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How to Use Social Media for Nonprofits:

LinkedIn for Nonprofits Part 1

LinkedIn gives you access to over 135 million business people and professionals in every field

By Thomas R. Reich and Chris Romero

LinkedIn has rapidly become the premier professional communications network worldwide and a big part of social media for nonprofits.  This innovative social media site allows you to pre-screen everyone in your network, in essence permitting you to specifically design who you want to deal with in your world. When using Social Media for Nonprofits, often you end up with followers that are inappropriate for what you are trying to achieve. On the contrary, LinkedIn tries to address within social media for nonprofits, all the pitfalls in Facebook, to create a professional environment- a platform designed in your personal and professional image.

According to Patrick Schwerdtfeger, author of the New York Times best selling book “Marketing Shortcuts”, today 80% of buying or donating decisions are made before personal contact is made with an organization! A modern, successful nonprofit organization will first be searched on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn all now part of social media for nonprofits. The public will also look for your website and search for your name on Google or other search engines.

In today’s society, your organization is judged by your digital presence. Remember when planning your digital

Social media for nonprofits is the new handshake!

presence: “If you try to sell to everyone you will sell to no one”.  LinkedIn can be a big part of your digital presence, and a link to other social media for nonprofit efforts and for nonprofits in general.

Remember, selling your cause to donors and volunteers is a relationship-building process, and social media for nonprofits is the new handshake. Set up properly, LinkedIn gets you the introduction to new prospects and presents your organization to them in a positive light. LinkedIn for Nonprofits all but eliminates the dreaded cold call!

LinkedIn facilitates access to a network of over 135 million business people and professionals in every field. It allows you to network, prospect, pre-qualify leads and actually generate leads without speaking to a soul! Do you think you could use such a network in your organization?

the 3 big players in social media for nonprofits

LinkedIn = Business to business and professionals

Facebook = Loyalty, engagement, and retention of existing relationships

Twitter = Additional input linked to LinkedIn and Facebook

LinkedIn contains 75% of all fortune 500 executives, has over 2million company and organization pages, and allowed over 2 billion free searches last year!  LinkedIn is the heart of social media for nonprofits and is used for prospecting and lead generation. In addition to this there are over 1.3 million small businesses and nonprofits and over 500K groups to join and become involved in.

To utilize LinkedIn and most of social media for nonprofits properly you must set up and complete a proper profile, which includes:

1)   You must complete your profile 100%

Take time, your profile in all social media for nonprofits compleatly

2)   You should have a professional head shot

3)   You must write a compelling summary, give it some thought

4)   List all your specialties not just one

5)   List all relevant experience

6)   Post recommendations Customize your profile URL

7)   Pay attention to keywords in all sections

**NOTE: Never use your logo on the LinkedIn profile in place of your personal head shot- this is not an option, this is a hard rule. You may use the

LinkedIn is the premier social media for nonprofits communication network worldwide

logo other places in LinkedIn, but not in place of head shot!  This is suggested for all social media for nonprofits, but it is most important in LinkedIn

Do add to skills list list: Sales, Meeting Organizer, Social Media Expert, Foundation Advisor, Nonprofit Consultant, Trainer, Author and so on.

DO NOT LIST: Nice Person, Cat Lover, Geek, single and looking– this is totally inappropriate for LinkedIn.

Do Include: a concise, well produced video 30 – 45 sec in length.  Introduce yourself, your cause, why they should care and how to contact you, repeat your name and cause at the end.  Again this holds true for most of social media for nonprofits components.

More to come in Part 2 of Social media for Nonprofits: LinkedIn for Nonprofits! We will discuss the Corporate page, the free mini web site, and a little more about the video section. Then we will discuss the pipeline, how to begin getting leads with searches directly from your LinkedIn FREE account.  We will also discuss joining and participating in LinkedIn groups, and wrap up this 2-part blog on LinkedIn with a discussion of what do daily and how to get the most out of LinkedIn for Nonprofits and social media for nonprofits in general

Small Business Tool Center Nonprofit Resource Center

Did you know CharityNetUSA provides help in many areas.  We are you one stop for anything from 501c3 preparation and certification in many areas, bookkeeping and marketing services.  We can help with web sites and yes even social media for nonprofits strategy.

