Tag Archives: social media

Tips for Blogger Outreach for Nonprofits


Posted by ajlovesya

In the past few months I have had various organizations and people ask me to post about their work. Being approached to support a cause or organization is flattering and in general I’m happy to write about an issue or cause I support.  However, I have noticed some small and not so small mistakes people make when approaching a blogger. Keep these tips in mind when reaching out:

Take time building your list: If you are already involved in social media or know someone who is, ask them for recommendations first so that you can establish a personal connection with bloggers you want to work with. If you search for bloggers, be sure to learn about them and what they write about and don’t be afraid to reach out to smaller/niche bloggers. You’ll increase the diversity of people reading about your work and will more likely get a yes than if you approached a “top 10” blogger. Here are some places to get started:

Brazen Careerist Bloggers Under 30 in the Nonprofit Sector
Rosetta Thurman’s List of Nonprofit and Philanthropy Blogs by People of Color
Beth Kanter’s List of Nonprofit Blogs
Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Give and Take

Be clear on your purpose: Why do you want to use bloggers? The reason why this is important to ask yourself is because a. it will help you figure out if reaching out to bloggers is a good approach in the first place and b. it will help you figure out what specifically you want to see happen as a result of blogging. Sharing this information with bloggers will help them figure out what kind of piece to write. Make sure to share your goals and all of the necessary details—who are you? What are you doing? Why is it important? How can bloggers help? Why should bloggers help?

Why me?: There is an active public service/nonprofit/social do gooder network in the blogosphere. Why are you approaching me? Reference a post I wrote that demonstrates a mutual interest and provide feedback. Read the about me to make your email more personal. Highlight something about my work that makes you think I would be a good person to work with. Be sure to also point out why you think my readers would like to know about you.

Don’t do drive-by drop offs: This is not just another place for a press release; come back and engage. I’m more likely to talk about your work in the future, without you asking me to do so, if we continue to have a relationship. Comment on my blog posts, start a facebook or ning group for bloggers you work with regularly for easy communication, ask for input on future blogging endeavors or for new ideas on using blogs to further your mission.

Ask for recommendations: Bloggers know about other bloggers who can work with you as well as organizations and resources that may be useful. Don’t be afraid to ask for suggestions on how to move forward.

Don’t get my name wrong: Seriously. This has happened WAY too many times. I’m not talking about misspellings. I’m talking about thinking you were sending an email to someone else. Taking the time to make sure your correspondence is free of gross mistakes is both professional and a sign of respect.

As a nonprofiteer, I understand that time and funds are often tight and you try to make the most economical decisions in a short amount of time. However, I also know that what sustains us—financially and otherwise—are the relationships we build. When it comes to blogging, building a relationship with bloggers should be a priority.

What would you add? What approaches have been successful or not so successful? What have your experiences been?


5 Ways Nonprofits Can Increase Social Media Engagement


Posted by ajlovesya

Last week I attended the NYU-RCLA workshops on using social media to further your social justice mission. It was an amazing three days of learning about social media tools, context, and tips for implementation. Yet the big question of the week seemed to be: how do I get people engage with me?

Imagine, you’re hype about starting your twitter page and facebook thinking you have some awesome content and the masses will start clicking, following, asking lots of questions, and leaving fantastic comments.

Except this rarely happens. Unfortunately, social media is seen as a quick fix to an organization’s community building woes and when hundreds of folks aren’t following you on twitter within a week, you doubt whether or not you are really reaching people.

Before abandoning ship, consider the following tips for building engagement:

  • Connect with others: The important part of social media is SOCIAL. Your goal shouldn’t just be to create something new but also to join and contribute to existing conversations. What discussions are taking place that relate to your mission? Once you find those discussions, link liberally, comment on other people’s blogs, retweet interesting postings, and reach out to others about sharing/collaborating on content creation.
  • Focus on your content: At the end of the day, people won’t engage with you if you don’t have something interesting to say. In addition to providing updates about what your organization is doing, discuss general news/events related to your mission so people can see the importance of your work. Make your content easy to digest and useful so that people can share with others on their own (lists, how-tos, profiles of people, and specific advice on getting involved) and don’t be afraid of a little controversy.  Have an opinion and be human!
  • Put yourself out there on and off line: I have always felt that social media does not and cannot replace face to face on the ground work for social change. Instead, social media can supplement your social change efforts by allowing you to engage people in a new way. Tell your supporters and constituents that you are online and ask them to help create content. Make it easy for online supporters to meet you offline by having events and get-togethers and empowering them to meet on their own to brainstorm ways to help you. Attend conferences and meet others interested in your mission and in social media.
  • Don’t ignore the people who ARE engaging you: In your quest for engagement, ease up a bit from focusing on the numbers. You may want 1,500 followers on twitter or hundreds of unique hits a day, but in reality only a handful will really comment and share your info. So make sure your interactions are meaningful. Respond to comments and retweets; take note of what kinds of content people respond to and focus on developing it more; do something fun for your readers—have a contest, feature one of them, or just ask to meet them!
  • Be patient: Community building doesn’t happen over night! Don’t give up and set realistic goals for your organization based on other people’s experiences and the time you have to commit to developing your online community.

