Point people to blog posts or other articles of interest

But they’re not just talking.

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Social media can be a place for giving and receiving.

What can your organization give?

Delicious.com

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Delicious.com lets you create a library of content that is accessible by anyone, from anywhere.

Go>>What content do you want your volunteers to have?

YouTube

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Communicate your organization’s mission and work.

Video credit – charity:water

But you don’t need fancy camera work to make a connection.

Creating simple videos to train volunteers and introduce them to your organization can save you time.

And, it helps volunteers get to know you better.

Video credit – La Puenta Library

LinkedIn

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Meet people in your industry Stay in touch with colleagues and contacts Find jobs, volunteer opportunities, and interest groups

Share content that is relevant to your industry Introduce volunteers or supporters to each other, articles of interest, and ideas through LinkedIn Groups and Subgroups.

But also:

Go >>

Facebook

• Status Updates (it’s all about the status update)

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Go >>

• Adding Pictures or Video

What enters the “feed”?

• Creating a Note

• Starting a Discussion

• Creating an Event

Go >>

Shows in your status stream that you added a new Event

You can invite all of your “fans”

People can RSVP, and it’ll show in their status stream

Attendees can post pictures and videos of the event

Back to Facebook >>

Benefits of Using Facebook Events

Twitter

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Go to Twitter >>

@____ = say hi, reply to, direct your followers to

# = group tweets into a category or thread

http://bit.ly/NEAWt or http://ow.ly123abc etc. = shortened URLs (saves character count)

RT = retweet

• Spread the word about events, promotions, or volunteer opportunities

• See what people are saying about your organization or cause

• Organize volunteers with a ‘#’ to keep them informed of important updates, events, or ways to help out

Uses of Twitter

“We need 4 volunteers this afternoon to help walk dogs #HelpHSUS”

• Hear what others in your industry are saying

• Collect ideas and interesting information

• Talk to your fans, advocates, and opponents

Back to Twitter >>

Crowdsourced Volunteering

Crowdsourcing is using the power of your network to complete tasks, solve problems, get feedback, etc.

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Are there small scale projects that many people could contribute to?

Crowdsourcing can be complex.

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Open Green Map is an interactive mapmaking tool that helps people all over the world quickly share their own selection of sustainability sites, pathways and resources with others.

But it doesn’t have to be.

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#nwf

What do you get?

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Support from people who want to show they support you.

Access to people you’ve never had access to before.

Insight into how your organization is perceived by the public.

Instant feedback on any initiatives or services.

Social Media on VolunteerMatch

Share your opportunities and organization profile with AddThis

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Go to VolunteerMatch >>

The Cheat Sheet

Delicious YouTube LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Keep a library of articles that your supporters and volunteers should read.

For your volunteers: keep a library of documents that you need them to fill out prior to volunteering (applications, waivers).

Use tags to categorize articles and make them easy to find by visitors. (about_us; volunteer_orientation, etc.)

Create basic videos that show volunteers how to complete certain tasks for your organization.

Create a welcome video that introduces your organization and staff to potential volunteers, inviting them to learn more and get involved.

Create a video that shows the work your organization is doing to impact your cause.

Create a group for your organization, and post articles, news, events, volunteer opportunities, etc.

Create a sub-group for volunteers to connect them to each other, and have a place to share pictures, stories etc.

Create a Fan Page for your organization. Post pictures, videos, and update your status with news, events, volunteer opportunities, etc.

Post your volunteer opportunities on VolunteerMatch as events on Facebook, invite all of your Facebook fans to sign up.

Check out Causes on Facebook (www.causes.com) for fundraising tools.

Keep your followers updated on what’s happening with your organization, including blog posts, articles, office humor, etc.

Follow others in your cause area and pass along (RT) any of their Tweets that you find interesting.

Organize your volunteers using hashtags, especially for single days of service events with lots of people. “Lunch in 15 minutes. #HumaneVolunteers” )

Crowdsource tasks and information that many hands could contribute to. (photo collections; ideas; mapping etc.)

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Next Steps

Determine what you have to contribute“What do your volunteers need to know?”“What can your supporters use to further your message?”“How is your organization unique? How can you convey that to volunteers?”

ResourcesCheck out some great blogs and guides for using social media (I’ll keep updating when I come across new resources) : http://delicious.com/volunteermatch/sm_volunteerengagement

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Resources

Thanks for attending!

Contact me: Victoria Pacchiana, Online Communications Manager@VMConnectvpacchiana@volunteermatch.org(415) 241 – 6884

Contact Jennifer Bennett, Manager of Volunteer and Nonprofit Engagement jbennett@volunteermatch.org (415) 321-3639