If you would like more information on the full range of services offered to Set up a Charity, Nonprofit or Foundation please contact CharityNetUSA by visiting www.CharityNetUSA.com or by calling, toll FREE 1.877.857.9002.  Please FOLLOW us on Twitter and LIKE us on Face Book to receive free daily tips and tricks as well as notification of our FREE Award Winning Webinar series!  Now is the time to start a small business!

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Social Media, SEO and Your Web Site, What Your Nonprofit Needs to Know; What You Must Do in 2012 to Survive the Raging River that is the Internet!

 By Thomas R. Reich and Chris Romero

Why are Social Media, and the internet Important to you as a Nonprofit Director today in 2012?  First let’s look at Social Media and how it can help your Organization in a number of ways.  As an invaluable tool of today’s Business, Social Media can work in conjunction with your website to help create an amazing internet “mailing list”.  But what do Social Media, your Web Site and the Internet as a whole have in common and how are they important to your business in 2012?

Think of the days before the internet revolution, an organization would design a flyer if the organization had a siginificant product or service to launch they would probably make a nice brochure.   In order to give the work a professional look the organization would use the services of an outside company to finalize the art work and prepare the piece for the printer.  At that point the piece would be sent to the printers to print it and to the fulfillment house to begin addressing the finished brochures to your established mailing list.  If the release was important enough, the organization might even buy one or even several additional targeted mailing lists to reach thousands or tens of thousands of potential customers, many of the brochures  would be thrown away some would be read,  and a few became leads.

The point is, there was cost involved in traditional marketing and the design process, the mastering and printing process, the addressing of the pieces to be mailed, the costs of the mailing lists and finally the postage charge of sending your beautifully prepared work of art out to the “targeted” masses.  Fortunately, the internet cuts many of those costs with its no cost mail delivery.   Heck, it has effectively bankrupted our postal system.  However, there are still costs involved.  Advertising is never entirely free, but the cost of not using cutting edge methods to reach your potential customers is not only foolish but may kill your organization.

In the past, when you used a print house, you didn’t bring in an offset press to your facility, did you?  You probably used a fulfillment center to address and mail the thousands and thousands of pieces as well, right?  We must understand there are still costs involved in a properly executed Social Media and SEO campaign.  Lists of targeted “addresses” still cost money, SEO or Search Engine Optimization is an art, and unless you are a big enough organization to have a specialist in house this should be out sourced and is an ongoing, never ending process.

If an outside advertising firm or art house was used to make brochure designs in the past, perhaps you should use professionals to do this process for your Nonprofit’s on line materials as well.  Just because you can buy a copy of Adobe In Design, having this or other programs does not mean you could or should consider doing all the design work in house.  There are specialized professionals to which design for use on the Internet is second nature.  Your brochure must be top notch, professional and induce a potential customer to call your office.  If you couldn’t create a finished brochure in-house in the 90’s your organization would probably still be best suited to have this done professionally by a proven expert in your market.

What you can do is learn to manipulate Social Media for nonprofitsin such a way as to accumulate large “mailing Lists”.  You can develop a Social Media Profile to point back to your company’s website.  A website  that represents your Nonprofit and its dealings 24 hours a day 7 days a week, but again, it is best to accept guidance from a professional to make this website as outstanding as possible.  Twenty years ago when showrooms were the rage, an organization would hire a decorator to guide them as to what colors to use what drapes the material to use for the carpets and the look of the display tables.

Website SEO Social Media and Nonprofits

They would have custom wall hangings and mock ups of their services, maybe even miniatures of a facility or the new building they hoped to build, made by a professional miniature model maker.