Useful resources:

Tips:

Beth Kanter:  Non-Profits that Adopt Social Media Share One Charateristic: Vertigo Tolerance

Altitude Branding:  There is no Social Media Tool Kit

Allison Fine: Are You Ready to Tweet?

Trends:

Rootworks:  Social Change takes More than Social Media

Allison Fine:  The Digital Divide and Social Change


Social Media Resources for the Young Social Change Job Seeker in New York


Posted by ajlovesya

I’ve gotten quite a few emails, IMs, and DMs about how to find and secure a  job in social change in NYC.  Ultimately, you have to put yourself out there and social media is the best way to do so.  This list is by no means complete but I think a good way to get started in your job search.

Facebook:

Twitter:

The blogosphere:

  • Brazen Careerist, an online network of millennial bloggers not only shares great work/life advice but also, organizations post blogs and job opportunities.
  • Jobs for Change, a new initiative by change.org, is a hub of social change careers and advice.

Groups and e-mail alerts:

Present your own voice:

Let people know you’re in the market, continue to work on (and showcase) your side projects, and be your biggest cheerleader.  Linked In, facebook, and blogging are great ways to get your voice out there and connect with other people who share your interests.  Additionally, these three forms of social media make it much easier for people to find you when they ( inevitably ) google you.  Here are some resources to get started:

I hope this is useful.  Please add to this list and share!


Blogging and Your Career


Posted by ajlovesya

A few weeks ago I gave a presentation on the basics of blogging at  Career Transition for Dancers, a  non-profit that offers career counseling, scholarships and workshops in New York and Los Angeles for dancers transitioning out of careers as performers. It recently occurred to me some of the readers of this  blog may be interested in blogging themselves, so I thought I would share my presentation here.

Blogging And Your Career
View more presentations from ajlovesya.

This was my first time giving such a presentation and I spent much of the time answering questions. For all of the hype surrounding blogging (including coming from me!) it was good to discuss the tangible pros, cons, ins, and outs of blogging. Sometimes the time commitment is intimidating while the actual technical options of maintaining a blog can be overwhelming. Even now, I am considering taking the leap into self hosting but am a little hesitant about my
web skills.

I’d like to use this space for a conversation on blogging including tips, ideas, and questions. And as always, feel free to email me!


Reflecting on Social Media Fundraising


Posted by ajlovesya

A few weeks ago I attended the New York City Twestival—an international fundraising event on behalf of charity:water that took place in over 160 cities around the world, sparked by word-of-mouth marketing via twitter. In NYC we raised over $24,000 enough for 5 wells that will serve 200 people for 20 years. That’s truly remarkable. While the event was a success there is still much to think about.

Lessons Learned:

Small donations can have a huge impact: We learned this during the Obama campaign but it certainly was clear during the twestival where donations of $20, $40, and $60 amounted to $24,000.

Tangible goals are great motivators: People like seeing the results of their work. Knowing that there is an end goal excites people.

Volunteers and great planning are still important: Online marketing and fundraising were only half the process.  All of the twestivals were coordinated by volunteers and each city had a different event to cater to local interests.

Questions raised:

How are those relationships sustained and developed? I didn’t get any significant follow up and am wondering how (if at all) my connection to the organization and my impressions of the event are being measured.

Are people giving to the cause or giving because of the medium? While at the event there was little talk of charity:water. In fact there was little talk of anything given the loud music, photo opps, and alcohol. The ease of donating and the fun that was promoted may have meant more than the cause itself.

Is social media propelling a new kind of donor? The long term investment aspect of fundraising is pushed aside in favor of immediate results and small amounts of requested giving.  Perhaps much of the follow up and presentation of a “worthy cause” is not necessary. Is this kind of event similar to parties where the money happens to go to a worthy cause but the emphasis is really on the socializing and having a good time?

Moving forward:

For all of the discussions about the ease and fun of social media, it is still time intensive and raises many questions. Instead of using it as sole means of raising money, it may work well with smaller, targeted needs used in conjunction with other methods of fundraising.

Have you had any experience raising money using social media ? Attend another twestival? Please share your thoughts!