Today, you website is your display room.   It must be perfect, it must represent you, it must be interactive as if a representative, one that you trained and trusted, was there with the potential donor.  Your Organization must have a professional and targeted Web Site, linked to Social Media and maximized for SEO, or you are throwing money out the door.  Just as we discussed with the brochures, the costs are significantly reduced, but you still may need professional help.  Do you really want to trust your main showroom design to the receptionist?  You may be surprised, but in many cases it is the receptionist  who many Boards get to pick a template from a free site, one of those do it yourself domain hosting destinations advertised so much today, later, leaving the important decisions of picking the type fonts and colors to, yes, the receptionist!

Your Web Site is your showroom.  Like it or not, that is the reality of 2012. Your Organization can no longer call it “that web thing”, you can no longer ignore it, because your competition is not ignoring the Internet!  With a well planned strategy, good branding, and exceptional brand maintenance, your Web Site, in conjunction with Twitter, Facebook and YouTube and other Social Media resources, can be a better tool than direct mail ever was.  It combines direct mail with lead generation, a show room and even demonstration area or Update from the site of a particular project with the clever use of video and YouTube.  Beyond this, with the use of things like Google analytics, and the clever following of the right competition or peers  on Twitter and facebook,(see other blog postings on BizCentralUSA that cover these subjects) you can know more about your market and your competition than you could have dreamed of in the past.

The Internet is not a fad, Social Media is not a fad, and your Organization’s Web Site is as important as your home office, perhaps even more important, since it can be seen instantly around the world.  These are the facts of 2012.  Isn’t it time to at least ask some questions, hear some advice, talk to some Internet professionals and see what can be done to strengthen your position in the new world of 2012?  The Internet is now a raging river of unrelated data, but  with proper guidance and direction your company can build an internet strategy that can be an island with a beacon of direction and light in the center of that raging river of potential customers!

Before you waste one more cent on Yellow pages, and obsolete printed mass mail material which must then use postage, take a little time and listen to an updated strategy that could bring your Nonprofit, with all its quality and good will, smoothly into the New Year.  Make 2012 the year you truly wade into that raging river that is the Internet and tame it!

At CharityNetUSA, we have been on the cutting edge of internet strategies and Social Media Marketing since 2003.  We can’t start the conversation without a call from you!  We are here to help your Nonprofit.  Give CharityNet a call and let’s discuss an Internet and Social Media Strategy.  With the right SEO and Social Media Operation, combined with a fantastic, targeted Web Site, we can help you make 2012 a record year for your organization, and help increase your Internet exposure to the world!

** If you would like more information on the full range of services offered to the Non-profit community, please contact Chris Romero at CharityNet USA  by calling 1.877.857.9002 ext 509 or emailing him Chris@BizCentralUSA.com  Keep visiting www.CharityNetUSA.com .  Please follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook to receive daily tips and tricks!

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It’s summertime, and it’s a great time for any organization to really push their fundraising efforts! Car washes, walk-a-thons, chicken bbq’s… all of these are great ideas and they can really aid in bringing in a few dollars; but wouldn’t you rather they bring in a few hundred dollars? Any organization can easy walk away from a simple summer fundraiser with well over $1,000, if they go the extra mile to publicize the event. 

This does not mean you have to spend a ton of money on paid advertising.  There are actually many ways to promote your organization’s event that will cost you just about nothing but time. The following tips will help you get the knowledge and understanding of simple promotional tactics that can get you on your way to a successful summer fundraising event!

Promotional Tactics that won’t Bust the Budget!

Send out a Press Release: Having a press release for your event could possibly be one of the most important things any organization should do.  Not only can you submit your event’s press release to your local media (TV stations, newspapers, radio stations etc.), but you can also use it to find donors and vendors for the event at local grocery stores for supply stores.

Use your Social Networking Skills: Social Networking has added new ways to conduct business and build your organizations awareness. By utilizing it, you have the ability to form communities, groups and events with others interested in your cause.

Go Back to the Roots of Marketing, Word of Mouth: Mixing new methods of marketing and PR with more traditional methods will highly benefit the results of any campaign.  Still today, over 90% of customers identify word of mouth as the best, most reliable and trustworthy source about ideas and information on products, services and events. So tell everyone one you know, then tell them to tell everyone they know.

Update Current Constituents with an Email Blast: By maintaining a constant stream of communication with your current members and donors, not only will you form a better relationship with them, but you will keep them on the radar with your current happenings!

The importance of Public Relations is often under-minded as something only for large organizations and corporations.  The truth is, PR comes in many shapes and sizes for everyone, and any organization with a message to share should be using PR to promote that message.

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“When the going gets tough, the tough get going” Will your organization rise to the top or will it buckle under the pressure of an unstable economy?  Most likely, you would prefer the latter, but in order to “get going” it’s imperative that an organization utilize strategies that are both low cost and effective. 

Social networking, press releases, blogging and article writing are all ways to spread your brands image across a variety of mediums without breaking the bank.  If you take the time to learn and then execute each of these marketing strategies, they can provide any organization a maximum return on little investment.

Does your organization “RT” the latest tweets in your industry? If you have an upcoming event, do you update your “wall” with the details? Is your nonprofit “In” the network with other fundraisers, charities and donors? If the previous three questions went completely over your head, it is what you call social media and it has completely re-shaped the realm of marketing. Currently, there are well over 50 different of social networking sites including: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Plaxo, Mixx, LinkedIn, Tribe, Ryze, Digg, Reddit, Squidoo, Flickr, Freindster, Bebo, YouTube, Tagged, Xing, and the list goes on and on and on.  The key is to gain a presence on as many sites as you can maintain; meaning regularly capable of adding fresh content, interesting updates and organizational news.  Ideally and realistically, this will be around five to ten sites. If your organization does not already have a presence on at least three of the top social networking sites then now is the time to “get going” on the social media wave.

Press releases are more effective than ever and, if done right, can deliver better pick-up with traditional media outlets, new media outlets and even get directly to consumers. How would you like your annual Gala event to be plastered in front of 200,000 eyes in color, in sound and in action?  Accomplishing this means providing your local media with a newsworthy press release.  Local reporters are constantly on the prowl for the latest happenings in the area that will generate interest from the community.  While you may not be guaranteed a feature package every week, a few sound-bites and video on the evening news would get you free publicity that reaches thousands.  Additionally, to stay competitive in the market today you need to be searchable, believable and credible.  Press releases help you to promote these goals.

An organization’s blog can provide commentary or news on your specific organizations interests, beliefs, positioning on current news.  As a nonprofit it is important to start your blog early because this can be one of the most cost effective ways to reach followers of your organization.  As your organization grows so will your number of followers and those who become faithful will appreciate your information and possibly become a future donor. One of the best characteristics of a blog is that it’s not necessary to be a professional author or a multi-million-dollar company to have a blog.  All you need is opinions, information and insight in your cause.  If you prove to be genuine and knowledgeable your readers will notice and your blog will become one of the most cost effective marketing tools your organization could invest in.  If you have a sincere message, as most nonprofit organizations do, now is the time to “get going” on an organizational blog.

Spreading your organization’s passion to others is what builds the foundation for most nonprofits.   Writing articles for your organization is a great way to disseminate your mission to current and future donors, plus it will build your organizations credibility as an expert source for your cause.  Furthermore, blasting these articles out to websites, directories and news outlets will increase link-backs to your website, making your organization easier to find on the web.  Writing an effective article requires an understanding of professional writing and AP standards along with the capability to merge SEO tactics throughout the body of your article.  To “get going” with writing articles may be a bit trickier than writing for a blog, but with a little practice or help from a professional writer, your organization can be on its way to expert article status.

“When the going gets tough, will your organization get going?” Using the above strategies will give you the tools to get started; it is how you execute them that will determine the results you will receive.  Finally, keep in mind that every method will not deliver results right away, but not giving up and pushing forward through the storm is what will set you apart from other organizations.